The course is a development of the Diabetes Research Unit which has an international reputation for teaching and research in Diabetes. The programme seeks to encourage critical thinking and improve the understanding of diabetes and diabetes related topics. Students will be equipped not only with current factual knowledge but will also learn strategies which will be of lasting value in dealing with future advances in therapy and management strategy.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Diabetes is a part-time, on-line distance learning course based on the International Diabetes Foundation Curriculum. It is split into six modules over two years.

Candidates attend initial introductory lectures at the beginning of each year with the course then continuing online.

The majority of students are self funded, though some may obtain bursaries from supporting organisations.

The MSc in Diabetes is designed specifically for Health Care Professionals who have completed the Diploma in Diabetes with Cardiff University and wish to pursue further studies in this field.

The part-time, distance learning MSc runs over a period of 12 months. The MSc will begin with an introductory section (approx. 12 weeks) where candidates will be able to develop their knowledge & skills in analysis methodologies, critical appraisal & scientific writing. In keeping with the diploma teaching design, the candidates will initially be in groups of 8-10 where learning will be facilitated by expert tutors.

After completing the 12 week introductory stage above, students will proceed to writing their Masters dissertation of up to 20,000 words over the remainder of the year (approx 40 weeks). This can be in the form of either (a) primary data analysis using an existing dataset that either the student or the supervisor has access to, or (b) a systematic literature review with appraisal of published evidence, leading to guideline development. Each student will have an individual supervisor who will provide guidance throughout the year. The student & supervisor will maintain regular contact either via the MSc website, or other means of communication as previously deemed appropriate by both, e.g. e-mail, teleconference, Skype etc. Students will be expected to present a 2 page outline of the project by week 8 of the introductory stage with final confirmation of project details with the supervisor by the end of week 6 of the dissertation phase. The final dissertation will be submitted for marking by the end of week 40 with regular progress updates to be provided at set intervals in the interim.

Successful completion of the complete programme above will result in the award of 60 Level 7 (Masters) credits and the degree of MSc in Diabetes from Cardiff University.