University of Oxford
Evidence Based Health Care (Systematic Reviews) MSc
University of Oxford

Key Course Facts

Course Description

For health professionals seeking an understanding of the importance of systematic reviews in healthcare as well as the practical skills to conduct them. Training is provided in the fundamental principles of evidence-based healthcare and research design, with more specific training in the conduct of basic and more complex systematic reviews.

This course is designed for health care professionals and researchers seeking to consolidate their understanding and ability in contextualising, carrying out, and applying systematic reviews appropriately in health care settings.

The course aims to provide a structured training in designing, conducting, and interpreting high-quality systematic reviews in health care.

  • to introduce the basic concepts and skills of evidence-based health care, including how to formulate a clinical research question, search for evidence, critically appraise evidence for sources of bias, and apply evidence to health care settings
  • to describe in detail different types of research methods and identify the strengths and weaknesses of different study designs.

Students on the course will:

  • learn how to design a systematic review research protocol
  • gain a more detailed understanding of the process involved in conducting a systematic review
  • develop the skills to conduct, report and update a systematic review
  • gain a familiarity with basic and advanced techniques for the analysis of quantitative systematic review data: meta-analysis, meta-regression, network meta-analysis, diagnostic meta-analysis, individual patient data meta-analysis
  • gain an understanding of and reasons for more complex systematic reviews in health care, such as realist reviews, reviews of clinical study reports, prognostic reviews, and meta-synthesis
  • explore new paradigms in systematic reviews and evidence synthesis
  • gain sufficient training to conduct systematic reviews independently.

Compared with the MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care, this degree will suit those with a particular interest in and requirement for training in the conduct of systematic reviews relevant to evidence-based health care.

This is a joint course offered between the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences and the Department for Continuing Education. The programme works in collaboration with the renowned Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine in Oxford.

This course has teachers and contributors who are internationally recognised leaders in the field of evidence-based practice and systematic reviews. The flexible structure of the course has been devised to fit with the structure of specialist training and to accommodate student choice.

Teaching is tailored to those with a minimal prior knowledge of systematic reviews and delivered by an experienced team of tutors from the University of Oxford, who actively work to advance the practice of evidence-based health care through the conduct and dissemination of systematic reviews.

Course structure

The MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care (Systematic Reviews) is a part-time course. There are four compulsory modules, two option modules and a dissertation, which will take the form of a systematic review.

Compulsory Modules:

  • The Practice of Evidence-Based Health Care
  • Systematic Reviews
  • Complex Reviews
  • Meta-analysis

Option Modules currently available (two must be chosen):

  • Introduction to Study Design and Research Methods
  • Realist Reviews and Realist Evaluation
  • Essential Medical Statistics
  • Qualitative and Mixed Methods Systematic Reviews

Entry Requirements / Admissions

Requirements for international students / English requirements

IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)

    • 6.5
    • Graduate Degrees
    • 7.0
    • Undergraduate Degrees
    • (no subscore less than 6.0)
Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Evidence Based Health Care (Systematic Reviews), MSc, if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

Source: Own research based on surveys and university data

University Rankings

Positions of University of Oxford in top UK and global rankings.

See all 39 university rankings of University of Oxford

About University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a prestigious research university located in Oxford, England, and is the oldest English language university in the world. It is made up of 39 partly autonomous constituent colleges, six private halls, and a variety of academic departments which are split into four divisions: Humanities, Mathematical, Physical & Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, and Social Sciences.

List of 389 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of Oxford - Course Catalogue

Student composition of University of Oxford

Total number of students enrolled at University of Oxford by level Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
undergraduates:
12425
postgraduates:
9785
Total:
22210
Source: Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
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Where is this programme taught

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