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Duration

Two years part-time

Application Deadline

Overseas fee payers: 1 July | Home fee payers: 19 August

Location

St George's, University of London

UK, EU and non-EU (international)

students may apply

Start dates

9 September 2024

About this course

Heart failure is a growing epidemic and a rapidly evolving subspecialty within cardiology. Our Heart Failure MSc is a structured international teaching programme and the first of its kind.

The population of patients with heart failure is growing, and heart failure is now the leading cause of hospitalisation among adults over 65. An impressive advancement in the development of drugs and devices that prolong life expectancy in patients with heart failure has resulted in a significant demand for physicians with expertise in this important area.

While current awareness of heart failure among physicians is good, there remains a pressing need for experts to safely and effectively manage patients with this condition. Heart Failure MSc will provide you with a unique set of skills and knowledge to manage the increasingly complex patients with heart failure, developing you into a heart failure specialist. 

We are very grateful for unrestricted grants provided by our pharmaceutical partners AstraZeneca, Vifor Pharma, Bayer and Servier to fund scholarships on this course.

Hear from Professor Andrew Coates, President of the Hearth Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology, as he delivers a welcome message to Heart Failure MSc students at St George's, University of London.

Course highlights

  • The programme will be delivered by a multi-disciplinary group of cardiologists and allied health professionals and will include invited international key opinion leaders in heart failure.
  • You will gain a unique blend of clinical expertise and experience in cutting-edge heart failure research.
  • The content of the course is current and inclusive of the most recent European Society of Cardiology heart failure guidelines.
  • Online modules allow for self-paced, flexible learning.
  • St George's is the UK's specialist health university and shares a campus with one of the largest teaching hospitals in the UK
  • St George’s has world-class research, clinical and teaching expertise and is ranked among the top 250 universities in the world according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021.

Want to know more?

Find out more about postgraduate study at St George’s, University of London by registering for our introductory email series.

Entry criteria

To be considered for this course, you will need to:

  • meet the entry criteria
  • write a personal statement
  • provide two suitable references

Undergraduate degree or equivalent

You are required to have an MBBS (Medical Bachelor & Bachelor in Surgery) or equivalent for applicants with qualifications from outside of the UK.

You are also required to have two years of postgraduate clinical experience in cardiology and a documented familiarity with heart failure. You may be asked to present evidence of competency that might include certification or a letter from your supervisor.

International qualifications

We accept equivalent qualifications gained in other countries and use to assess. Degree certificates will need to be translated into English.

Please see our International Student Support pages for more information. If you have any questions, you can contact us at pgenquiries@sgul.ac.uk

International applicants must satisfy the requirements of the UK government’s Visas and Immigration department in relation to St George’s responsibilities as a Tier 4 sponsor.

English Language

This is a Group 2 course.

Full details can be found on our English Language requirements webpages.

Personal statement and references

You will be asked to outline your reasons for applying for the course in a brief personal statement on the application form. You will also need to provide two satisfactory references.

See the ‘Apply’ tab for more information.

Join the Frontiers in Human Health summer school

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Course structure

The MSc consists of ten compulsory modules (12 credits each) and a research project with a thesis (60 credits). The course is designed to offer flexibility in order to accommodate the needs of professionals who have a requirement to complete their studies around their existing work commitments on a part-time basis. To allow greater flexibility a technology-rich model is used to deliver a significant proportion of learning materials online and provide resources to facilitate self-directed learning and reflective practice.

A wide range of teaching and learning strategies are used in the delivery of this course.

Each module will have an online component which the student will work through at their own pace with gated assessments to allow progression and acquire a solid foundation in the subject matter. Additional reading material will be provided for self-directed study and wider reading to develop insight into their own learning styles and become responsible for their professional development.

Assimilation of this knowledge will be underpinned by twice-monthly webinars and face-to-face sessions each year at St George’s, University of London to allow for balance with clinical work. These practical sessions allow students to benefit from direct contact with lecturers and other learners. These will be blended with 1-2 tutorials each day to consolidate the acquired knowledge. If required, the face-to-face sessions may need to be delivered online if there are any travel restrictions in place for overseas students.

The combination of strategies aims to enable our students to develop an investigative, independent and individualised approach to learning so that they can go on to undertake an extended research project with the intention of at least one publication.

Course start date

The course will start with enrolment and induction activities on 9 - 10 September 2024. Topics covered will include the virtual learning platform, library and careers service as well as course specific sessions. There will also be keynote speakers and a social event where students from a variety of postgraduate taught courses can get to know each other.

Modules

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Epidemiology and Aetiology of Heart failure (12 credits)

This module will give you an in-depth understanding of the causes and aetiology of heart failure, along with an expert understanding of its epidemiology. You will master the definitions of heart failure according to presentation, aetiology and results of diagnostic testing, and understand the possible differential diagnoses in patients presenting with suspected heart failure, including rarer causes including genetic, metabolic, toxic, pregnancy-related, infective, and infiltrative causes. This module will help you develop the expertise required to implement the national and international guidelines with insight and to understand how to apply them to each individual patient.

Diagnosis of Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module provides you with a comprehensive experience of the cardiovascular evaluation of patients with suspected heart failure. You will gain an in-depth understanding of how to evaluate patients with signs and symptoms of heart failure and of how to differentiate between alternative diagnoses and phenotypes of cardiac disease. You will explore the indications and interpretation of a number of investigative modalities. You will also gain an understanding of the value and challenges of biomarker testing and potential implications for the diagnosis and prognostication of patients with heart failure.

Therapy and Management of Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module will give you comprehensive theoretical and practical experience in managing patients with heart failure, underpinned by an in-depth understanding of the relevant international guidelines. You will learn to develop critical responses to current national and international treatment guidelines and practices and be able to suggest new concepts and analyse the differences behind the different approaches for the prevention and treatment of heart failure. You will gain a deep understanding of possible drug-drug interactions and the contra-indication of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular therapies. You will learn about the indications for device implantation within the therapeutic pathway and the current recommendations for emerging therapies in heart failure.

Co-morbidities in Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module gives you a detailed experience of the most common co-morbidities in patients with heart failure. You will learn how to flexibly and creatively apply advanced methodological approaches to determine heart failure treatment strategies taking into account the varying importance of co-morbidities. You will learn about the indications and interpretation of a number of investigative modalities for detection of the most common co-morbidities occurring in patients with heart failure. You will also gain an understanding of frailty, sarcopenia and cachexia in heart failure and their implications in the therapeutic pathways.

Management of Arrhythmias and Device Therapies in Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module will give you comprehensive practical experience of the management of arrhythmias and the expert indication for device therapies in patients with heart failure. You will gain an in-depth understanding of how to detect and manage potentially lethal arrhythmias, and you will explore the indications and interpretation of a number of devices for the treatment of arrhythmias in patients with heart failure. You will also learn the value and challenges of electrophysiological testing and potential implications for the management of patients with heart failure.

Advanced Imaging in Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module will develop your knowledge and skills in heart failure-related imaging. You will gain an in-depth understanding of how to evaluate patients with heart failure in different clinical scenarios using different imaging techniques. You will explore the indications and interpretation of a number of investigative modalities including advanced echocardiography, cardiac MRI, CT coronary angiography and drug provocation testing. You will also gain an understanding of the best indication of the different tests according to the different clinical presentations and patient characteristics.

Advanced Heart Failure and Advanced Therapy in Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module will give you broad practical knowledge of advanced therapy to be used in patients with advanced heart failure. You will gain a thorough understanding of how to manage patients with advanced heart failure using both medical and device therapy. You will explore the indications of a number of advanced therapies in heart failure including ultrafiltration, left ventricular assist devices and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. You will also gain an understanding of the correct timing to use left ventricular assist devices as both a bridge and as destination therapy.

Multi-disciplinary team management and end-stage heart failure (12 credits)

This module will develop your knowledge and skills in the multi-disciplinary management of patients with end-stage heart failure. You will gain an in-depth understanding of current management and research into treatments and develop a detailed knowledge of the psychological impact of advanced heart failure treatment on the patient and their family. You will learn to support effective communication within the multidisciplinary team in managing patient care by making appropriate connections with heart failure nurses, care of the elderly and general physicians, primary care physicians, palliative care services and pharmacists and how to organise multidisciplinary meetings to discuss patient care.

Acute Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module will develop your competences in the management of patients with acute heart failure. You will gain an in-depth understanding of how to treat patients with acute heart failure according to the clinical presentation, and on how to reach a timely diagnosis. You will explore the indications of different therapeutic strategies that can be adopted after phenotypisation of the patient. You will also gain an understanding of the best indication of the different diagnostic tests and procedures to be applied according to the different clinical presentations and patient characteristics.

Cardiac Rehabilitation (12 credits)

This module is designed to enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and competencies required to organise, manage and deliver a Phase IV Cardiac Rehabilitation programme within a hospital or community setting. The module has a special focus on the rehabilitation of patients with heart failure who want to manage their condition and deal with activities of daily living. It is based on the European guidelines for cardiac rehabilitation, which promote evidence-based practice for patients who have had a known cardiac event. You will gain knowledge of aspects of cardiac disease, be exposed to the multidisciplinary nature of effective cardiac rehabilitation services, and learn to modify rehabilitation programmes for patients with heart failure.

Research project (60 credits)

In this part of the course, you will plan, prepare and conduct research into a heart failure topic of your choosing. You will then analyse, discuss and present the outcomes of your research.

The research project is a key component of the MSc and allows you to apply your newly developed skills and knowledge to a real-life clinical scenario. The planning of the research task (including logistics, risk assessment and ethical approval, where appropriate) helps you to develop organisational skills. The research itself gives you the opportunity to develop your skills in the collection, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and presentation of data in relation to current research in your chosen area of study.

You are encouraged to consider your area of interest as early as possible and to discuss these with your educational supervisor and course directors of the MSc. You will be given a list of potential research areas and topics which you can choose your project from. It should be based on one of the following types of research:

  • Analysis and discussion of primary data that you collect
  • Analysis and discussion of existing (e.g. secondary) data
  • Systematic review and analysis of published material
  • Research in a workplace environment leading to and/or evaluating a practice or service innovation

The research project is primarily self-directed study but students will can choose a local supervisor within their clinical institution and also receive support from the MSc faculty to ensure appropriate methological expertise.

Teaching and learning

This course uses a wide range of teaching and learning strategies appropriate to the learning context, including online small-group sessions, tutorials, one-to-one case-based learning and online modules.

The combination of strategies is designed to help you to progress towards greater self-direction in your studies. You will be encouraged to develop insight into your own learning styles and become responsible for your own learning and professional development. You will develop an investigative, independent and individualised approach to learning, enabling you to undertake an extended research project.

Personal and professional development is fostered through academic study, self-directed learning, reflective assessments and a supervised research project. This is underpinned by e-learning, including online assessments, which will allow a self-paced, flexible educational style.

Each student is assigned an educational supervisor at the beginning of the course. They are responsible for monitoring your academic progress and welfare. They will be your main contact, will assist you with any difficulties, and will monitor your progress throughout the course.

Watch Professor Andrew Coates, President of the Hearth Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology, welcome you to the Heart Failure MSc at St George's, University of London.

Our expertise

Our Course Directors, Giuseppe M.C. Rosano and Robin Ray have a world-renowned reputation in Heart Failure.

Professor Rosano is President-elect of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) and currently the chairman of the Online education committee of the HFA as well as the congress program committee member for the Heart Failure section of the European Society of Cardiology. He has been the Chairman of the Heart Failure Congress 2016 in Florence that scored a record number of registration in the excess of 6100 participants. He is also chairman of the Diabetes and Hypertension Committee of the Heart Failure Association, Associated Editor of the European Journal of Heart Failure and Deputy Editor of Cardiac Failure Reviews.

Dr Robin Ray also has been extensively involved in education in Heart Failure. He is involved in leading education in Heart Failure at a European level and is a member of the Committee on online education of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) and is actively involved in the development of the on-line educational material in heart failure for the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). He has also had an interest in the education of allied health professionals and has organised national and local heart failure training days for nurses. Dr Ray, in conjunction with his colleagues at St George’s Hospital in London, has set up the largest acute heart failure unit in the country. This is a pioneering centre which has attracted much attention nationally with excellent clinical outcome data and patients involved in phase 2 and phase 3 heart failure trials.

Dr Fadi Jouhra joined the team in 2021 and is a consultant cardiologist and honorary senior lecturer at St George’s University. Dr Jouhra had specialist training in cardiology at leading teaching hospitals in London, including King’s College, St Georges and St Thomas’ Hospitals. He specialises in complex cardiac devices and heart failure. He has a special interest in implanting biventricular pacemakers and defibrillators (ICD) that deliver cardiac resynchronisation (CRT) for heart failure patients.

Careers

This MSc is the UK’s first Master’s-level qualification in heart failure. A Master’s degree in Heart Failure from an established and highly ranked university will show potential employers that you have a high level of expertise.

As healthcare budgets tighten, staff with expert qualifications will be ever-more important to hospitals and healthcare providers, to make sure that investigation and treatments are carried out in the most efficient and effective way possible. This degree will set you apart from the competition and provide you with unique employment opportunities within national health systems.

As a physician, this MSc will give you employment opportunities above your current cardiology experience, making you ideally suited for positions that require a heart failure specialist.

Careers support for new graduates

Graduates from St George’s have access to support from the careers service for two years after graduation.

Facilities

Everything you need for success in the health and life sciences profession is here – from opportunities to learn from professionals working on the clinical frontline to cutting-edge laboratory facilities and bio-imaging technology.

We’re the UK’s only university dedicated to medical and health sciences education, training and research. We share our site with a major London teaching hospital. This means you’ll become part of a unique clinical and academic research community, mixing with the many different healthcare professionals you will go on to work alongside throughout your career.

Anatomy Suite

The Anatomy Suite is where present and future healthcare professionals and scientists in the hospital and University learn or expand on their anatomy knowledge directly from the human body.

We give students access to high-quality anatomy resources including:

  • Plastinated (preserved) specimens
  • Osteological materials
  • Anatomical models
  • Digital/imaging resources (such as Anatomage tables and Complete Anatomy)

Pathology museum

Our on-site Museum of Human Diseases houses a collection of over 2,000 pathological specimens, including those donated by Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie in 1843. This space is used for small group tutorials exploring the mechanisms of disease.

Image Resource Facility (IRF)

The IRF is designed for Light Microscopy, Electron Microscopy, and sample preparation. Here you can image histology samples, cells and molecules of all varieties, and model organisms such as zebrafish using any of the light microscope, slide scanning, or electron microscope systems.

Library and learning technology

Our library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You’ll find silent, quiet and group learning spaces, as well as group discussion rooms.

We have a wide range of books, e-books, academic journals and other resources. You’ll also have access to online resources, such as the Canvas Virtual Learning Environment and our Hunter discovery service.

Need accessibility equipment? The library also loans noise-cancelling headphones, laptop stands, coloured overlays, desktop whiteboards, and more.

IT facilities

We have an extensive range of IT facilities, including:

  • 260 workstations in five computer suites, three of which are open 24 hours a day
  • 75 self-service laptops available
  • Free Wi-Fi covering the whole campus, including our halls of residence accommodation.

You can use these resources to access your course materials, discussion boards and feedback through Canvas.

Looking for a free space? Simply use our handy real-time computer locator.

University of London

BLOOM@Senate House

As St George's is part of the University of London, you have access to BLOOM@Senate House, a unique space in the heart of Bloomsbury. Senate House offers a central London base which is particularly useful if you’re studying or living further out. The area has great transport links, making it easy to access from anywhere in London or further afield.

Senate House Library

Students can join the Senate House library free of charge. Your membership includes a 10-book borrowing allowance, access to all reading rooms and study areas, and on-site access to digital resources.

State-of-the-art facilities

Based in a major teaching hospital, our students are immersed in a professional clinical and research environment from day one. Read more about our state-of-the-art facilities.

Student support

From day one, you’ll become part of a community of staff and students of different ages, ethnicities, nationalities and backgrounds. Everyone you meet will have one thing in common – a passion for healthcare, science and medicine.

Whether you’re an existing healthcare professional, returning to education after a break or joining us after graduating from an undergraduate degree, we want to help you make the most of your time here. To do this, we offer a full range of academic support and student services.

Careers service

We offer 1:1 career guidance to undergraduate and postgraduate students at every stage of your professional development, from the start of your course through to graduation and beyond. As a student, you’ll also benefit from career development activities that are specifically tailored to your course.

What we offer:

  • Career guidance: We offer 30-minute 1:1 careers guidance sessions to support you in your career planning, build your confidence, and help you identify next steps on your career journey.
  • CV and application advice: We can review your applications with you, support you in presenting yourself to potential employers, tailor your applications to a particular role and help you stand out from your competition.
  • Practice interviews: Work on the content, structure, and delivery of your answers, whether that’s motivation questions, competency questions, role-specific questions or Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI).
  • Interactive workshops: Our career education workshops are tailored and delivered within courses. Topics may include understanding the graduate job market, learning through reflection on career decision-making, making successful applications and making an impact at interviews.
  • Careers fairs: These are opportunities to explore career paths in different areas and specialities, meet with employers, and have valuable conversations to inform your career thinking.
  • Online support: We offer specific information tailored to each course, plus general careers support and resources relevant to whatever your career choices and direction via our Canvas Virtual Learning Environment.

Cost of Living

We know that this may be a worrying time for our students and their families. Our Cost of Living Hub contains the latest information to our community affected by the rising cost of living. We provide students with various financial support, budgeting advice as well as employability options.

Disability support

If you require reasonable adjustments or disability services, you can find information on our disability information for students pages. For any further information please contact the disability adviser.

The Graduate School

Our Graduate School brings together postgraduate students from different disciplines, allowing you to support and learn from each other while expanding your professional networks.

The Graduate School works closely with our research institutes and provides opportunities for personal and professional development. You’ll also have access to a postgraduate common room where postgraduate students and early career researchers can study and socialise.

Induction programme

Our induction sets you up for your studies and helps you feel part of the University. As well as course-specific activities, we run an online ‘Get Started’ module which provides information about:

  • Social and enrichment activities
  • Student safety
  • Wellbeing and learning support
  • Study skills
  • Our library facilities
  • Careers and employability services

International student support

Our International Students Support service is part of the Student Life Centre and provides information on visas, settlement schemes, enrolment and more. To find out more, visit our EU and international support pages.

If you’re an international student, get in touch with the team as soon as you accept your offer via student.immigration@sgul.ac.uk.

Mental health support

St George’s has a confidential, free and impartial counselling service available to all students. You can also access services through our Student Life Centre and our online resources. This includes links to NHS resources, apps, podcasts and websites dedicated to mental health and wellbeing.

Personal academic tutor

When you start your course, we’ll allocate you a personal tutor. This is a member of the academic team who you’ll see regularly to monitor your progress and pick up any problems, both academic and personal. Even if they don’t have the answer, they’ll point you in the right direction towards the support you need.

Student Ambassador Scheme

Our Student Ambassadors support student recruitment events, widening participation activities such as Science Stars and schemes such as Unibuddy Reps. Our Student Ambassadors also help with one-off or less regular events and creating student generated content like blogs and videos.

Student Life Centre

Our Student Life Centre team can help you with every aspect of student life including:

  • Finances
  • Accommodation
  • Exams and assessment
  • Academic procedures
  • Admissions
  • International queries
  • Disability and wellbeing
  • Confidential counselling service

Your personal tutor can also signpost you to relevant support.

Students’ Union

St George's Students' Union (SU) is an independent organisation run by students for students. The SU runs a wide range of events and is home to the SU Bar and Shop, music room, dance studios and meeting rooms. The team also provides welfare support for all students, with an open-door policy.

Want to join a sports team? Eager to try something new? We encourage you to take part in the wide range of sports, social and cultural activities and events on offer. From fencing to hockey, yoga to hiking, we have over 100 clubs and societies so you can be sure to find something that will interest you.

Our popular ‘Mums and Dads’ buddy scheme is organised by the Students’ Union. Every first year has the choice of being assigned a ‘parent’ from the year above in their respective course. The returning student acts as a go to for advice about courses and university life.

Students with children

Juggling study and parenthood can be difficult, particularly if you’re taking a demanding medical or healthcare degree. Our Student Parents and Carers Empowered (SPACE) society is a group run by studying parents that meets monthly to support each other and discuss how to balance family life with studying. For more information, email the SPACE society.

Study+

We’re here to help you develop the academic skills you need to succeed and make the most of our library collections.

  • Sessions and tutorials on literature searches, keyword searches and using databases
  • Training materials for academic planning, reading and writing to develop key transferable skills
  • 1:1 meetings for a tailored approach to your academic support needs

Student support services

We have a full range of services available to support you during your time at St George's.

Fees and funding

In this tab you will find the financial information for this course of study, including details of financial support.

Tuition fees

2024 UK (Home)

  • Part-time MSc (2 years): £8,150 per annum

2024 EU and International

  • Part-time MSc (2 years): £13,400 per annum

We do not expect students to incur any extra costs over and above those that we have advertised on the course page. To get the most from your studies, you will need your personal computer or laptop and an internet connection in your home. Find out more about technology requirements.

Funding your study

We have a range of funding opportunities available for students. You may be eligible for the following:

Postgraduate scholarships

We offer a number of scholarships for outstanding students wishing to study a postgraduate course with us.

How to apply

Before beginning your application please check the entry criteria of the course you wish to study to ensure you meet the required standards.

Applications must be submitted through our online application system, which you can access below. Guidance on submitting an application can be found on our how to apply webpage.

Access our online application system

1. Select the relevant application link and create an account:

2. Once you have created your account, you will be able to complete an application form and upload any relevant documents. You can save a partly completed form and return to it later. Please make sure you complete all sections. Please make sure that the information you provide is accurate, including the options you select in menus.

3. Add pgadmissions@sgul.ac.uk to your address book to ensure you do not miss any important emails from us.

4. When you have checked that your application is complete and accurate, click ‘submit’.

You can track your application through your online account.

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Guidance for completing your references

When completing your application, you will be asked to provide contact details of two referees. Please ensure these details are accurate. As soon as you have submitted your application, your referees will be contacted by the university asking them to upload a reference to your online application.

One must be a recent academic reference. The other should be either a second academic reference or a professional/employer reference. They should cover your suitability for the course and your academic ability.

Your referees should know you well enough, in an official capacity, to write about you and your suitability for higher education. We do not accept references from family, friends, partners, ex-partners or yourself.

We will send reminder emails to your referees but it is your responsibility to ensure that contact details are correct and referees are available to submit a reference. References should be uploaded within two weeks of making your application.

Make your application stand out

Learn more about applying for postgraduate study at St George's.

Apply now

Duration

Two years part-time

Application Deadline

Overseas fee payers: 1 July | Home fee payers: 19 August

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