MSc Advanced Professional Practice (Negotiated Specialism)

These negotiated professional practice work-based learning programmes are purposely flexible and are designed to be responsive to the changing work force development needs of the health, social care and education sectors and to the professional development needs of individual practitioners.This is a flexible, work-based route to gaining a postgraduate qualification in professional practice, that can be customised to meet your needs and those of your workplace.It is ideal for those who have completed previous accredited activity/qualifications/CPD as well as for those who have significant prior experience of work in the health, social care and education sectors.We'll support you to reflect and build on your prior experience and experiential learning.You'll also have the opportunity to design and lead a work-based project that has the potential to transform your own practice and that of others.What you will gainYou will gain a postgraduate qualification in an area of specialist practice. After you complete the course, you'll be able to critically evaluate practice or organisational issues and apply creative problem-solving techniques, advanced inquiry and action planning. You'll be able to effectively engage, and communicate with relevant stakeholders and academic audiences, and take responsibility and leadership for practice/service development initiatives.Finally, you will learn to critically reflect and evaluate your own practice and systematically plan professional development.About your courseOur negotiated professional practice work-based learning courses are flexible and responsive to the changing needs of the health, social care and education sectors, and to the professional development needs of individual practitioners.Throughout this course, you'll develop your knowledge and critical understanding of theoretical concepts that can be applied to give new insight into real work contexts and complex issues.You'll study ethical principles, values and codes of practice and explore how these can be critically applied to your practice and that of others. You'll also explore the influence of current policy, organisational context, quality imperatives and workplace priorities on practice development.You'll also explore relevant methodologies and improvement strategies for developing practice/service in health, social care and education settings.This course is delivered entirely online through distance learning.Career progressionPast students tell us how the MSc and their work-based project in particular has helped their career progression and promotion. e.g. promotion to Consultant midwife.Career pathsSome of the roles our graduates have gone on to work in include consultant midwife, chief executive of a housing trust and bereavement lead for a large NHS trust. Previous students have worked for NHS trusts, local authorities, and large charities, and become self-employed therapists and education consultants.

Entrants will be experienced practitioners currently working in health, social care or education settings. You'll normally be expected to have a first degree or be able to demonstrate the ability to study at post degree level through previous study or CPD.

As this is a progression course, you will be expected to have:

• Credits from previous modules at graduate or postgraduate level that are relevant to the area of professional practice and negotiated specialism (up to 30 credits can be used from graduate level. Credits from a previous completed master's or Batchelors cannot be re-used)
• At least 5 years experience as a (senior) practitioner relevant to the area of professional practice and negotiated specialism that could be considered and may be recognised through RPL processes
• English Language proficiency IELTS 6.5.