Family Medicine (Online Learning) MFM

Graduates of the Master of Family Medicine programme at the University of Edinburgh are equipped to advance their careers in various impactful roles across the healthcare spectrum.

Sectors and roles

• Clinical practice: Enhance your capabilities as a family doctor, providing comprehensive, continuous, and compassionate care.
• Health policy and administration: Influence and implement policies that improve health service delivery and patient care at local, national, or international levels.
• Academic and research institutions: Contribute to the academic field through teaching, or engage in research that advances the practice of family medicine.
• Non-governmental organizations: Work with international organizations focusing on health improvement and policy advocacy, particularly in underserved or rural communities.
• Education: Develop skills as an educator of future generations of family doctors.

Support for career development

The University of Edinburgh's Career Service offers extensive support, from CV workshops to personalized career advice, ensuring you are fully equipped to make an impact in your chosen field.

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.

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 Science degree

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 elective 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.

or

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 and palliative care. Students will have the opportunity to focus on areas of personal interest or relevance to their practice.

Year 3: Research and application

There are three options for completing the 60 credits required in the final year of the programme.

• Research Project (60 credits)
• Elective course (20 credits) + Family Medicine Project (40 credits)
• Fully taught final year consisting of elective courses (60 credits)

You will have a choice of how to complete the final year based on your individual interests and learning needs. The Research Project involves completing a traditional dissertation. The Family Medicine Project will focus on quality improvement for clinical practice. Those students who opt for a fully taught third year will select from a series of elective courses therefore creating their own learning pathway.

Online learning

How online learning works

• Interactive learning environment: Learn using our state-of-the-art online platform, which facilitates discussion forums, live tutorials and other interactive content.
• Flexible access: Access course materials online at any time and from any location.

Teaching and assessment

• Teaching: Courses are taught through weekly online activities and live interactive tutorials, which are all recorded for those who cannot attend.
• Assessment: Assignments such as essays, case studies and group projects are designed to reinforce your learning and help you apply your skills.

Time commitment

The programme is part-time, requiring approximately 10-15 hours of study per week. This allows you to manage your learning alongside professional and personal commitments.

Technical requirements

• Equipment: You will need a stable internet connection and a computer with the latest browser installed.
• Software: All necessary learning platforms and tools are provided online by the University.

Support for online students

You will be supported throughout your studies by the programme team and have access to additional resources from across the University. Technical support is available 24/7, and you will be assigned a Student Adviser for pastoral support and guidance if needed. An optional summer school provides an opportunity to visit Edinburgh and connect with peers and faculty in person.