Preventive Cardiology (Masters/PDip)

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
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NUIGalway partner with NIPC to lead the way in cardiovascular disease prevention, diabetes & obesity Ms Laura Tobin - Healthy Ireland Project lead, UL Hospital Group Dr. Sinead McCluskey - Director of Commercial Innovation, Pei Surgical

Course Overview

Multidisciplinary approaches to cardiovascular health and lifestyle medicine are the cornerstone of preventive cardiology practice. This postgraduate programme equips students with the knowledge and skills required to make meaningful contributions to primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention; both at an individual level as well as within populations. Whilst the main focus is cardiovascular and pulmonary disease prevention and rehabilitation, key learning outcomes achieved apply to non-communicable diseases and chronic disease management more widely. This course remains one of the only of its kind worldwide offering a strong component of translational science where gains in knowledge and research skills are applied to clinical practice.

Unique features of this programme include:

Flexible learning: The course uses a dual delivery approach (with a fully online option available) by incorporating scheduled tutorials and workshops coupled with the directed study. This enables students to simultaneously maintain professional roles in clinical practice or manage other commitments whilst completing their studies.
Delivered in partnership with the National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health (NIPC): This partnership enables an exceptional opportunity for students to interact with leading experts as well as engage in cutting-edge research and further opportunities in preventive cardiology.
Interdisciplinary expert teaching faculty: Students from a variety of backgrounds from all over the world interact with international leaders and clinical specialists from medicine, nursing, nutrition, exercise, psychology, and public health.

As reflected within the speciality of preventive cardiology, this course is interdisciplinary in nature and designed predominantly for health care practitioners. The course addresses the latest evidence-based development and practical use of cardiovascular disease risk estimation tools, implementation of best-practice guidelines and healthcare policy, behavioural change strategies, lifestyle approaches to risk factor modification, psychosocial health, and medical management of risk factors including hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and smoking. Outcome measures, health technology, and innovation in service design also feature strongly There is also a specialist pathway in cardiac rehabilitation available as an option for practitioners with a specific interest in secondary prevention.

This programme aims to provide medical doctors from all settings, nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians, psychologists, occupational therapists, podiatrists and other allied professions with knowledge and skills to provide high-quality patient care as well as an array of career opportunities in clinical service transformation, research, academia, and industry. Students are supervised in designing an original research project which addresses a specific research question in any aspect of preventive cardiology. Contributors are drawn from clinical departments at the University Hospital Galway, scientific and healthcare disciplines at the University of Galway, the Croí clinical team, and an array of established national and international partnerships.

Scholarships available
Find out about our Postgraduate Scholarships here.

Applications and Selections

Applications are made online via the University of Galway Postgraduate Applications System.

Who Teaches this Course

Ms Irene Gibson, Honorary Clinical Fellow, University of Galway (Nurse)
Ms Suzanne Seery, Honorary Clinical Fellow, University of Galway (Dietitian)
Ms Denise Dunne Honorary Clinical Fellow, University of Galway (Physiotherapist)
Ms Elaine Robinson, Honorary Clinical Fellow, University of Galway (Smoking Cessation Officer)
Ms Tara Conboy, Honorary Clinical Fellow, University of Galway
Ms Laura Tobin, Honorary Clinical Fellow, University of Galway (Healthy Ireland Project Lead)
Professor David Wood, Adjunct Professor in Preventive Cardiology, University of Galway
Dr Catriona Jennings, Cardiovascular Specialist Nurse, University of Galway
Dr Lisa Hynes, Health Psychologist and Head of Health Programmes, Croi Heart and Stroke Centre
Prof Derek O’Keeffe, Consultant Endocrinologist, University Hospital Galway

Dr Jennifer Jones

B.Sc., M.Sc., PhD

Senior Lecturer
E: Jennifer.jones@nuigalway.ie
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Prof Gerard Flaherty

BSc,MB,BCh,BAO,MRCPI.,DipSem,MFSEM

Personal Professor
Medicine
Clinical Science Institute
NUI Galway
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Dr Yvonne Finn

MB, BCh, BAO, BSC, MSc (Health Sc) MRCPI

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Prof Francis Finucane

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Ms. Gloria Avalos

B.E.(Ind), MA

Assistant Professor of Research Methods and Medical Statistics
School of Medicine
Clinical Science Institute
University of Galway
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Mr Wael Ahmed Tawfick

MB.BCH, MRCSI.

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Requirements and Assessment

Assessments are carried out across all modules via MCQ, written papers, essays, assignments, poster preparation and a dissertation.

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Successful applicants will possess at least a Second Class Honours, Grade 1 degree (or equivalent) in a health care discipline or related subject area (e.g., medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, dietetics, sport and exercise science, clinical or health psychology, pharmacology, health scientist, health promotion, public health, etc). For those who do not hold a primary degree at the required level, a special case will be made if they have demonstrated an aptitude for the course material through at least three years of high-quality work experience in a relevant field of cardiovascular health.

Entry to the Master’s programme is conditional upon achieving at least 60% in the core compulsory modules of the Postgraduate Diploma that take place in Semester 1. Candidates coming to Ireland from abroad or who do not have a degree from Ireland, or the UK will be asked to provide evidence of an acceptable result in one of the recognised English language proficiency tests, e.g., IELTS total score of 6.5 (or equivalent). Prospective candidates may be interviewed as part of the selection process. This usually takes place remotely via telephone, Teams or Zoom.

Additional Requirements

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

1 year, full-time

Next start date

September 2024

A Level Grades ()

Average intake

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

Closing Date

Please view the offer rounds website.

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

Course code

MSC-MPY

Course Outline

The MSc in Preventive Cardiology involves students participating in a number of Level 9 modules totalling 90 ECTS. 

In Semester 1 students participate in three core modules (total 30ECTs):

Fundamentals of Preventive Cardiology (10 ECT)

Research Methods (10 ECT)
Reflective Clinical Practice (Part 1 Semester 1 & Part 2 in Semester 2) (10 ECT)

In Semester 2 students are required to complete 30 elective ECTs from the following options:

Lifestyle Risk Factor Modification (30 ECTs)
Tobacco Cessation in Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Management (10ECTs)
Diet and Weight Management in Preventive Medicine and Cardiovascular Health (10ECTs)
Physical Activity and Exercise in Chronic Disease Management (10ECTs)
Pharmacotherapeutic Approaches in Cardiometabolic Medicine (10 ECTS)
Cardiac Rehabilitation (30 ECTS)

Across all three semesters, students work on a primary Research Project (30 ECT) that is submitted as a ready-to-publish article at the end of the programme. 

The course starts in September and finishes in August, covering teaching and clinical placement components. Structured weekly directed study is coupled with a schedule of group-based lectures, tutorials, and interactive workshops. These group-based sessions are delivered online via live sessions and are timetabled for Thursdays and Fridays (3 pm – 8 pm) with occasional Saturdays (10 am – 3 pm). Students working simultaneously in a clinical setting can complete their studies using a fully online option, enabling access to the programme from their home country. International students with a Tier 2 Visa choosing to reside in Ireland during their studies and those not working in clinical practice are required to complete a weekly timetable of face-to-face activities that take place in a range of clinical settings.

Each module has associated assessments. At the end of Semester 1 online examinations are run for these modules. The remainder of the course has continuous assessments in the form of essays or equivalent—e.g., written assignments, presentations, and case reviews.

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits: You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module: An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject: Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional: A module you may choose to study.
Required: A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject: A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester: Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (90 Credits)

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Graduates of this course will be positioned as leaders in cardiovascular disease prevention and will find ample opportunities to apply their learning across a variety of clinical settings in both primary and secondary care. There will also be employment opportunities in public health, health promotion, healthcare management, academic and research settings, and the pharmaceutical industry. Clinician graduates will benefit from career advancement within their chosen disciplines. Master’s students completing the 5,000-word ready-for-publication dissertation will be supported in preparing their work for submission to a peer-reviewed journal, which will further augment their career prospects.

About you (i.e., the prospective student)

Are you interested in the risk factors which underlie cardiovascular disease? Are you motivated to prevent cardiovascular disease rather than merely treating its manifestations? Do you want to provide effective self-management support to individuals living with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other related long-term conditions? Do you want to influence national healthcare policy by demonstrating the patient and economic benefits of cardiovascular disease prevention? If so, then preventive cardiology may be the course for you!

Why choose the University of Galway?

At the University of Galway, we take pride in working closely with postgraduate students to develop their fullest potential. We understand the challenges of combining your personal and professional lives with a postgraduate programme and we work hard to support you in every way on this journey. The excellent course materials and innovative e-learning platform will enable you to make optimum use of your private study time. University of Galway’s unique collaboration with NIPC and Croí means that up-to-date, relevant information will always be close at hand, and you will get to appreciate the translation of evidence-based preventive cardiology into clinical practice.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€9,140 p.a. (including levy) 2024/25

Fees: Tuition

€9,000 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Non EU

€18,000 p.a. (€18,140 including levy) 2024/25

Postgraduate students in receipt of a SUSI grant—please note an F4 grant is where SUSI will pay €4,000 towards your tuition (2024/25). You will be liable for the remainder of the total fee. A P1 grant is where SUSI will pay tuition up to a maximum of €6,270. SUSI will not cover the student levy of €140.

Postgraduate fee breakdown = Tuition (EU or NON EU) + Student levy as outlined above.

Note to non-EU students: learn about the 24-month Stayback Visa here.

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What Our Graduates Say

Laura Tobin | Healthy Ireland project lead, UL Hospital Group

I undertook the Masters in Preventive Cardiology and I have thanked my lucky stars every day that I did. The content of the course was so well delivered. It was so applicable to my role. I felt that it gave me such a grounding in health and wellbeing. It has absolutely impacted on my career trajectory to date. I believe it's a course that can take you very far.

Sinead McCluskey | Director Commercial Innovation. PEI Surgical

I've been working in the med-tech space for almost 20 years. And over the past number of years, I see an increased interest in wellness and prevention. We live in an ageing population with an increased burden of cost on the healthcare system, and there aren't enough hospital beds for our ageing population. Cardiovascular disease being our number one killer was one of particular interest to me. I really enjoyed the course, and I learned a huge amount.

in Connect with Sinead

Programme endorsements

Prof. Bill McEvoy | Medical and Research Director of NIPC

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the key to cardiovascular health. However, there are a number of strong forces working against the maintenance of cardiovascular health in modern societies. This Master of Science (MSc) in Preventive Cardiology draws on the world-class strengths of NUI Galway across the spectrum of expertise in detection, screening, intervention, rehabilitation and health technology. In partnership with the National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health, this MSc is part of an outstanding suite of Masters in Preventive Medicine and Cardiovascular Health and offers a rich and varied experience to students and provides access to a larger faculty of world-leading experts than would otherwise be offered by any individual MSc.

Other programmes also offered within this suite of courses in Preventive Medicine and Cardiovascular Health include:

MSc Diabetes (Medicine)

MSc Obesity

MSc (Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation)

PgCert (Cardiac Rehabilitation)

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MA/PGDip Health Promotion