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MSc - Medical Imaging (Ultrasound)

This is a challenging, yet rewarding programme of study offering you the opportunity to develop the high level skills required of an autonomous ultrasound practitioner, in 3 or 4 areas of ultrasound practice.
This is a highly flexible part-time pathway that will appeal to a wide range of health care professionals who wish to develop ultrasound skills as an extension of their scope of practice.

You will receive high quality teaching from friendly, supportive and enthusiastic staff, who are clinically and research active. The course is delivered via a blended approach combining some online and some face to face (campus based delivery) at our Lancaster campus.
You’ll engage in practice based learning in a clinical environment with expert mentor support.

Accredited by the Consortium for the Accreditation of Sonographic Education (CASE), this programme delivers high-quality sonographic education at an appropriate level to ensure trainees are competent and able to practice professionally within the sonographic field. Students undertaking a CASE accredited Medical Ultrasound programme will know that high quality education and training is being delivered against set standards.

Download our Prospectus

Accredited by:

Consortium for the Accreditation of Sonographic Education (CASE)

Medical Imaging (Ultrasound) cover image

Course Overview

Our MSc Medical Imaging (Ultrasound) offers you the opportunity to train in a range of ultrasound applications. You will be taught in your place of employment as well as our modern Clinical Skills Suite by some of the area’s leading experts in this field and using state of the art simulation systems.

The course is modular, offering part-time enrolment options to help you fit your professional development into your lifestyle. Our part-time pathway is flexible in its design, delivery and assessment to help you meet the demands of work and family commitments. A broad range of negotiated modules allow you to put together a programme of study that meets your individual learning needs, supporting your individual career aspirations.

You must have access to a clinical ultrasound placement for a minimum of three days per week. Please note that part-time students must source a placement independently.

On this course you will...

Have the opportunity to develop the high level skills required of an autonomous ultrasound practitioner.
Develop ultrasound skills as an extension of their scope of practice.
Receive high quality teaching from friendly, supportive and enthusiastic staff, who are clinically and research active.
Engage in practice based learning in a clinical environment with expert mentor support.
To study around your work commitments, with start dates in May, September or January each year.

Download our Prospectus

Key Details

Recruiting toUK / RoI / Settled in UK
Course LocationLancaster
Online
Work-based
Blended Learning
Institute Institute of Health
Delivery StyleFace to Face and Blended Learning
Course Duration Part-time: 3-4 Years
Course Start PointJanuary
May
September
AwardMSc
More informationProgramme Specification
Prospectus
Open DaysLancaster
All

Minimum entry requirements

2:1 (2:2 Considered) in a science or healthcare subject.

Tuition fees

£13,500

UK | Per Programme

Fees are for 2025/6

Tuition Fees Policy

Course Structure

What you will learn

We provide a range of modules to help you develop relevant clinical skills in your own department. Teaching is also supported by specialist guest speakers who provide current, relevant course material directly related to clinical practice.

You may be assessed in various ways including coursework, presentations, reflective writing, verbal assessments, exams and reports. Assessment of clinical placements is a requirement of the qualification; you will be assessed to ensure you are clinically competent before you can receive the award.

When you start you must begin with one of our core modules. Both core modules must be completed in year 1, alongside at least ONE optional module. You will then choose a further 3 modules in year 2.

Please note optional module choices are made by the placement and not you the student, and these are based fundamentally on patient caseload availability, mentor support and service need.

Modules

Compulsory modules

Physical Principles & Technology in Ultrasound
Professional, Legal & Ethical Issues in Ultrasound

Optional modules (subject to availability and demand)

General Medical Ultrasound (Theory)
General Medical Ultrasound (Clinical Practice)
Obstetric Ultrasound (Theory)
Obstetric Ultrasound (Clinical Practice)
Gynaecological Ultrasound (Theory)
Gynaecological Ultrasound (Clinical Practice)
Breast Ultrasound (Theory)
Breast Ultrasound (Clinical Practice)
Vascular Ultrasound (Theory)
Vascular Ultrasound (Clinical Practice)
Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (Theory)
Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (Clinical Practice)
Negotiated Ultrasound Practice (Theory)
Negotiated Ultrasound Practice (Clinical Practice)
Research methods
Independent Study in Ultrasound (non-clinical)

Year one

When you start you must begin with one of our core modules. Both core modules must be completed in year 1, alongside at least ONE optional module.

Physical Principles & Technology in Ultrasound
This module introduces the underpinning physics and technology of ultrasound imaging.
Professional, Legal & Ethical Issues in Ultrasound
This module introduces the relevant professional, legal and ethical issues relating to medical ultrasound practice.
Optional Module (with clinical practice)
Choose three optional clinical module(s) (Theory and Clinical Practice elements). The aim of these modules is to enable you to demonstrate and apply the relevant knowledge, skills and professional abilities to effectively perform and interpret medical ultrasound examinations, relating to your agreed scope of practice.

Year two

You will then choose a further 3 modules in year 2, two of which must be clinically related.

Choose two or three optional clinical module(s) (Theory and Clinical Practice elements)
Choose one or two optional clinical module(s) (Theory and Clinical Practice elements). The aim of these modules is to enable you to demonstrate and apply the relevant knowledge, skills and professional abilities to effectively perform and interpret medical ultrasound examinations, relating to your agreed scope of practice.
If only 2 clinical options are chosen you may also study the Research Methods module
This module will enable you to select, devise, analyse and synthesise research and evidence-based practice findings. You will develop an advanced understanding of selected research methods and will have opportunities for acquiring appropriate research skills through study and practical experience.

Year three

In your final year, you will complete your dissertation module.

Dissertation
To enable you to carry out either a critical review of the current literature, or a piece of empirical research, on an issue related to medical imaging (ultrasound)/practice.

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

Learning on this course is blended and most modules will have an element of live virtual tutorial type sessions using Blackboard Collaborate or Microsoft Teams, which you will be expected to engage with. You will need a suitable laptop or PC with speakers and a webcam and adequate internet access/broadband speed to work remotely on-line. Some modules may also have a campus based clinical skills element to the teaching.

The delivery of your modules may vary from tutor to tutor, module to module, so please follow the guidance of your module leader and the information provided within the relevant module Blackboard site.

You will learn through group activities, lectures, practical work, seminars, self-directed study and simulation activities.

Practical ‘hands-on’ skills development will be supported by access to a state of the art ultrasound simulation suite and a fully equipped ultrasound room in our Clinical Skills Suite.

There is also some further information related to on-line study here on our website which you may find helpful:

https://my.cumbria.ac.uk/Student-Life/Learning/Resources/Studying-from-home/Online-Learning/

How you will be assessed

A range of assessment methods are used to ensure that all intended learning outcomes are met. These include written assignments, unseen online OSE examinations, computer-based assessments, formative and summative clinical assessment and image viewing examinations. All assessments are linked explicitly with real-world tasks that would be expected of an autonomous ultrasound practitioner.

You may be assessed in various ways including:

Coursework

Presentations

Reflective writing

Verbal assessments

Online Exams

Reports.

Assessment of clinical placements is a requirement of the qualification; you will be assessed to ensure you are clinically competent before you can receive the award.

Career Outcome

On successful completion of all core and mandatory elements, you will be able to provide evidence of preparation for practice to the standards required for a first post-qualification sonographer. From consultation, key service partners have confirmed that this would allow appointment of graduates in most regional NHS contexts. However, applicants from a non-health care background should note that, at present, employment in some NHS Trusts would not be possible due to the requirement for professional registration. These potential restrictions on employment will be discussed with you during the application process and you will be asked to sign a memorandum of agreement confirming your understanding and acceptance.

At present, sonography is not a registerable health care profession. On successful completion graduate entrants (who do not hold an existing registerable qualification) will not be eligible for HCPC registration. However, in collaboration with CASE and the Society and College of Radiographers, this course has been mapped closely against existing HCPC standards of proficiency for diagnostic imaging.

On completion you will be able to apply for registration through the Professional Standards Authority with The Register of Clinical Technologists. Details of the application process can be found on their website.

UK CASE accredited ultrasound awards are recognised both nationally and internationally. Whilst developing the course we have worked closely with regional and national stakeholders to ensure that when you graduate you will be well prepared to work as an autonomous ultrasound practitioner within your specialty.

Overview

1st or 2nd class honours degree in a science or healthcare subject.

Students with other qualifications may be admitted to the course, please contact the Enquiry Centre for further details. Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) may be considered for relevant prior learning at the same academic level.

For information about Medical Clearance and vaccination requirements (including Covid-19 Vaccines) click here.

Fair Admissions

When you apply, our Admissions specialists will review your whole application. We are looking for your potential to succeed so will assess your qualifications, any relevant work experience, your personal statement, and references.

Selection Criteria

You will be required to pass an element of pre-course assessment, carried out in the department sponsoring you. It is the sponsoring department’s responsibility to facilitate this assessment and this will be carried out to ensure that you show an aptitude for Ultrasonography. You will need to undertake a preliminary practical assessment to demonstrate the relevant psychomotor skills such as hand-eye co-ordination, pattern recognition and spatial awareness. The assessment will be of an informal nature, carried out by experienced practitioners in your clinical placement, who will then provide a written reference to confirm your suitability.

Before being accepted onto the course, all applicants will be interviewed, usually by telephone. Interviewers from the course team will, amongst other attributes, be looking for a commitment to further study, an understanding of content and standard of the course and interpersonal skills.

As part of the recruitment process, applicants may be assessed for their values using the core requirements set out in the Value Based Recruitment (VBR) Behaviour Framework as outlined in the NHS Constitution.

A particularly high standard of spoken and written English is necessary to cope with the clinical work on the MSc Medical Imaging (Ultrasound) course. Applicants who have not received their secondary school education in English will require an overall IELTS score of 7 with a mean score of 7 in all elements.You will usually need to have at least 12 months’ equivalent full-time post registration clinical experience, in your respective profession, and you will need support from a clinical ultrasound department and access to a clinical placement in such a department for the duration of the course.

It is your responsibility to ensure a suitable clinical placement is organised, prior to starting, and for the duration of your chosen award. The university regretfully cannot assist students in finding or securing a clinical placement for this award, at any time during their time on the course. You must have access to a suitable clinical mentor and suitable patient case load for a minimum of 21 hours per week. If your placement is terminated for any reason, the university cannot assist you in finding another placement. If a suitable clinical placement cannot be found in these circumstances, you will be required to withdraw from the course.

Applicants should be eligible for registration by their respective UK professional or regulatory body e.g. Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC), Society of Vascular Technologist (SVT). You will also need to provide one reference in support of your application, from the department offering a clinical placement who can confirm your suitability to train in ultrasound. Overseas students can usually only be considered if they are able to secure a suitable placement in the UK or Ireland. Regretfully the university is unable to assist in this process.

Contextual Admissions

Going to higher education can transform a person’s life. We use contextual admissions to make sure that we are accessible to everyone who has the potential to succeed. Qualifications and grades are important, but they are considered alongside other information that helps universities to identify potential and widen access to university level study. For some individuals, the disadvantages they have experienced in their life mean that they have not been able to demonstrate their full academic potential. Where a person lives and their personal circumstances can all affect their educational attainment.

Contact pgadmissions@cumbria.ac.uk for more information.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

2024 - 2025

£13,500 - UK

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

More Information

We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, grants and funds available to support you throughout your studies with us. This includes the Cumbria Bursary - a non-repayable bursary designed to support first year students with a household income of less than £25,000..

Student Finance

Additional Costs

You may need to purchase stationery, course books and personal equipment. Extra costs may also be applicable to cover travel to placement and the university campus, parking and/or accommodation at placement/university campus (if required).

Books and Journals

The University library holds copies of core texts (including some as ebooks accessible online). All set texts are available via the university Rebus lists and it is up to individual students whether they choose to purchase personal copies.

Stationery

You will incur costs for stationery and printing and other basic materials whilst on course and should budget accordingly. Where specifics are required they will be detailed below but items denoted are an outline rather than indicative list. Stationery for your own personal use (pens, papers and folders, etc.) Whilst you will choose how much you need, expect to pay around £10 - £20 per year for these.

Clothing and Equipment

Part-time students are usually employed by their sponsoring placement and will incur travel costs to and from the university site and (if required) accommodation costs for academic blocks and required campus attendances. Remote placements may also incur an additional charge for repeat placement visits by academic staff from the university of Cumbria. Students/placements visits and clinical assessment moderations are usually completed virtually [via Microsoft Teams]

Other

All students (or sponsoring placements) must incur all costs associated with elective placements, should these be required or opted for. Full time students: uniforms are currently provided by the university Part time students: uniforms should be provided by the sponsoring placement site. It is the responsibility of the sponsoring placement/employer to ensure the student completes all relevant mandatory training and provides suitable indemnity insurance for them.

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Online Learning
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Work-based
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MSc - Medical Imaging (Ultrasound)