Search everything:
Search Herts....
close

Book your Open Day

Postgraduate Open Day

Find out more about your course of interest, speak with our academics and discover the opportunities that further study has to offer at our Postgraduate Open Day.

Our next Postgraduate Open Day will be on Saturday 23 November 2024 from 11.00 - 15.00. We offer a range of discounts to help with travel costs.

Visit Herts to learn about:

  • Your chosen course: Speak to our friendly teaching staff about courses, module content and delivery methods
  • Employment prospects: Understand work placement opportunities, industry connections, and course accreditations
  • Support services: Get all the information you need about admissions, accommodation and student finance
  • Life at Herts: Hear from our students about their postgrad student experience at Herts
  • Explore: Discover our campuses, facilities and accommodation

Book your open day below.

close

Apply now

MSc Paramedic Science (Pre-reg)

NHS Learning Support Fund

  • Training grants of at least £5,000 a year are available for eligible healthcare students which you will not have to pay back.
  • You may also be eligible for an additional £2,000 towards childcare costs to help balance your studies with family life and £3,000 for students who find themselves in unforeseen financial hardship.

Find out more

Why choose Herts?

  • Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) accreditation: You will be eligible to apply for HCPC registration, to practise as a fully-qualified paramedic.
  • Specialist facilities: Benefit from experiential learning in environments that reflect real clinical practice, including a simulation ambulance, clinical skills labs, the woodlands of the University's grounds, as well as virtual reality education.
  • Frontline experience: Gain clinical experience through our excellent partnerships with the London Ambulance Service and the East of England Ambulance Service Trust. You will undertake placements on an ambulance, responding to 999 calls as part of an ambulance crew.
  • Entry requirements and key information

    A 2:2 honours degree in a science or health-related subject. 

    GCSE English, Maths and Science at grade 4 / C or above (or equivalent). 

    All applicants should normally have studied successfully at Level 6 or above in the five years prior to commencement of the programme, or demonstrable equivalent healthcare/scientific experience.   

    Please check our country-specific international qualification requirements. 

    An IELTS score of 7.0 (with no less than 6.5 achieved in any one band) or equivalent is required if English is not the first language. If you do not have the required level of English for entry, our academic English courses can help you to achieve this level. 

    Suitable applicants will be invited to interview.The interview will assess your suitability for the programme, including your motivation to study the course and your insight into the paramedic profession. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate suitable attributes required for the role of a student paramedic, and demonstrate the necessary values and behaviours required of NHS staff, as laid out in the NHS Constitution. Offers are made based on interview performance, and the number of places available on the course.

    Applicants are strongly advised to be in possession of a full UK driving licence (with a maximum of 3 penalty points) with category B (car). Applicants are also encouraged to have a provisional/full C1 category on their licence at the earliest opportunity, to maximise employment opportunities on completion of the programme. 

    Applicants must be fit to undertake clinical placements, which will involve ambulance duties. This includes (but is not limited to):  

    • lifting and carrying of equipment
    • climbing flights of stairs
    • moving and handling patients
    • undertaking a variety of shifts, including night-work
    • working in potentially hazardous / volatile situations

    If invited to interview, applicants will be asked to disclose any criminal conviction (spent or unspent), caution, reprimand, final warning, ongoing police investigation or driving offence that has led to a criminal conviction. Declaration of any of the activities identified above will NOT automatically rule out an applicant; each applicant is considered on a case-by-case basis.

    Successful applicants will be subject to Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and Occupational Health (OH) Screening on commencement of the programme.

    The programme commences in January. We do not accept applicants at a later point in the academic year on to the programme. We do not accept applicants directly to Year 2 of the programme.

    The course is a full-time programme of study, with attendance required either at the University or in practice placements. Practice placements occur throughout the programme and are with London Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Students are responsible for getting themselves to and from placements (which will include unsocial hours working).

    Institution code

    		 H36

    School of study

    		 School of Health and Social Work

    Course length
  • Full Time, 2 Years
    		•

    Location
  • University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield
    		•
  • Employability

    Careers

    Your career prospects are excellent, due to the high demand for registered paramedics in urgent and emergency care settings. Upon graduating from this MSc Paramedic Science, you’ll be eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council. 

    What job can I get?

    Most graduates of the MSc Paramedic Science (pre-registration) become Newly Qualified Paramedics (NQP) with an NHS Ambulance Service, but there are many other roles and opportunities available to you with this qualification across NHS Trusts, private healthcare organisations, as well as the military and voluntary sector. Typical roles beyond the NQP include:

    • Specialist Paramedic (SP) or Advanced Paramedic (AP) in critical care, urgent care, primary care, telehealth (111)
    • Helicopter / Search and rescue 
    • Event medics 
    • Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART) 
    • Wilderness / Remote medical support 
    • Research/development, education or management. 

    Work placement

    Practice placements occur throughout the programme and are with London Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Students are responsible for getting themselves to and from placements (this will include unsocial hours working).

    Your primary clinical placement will be with London Ambulance Service (LAS). You will undertake an unparalleled practice-based learning experience with the busiest emergency ambulance service in the UK in one of the world's most dynamic cities. The LAS serves nine million residents and visitors across 620 square miles, handles around two million 999 calls annually and responds to over 3,000 emergencies daily. Our practice-based learning with LAS will immerse you in diverse medical emergencies and innovative patient care practices, preparing you for a rewarding paramedic career.

Professional Accreditations

Graduates of the MSc Paramedic Science (pre-registration) will be eligible to apply for registration to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) to practise as a fully-qualified paramedic.

About the course

Our exciting MSc Paramedic Science (pre-registration) degree is for graduates with a degree in a relevant health or scientific field wishing to extend their knowledge, skills and clinical expertise to become a paramedic. Paramedics are highly skilled healthcare practitioners, providing urgent or emergency care in a wide range of pre-hospital and out-of-hospital environments. The course encourages the study of medical, behavioural and sociological sciences, enabling you to understand the holistic aspects of patient care. 

Successful completion of this two-year, full-time masters in paramedic science will enable you to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a paramedic, to deliver treatment to patients with urgent, emergency and unscheduled healthcare needs.

Why choose this course?

  • Develop the knowledge and skills to qualify as a newly-registered paramedic.
  • Benefit from our excellent partnership with the London Ambulance Service for placement opportunities and real-world experience. You'll be part of an ambulance crew, responding to 999 calls.
  • Be inspired by a highly experienced and research-active paramedic teaching team and academic staff. Our staff hold roles within Advanced Paramedic Practice teams, specialising in critial and primary care; some have been flight paramedics with Air Ambulance teams, and others have been involved in the research that has guided some of the biggest developments in paramedic practice in recent times.
  • Enjoy practice-based learning, supported by experienced paramedic practice educators.
  • Learn through specialist simulation facilities, where you'll practise 'slow time' on mannequins to perfect your clinical skills in a safe place.
  • Leverage our world-wide family of paramedic science alumni.
  • Eligible to apply for the NHS Learning Support Fund, including a training grant. 
  • 92% overall satisfaction for medicine and dentistry in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES, 2024).

What will I study?

Building on your undergraduate experience, you will advance your knowledge and clinical skills to practise as a paramedic, as well as enhancing your teamworking and decision-making skills in complex and high pressure situations. You'll learn everything needed to become a paramedic in a modern healthcare system. This includes management of minor illness and injuries, patients with complex care and frailty, as well as critical and emergency care such as resuscitation, major trauma and critial illness.

Year 1 of the MSc Paramedic Science degree focuses on the foundations of being a paramedic and healthcare professional, key clinical skills, and recognising and managing acute medical presentations. You will also learn to manage patients with complex needs, with your clinical placement consolidating these skills. 

In Year 2, you will cover resuscitation and critical care, managing minor illnesses and injuries, clinical pharmacology, research methods and will undertake an individual research project and clinical placement to refine your clinical decision-making and prepare for autonomous practice.

Modules of study prepare you for the wide range of patients and medical conditons you will encounter, and co-curricular opportunities are offered to further enhance your learning:

  • Membership of UH Student Paramedic Society 
  • Student Membership of the College of Paramedics 
  • CPD events offered by College of Paramedics and local NHS Trusts, such as volunteering with local air ambulance charities to assist with training and simulation, as well as attending conferences and special events.
  • Work with students on our BSc programme, and paramedics on our Advanced Paramedic Practice programme 

You will benefit from our strong industry connections, with visiting lecturers providing advanced paramedic practice, and opportunities to take part in research projects run by the UH Centre for Applied Clinical, Health and Care Research (CACHE). You'll also attend local and national conferences.

The MSc Paramedic Science is delivered through a variety of lectures and practical sessions, approximately 18 hours per week. Placement blocks feature throughout both years of the programme. Assessment methods include essays, practicals, presentations, posters and tests. 

Where will I study? 

Based on our College Lane campus, you’ll be inspired through our specialist facilities, including clinical skills laboratories and simulation areas. You’ll have access to a wide range of equipment that will prepare you for your clinical placement. This includes models to help you understand the relevant clinical anatomy; ‘part-task’ trainers to practice skills such as intravenous access and airway management; and high-fidelity manikins that simulate abnormal physiologies. Our lecturing and technical staff will set up simulated scenarios for you to manage, in a range of environments, including our Simulation Ambulance. These can be captured on high-definition video cameras for de-briefing and feedback to develop your learning.   

  • Level 6
    ModuleCreditsCompulsory/optional
    Paramedic Practice-based Learning 115 CreditsCompulsory
    Clinical Skills for Urgent & Emergency Care15 CreditsCompulsory
    Paramedic Practice-based Learning 215 CreditsCompulsory
  • Level 7
    ModuleCreditsCompulsory/optional
    Foundations of Paramedic Practice30 CreditsCompulsory
    Acute Medical Presentations30 CreditsCompulsory
    Complex Care in Paramedic Practice30 CreditsCompulsory
    Resuscitation, trauma & the critically ill patient30 CreditsCompulsory
    Clinical Pharmacology15 CreditsCompulsory
    Research Methods and Preparation for Research Project15 CreditsCompulsory
    Research Project30 CreditsCompulsory

    • Key staff

    Programme Leader Alex Ulrich

    Find out more about Programme Leader Alex Ulrich

    Further course information

    Course fact sheets
    MSc Paramedic Science (Pre-registration) Download
    Programme specifications
    MSc Paramedic Science (Pre-registration) Download
    Additional information

    Sandwich placement or study abroad year

    n/a

    Applications open to international and EU students

    		 Yes

    Student experience

    At the University of Hertfordshire, we want to make sure your time studying with us is as stress-free and rewarding as possible. We offer a range of support services including; student wellbeing, academic support, accommodation and childcare to ensure that you make the most of your time at Herts and can focus on studying and having fun.

    Find out about how we support our students

    You can also read our student blogs to find out about life at Herts.