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Oncology PG Cert

London, Bloomsbury

This PGCert Oncology is the ideal first step for future consultants in clinical or medical oncology. Our flexible or part-time programme is taught mostly online with weekly remote tutorials and an intensive short face-to-face teaching block on-campus in London each term. You will study cancer biology and evidence-based medicine in detail across two modules: 'Fundamentals of Oncology Science' and 'Fundamentals of Oncology Therapeutics'.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
Fees to be confirmed
£3,500
Part-time = 1 year.

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
Fees to be confirmed
£8,700
Part-time = 1 year.

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
All applicants: 16 Oct 2023 – 28 Jun 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

Applicants must possess an undergraduate medical degree (i.e. MBBS or equivalent from a recognised institution) and have completed foundation training (or equivalent basic postgraduate clinical training). Applicants must have full and current registration with the UK General Medical Council (or international equivalent) and be in clinical practice in an oncological specialty with access to patients for the duration of the programme.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 3

果冻影院 Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at 果冻影院. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when 果冻影院 representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

For this programme, please contact our 果冻影院 Graduate Admissions team.

About this degree

This postgraduate certificate provides oncologists, particularly registrars and training doctors, with the essential knowledge of cancer science and clinical practice to enhance your skills for the next stage in your career. You will study cancer biology and evidence-based medicine in detail across two modules: 'Fundamentals of Oncology Science' and 'Fundamentals of Oncology Therapeutics'. We address four common tumour types (lung, breast, colorectal and prostate) to demonstrate fundamental oncology principles.

Our syllabus maps onto the UK General Medical Council curriculum for the specialist registrar training for medical oncology and clinical oncology. You will cover the curriculum for the FRCR Part 1 examinations, encountered at the end of the Oncology Common Stem training year.

The PGCert Oncology is taught mostly online with weekly remote tutorials and short face-to-face teaching blocks in London each term. Most will complete it in one year, but you have the option to take it over two years, so you can take both modules in the same year or one per year to complete the award.

You will network with colleagues and supervisors on day-release taught days and benefit from specialist clinical and cancer science expertise from the 果冻影院 Cancer Institute, 果冻影院 Hospital, Francis Crick Biomedical Research Institute, the Royal Free Hospital, London, and associated hospitals.

Once you complete the two 30-credit modules, you can exit the programme with a postgraduate certificate in oncology or progress to the postgraduate diploma or MSc awards.

All NHS employees will be assessed to see if they can be considered as home fee students.

Who this course is for

This course is for busy oncologists, particularly those on a UK or international training programme and is targeted primarily at those wanting to prepare for the FRCR Part 1 examinations.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at 果冻影院

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities.

  • We provide oncology registrars with the essential knowledge of cancer basic science and clinical practice to advance their careers and enhance skills in cancer research.
  • Flexibility: we compress on-campus teaching into termly 3-day blocks, alongside weekly online teaching that will help you fit your studies around other commitments.
  • The foundations for professional qualifications, including preparation for the exam for Fellow of Royal College of Radiology.
  • Network with colleagues and supervisors on day-release taught days alongside distance learning on sophisticated virtual platforms.
  • Specialist clinical and cancer science expertise from the 果冻影院 Cancer Institute, 果冻影院 Hospital, Francis Crick Biomedical Research Institute, the Royal Free Hospital, London, and associated hospitals.
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Students on this course are committed to careers in medical oncology or clinical oncology. This postgraduate certificate will broaden your knowledge and help you to advance your career to a more specialised level or to become more established as a practitioner.

You will develop your knowledge, clinical skills, and gain specialist expertise to help you prepare for site specialist practice.

Employability

Most UK oncology graduates are aiming to become consultants in one or other specialty, either in an NHS based predominantly clinical service role or in an academic position. International applicants will be equipped with UK specialist oncology knowledge, training and experience to apply to their own career and practice around the world. There are also a range of alternative career paths that will suit graduates - for example, in industry.

Whatever the destination, this postgraduate certificate provides a basis for knowledge and a range of transferable skills that will benefit you in your career pathway.

The certificate can also lead onto a PG Diploma or master's degree. If you wish to pursue this, we will provide guidance and support for the next steps.

Networking

You will network with colleagues and supervisors in-person and online, and benefit from specialist clinical and cancer science expertise from the 果冻影院 Cancer Institute, 果冻影院 Hospital, Francis Crick Biomedical Research Institute, the Royal Free Hospital, London, and associated hospitals.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of:

  • Intensive three-day blocks of face-to-face teaching
  • Online lectures and clinical examples
  • Research appraisal and journal clubs
  • Practical sessions and group discussions.
  • Self-directed reading and learning, supported by weekly tutorials and workshops.

We accommodate a range of learning styles. Our teaching includes tutorials, group work, online and live lectures, online live seminars and tutorials, case reviews and interpretation of clinical images and data. Recorded lectures and audio recordings of some topics will also be available.

We use the learning platform, Moodle, to direct you to relevant publicly available websites and to other learning materials to support your learning.

You will also receive support and feedback from module leads and lecturers on the course content and have a personal tutor for pastoral support and to support your progress.

The assessments include:

  • Short answer exam questions to test your core knowledge.
  • A written review of a clinical trial to develop critical evaluation skills.
  • Written patient treatment plans to apply principles of radiotherapy and pharmacology to specific clinical contexts.

Your contact hours and independent study requirements will depend on the modules you select every year. A certificate comprises 60 credits and can be spread over one or two years. Most students will have weekly online tutorials and attend a block of three days per term in London.

A 15-credit module includes 18 hours of face-to-face group learning (in a block of three days), 27 hours of online courses, and weekly remote tutor meetings. You should allow approximately 100 hours for self-directed learning and preparing for your assessments.

If you study 30 credits per year, you should expect to spend roughly half a day per week towards your award.

Modules

In this programme, you will cover the 'Oncology Common Stem' modules alongside the PG Diploma and master's students.

The Postgraduate Certificate covers the curriculum for the FRCR Part 1 examinations, encountered at the end of the Oncology Common Stem training year. The science base is illustrated in four common tumour types (lung, breast, colo-rectal and prostate) as exemplars of fundamental oncology principles. 
You study two compulsory 30-credit modules:

  • Fundamentals of Oncology Science  
  • Fundamentals of Oncology Therapeutics.

In this modular programme, both medical and clinical oncology specialties work together for the first registrar year ('Oncology Common Stem' year) for you to gain in-depth experience of the other specialty. You will be working alongside the diploma and master’s students and may choose to upgrade to a higher award.

This is very similar to the part-time option, but you have the option of doing one module in the first year, and one in the second. As in the part-time option, both medical and clinical oncology specialties work together for the first registrar year ('锘縊ncology Common Stem' year) for you to gain in-depth experience of the other specialty. You will be working alongside the diploma and master's students and may choose to upgrade to a higher award.

The Postgraduate Certificate covers the curriculum for the FRCR Part 1 examinations, encountered at the end of the Oncology Common Stem training year. The science base is illustrated in four common tumour types (lung, breast, colo-rectal and prostate) as exemplars of fundamental oncology principles.

You study two compulsory 30-credit modules:

  • Fundamentals of Oncology Science
  • Fundamentals of Oncology Therapeutics.

Compulsory modules


Fundamentals of Oncology Therapeutics


Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 60 credits. Upon successful completion of 60 credits, you will be awarded a PG Cert in Oncology.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of 果冻影院 buildings can be obtained from . Further information can also be obtained from the 果冻影院 Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) Fees to be confirmed £3,500
Tuition fees (2024/25) Fees to be confirmed £8,700

Part-time = 1 year.

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

Additional costs

  • Travel and accommodation to attend the termly face-to-face teaching blocks at our Bloomsbury campus in London. (Some guidance on living costs is available.) We may also travel locally to other sites (e.g. Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead) for some activities. Discover the cost of using public transport at .
  • Equipment: you will need access to a computer and webcam and a reliable internet connection, as most of this course is online. When you come to London for the face-to-face components, you will be able to access computers on campus.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at 果冻影院, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

There is an application processing fee for this programme of 拢90 for online applications and 拢115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

Applicants must be in clinical practice. There are alternative courses in the Cancer Institute for non-clinicians. You will need two referees and a personal statement. We will be looking for:

  • Why you want to study oncology at graduate level at 果冻影院.
  • What particularly attracts you to this programme.
  • How your academic, professional, and personal background meets the demands of this programme.
  • Where you would like to go professionally with your certificate.

Your personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying will match what the programme will deliver.

What qualities are we looking for?

  • A clear understanding of and commitment to oncology as a career.
  • Good academic, interpersonal and communication skills.
  • You must value dignity, compassion, teamwork, diversity, inclusion, and above all, person-centred care, listening and responding to the specific needs of individuals and communities.

Further requirements

If you will be working with the public, you will be subject to screening by 果冻影院 Occupational Health and through the Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

You will need to consent to vaccinations to protect yourself and patients if relevant. You must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

International students who apply to this programme are not eligible for a regular student visa for full-time study in the UK. To attend the on-campus teaching sessions for this course, international students will ordinarily use a UK Standard Visitor visa for study. For any visa queries, please contact the 果冻影院 Student Immigration Compliance Team.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Cancer Institute
Cancer Institute

ci.pgeducation@ucl.ac.uk

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