The University of Edinburgh – College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Family Medicine (Online Learning) MFM
Online
Master degree
DURATION
6 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
21 Aug 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
14 Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 5,070 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
* estimated tuition for family medicine MFM
Key Summary
Transform yourself and your practice with our Master of Family Medicine programme, designed to empower you with the skills to lead and innovate in primary health care globally.
The discipline of family medicine is gaining prominence globally as a vehicle for promoting effective primary health care and universal health coverage, offering many opportunities for students and graduates.
This part-time, online programme offers a comprehensive curriculum that covers essential skills as a family doctor, from applying evidence-based practice and patient-centred care to leadership and quality improvement.
The programme aims to empower and equip learners to promote the development of compassionate, values-based and academic family medicine. The learning is enhanced by our vibrant and international community of practice, enabling the sharing of experiences from different contexts and providing peer support. The programme is led by expert and experienced faculty and supported by an administrative team including designated student support.
Working together, our team is committed to providing the best opportunities for our students and ultimately advancing family medicine and primary health care locally and around the world.
Programme benefits
- Develop the capacity to improve the quality of family medicine practice, lead primary health care teams towards achieving universal health coverage and advocate for changes in policy, enhancing your role as a pivotal change-maker in global health.
- Learn from leading practitioners and researchers at the forefront of family medicine, providing you with the latest knowledge and practices to excel in diverse healthcare environments.
- Benefit from the flexibility of an online learning format that allows you to study from anywhere in the world, fitting your studies around your professional and personal commitments.
Graduates of the programme inform us that they stand out from their peers, particularly in demonstrating skills such as self-reflective practice and competency in areas such as quality improvement. This assists with career progression as a clinician.
Many graduates go on to take leadership positions within health systems or organisations. Some develop further skills in medical education, and some go on to develop their academic portfolio through a PhD.
Professional links
The programme team have professional links with the Royal College of General Practitioners (UK) and the World Association of Family Doctors (WONCA).
There are also considerable opportunities through our network of world-leading researchers and educationalists within the University of Edinburgh.
Further study
After completing this programme, you may wish to consider applying for a PhD or other research programme.
The Master of Family Medicine is structured to provide a deep and comprehensive understanding of family medicine, delivered over three years of part-time, online study. Each year builds on the knowledge and skills developed previously, with the aim of developing compassionate and person-centred practitioners who can understand and apply the principles of family medicine.
Year 1: Core foundations
- Foundations of Family Medicine: Introduction to the key concepts and historical development of the specialty.
- Professionalism in Family Practice: Learn about the principles of ethics and professionalism and how to apply these to your own practice.
- Applying Evidence-Based Practice in Family Medicine: Enhance your ability to apply scientific evidence to clinical practice.
Year 2: Specialised practice
At the start of Year 2, you will choose between the following option courses, which provide a focus on research or quality improvement:
- Family Medicine Research Methods (20 credits): Learn about research methods in preparation for a dissertation in the final year.
- Methodologies to Improve Family Medicine Practice (20 credits): Learn about quality improvement for clinical practice in preparation for a quality improvement project in the final year.
All students will then complete the following compulsory course:
- Applying the Family Medicine Approach Throughout Every Stage of Life (40 credits): Apply the principles taught in Year 1 of the programme across the lifecycle of the patient, family and community.
The course incorporates teaching on:
- health promotion and disease prevention
- maternal and child health
- infectious diseases
- non-communicable diseases
- mental health
- care of the elderly
- palliative care
You will have the opportunity to focus on areas of personal interest or relevance to your practice.
Year 3: Research and application
Details of the final year are still to be confirmed.
Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.
Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:
- Borrowing money
- Taking out a loan
- Family support
- Personal savings
- Income from work
- Employer sponsorship
Online Learning Scholarships
The University offers several scholarships specifically for online, part-time postgraduate programmes. These are very competitive. We publish data on the success rate for scholarship applications to help you understand the level of demand.
Scholarships will be awarded to outstanding candidates, and will be applied toward tuition fees.
Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships
The Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships are funded by the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission (CSC), dependent from the UK government's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
They are aimed at candidates from low and middle-income countries who would like to undertake part-time, distance learning study on eligible postgraduate programmes offered at Universities in the UK.
Each scholarship will cover full tuition fees and will be tenable for up to five years of part-time study.
The Carl and Gillean Kjeldsberg Online Scholarships in Family Medicine
These scholarships are awarded to outstanding African health workers who are living and working in any African country and who have a passion to strengthen family medicine and primary health care within their country and region.
Edinburgh Global Online Learning Scholarships for refugees and displaced students
The University will offer 20 scholarships for eligible refugees and displaced students studying towards a part-time distance learning programme offered by the University.
The Glenmore Postgraduate Scholarship
Four scholarships are available for eligible postgraduate programmes offered by the University. The scholarships will cover full tuition fees for the duration of the programme of study.
UK government postgraduate loans
If you live in the UK, you may be eligible for a postgraduate loan for online study from one of the UK’s governments.
If you intend to apply for a UK government loan you should apply for the 3-year Masters option.
Study options
This part-time, fully online programme is spread over three years, and you can exit the programme after:
- Year 1 with a Postgraduate Certificate
- Year 2 with a Postgraduate Diploma
- Year 3 with a Master of Family Medicine
How online learning works
This degree programme is taught entirely online. There is no need to come to the city or University campus.
All learning and teaching takes place within our virtual learning environment (VLE). Through the VLE, you can:
- access all your learning materials and study resources, including e-books and library resources
- interact with your tutors and classmates
An online degree from the University of Edinburgh is academically equivalent to an on-campus postgraduate degree and involves the same level of work overall. The qualification you get is of equal value. Your degree certificate will not mention that you studied the programme online.
Time commitment
This programme is designed to be fully flexible to fit around your schedule. You can study in your own time and access all your learning resources, such as reading lists, discussion forms and slides from anywhere in the world.
The programme is part-time, requiring approximately 10-15 hours of study per week. This allows you to manage your studies alongside your professional and personal responsibilities effectively.