Masters Degrees (Women)

Overview

Our course aims to explore the health of women and children from a global public health perspective. Students will explore individual health issues, both physical, psychological and social that commonly affect women and children, and also explore the wider political and societal issues that impact these.

Women and children, both in the UK and around the world, face inequality on a daily basis. These inequalities come from lack of access to healthcare, education, employment opportunities, technological advances, legal support, and social, cultural and political opposition (Marmot, 2010). The World Health Organisation has recognised this and explicitly targeted women and children in three of its Millennium Development Goals; to promote gender equality and empower women; to reduce child mortality; to improve maternal health, alongside wider goals to improve universal access to education and to eradicate poverty that also disproportionately affect women (WHO, 2015).

This course focuses on the health of women and children. During their ‘core’ modules, students will be encourage to explore individual health issues, as well as exploring the global legislation that impacts on women’s and children’s health, and understanding how they can implement and influence policy change. The option modules will allow the student to tailor their learning to their individual practice; whether caring for the critically unwell women, doing a physical assessment of a new-born infant (NIPE), understanding the global impact of responsive parenting or as an effective leader or manager of a service.

References

Marmot, M., 2010. Fair society, healthy lives. The Marmot Review. London: University College London.

World Health Organisation, 2015. Millennium Development Goals http://www.who.int/topics/millennium_development_goals/about/en/

Careers

This course will utilise a global public health perspective and is aimed at all practitioners who work with women and children, so will appeal to students both in the UK and internationally. It will offer an inter-professional learning opportunity to a range of professionals including Midwives, Children’s Nurses, Health Visitors, Hospital and Community nurses, Family Support Workers, but is also suitable for those who work with women and children in the voluntary sector or education. The course will be taught by a range of experienced lecturers from a variety of clinical backgrounds. Please be aware that this course is aimed at practitioners working in some capacity with women’s and children’s health and does not lead to a registerable qualification with the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the UK.

Modules & assessment

Core modules -

- Global Challenges to Women and Children's Health:
This module is designed for an inter-professional audience, and has a global public health focus, considering issues affecting women and children around the world. It is designed to provide insight and exploration of the major public health issues affecting the health of women and children. Each of the main areas explored will include an overview of the illness/problem as well as consideration of the social, cultural and political context and influence upon it and evaluation of how this leads to inequality and may reduce life chances.

- Research Proposal - Women's and Children's Health:
This module provides a critical overview of research philosophy and the major methodological and design approaches to research in order to equip you to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of published research, whether in your specialist area or in the health, welfare and social care field.

- Political Power and Policy Drivers affecting Women and Children's Health:
As part of everyday inter-professional practice, practitioners working with women and children are affected by policy drivers in a number of ways, however, differences may be apparent in how these are translated to healthcare and how they are embedded into practice. Implementing new policy requires practitioners to use their, power, influence and interpersonal skills. The module will enable the student to critically evaluate their own knowledge and skills which underpin their current practice.

- Postgraduate Major Project:
The Major Project, which is central to the Masters award, enables students to demonstrate their ability to synthesise learning from previous modules and use this learning as the basis for planning, conducting and writing up a research or work-based project. This project provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate: the ability to raise significant and meaningful questions in relation to their specialism; depth of knowledge which may involve working at current limits of theoretical and/or research understanding; critical understanding of research methods and its relationship to knowledge; awareness of and ability to develop solutions to ethical dilemmas likely to arise in their research or professional practice; the ability to draw meaningful and justifiable conclusions from information which may be complex or contradictory; the capability to expand or redefine existing knowledge to develop new approaches to changing situations and contribute to the development to best practice; the ability to communicate these processes in a clear and sophisticated fashion; the capability to evaluate their work from the perspective of an autonomous reflective learner. In the course of your studies with us you may generate intellectual property which is defined as an idea, invention or creation which can be protected by law from being copied by someone else. By registering with us on your course you automatically assign any such intellectual property to us unless we agree with the organisation covering the cost of your course that this is retained by them. In consideration of you making this assignment you will be entitled to benefit from a share in any income generated in accordance with our Revenue Sharing Policy in operation at that time. Details of our Intellectual Property Policy and Guidelines can be found on My.Anglia under Research, Development and Commercial Services or by contacting this Office for a hard copy.

Optional modules -

- Applied Leadership & Management:
This module provides an innovative exploration of leadership and management in healthcare, and examines their impact on organisations including wider considerations in the external environment. This module will enable students to assess and analyse the roles that leaders and managers play in a range of organizational contexts; and to apply the principles and techniques of leadership and management in a range of contexts.

- Care of the Critically Unwell Woman:
This module will enable you to develop in-depth knowledge and skills when caring for the critically unwell woman, during the child bearing continuum. Work-based learning is incorporated into the module in order to recognise and value your professional expertise. While practicing midwifery in an area where women with high dependency needs will be cared for, you will also spend clinical time developing your skills in the high dependency or intensive care unit.

- Newborn Infant Physical Examination (NIPE):
This module will focus on the specialist knowledge and the clinical skills that are required to enable you to competently undertake a thorough Newborn and Infant Physical Examination (NIPE) in clinical practice. You will utilise in-depth knowledge and understanding that you have gained to enable you to recognise the deviations from the normal to initiate appropriate care and referral. Critical reflection and completion of the practice documents will allow you to further identify your learning needs and develop your scope of professional practice.

- Global Impact of Responsive Parenting:
This module is designed to examine the positive health impact responsive parenting has on the mother and infant dyad, the wider family, society and the Globe. Historical child rearing styles will be reviewed and debated to highlight their negative effects on child development and on society. The module will explore the current understanding of neurophysiology of infant brain development and how parenting interactions can affect this process. The module will conclude with positive practical steps for health professionals to encourage responsive parenting with the parents they work with every day.

Assessment -

You will have the opportunity to demonstrate your learning in a variety of ways during this course. Assessment will vary between modules, but includes patchwork text, reflective essays, action plans, reports, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), essays, ‘journal style’ articles (to prepare you to publish your work) and a major project on a subject of your choice.

Where you'll study

Your faculty -

The Faculty of Health, Social Care & Education is the largest provider of health, social care and education courses in the East of England, with over 6,000 students from more than 20 countries.

With 95% of our students finding full-time employment within six months of graduating, you can be sure that our courses have been designed with your career in mind. We’ve been educating nurses, midwives and social workers for over 25 years.

At the cutting edge of research, we offer a range of internationally recognised undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses taught by friendly and experienced staff.

Designed to enhance your learning experience, our facilities include state-of-the-art simulated skills laboratories that mirror real-life clinical situations and UK hospital wards. Our students also benefit from our Early Childhood Research and Resource Centre; a space in which they can experiment with equipment and play activities.

You’ll study in an exciting, modern faculty which has strong links with regional, national and international organisations, including healthcare trusts, schools and academic institutions.

Your enthusiasm. Our passion. Your best foot forward.

Visit your faculty - http://www.anglia.ac.uk/health-social-care-and-education

Where can I study?

Chelmsford - http://www.anglia.ac.uk/student-life/life-on-campus/chelmsford-campus

Distance learning - http://www.anglia.ac.uk/student-life/life-on-campus/distance-learning

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The graduate concentration in Women's and Gender Studies provides graduate students the opportunity to study gender and sexuality from a variety of disciplinary perspectives in conjunction with their study toward a master's or doctoral degree. Interdisciplinary by nature, Women’s and Gender Studies courses primarily address the diversity of gendered experiences based on race, ethnicity, class, religion, nationality, and sexual orientation. The graduate concentration is an appropriate option for graduate students who wish to focus on gender and/or sexuality in their particular disciplinary field.

The graduate concentration in Women's and Gender Studies is offered to students in the following programs: Master of Arts (M.A.) in American Studies, English, History, Liberal Studies, and Political Science; Master of Science (M.S.) in the Division of Global Affairs, Public Administration and Social Work; and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in American studies and the Division of Global Affairs.

The graduate concentration consists of a total of 12 credits. Students will take two courses cross-listed with Women's and Gender Studies from their own department and two core courses offered by the Women's and Gender Studies Program, taught by faculty members affiliated with the Graduate School.

The two core courses are:

• 26:988:532 Feminist History and Theory (Fall semester) 
• 26:988:570 Feminist Research and Methods (Spring semester)

Because the way that the graduate concentration in Women's and Gender Studies fits with each program is slightly different, students should seek advisement from the director of the graduate program in their own department as well as from the director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program at the beginning of their graduate studies. Full-time students should be able to complete the course of study for the graduate concentration in Women's and Gender Studies and for their master's or doctoral degree within their program's normal time frame.

Students interested in pursuing the graduate concentration in Women's and Gender Studies should contact the director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program after they have been accepted into the graduate program in their discipline.

Learning Goals

Learning Goals for Graduate Certificate

The Women’s and Gender Studies Program offers its own activities to help students achieve learning goals, including brown-bag lunch discussions of student and faculty research and the annual WGS conference. The goals and assessments below for the English courses required for the Concentration are in addition to those above for all English MA students.

Learning Goal 1: Familiarity with the ways feminist epistemologies have reshaped the agendas of intellectual inquiry in numerous fields; command of the foundational methodologies of doing interdisciplinary work in WGS as well as those most appropriate to the student’s area of disciplinary study, including the lexicons required to do this work; understanding of the research and the research methodologies employed by scholars across the disciplines to study women’s and gender issues, and ability to use these tools competently in the student’s own academic work.

Learning Goal 2: Understanding in historical perspective of the issues in American and other cultures that are based on assumptions about male/female sexual differences, differences in gender and sexual orientation, and their ideologies; command of the intellectual history within which feminism and gender studies have come to be defined and reframed and the complex dynamic of women’s histories in various times and places as they intersect with gendered social and cultural formations; understanding of the development of feminist and gender theories in the contexts of differing cultures, subcultures, and global histories; and ability to apply contemporary varieties of these theories to literary and cultural texts with rigor, creativity, appropriateness, and critical thought.

Learning Goal 3: The ability to connect broader issues in women’s history, feminist and gender theory, and related theories and methodologies to literary works under study.

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Globally, the life course of women from birth to puberty, motherhood, menopause and old age, is filled with opportunities to improve health and wellbeing. This unique MSc covers the different aspects of women’s health (physical, mental, social, cultural, legal and ethical) whilst optional modules allow you to tailor your programme to your individual interests.

 Degree Information

The four core modules will provide you with a broad understanding of the central themes in women's health. You can then shape your learning to reflect your career aspirations through the selection of four optional modules. These include topics such as sexual health, reproductive health, pregnancy and childbirth, mental health, health psychology and health economics.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme consists of four core modules (60 credits), four optional modules (60 credits) and a research project (60 credits). A Postgraduate Diploma comprising eight modules is offered as well as a Postgraduate Certificate comprising four modules.

Core Modules

·        Understanding Research in Women’s Health

·        Female Reproductive Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology

·        Concepts and controversies in Women’s Health

·        Legal & Ethical Aspects of Women’s Health

 Optional Modules

Students will be guided in their optional module choice depending on their academic/employment background and future career aspirations.

·        Anthropologies of Science, Society & Biomedicine

·        Current Research in Dementia

·        Current Research in Depression & Anxiety

·        Engaging Women in Health and Wellbeing

·        Essentials of Global Child Health

·        Fetal and Perinatal Medicine

·        Gametogenesis, Preimplantation Development and IVF

·        Health Inequalities over the Lifecourse

·        Health Related Behaviours and Cognitions

·        Individual, Social & Cultural Perspectives in Health Psychology

·        Key Principles of Health Economics

·        Mental Health Services – Policy, Design & Evaluation

·        Physical and Mental Health Stress and Ageing

·        Pregnancy & Childbirth

·        Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis and New Technologies

·        Reproduction, Sex and Sexuality

·        Reproductive Health

·        Sexual Health: designing sexual and reproductive health programmes in low- and middle- income countries

Optional modules are subject to availability and timetabling

Dissertation/research project

All students undertake a clinical, laboratory, audit or library-based research project, which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000 words (60 credits).

Teaching and learning

Each module is taught and assessed differently but will most likely be delivered by lectures, tutorials and small group work, and may include some online learning. Assessment methods include: unseen exams, essays, group and individual seminars/presentations, critical reviews, clinical case studies and the dissertation.

Funding

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

Careers

This degree prepares students for progression to higher research degrees or more advanced work in their particular field. It will enhance knowledge and awareness of the many issues relevant to women's health.

There is a strong focus on the development of key skills in the programme. In addition, we offer a comprehensive careers programme involving our current staff and alumni; covering job applications, CV writing, general careers in science and specific advice on careers in women's health. 

EMPLOYABILITY

Throughout the MSc programme, you will acquire key skills through peer-led activities, such as evaluating and presenting orally on patient cases and media coverage of scientific papers.

You will learn key skills such as:

·        Evaluating and reviewing data from a variety of sources (papers, case studies, media coverage etc.).

·        Collecting, interpreting and presenting data using both written and oral methods.

·        Intellectual curiosity and an ability to critically challenge current methods of research or ideological standpoints.

·        Cross-disciplinary thinking from a multiplicity of perspectives (linking together the wide variety of optional modules).

You also have the opportunity to take part in debates and ethical discussions.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Institute for Women’s Health delivers excellence in research, clinical practice, education and training in order to make a real and sustainable difference to women's and babies' health worldwide.

The Institute's collaboration with UCLH (University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) provides an academic environment in which you can pursue graduate studies taught by world-class researchers and clinicians.

Blending taught and research elements allows students from diverse backgrounds to develop the skills necessary for a career in women's health.

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The UCL Institute for Women's Health is an internationally recognised centre of excellence and leading provider of postgraduate taught programmes in women's health. This new MRes gives students the opportunity to take a programme with greater emphasis on research skills and experience, and on development of transferable academic and professional skills.

About this degree

Students choose taught modules and select research areas from a variety of subjects across reproductive science and women's health, spanning the four themes of the institute: maternal and fetal health; neonatology; women’s cancer; and reproductive health. Students learn how to conduct an independent research project. They will also gain practical experience and theoretical understanding in research methodologies and critical analysis.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of four optional modules (60 credits) and a research project (120 credits).

Core modules

All students undertake an independent research project in women's health.

Students may choose to focus on a laboratory or non-laboratory project (such as a social or ethical-based project), or an epidemiology project (analysing cohort or registry data).

Optional modules

Students choose four optional modules; a minimum of three from the reproductive science and women's health modules listed below. One option can also be chosen from the transferable skills modules marked * below. 

• Basic Genetics and Technology
• Breast and Reproductive Cancer
• Female Reproductive Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology
• Gametogenesis, Preimplantation Development and IVF
• Pregnancy and Childbirth
• Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis and New Technology
• Prenatal Diagnosis and Screening
• Reproductive Health
• Perinatal Epidemiology and Maternal Health*
• Sexual Health: Designing Sexual and Reproductive Health Programmes in Low and Middle Income Countries*
• Leadership and Professional Development*
• Research Methodology and Statistics*
• Understanding Research and Critical Appraisal*

Dissertation/research project

The independent research project in women's health culminates in a dissertation of 20,000 words. Students will be involved in the conceptualisation, design, data collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation of the project. This will allow the development of research skills in a specific field as well as a range of transferable skills, including literature searching, statistical analysis and written and verbal communication.

Teaching and learning

In addition to taught modules and the long research project, there is a full induction week at the start of the programme and six careers afternoons. A comprehensive range of assessment methods cover the key research, communication and practical skills required for future employment.

Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Reproductive Science and Women's Health MRes

Funding

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

Careers

The first cohort of students on this programme will graduate in 2018. We expect the programme to prepare science-orientated students to go on to further research. Medically-orientated students may wish to develop their careers in the field of reproductive science and women’s health or undertake further research.

Employability

The programme provides students with an excellent introduction to research. It will equip them with the general and scientific skills required to embark on lifelong careers in research and related fields.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Institute for Women's Health delivers excellence in research, clinical practice, education and training in order to make a real and sustainable difference to women's and babies' health worldwide.

The UCL/UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust collaboration provides an academic environment in which students can pursue graduate studies with world-class researchers and clinicians. We offer excellent basic science facilities, opportunities to work in cutting-edge clinical and translational research, and expertise in study methodology.

A comprehensive careers programme is embedded in all our degrees. This ensures students are exposed to a range of different job opportunities. We have alumni who give talks on their diverse career journeys.

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This inter-disciplinary course of study will engage with health professionals working locally and nationally to address the challenges in identifying and delivering a high quality health care for women. The course enables students to engage with current issues in women’s health, contributes to their professional development, enhances knowledge, and study with health professionals from other institutions in a multicultural environment.

The course has been developed in response to a number of reports and industry organisations, such as: Women’s Health and Equality Consortium; High Quality Women’s Health Care: A proposal for change (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 2011); Royal College of General Practitioners Curriculum (2010), which identified the importance for health professionals to work together to ensure that the experiences and needs of women within a multicultural context are reflected in care provision.

Why study with us?

This course will enable students to choose from a range of modules to ensure a bespoke approach to their learning, enabling practitioners to critically consider their own practice in relation to a changing multi-cultural society in which the health needs of women have arguably become more diverse. In view of this societal shift, the course will be delivered within a multicultural context, by a range of research active academic staff supplemented by a variety of Clinicians working in the area of Women’s Health from the region and beyond.

You will receive training in the skills required in the reading and interpretation of the literature and translating that into evidence based practice. We will develop your research and writing skills so that you will be in a position to contribute to the scientific literature in an effective manner.

The programme culminates in the Research Dissertation, which will be assessed through your production of two publishable scientific articles. Our aim will be to develop these to publication with you if suitable.

If biomedical or clinical research is your interest, successful completion of the MSc will allow you to directly register onto PhD or and join our team of researchers at the Institute of Medicine.

The learning experience

Core Modules:
• Evidence Based Medicine
• Gender Based Violence
• Research Methods and Data Analysis Research
• The Public Health agenda for women: Challenges and Opportunities
• Research Dissertation

Option modules:
• The Provision of Sexual and Reproductive Health
• Work Based Learning/Individual Study
• The Older Woman
• Women’s Oncology
• Leadership for Women: Coaching and Mentoring- OR Leadership and Health Provision
• Rural Women’s Health

You will need to study a total of seven modules to complete the MSc (five core, and two optional).

You will be encouraged to address assignments through your chosen discipline. Most taught lectures will be delivered within the University Centre and supported with access to learning materials. Some modules will also incorporate online learning.

You will be assessed through a variety of assessment methods including via coursework assignments, which may focus on clinical reviews, posters, or data manipulation exercises.

The research dissertation is assessed by the production of a substantial review paper and an academic research article suitable for publication in an appropriate research journal.

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The MA in Gender and Women’s Studies and English combines teaching and scholarship in Gender and Women’s Studies and in English Literature. This is a unique MA for students interested in Gender and Women’s Studies who want to pursue literary studies or who have a particular interest in women’s literature or feminist literary theory.

Students take core courses in each of the disciplines and can choose from a range of optional courses in addition to these. This combination is administered from the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies - one of the largest centres in the UK for feminist research, gender studies and women’s studies.

Taught jointly with the http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/english-and-creative-writing/, the programme is run by the http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/sociology/research/research-centres/centre-for-gender-and-womens-studies/, part of the Sociology Department at Lancaster and one of the largest centres in the UK for feminist research, gender studies and women’s studies.

As an MA student, you will be immersed in the busy academic and social life of the centre, and part of a supportive and dynamic community of students and researchers from across the world. It is an ideal environment in which to learn and carry out research – and allows you to meet other scholars and activists, take part in seminars and workshops, and exchange ideas and insights with world-leading feminist and literary academics.

Graduates from this MA are now working in universities throughout the world, having used the programme as a springboard to PhD study. Others have gone on to work in local and national government, in public-sector, non-governmental or voluntary organisations, or are teaching in schools and colleges.

Find out more about the http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/sociology/research/, research centres and conferences that make studying in the Sociology Department at Lancaster so stimulating.

Course Structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Core

• Debates in Gender Research
• Gender, Sex and Bodies
• Dissertation

Optional

• Nineteenth Century Literature: Place - Space - Text
• Emotional Geographies in Early Modern Literature
• Modernisms
• Consumer Society
• Feminist Media and Cultural Studies
• Women's Studies Research Project
• Feminist Technoscience Studies
• Gender and Violence
• Capitalism and Crisis
• Environment and Culture
• The Social Life of Science and Technology: Theories and Debates
• Social and Cultural Theory
• Cybercultures
• Research Projects in Practice: From Design to Dissemination
• Contemporary Debates in Sociology
• Critical Methods in Media and Cultural Studies
• Methods in Science and Technology Studies
• Mobilities, Society & Change
• Critical Debates in Media and Cultural Studies
• Contemporary British Fiction
• Romance and Realism
• Premodern Bodies
• Fusions
• Writing the Nineteenth Century City
• Contemporary Gothic: Text and Screen

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research.

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This programme is aimed at physiotherapists working in the speciality of Women's Health in a variety of health care settings.

• MSc Rehabilitation Studies: Physiotherapy in Women's Health
• PGDip Physiotherapy in Women's Health
• PGCert Physiotherapy in Women's Health

It offers physiotherapists a range of opportunities to develop an evidence based approach to clinical reasoning through the ability to identify, analyse and interpret the current best available evidence and apply this to the rehabilitation and promotion of Women's Health using appropriate assessment and therapeutic intervention skills.

Students will study in-depth issues including pelvic girdle pain, ante- and post-natal care, continence, exercise, bone health and menopause. The modules include teaching blocks at the Faculty of Health Studies, University of Bradford to encourage shared learning. Further learning and teaching on the practice module occurs in the clinical setting.

Students must therefore have access to an appropriate clinical caseload in order to be able to undertake the practice module. Each student will be allocated a clinical mentor for the practice module. Peer physical examination is used during teaching in the practice module, viable alternatives are available if required.

This is the only programme of its kind in the UK offering this specialist area of study. The Certificate was developed jointly and is regularly reviewed by Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy (POGP), (formerly the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Women’s Health) and the University of Bradford. 

This ensures the continued clinical relevance of the programme. A further strength of the programme is the use of external lecturers who are specialists within their field and continue to have a clinical caseload.

Professional accreditation

The programme is endorsed by the Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy (POGP). Physiotherapists who successfully complete the Certificate are eligible for full membership of POGP.

Rankings

We are ranked 2nd in the country for Physiotherapy in the Complete University Guide 2019.

What you will study

The core modules, which consist of theoretical and practical components, are delivered in residential blocks and in an appropriate clinical setting. Each student will be allocated a clinical mentor.

Successful completion of both core modules will result in the award of a postgraduate certificate.

Modules

Postgraduate Certificate Core

• Theory of Physiotherapy in Women's Health
• Practice of Physiotherapy in Women's Health

Postgraduate Diploma Options

• Physiotherapy Management of Spinal Dysfunction
• Physiotherapy Management of Peripheral Joint Dysfunction - upper limb
• Physiotherapy Management of Peripheral Joint Dysfunction - lower limb
• Independent Study
• Continence Theory for Physiotherapists
• Preparing for primary research
• Preparing for Systematic Review

MSc Options

• Pursuing primary research
• Pursuing a Systematic review
• Pursuing a Clinical Dissertation
• Management Project

Career prospects

This programme offers the physiotherapist a range of opportunities to develop advanced theoretical knowledge and practical skills relevant to their role in Women's Health the chance to extend and enhance their clinical practice and career pathway.

The programme is endorsed by the Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy (POGP). Physiotherapists who successfully complete the Certificate are eligible for full membership of POGP.

The University is committed to helping students develop and enhance employability and this is an integral part of many programmes. Specialist support is available throughout the course from Career and Employability Services including help to find part-time work while studying, placements, vacation work and graduate vacancies. Students are encouraged to access this support at an early stage and to use the extensive resources on the Careerswebsite.

Discussing options with specialist advisers helps to clarify plans through exploring options and refining skills of job-hunting. In most of our programmes there is direct input by Career Development Advisers into the curriculum or through specially arranged workshops.

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This MSc aims to provide medical and science-based students with a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the field of reproductive science and women's health. There is a strong focus on development of key skills and careers advice in the programme.

About this degree

Students will develop knowledge and understanding of the theoretical (including clinical) and laboratory aspects of reproductive science and women's health, specifically in the areas of basic genetics, gametogenesis and IVF, female reproductive anatomy, physiology and pathology, pregnancy and childbirth, breast and reproductive cancers, prenatal diagnosis and screening, reproductive health, and preimplantation genetic diagnosis and developing technology. They gain transferable skills including information technology, analysis of scientific papers, essay writing, seminar presentation, research techniques, peer review and laboratory skills.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of eight core modules (120 credits) and a research project (60 credits).

A Postgraduate Diploma comprising eight core modules (120 credits, full-time nine months or flexible study two to five years) is offered.

Mandatory modules

• Basic Genetics and Technology
• Gametogenesis, Preimplantation Development and IVF
• Female Reproductive Physiology and Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology
• Pregnancy and Childbirth
• Breast and Reproductive Cancers
• Prenatal Diagnosis and Screening
• Reproductive Health
• Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis and Developing Technology

Optional modules

There are no optional modules for this programme.

Dissertation/research project

All MSc students undertake a clinical, laboratory, audit or library-based research project, which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000 words.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical demonstrations in laboratories, observation days in fetal medicine, reproductive medicine and IVF units, and student presentations. There are a number of peer-led learning activities. Assessment is through essays, patient case reports, critical reviews of papers, online problem booklet, examinations and the dissertation.

Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Reproductive Science and Women's Health MSc

Funding

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

Careers

On completion of the programme, all students will have gained knowledge of both the clinical and laboratory aspects of reproductive science and women's health. This will enable the science-orientated students to go on to pursue research degrees, further training for careers in embryology, or other careers in the field or in general science. Medically-orientated students will be able to develop their careers in the field of reproductive science and women's health.

Recent career destinations for this degree

• Laboratory Researcher, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
• Research Midwife, Queen Mary University of London (QML)
• PhD in Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh
• Senior House Officer (Obstetrics and Gynaecology), NHS Health Education South London / St Thomas' Hospital (NHS)
• Trainee Embryologist, Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecological Centre

Employability

Throughout the MSc programme students learn key skills through peer-led activities, such as evaluating and presenting orally on patient cases and media coverage of scientific papers. Students learn how to write essays and patient case reports and how to critically evaluate papers. They also have the opportunity to take part in debates and ethical discussions and to learn basic laboratory technqiues. We offer a comprehensive careers programme involving our alumni, covering job applications, CV writing, general careers in science and specific advice on careers in embryology, clinical genetics, medicine and research degrees.

Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Institute for Women's Health delivers excellence in research, clinical practice, education and training in order to make a real and sustainable difference to women's and babies' health worldwide.

The institute's UCL/UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust collaboration provides an academic environment in which students can pursue graduate studies taught by world-class researchers and clinicians.

Our diversity of expertise in maternal and fetal medicine, neonatology, reproductive health and women's cancer ensures a vibrant environment in which students develop subject-specific and generic transferable skills, supporting a broad range of future employment opportunities.

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Our MSc is for health professionals working locally and nationally, and aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of health-related issues affecting women in contemporary society. This interdisciplinary course will deliver modules addressing the health needs of women across the life span. The range of modules reflects contemporary issues facing women within a multicultural context.

Why Study Women's Health with us?

This is responding to individuals working towards the enhancement of women’s health. It is anticipated the course will be represented by students from health, medicine and social care professions working in the public and private sectors, who will be engaging with continuing professional development (CPD) while seeking to enhance their knowledge of the complexities of participating in the delivery and the understanding of women’s health.

Although this is an advanced course, it will facilitate a bespoke approach to learning, allowing you to critically consider your own practice. This course will also be multi- and interdisciplinary, reflecting the services provided by a range of health and social care providers.

This course is available at either University Centre Shrewsbury, or Bache Hall, near Parkgate Road Campus, Chester.

What will I learn?

Our course will respond to doctors and allied health professionals engaging in CPD. The inclusivity of modules ensures that students from across a wide spectrum of practice can engage with this course.

The course will enable you to choose from a range of modules to ensure a bespoke approach to your learning, enabling you to critically consider your own practice in relation to a changing multicultural society. The course will be delivered within a multicultural context by research-active academic staff, supplemented by clinicians working in the area of women’s health.

How will I be taught?

This course will respond to colleagues seeking to develop their understanding, and find solutions to, the specific challenges of enhancing women’s health.

Most taught lectures will be supported with access to learning materials.
Modules will run as three-day blocks and include 400 hours of learning activity, with at least 20 hours’ contact time.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed by a variety of methods, including essays, posters, oral exams and a Research Dissertation, which is assessed by the production of a substantial review paper and an academic research article.

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The MA degree can be taken full-time over one year, or part-time over two years. In addition to the four compulsory modules (Difference, Diversity & Change; Interdisciplinary Methods in Women's Studies; Gender, Violence & Justice; Women, Citizenship & Conflict) and the 60 credit dissertation, students taking the MA Women Violence and Conflict will select a programme of research training modules to make up the remaining 40 credits, or opt to take Work, Politics & Culture and a further 20 credits of research training methods from the available selction. This programme should be agreed with the supervisor and submitted to Chair of Board of Studies. You will be allocated a supervisor for your dissertation which must be submitted towards the end of your final year.

Natalie, an MA Women, Violence and Conflict student writes:
'Welcome! I'd encourage students to take advantage of all the resources available to them - don't be shy! Everyone is the department is wonderful and more than willing to help. I'd encourage you to get to know your classmates - the beauty of this department is how amazingly interesting and diverse the students and professors are. I've learned more from my classmates than I ever anticipated. I'd say, frankly, READ. Read as much as you can on as many topics as you can - it's not often that you'll have the opportunity to engage these topics in depth in such a supportive environment with some of the greatest resources right in the department! Don't be afraid to not know, or to ask questions. Everyone is here to support you both academically and otherwise. Challenge yourself and appreciate the opportunity to feel uncomfortable sometimes! I'm sad my time here is almost over!!'

Programme aims

-To provide a solid grounding in interdisciplinary women's studies, emphasizing gendered aspects in relation to violence and conflict in inter/national contexts
-To expose students to an interdisciplinary range of conceptual, theoretical and methodological approaches to and debates violence against women and in contexts of violent conflict
-To familiarize students with the epistemological and philosophical underpinnings of research methodologies, the politics and ethics of research, the principles of research design and to enable them to evaluate and apply a range of methodologies to research questions related to issues of violence against women
-To foster the development of a critical, self-reflexive and independent approach to research and scholarship, as well as the acquisition of transferable skills

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The MA degree can be taken full-time over one year, or part-time over two years. In addition to the four compulsory modules (Difference, Diversity & Change; Work, Politics & Culture; Qualitative Methods; Interdisciplinary Methods in Women's Studies) and the 60 credit dissertation, students taking the MA in Women's Studies will select a a further two modules from a programme of research training modules and option modules to make up the remaining 40 credits. This programme should be agreed with the supervisor and submitted to Chair of Board of Studies. You will be allocated a supervisor for your dissertation which must be submitted towards the end of your final year.

Sara, a part-time MA student writes:
'I found CWS to be the most encouraging educational environment I have ever been in. The staff are very welcoming and interested in their students. My class developed a great sense of trust within the group, facilitated excellently, that meant people could speak freely and gain from other people sharing their life experiences. The curriculum is broad and so I felt we looked at women and their lives from many different angles. Some of the theory is challenging but taught well and with good reading lists to make life easier. I would actually recommend the course to anyone whether they thought it was their chosen discipline or not as the content was so interesting and relevant. I had had a ten year gap between my degree and masters and was nervous about " making the grade" but there was lots of 1:1 support, especially on the first module, which really helped.'

Programme aims

-To provide a solid grounding in interdisciplinary women's studies, emphasizing gendered aspects of social and cultural life, representation and textual enquiry
-To expose students to an interdisciplinary range of conceptual, theoretical and methodological approaches to and debates within women's studies
-To familiarize students with the epistemological and philosophical underpinnings of research methodologies, the politics and ethics of research, the principles of research design and to enable them to evaluate and apply a range of methodologies to women's studies research questions
-To foster the development of a critical, self-reflexive and independent approach to research and scholarship, as well as the acquisition of transferable skills

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The MA degree can be taken full-time over one year, or part-time over two years. The taught component of this programme consists of two compulsory core modules, Difference, Diversity & Change and Work, Politics & Culture; three social science methodology modules; and one research training module; Interdisciplinary Methods for Women's Studies. In addition you will be allocated a supervisor for your 60 credit dissertation which must be submitted towards the end of your final year.

Rachel, an MA (and now PhD) student writes:
'The MA Women's Studies (Social Research) gives you the chance to get to grips with a whole variety of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. In that way it is very practical and useful, both for the MA dissertation and any possible further study/research work you may undertake. It is also a great chance to meet lots of people from all over the world and make some wonderful friends!'

Programme aims

-To equip candidates with the practical and intellectual tools necessary to undertake higher degree level social research on women and gender
-To provide a solid grounding in interdisciplinary women's studies, emphasizing gendered aspects of social and cultural life in relation -To other social divisions and inequalities
-To expose students to an interdisciplinary range of conceptual, theoretical and methodological approaches to and debates within women's studies
-To familiarize students with the epistemological and philosophical underpinnings of research methodologies, the politics and ethics of research, the principles of research design and to enable them to evaluate and apply a range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies to women's studies research questions
-To foster the development of a critical, self-reflexive and independent approach to research and scholarship

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The MA in Women's Studies by Research is taken full-time over one calendar year. It provides an exciting opportunity for those who already have a particular research interest, and who wish to learn research skills in order to pursue an independent piece of work. The degree has been designed for students who wish to explore a Women's Studies topic in some depth and who already have substantial undergraduate knowledge and expertise in the field.

Stephanie, an MA by Research (and now PhD) student writes:
'My experience of studying an MA (by research) at the Centre for Women's Studies has been fantastic. I found all of the staff to be approachable and helpful in both personal and academic matters. My programme course was very well organised and ran smoothly from start to finish. The department is relaxed and friendly, and provided me with a really supportive environment to complete my research dissertation. I would love to return for a PhD in the near future! '

MA by research

The degree is examined solely via the submission of a 25,000 - 30,000 word dissertation. On the basis of the information included on their application form, each student will be allocated a supervisor who has knowledge relevant to their area of study. It is expected that students will have regular dissertation tutorials with their supervisor, during term time, and that they will regularly prepare written work.

In addition to regular meetings with their dissertation supervisor, students taking this degree will also be required to take the appropriate research training course in Women's Studies, alongside students on either the MA degree or the MA (Humanities) degree.

In certain circumstances, where appropriate and if it will enhance work being undertaken for the dissertation, a student may be required to take a module from the main course, Difference, Diversity & Change, or an option course from the taught MA degree.

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This MA scheme is ideal for those who wish to study Gender and Women’s Studies in combination with empirical and theoretical developments in Sociology at an advanced level, and particularly suitable for those interested in social research and/or feminist sociological theory.

Students take core courses in each of the disciplines and can choose from a range of optional courses in addition to these. This combination is administered from the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies, one of the largest centres in the UK for feminist research, gender studies and women’s studies and part of one of the most highly regarded Sociology departments in the UK.

Course Structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Core

• Debates in Gender Research
• Gender, Sex and Bodies
• Dissertation

Optional

• Women's Studies Research Project
• Feminist Media and Cultural Studies
• Feminist Technoscience Studies
• Gender and Violence
• Capitalism and Crisis
• Environment and Culture
• The Social Life of Science and Technology: Theories and Debates
• Social and Cultural Theory
• Cybercultures
• Research Projects in Practice: From Design to Dissemination
• Contemporary Debates in Sociology
• Critical Methods in Media and Cultural Studies
• Methods in Science and Technology Studies
• Mobilities, Society & Change
• Critical Debates in Media and Cultural Studies

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research.

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The MLitt in Women, Writing and Gender is an intensive one-year taught programme which aims to introduce students to key issues surrounding the contemporary discussion of gender.

Highlights

• Gain an excellent foundation for further research on women writers and the relationship between gender and literature.
• Consider broader historical and contemporary debates in feminism and gender studies, and examine the diversity of women’s literary practices across a range of centuries and genres.
• Develop your skills as a researcher within a specific area of study by taking a special topic module.
• Participate in the School of English's wider research culture through the School's period-based research groups, colloquia and postgraduate forum.

Teaching format

Taught modules consist of weekly or fortnightly classes and seminars, of one to two hours each, with class sizes typically ranging from three to ten students. Assessment comprises written essays and a short oral presentation. The School of English prides itself on its support of student work through detailed feedback and commentary.

During the course of the year, but with particular focus during the last four months, students will research and write a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choosing.

Further particulars regarding curriculum development.

Modules

The modules in this programme have varying methods of delivery and assessment. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue which is for the 2017–2018 academic year; some elements may be subject to change for 2018 entry.

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