The University of Cambridge Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education has been designed collaboratively by University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) and the University of Cambridge, School of Clinical Medicine’s Clinical Deanery. The Postgraduate Certificate is a one-year, part-time Master’s-level programme resulting in 60 FHEQ Level-7 credits and the University of Cambridge award.
Applicants may wish to continue onto the Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Education which provides a further 60 credits at FHEQ Level 7.
The course is delivered through face-to-face teaching sessions requiring attendance in Cambridge, self-directed and peer learning, and synchronous and asynchronous approaches provided via the course virtual learning environment [VLE].
Course Dates
Course details
Tutors
Key Features
Who is the course designed for?
The Postgraduate Certificate is aimed at doctors and other professionals allied to medicine who have a teaching role and/or a role in training and appraising healthcare professionals. This includes doctors working in: primary care; secondary care at all levels from foundation year 2 to consultant grades; and other professionals allied to medicine that have a role in teaching both undergraduates and postgraduates.
Hear from our Academic Director, Dr Kalman Winston.
Applicants may wish to continue onto the linked Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Education which provides a further 60 credits at FHEQ Level 7.
Aims of the programme
The programme is designed to provide practical solutions to teaching undergraduates or postgraduates as individuals, small groups and larger groups. It will look at the theory behind teaching in medical settings and how these apply in real life situations. It is also designed to provide help in developing skills in giving feedback, appraisal and assessment. Where possible the teaching will be adaptable so that it can help specific groups of teachers in their particular environment.
The programme is designed to meet recommendations of the GMC and Academy of Medical Educators (AoME), and aims to contribute to continuing professional development of doctors and allied professionals in an integrated clinical and teaching environment to stimulate more inter-professional education; and to develop a cohort of professionals who will pursue and develop their roles as teachers in the field of medical education. Students successfully completing the programme will have gained skills and knowledge to:
- Ensure safe and effective patient care through training
- Establish and maintain an environment for learning
- Teach and assess learning and apply core theoretical principles to their own educational contexts
- Support and monitor educational progress
- Guide personal and professional development
Upon successful completion of the programme you may apply for membership of the Academy of Medical Educators (AoME); you may also apply for Fellowship status of the Advance HE .
Progression
Upon successful completion of the PG Certificate in Medical Education, students can apply to progress to:
- PG Diploma in Medical Education, 1 year, part-time.
- Upon successful completion of the PG Diploma, students can then apply to progress to the MSt in Medical Education, 1 year, part-time.
Other Courses
Enquirers may also be interested in viewing details of the PG Certificate in Clinical Research, Education and Leadership (CREL).
Student support
Depending upon your needs, a variety of support opportunities are available to you including wellbeing support sessions, short-term counselling, and study skills support sessions. Find out more in our student support webpages.
Academic requirement
Applicants are normally expected to a hold a 2i degree or higher from a UK university or an equivalent from an overseas university.
If you wish to apply to join the programme you must:
- hold a qualification in one of the healthcare professions or another relevant qualification
- be a post-foundation-year doctor in primary, secondary or tertiary care or a professional allied to medicine who is involved in teaching students at undergraduate or postgraduate levels or who has a role in training and appraising healthcare professionals
- have had at least one year of experience as a teacher prior to starting the programme
- be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language; students whose first language is not English must be able to satisfy the requirements below
Language requirement
If English isn’t your first language, you will be required to submit evidence that you meet the University’s English language requirement before you are admitted.
Please see full details on the University Language Requirement webpage.
Language requirements for this course are below:
- IELTS Academic: Overall band score of 7.5 (with a minimum of 7.0 in each individual component)
- TOEFL Internet: Overall score of 110 (a minimum of 25 in each individual component)
- C1 Advanced: Grade A or B (with at least 193 in each individual element), plus a Language Centre assessment.
- C2 Proficiency: Grade A, B, or C (with at least 200, with no element lower than 185)
There are no exceptions to this requirement and, if you are offered a place on the course, it will be subject to you meeting this requirement.
Teaching
The Postgraduate Certificate comprises three modules and combines face-to-face study days with additional between-module reflection, study and assignment work. The three modules are detailed below.
Please note, all date information and teaching delivery may be subject to change.
Core skills in medical education
- Friday 03 & Saturday 04 October 2025 (two day teaching block)
- Friday 21 November 2025 (one day teaching session)
- Friday 05 December 2025 (one day teaching session)
Applying teaching skills to practice
- Friday 16 January 2026 (one day teaching session)
- Friday 13 February 2026 (one day teaching session)
- Friday 20 March 2026 (one day teaching session)
The role of assessment, evaluation and feedback
- Friday 24 April 2026 (one day teaching session)
- Friday 15 May 2026 (one day teaching session)
A virtual learning environment will support students’ learning throughout the programme.
The course requires a commitment to reading and pre-class preparation, including some specific reading between class sessions. There are also a number of written assignments:
Assessment
Assignment 1 - Core skills in medical education (submitted in the January)
This assessment will consist of two parts:
- evidence of involvement in ongoing reflective learning.
- a written assessment structured according to given guidance, totalling 4,500-5,500 words or the equivalent.
Assignment 2 - Applying teaching skills (submitted in the March)
There is no summative assessment for this module but participants should provide evidence of ongoing involvement in reflective learning.
Assignment 3 – The role of assessment, evaluation and feedback (submitted in the June)
This assessment will consist of two parts:
- evidence of involvement in the peer review process both as an observer and when being observed. Students complete and submit a peer review form for a person they are observing, asking the observed to provide evidence of their observations when they in turn watch the teaching of the original observer.
- a written assessment of between 4,500 and 5,500 words.
Fees
The fee for 2025-26 will be £5,169 per annum (Home) and £10,341 (Overseas).
Students will be expected to cover the application fee (£50 online) and any costs of travel, accommodation and subsistence incurred during teaching sessions in Cambridge.
Funding
Bursary funding for a limited number of places will be available from Health Education East of England (HEEoE) . If you wish to apply for the bursary please ensure you follow the HEE EoE process (deadline for bursary applications to be announced but likely to be end of March; more details can be found here.
Please note that places on the Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education are offered on merit rather than funding.
The application deadline has now been extended to the 30th May 2025 with applications dealt with in two batches; any applications received up to the 30th April 2025 will be considered in batch one, and any applications received between the 1st and 30th May 2025 in batch two. We may carry over applications received in the first batch over to the second batch. Interviews will be held approximately 3-4 weeks after each batch deadline.
Should the course become full, we reserve the right to close for applications early. As a result, we would encourage applicants to apply as soon as possible.
The programme is likely to be oversubscribed with suitably qualified applicants and, within a context of a balanced cohort, preference will be given to those who meet the academic criteria and those able to demonstrate a clear commitment to the programme of study. Candidates must be available to attend all of the teaching sessions and meet assessment deadlines. All eligible candidates will be considered for interview, which will likely be scheduled in May and June 2025. Candidates will be informed of final decisions by July.
Applicants will be required to either submit or provide details of the following as part of the application process:
- original qualification transcripts
- employer letter of support to confirm release of time to study.
- evidence of funding
- details of two academic referees
If applicable, appropriate visa to attend the course. See the University of Cambridge Immigration webpages for further information.
When completing your application, please note the University restrictions and risks of using AI tools.
