Anatomical Sciences (Online Learning) PgDip (ICL), PgCert (ICL), PgCert, PgDip, PgProfDev

Our online learning technology is fully interactive, award-winning and enables you to communicate with our highly qualified teaching staff from your own home or working environment.

Our online students not only have access to the University’s excellent resources, but also become part of a supportive online community, bringing together students and tutors from around the world.

Studying online at Edinburgh

Find out more about the benefits and practicalities of studying for an online degree:

• Postgraduate online learning

We have a variety of flexible study options available to undertake a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Professional Development in Anatomical Sciences.

Postgraduate Certificate (1 year part-time, 2-years intermittent study)

Courses include:

• Fundamental Human Anatomy 1 - including the upper and lower limbs, back and pelvis
• Fundamental Human Anatomy 2 - including thorax, abdomen, head and neck
• Embryology - human development
• Neuroanatomy - nervous system

Postgraduate Diploma (2 years part-time, 4 years intermittent study)

In addition to completing all the Certificate courses in Year 1, you will extend your anatomical knowledge with courses in:

• Advanced Human Anatomy 1 - more detailed study of anatomy previously examined incorporating anatomical principles
• Advanced Human Anatomy 2
• Histology - microscopic anatomy

And course options in:

• Imaging - modalities that are relevant to anatomical sciences
• Reflections in Professional Development
• Visualising Human Anatomy – understanding visualisation techniques in relation to anatomy education and the relationship of art and anatomy
• Artificial Organs – examining how anatomy can be replicated using bioengineering techniques

Each of the taught courses has a set of modules that are released to students on a timed basis from our virtual learning environment.

A typical module structure consists of:

• a recorded lecture to introduce the topic
• interactive content (video/animated/narrative)
• a set of resource links to course reading - library and research
• a discussion board facilitated by a tutor
• a set of questions (MCQs) which students can take at the end of each section - these are formative and do not contribute to the final mark

Postgraduate Professional Development

Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD) is aimed at working professionals who want to advance their knowledge through a postgraduate-level course(s), without the time or financial commitment of a full Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate.

You may take a maximum of 50 credits worth of courses over two years through our PPD scheme. These lead to a University of Edinburgh postgraduate award of academic credit.

Alternatively, after one year of taking courses you can choose to transfer your credits and continue on to studying towards a higher award on a Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate programme.

Although PPD courses have various start dates throughout a year you may only start a Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate programme in the month of September.

Any time spent studying PPD will be deducted from the amount of time you will have left to complete a Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate programme.

Flexible study

The programme also offers the opportunity to take:

• a Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits), either part-time over 9 months or on an intermittent basis over 2 years; or
• a Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits), either part-time over 21 months or on an intermittent basis over 4 years.

Semester dates for the academic year 2022-2023

These are key dates in the academic year, which vary slightly year to year. For your programme these are:

Semester 1

• Block 1.1: 19 September - 21 October 2022
• Block 1.2: 24 October - 2 December 2022

Semester 2

• Block 2.1: 9 January - 17 February 2023
• Block 2.2: 20 February - 24 March 2023

Semester 3

• Block 3.1: 10 April - 19 May 2023
• Block 3.2: 22 May - 30 June 2023

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

This programme has been designed not only to help you gain a highly regarded qualification, but also to provide you with a set of major transferable skills, which will be relevant to your current career, further study or simply increase your long-term career prospects.

• Student and Graduate Stories

Being a part of the University of Edinburgh’s Postgraduate Certificate in Anatomical Sciences has been an excellent experience.

I decided to apply for the programme as I had always found anatomy fascinating as an undergraduate, both theoretically and artistically. Studying Anatomical Sciences with the University of Edinburgh has allowed me to appreciate the whole breadth of the beauty of anatomy, as I had only been confined to the head and neck previously.

I graduated from University College Cork, Ireland with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree in 2017. Since then I have been enjoying my clinical work and continued postgraduate study with Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. I am currently working as a senior house officer in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in the NHS. I have also gained experience with anatomical art and scientific illustration since being an undergraduate student.

The programme is really well-structured, with a diverse range of multi-media teaching. I found the tutors extremely helpful and friendly, and looked forward to hearing from them every Monday morning. Being given access to Acland’s Atlas of Anatomy videos was an excellent feature of the course, and helped me with visualising the course content. The course also allowed me to develop my scientific writing, and I found feedback on my essays very personalised and comprehensive.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time studying Anatomical Sciences with the University of Edinburgh and would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about anatomy. Thank you to my classmates and tutors for making it an incredible learning experience!

Kaumal Baig, Anatomical Sciences Graduate

Introduction from Programme Director

How does online learning work?

These entry requirements are for the 2023/24 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2024/25 academic year will be published on 2 October 2023.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a medical, biomedical, or relevant bioscience topic.

We may also consider your application if you are in a profession allied to medicine or have relevant work experience; please contact the programme team to check before you apply. You may be admitted to the Professional Development Programme in the first instance with a view to joining the Postgraduate Certificate after satisfactory performance.

Students from China

This degree is Band D.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 62 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than three and a half years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Deposit

You will need to pay this non-refundable deposit before an unconditional offer can be made.

• £200 (this contributes towards your tuition fees)

Find out more about tuition fee deposits:

• Tuition fee deposits

Tuition fee deposits can be paid here using the University's online payment facility, ePay:

• Pay a tuition fee deposit

Tuition fees

• Online Learning Scholarships

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding