Surgical Education
Aiming to challenge and develop your thinking and practice as a surgical educator.
Award titles
Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip)
Master of Education (MEd)
Key information
Start date: October 2022
Location: Online (PG Dip) or a mix of online and on campus learning (PG Dip and MEd)
Studying Surgical Education at Imperial
Overview
These courses use intensive online teaching, discussion and academic work to challenge and develop your thinking and practice as a surgical educator. Educational themes tailored to the unique features of surgical practice are explored throughout.
Our new online programme features collaborative PG Certificate level modules with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh's Faculty of Surgical Trainers and our own Faculty of Medicine’s Collaborative Partnerships Office. These new partnerships offer students insights from a wide range of clinical educators who are embedded firmly in the surgical and medical communities.
There is increasing emphasis across surgical specialities on sound education, assessment and appraisal, and a growing recognition that education is key to safe clinical practice and effective professional development.
Surgery – with its professional emphasis on craft, performance and teamwork – presents unique opportunities and challenges to educators and trainers.
These courses aim to challenge your thinking and develop your practice as a surgical educator. You will develop your theoretical and practical understanding of surgical education and the judgment needed to innovate in this important and growing field.
They will be of interest to those involved in the education of students and trainees in interventional and surgical specialities. Although we expect participants to bring relevant experience of medicine, surgery, and training in the workplace, we make few assumptions of prior knowledge in the field of education.
These courses will equip graduates to further careers in healthcare and surgery–related education and provide a solid foundation for those who intend to go on to study an MD or PhD.
Watch a recording of our Virtual Open Day event for Surgical Education.
Choose a pathway
This course offers two pathways to achieve the full MEd qualification. Each has a different proportion of online learning and blended learning during the Postgraduate Diploma stage. Blended learning is a mixture of online and on campus learning.
You must choose which you want to enrol in when applying. Either pathway allows you to exit with a Postgraduate Certificate after your first year or a Postgraduate Diploma after your second.
Pathway 1 – Fully Online Postgraduate Diploma
On this pathway you will complete the Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma entirely online. After completing these you will move on to the MEd, which is delivered with a blend of online and on campus learning.
Pathway 2 – Blended Postgraduate Diploma
On this pathway, you will complete the Postgraduate Certificate online, while the Postgraduate Diploma will be delivered in a blended format of on campus and online modules. As with the other pathway, the MEd stage will be delivered in a blended format.
Study programme
Pre-study modules
In the three weeks before the course starts, you will be expected to complete onboarding activities in your own time. You'll also have the opportunity to join a community building session with other students on your course.
First year (PG Cert)
The first year is fully online for both pathways and will enable both cohorts to learn together. The PG Cert stage aims to provide you with a broad grounding in educational concepts and practices in a surgical context that will complement your clinical expertise. Importantly, you will draw on your own teaching and learning practice to develop and extend your understanding of surgical education and will work with tutors and peers from a range of national contexts.
Second year (PG Dip)
Regardless of whether you have opted for the online Diploma or blended Diploma, progression into your second year of learning involves closer engagement with the theory, evidence and philosophies underpinning surgical education as well as deeper study into specialty areas of surgical education such as simulation-based education. Exposure to innovative simulation and interdisciplinary exchange approaches, developed within the Department of Surgery and Cancer and beyond, will be explored from an academic educational perspective. More intensive study will enable you to review and critique educational innovations and research the surgical educational literature around a topic of personal interest, the culminating capstone project of the Diploma.
If you registered for the Blended Diploma, you will have two intensive weeks of on campus study followed by a fully online module. If you registered for the online Diploma, you will complete this year fully online.
Third year (MEd)
Continuation into your third year involves a mixture of blended online and in-person learning. You will develop your educational knowledge and skills by providing you with the opportunity to undertake supervised research in surgical education in an area of professional educational interest. Here you will expand your research abilities to include educational research approaches.
Careers
Graduates of these courses will be well placed to advance their careers in a range of directions.
If you are a senior in your ‘first’ profession, these courses could represent professionalisation for a role you may have taken on without full and appropriate academic training.
As a graduate, you will be well positioned to take increased educational responsibility in universities, trusts and professional bodies, and influence policy and practice. You will also be empowered to carry out research in surgical education.
Structure
This page reflects the latest version of the curriculum for this year of entry. However, this information is subject to change.
Find out more about the limited circumstances in which we may need to make changes to or in relation to our courses, the type of changes we may make and how we will tell you about changes we have made.
Page last reviewed on 25 October 2021.
Structure
First year (PG Cert)
You will take the following Postgraduate Certificate core modules:
- Module 1 — Introduction to Learning, Teaching and Becoming a Surgical Educator
- Module 2 — Assessment of and for Learning
- Module 3 — Learning and Teaching in Surgical Environments
- Module 4 — Educational Design and Evaluation
- Module 5 — Impact of Policy and Context on Surgeon Educators
The first year is fully online for both the online Diploma and blended Diploma pathways.
The first module introduces you to key principles for learning and teaching and overviews national approaches and the evolution of surgical education. Modules two through four address major areas of educational practice (general and surgery-specific learning and teaching approaches, assessment and appraisal, educational design and evaluation). The final PG Certificate Module explores policy and context of surgical education in UK and other national settings, featuring webinars with external speakers and a comprehensive assessment that draws together PG Certificate topics.
Second year (PG Dip)
You will take the following Postgraduate Diploma core modules:
- Module 6 — Theories and Scholarship Underpinning Surgical Education Practice
- Module 7 — Simulation for Surgical Education
- Module 8 — Critical Understanding of Surgical Education - Library Project
The second year can be taken fully online (online Diploma) or as a mixture of online and face-to-face learning (blended Diploma). You must choose which pathway you wish to enroll in when applying.
The Diploma stage features two concentrated blocks of face-to-face study in central London for the blended Diploma cohort, alongside a digital stream of asynchronous materials and synchronous interactive elements designed to be shared with the online Diploma cohort. The digital stream is designed to facilitate discussion and group work between online and blended cohorts in order to explore diverse perspectives and address challenges in surgical education worldwide.
Third year (MEd)
You will take the following MEd core modules:
- Module 9 — Research Methods and Educational Research Project
The third year involves a mixture of online and on campus learning (blended learning) for both the online Diploma and blended Diploma pathways.
Teaching
First year
- Small group online tutorials
- Video lectures
- Webinars
- Online quizzes
- Discussion boards
- Readings
- Journal clubs
Second year
- Workshops
- Journal clubs
- Seminars
- Lectures
- Flipped clasroom techniques
- Simulation and role-play
- Peer assessment
- Webinars
- Tutorials
- Independent study
Third year
- One face-to-face taught week
- Workshops
- Journal clubs
- Seminars
- Lectures
- Flipped classroom techniques
- Role-play
- Peer assessment
- Independent study
Assessment
You will be assessed through a mix of coursework and practical assignments. There are no formal written exams.
Events, tasters and talks
Find out more about studying at Imperial by meeting us at a virtual event. From webinars and study fairs to drop-ins and open days. Join us throughout the year for a range of events.
Explore all of our upcoming events.
Virtual Open Day 2021
Watch presentations from the course leaders, discussing teaching and assessments, our response to COVID-19 and remote delivery. It also features a short session with an alumnus.
Entry requirements
We welcome students from all over the world and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
Admissions
Minimum academic requirement
Our minimum requirement is a 2.1 Bachelor's Degree with Honours in medicine or a science, engineering, computing, healthcare, or education subject (or a comparable qualification recognised by the College).
We normally also require three years of relevant experience in a healthcare field (not necessarily surgery) and/or relevant teaching/education development and research experience.
Practical experience of surgery, surgery-related practices and training in this domain are necessary to take advantage of this challenging programme. You should be actively involved in education activity while undertaking this programme.
International qualifications
We also accept a wide variety of international qualifications.
The academic requirement above is for applicants who hold or who are working towards a UK qualification.
For guidance see our Country Index though please note that the standards listed are the minimum for entry to the College, and not specifically this Department.
If you have any questions about admissions and the standard required for the qualification you hold or are currently studying then please contact the relevant admissions team.
English language requirement (all applicants)
All candidates must demonstrate a minimum level of English language proficiency for admission to the College.
For admission to this course, you must achieve the higher College requirement in the appropriate English language qualification. For details of the minimum grades required to achieve this requirement, please see the English language requirements for postgraduate applicants.
How to apply
Course progression
Making an application
Apply online
All applicants must apply online.
Visit our Admissions website for details on the application process.
You can submit one application form per year of entry. You can usually choose up to two courses.
ATAS certificate
An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students applying for this course.
Tuition fees and funding
The level of tuition fees you pay is based on your fee status, which we assess based on UK government legislation.
Find out more about fees and funding opportunities.
Tuition fees
Home rate of tuition
2022 entry
PG Dip (Online)
Full fee - £10,400
PG Dip (Blended)
Full fee - £11,720
MEd (Blended)
Full fee - £14,650
If you have already completed one of the above qualifications and are moving on to the next level of study, e.g. you've already completed the PG Dip and want to study the MEd, you will only need to pay the top-up fee for the course you’re applying for.
If you enter the MEd, without having studied the PG Cert or PG Dip, then you will pay the full fee listed for the MEd.
If you leave your studies with a qualification and return in future academic years to complete a higher award, you will pay the top-up fee advertised in the year of your return, instead of the full fee for your chosen course.
If you continue uninterrupted from one award to the next, you will pay the relevant top-up fee, plus any annual inflationary increases applied to the entry fee. This applies to applicants who originally entered for a PG Dip or MEd. This does not apply to those who have completed a PG Cert or PG Dip and are re-entering for a higher award.
The measure of inflation used will be the Retail Price Index (RPI) value in the April of the calendar year in which the academic session starts e.g. the RPI value for April 2022 will apply to fees for the academic year 2022–2023.
Top-up fees
If you apply for the PG Dip only (either online or blended) and then decide to continue on to the MEd after two years, you will only need to pay the relevant top-up fee advertised in the year of your return to do so.
The top-up fee for progressing from the Online Diploma to the MEd is £4,250.
The top-up fee for progressing from the Blended Diploma to MEd is £2,930.
Fee status
Whether you pay the Home fee depends on your fee status.
Your fee status is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status.
Find out more about how we assess your fee status.
EU/EEA/Swiss students
The Government has confirmed that EU/EEA/Swiss students who begin a course before the 31 July 2021 will be eligible to pay the same fee as Home students and have access to student finance for the duration of their course, as long as they meet certain requirements which are unchanged from previous years. This includes students who begin the course remotely.
EU/EEA/Swiss students starting a course on or after 1 August 2021 will no longer be eligible for the Home fee rate and so will be charged the Overseas fee. Please note, we do not expect this to apply to Irish students or students benefitting from Citizens' Rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens' Rights Agreement respectively. However, we are currently awaiting the formal publication of the amended Fees and Awards regulations.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website has useful information on the conditions you currently need to meet to be entitled to pay tuition fees at the Home rate for study on a higher education course in England and reflect the regulations as they currently stand (not the amended regulations which are subject to publication).
Overseas rate of tuition
2022 entry
PG Dip (Online)
Full fee - £17,160
PG Dip (Blended)
Full fee - £30,240
MEd (Blended)
Full fee - £37,800
Except where otherwise indicated, the fees for students on courses lasting more than one year will increase annually by an amount linked to inflation, including for part-time students on modular programmes.
The measure of inflation used will be the Retail Price Index (RPI) value in the April of the calendar year in which the academic session starts e.g. the RPI value in April 2022 will apply to fees for the academic year 2022–2023.
Top-up fees
If you apply for the PG Dip only (either online or blended) and then decide to continue on to the MEd after two years, you will only need to pay the relevant top-up fee advertised in the year of your return to do so.
The top-up fee for progressing from the Online Diploma to the MEd is £20,640.
The top-up fee for progressing from the Blended Diploma to MEd is £7,560.
Fee status
Whether you pay the Home fee depends on your fee status.
Your fee status is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status.
Find out more about how we assess your fee status.
EU/EEA/Swiss students
The Government has confirmed that EU/EEA/Swiss students who begin a course before the 31 July 2021 will be eligible to pay the same fee as Home students and have access to student finance for the duration of their course, as long as they meet certain requirements which are unchanged from previous years. This includes students who begin the course remotely.
EU/EEA/Swiss students starting a course on or after 1 August 2021 will no longer be eligible for the Home fee rate and so will be charged the Overseas fee. Please note, we do not expect this to apply to Irish students or students benefitting from Citizens' Rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens' Rights Agreement respectively. However, we are currently awaiting the formal publication of the amended Fees and Awards regulations.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website has useful information on the conditions you currently need to meet to be entitled to pay tuition fees at the Home rate for study on a higher education course in England and reflect the regulations as they currently stand (not the amended regulations which are subject to publication).
Additional costs
This section outlines additional costs relevant to this course. These are not included in your tuition fees. It's possible that all, or only some, of these will be relevant to you.
Figures are approximated, usually based on costs in the most recent academic year. They are likely to change each year but it's useful for you to be aware of the things you may have to pay for. This can help you budget for life at Imperial.
Mandatory costs are those that you will need to pay to fully participate in and complete your studies. Optional costs are not essential to your studies so you can opt-out of these.
Laptop computer
You will need a laptop for some classes and coursework. The laptop must meet a minimum specification. For the 2018–19 academic year this was:
- Windows 10 capable
- Intel i5/i7 6th/7th generation processor
- 8GB RAM
- 256 GB SSD HDD
Blended pathway
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Wearing personal protective equipment is compulsory for some activities on the blended programme. Where this applies, we will provide you with the necessary PPE free of charge.
Field trips
Students attending the blended programme will undertake a small number of optional field trips. You may need to pay a small fee to attend.
Scholarships
We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students to support you through your studies.
See what opportunities you may be eligible for.
If you are offered a place on the programme and are a member of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers, you may be eligible for a discounted place. Further information is available on the Faculty of Surgical Trainers website.
Accommodation and living costs
Living costs, including accommodation, are not included in your tuition fees.
You can compare costs across our different accommodation options on our Accommodation website.
A rough guide to what you might expect to spend to live in reasonable comfort in London is available on our Fees and Funding website.
Further information
Got a question?
Enquiries
E: surgical.educationmed@imperial.ac.uk
Read more about the School and our research in the Department of Surgery and Cancer.
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