Advanced Clinical Practice (Apprenticeship) MSc
Year of entry 2025
- Start dates
- September 2025
- January 2026
- Delivery type
- On campus
- Duration
- 36 months part time
- Entry requirements
- Full entry requirements
- UK fees
- To be confirmed
- Available to UK residents only
- Yes
Course overview
This programme is for experienced health and social care practitioners who are either currently working in an advanced clinical practice role or who have obtained a trainee advanced clinical practitioner role prior to starting the programme. The course is designed to support your development under the four pillars of advanced practice:
- Clinical practice.
- Leadership and Management.
- Education.
- Research.
Advanced clinical practice embodies the ability to manage clinical care in partnership with individuals, families and carers. It includes the analysis and synthesis of complex problems across a range of settings, enabling innovative solutions to enhance people’s healthcare experience and improve outcomes. You’ll be required to demonstrate core capabilities and area specific clinical competence.
The School of Healthcare is one of the largest multi-professional health schools in the country. You’ll have the opportunity to study in a research-intensive university, alongside those with whom you’ll work in clinical practice.
The programme leader is Ian Goulden: i.goulden@leeds.ac.uk.
Please note: you must either be already working as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner or must have secured a trainee Advanced Clinical practitioner role prior to application.
Course details and modules
The MSc Advanced Clinical Practice – Apprenticeship has four compulsory modules (75 credits in total) and 105 optional module credits.
The optional modules are designed to enable you to focus your learning on your own particular care environment whilst maintaining the fundamental components of advanced clinical practice. The programme is designed to be studied over three years.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.
Year 1 compulsory modules
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Issues and Concepts of Advancing Practice | 15 |
| Research Methods | 15 |
Year 2 compulsory modules
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Issues and Concepts of Advancing Practice | 15 |
| Research Methods | 15 |
Year 3 compulsory modules
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Advanced Practitioner Inquiry (Apprenticeship) | 25 |
| Advanced Clinical Practice End Point Assessment | 20 |
Learning and teaching
On this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
The programme aims to keep the assessment load at a manageable level whilst ensuring that you are adequately prepared for the role. As such whenever possible, assessment methods will support day to day practice and will test practice applicable knowledge and skills. The aim is for the assessment to be of use within the workplace as well as providing evidence that you’ve achieved the learning outcomes for the module.
A range of assessment methods are used in the various modules that will make up this programme. The type of assessment will depend to a large extent on the optional modules selected.
In addition to the module assessments you’ll be required to complete a range of core clinical competencies as well as specific ones determined by your employer.
Applying
Entry requirements
You must:
- Be currently registered with an appropriate health / social care professional body.
- Possess a degree in a health / social care related discipline from a recognised higher education institution. (Normally this will be an Honours degree at 2:1 classification or above. However, consideration will be given to suitable applicants who do not have an Honours degree or who do not have a 2:1 classification).
- Be working in an advanced practice role or as a trainee advanced clinical practitioner at the start of and throughout the programme.
- Have a satisfactory application and interview.
In addition, prior to being submitted for the End Point Assessment students will be required to show that they have achieved GCSE English Language / English Literature and Mathematics at grade 4 or above (or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme), or have achieved Level 2 Functional Skills in English and Mathematics (or any agreed equivalencies).
Individuals are eligible for apprenticeship funding through an employer’s apprenticeship service account or government-employer co-investment if they have a valid and eligible residency status. Non-UK nationals are eligible for funding if they have permission from the UK government to live in the UK (not for educational purposes), and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship. Full eligibility criteria are outlined in Annex A of the Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) Apprenticeship Funding Rules.
Opportunities for accreditation of prior certificated learning (APCL) are available.
Student selection
Eligible students will be interviewed either as part of their employer’s recruitment process or separately within the University.
English language requirements
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Science (6 weeks) and Language for Science: General Science (10 weeks).
We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional and our 10 week online pre-sessional.
You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.
How to apply
Application deadline
We traditionally accept applications up to the end of July for September intakes and the end of November for January intakes.
Trainee ACP roles are advertised by the local Trusts regularly.
Applicants must either be already working as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner or must have secured a trainee Advanced Clinical practitioner role prior to application.
Admissions policy
Taught Admissions Policy 2025-26
This course is taught by
Contact us
School of Healthcare Admissions Team
Email: admissions@healthcare.leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:
Fees
UK: To be confirmed
Fees will be paid by your employer organisation through the UK Apprenticeship Scheme, subject to eligibility. There will be no costs incurred by you.
You must be fully employed by a UK-based organisation and your contract must not expire prior to the end of the training programme.
If you are employed by a large company, which pays the UK Apprenticeship Levy, the fees will be paid in full by the levy, once your employer has registered with the Digital Apprenticeship Service.
If you are employed by a non-levy paying organisation, they can apply to reserve funding through the Apprenticeship co-investment scheme. Places are limited and the company will have to pay 5% of the cost of the fees and the Government pay the remaining 95%.
Your employer will be required to enter into a formal written contract with the University of Leeds.
Please note you will not be eligible for tuition fee or maintenance loans from the Student Loan Company.
Additional cost information
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page.
Scholarships and financial support
No funding is applicable to this apprenticeship as your fees will be paid by the employer organisation through the UK Apprenticeship Scheme, subject to eligibility.
For more information please see the Fees section.
Career opportunities
Many students who have completed this programme go on study the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice.
Careers support
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more about Careers support.