School of Health Professions

MSc Medicine in Hazardous Area Response

Duration

1 year
Course type

Full-time, Part-time route available
Study location Plymouth
Register for open evening
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Are you a healthcare professional working in hazardous area response, keen to develop your professional and academic knowledge? This programme was developed in conjunction with hazardous area response team paramedics. It takes into account previous practical learning and experience, and will expand the knowledge and non-technical skills required to manage incidents within the hazardous area response context.

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Medical students using the Anatomage table clinical
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Experience an interprofessional learning environment across our health programmes that will prepare you for life as a healthcare professional.
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Collaboration across the schools helps students to learn with, from and about each other, gaining the real-world experience employers seek.

Key features
  • This course is unique within the UK and designed for healthcare professionals currently working within hazardous area response.
  • Our curriculum has been developed through collaboration with ambulance service hazardous area response team operatives.
  • Balance your commitments over three years with distance learning.
  • Engage in quality improvement, knowledge creation and dissemination of best practice through presentation and publication.
  • Train and practice your professional healthcare skills in an inspiring purpose-built environment, InterCity Place .
  • Seize the opportunity to develop and apply advanced knowledge and skills to your area of clinical practice, improving service delivery for patients.
  • Unfortunately we are unable to accept applications from non-EU overseas students for this programme as it does not comply with the current Tier 4 visa requirements.
Please note that when you enrol on this programme, you always enrol to study the master degree but we offer three exit awards: PgCert, PgDip and MSc. The named Medicine in Hazardous Area Response award requires the completion of specific modules (see course details).

Course details

  • Course details

  • Postgraduate Certificate (Year 1, 60 credits)
    To achieve a postgraduate certificate, you will need to obtain 60 credits from the following three modules.
    Postgraduate Diploma (Year 2, 120 credits)
    To achieve a postgraduate Diploma, you will first need to achieve the postgraduate certificate. You will then need to obtain a further 60 credits (120 in total) from the following three modules.
    • ADV715 Project Design for Research (20 credits)
    • ADV771 Patient Management in terrorist Incidents (20 credits)
    • ADV772 Patient Management for High Consequence Diseases (20 credits)
    MSc (Year 3, 180 credits)
    To achieve the full masters level degree, you will first need to complete the postgraduate diploma. You will then need to obtain a further 60 credits (180 in total) from the following module.

    Core modules

    ADV769
    Patient Management in Hazardous Environments

    This module enables Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) professionals to critically appraise and discuss the evidence base around the provision of patient management in various hazardous environments. It will incorporate critical analysis of diverse risk, mitigation strategies, team working with partner agencies and clinical judgements made within a hazardous, peripatetic environment.

    ADV771
    Patient Management in Terrorist Incidents

    This module enables Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) professionals to critically appraise and discuss the evidence base around patient management during terrorist incidents. It incorporates critical analysis of risk identification and management, deployment considerations, dynamic problem solving and key skills required to work within a terrorist situation.

    ADV772
    Patient Management for High Consequence Infectious Diseases

    This module enables Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) professionals to critically appraise and discuss the evidence base around the provision of patient management in High Consequence Infectious Diseases, incorporating critical analysis of risk identification and management, deployment considerations, problems and skills, required to work in a High Consequence Infectious Diseases situations.

    Optional modules

    ADV702
    Applying Evidence to Practice

    Focusing on the application of evidence based practice (EBP) to professional practice; you’ll learn how to use research to guide best practice. You will also identify a question relevant to your area of practice, review and critique the literature in this area, and plan and evaluate any necessary change to professional practice.

    ADV712
    Supported Independent Study

    This module is specifically designed to enable students to develop their own professional practice by undertaking and reflecting on learning and experience gained through a period of supported independent study related to agreed learning objectives.

    ADV715
    Project Design for Research

    You’ll explore methodology and methods relevant to the development of a research project and by the end of the module you’ll formulate a research proposal. You’ll learn how to define and refine a research question, select and appraise methodology, address ethical considerations, and select and appraise data collection and analysis techniques.

    ADV716
    Research Dissertation

    You’ll complete your dissertation as part of your Advanced Professional Practice Masters programme under supervision from the module team and a named dissertation supervisor.

    ADV702Z
    Applying Evidence to Practice

    This module is aimed at the application of evidence based practice (EBP) to professional practice. The students will learn how to use research to guide best practice. They will identify a question relevant to their area of practice, review and critique the literature in the area, plan and evaluate any necessary change to professional practice.

    ADV715Z
    Project Design for Research

    Students will explore methodology and methods relevant to the development of a research project and by the end of the module will formulate a research proposal. The module will explore defining and refining a research question, selecting and appraising methodology, ethical considerations, selecting and appraising data collection and analysis techniques.

    ADV716Z
    Research Dissertation

    Over the course of this module students will complete their dissertation as part of their Advanced Professional Practice Masters programme under supervision from the module team and a named dissertation supervisor.

The modules shown for this course or programme are those being studied by current students, or expected new modules. Modules are subject to change depending on year of entry.

Every postgraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the programme aims, the programme structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest programme structure and may be subject to change:

MSc Medicine in Hazardous Area Response pathway specification 2024/25

Entry requirements
Achievement of the University’s entry requirements for study at postgraduate level. Employed as a healthcare professional, be registered with a relevant professional body (HCPC; GMC; NMC) and have access to the pre-hospital practice environment with existing, contemporary experience and qualification in hazardous area response.
Candidates should normally have a first degree, BSc (Hons) at 2.2 or above or European first cycle equivalent.
In the absence of a degree, appropriate experience related to the programme, may leave you eligible to apply, provided you can demonstrate a successful qualification at level 6 learning.
Applicants whose first language is not English, must also provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English i.e. IELTS average of 6.5, with a minimum of 5.5 in each part. If you need to improve your English language to get onto a degree course at the University, you can book a pre-sessional academic English course .
Unfortunately we are unable to accept applications from non-EU overseas students for this programme as it does not comply with the current Student visa (formerly Tier 4) visa requirements.

Fees, costs and funding
Student 2024-2025 2025-2026
Home £11,000 £11,350
International N/A N/A
Part time (Home) £610 £630
Full time fees shown are per annum. Part time fees shown are per 10 credits. Please note that fees are reviewed on an annual basis. Fees and the conditions that apply to them shown in the prospectus are correct at the time of going to print. Fees shown on the web are the most up to date but are still subject to change in exceptional circumstances. More information about fees and funding.
Unfortunately we are unable to accept applications from non-EU overseas students for this programme as it does not comply with the current Tier 4 visa requirements.
Students studying the MSc Medicine in Hazardous Area Response will not be eligible to apply for a postgraduate loan from the Student Loans Company.
In order to cater for the needs of the NHS workforce, this full-time programme is also available as a part-time programme, which is flexible in nature and allows up to five years for students to complete the full MSc. For this reason, students on the programme are unable to claim support via the Student Loans Company Postgraduate Loan. The SLC stipulates that only full-time programmes without a part time equivalent can be funded. If you think that you will have trouble funding your place on the programme, we would recommend a discussion with your employer to see whether any financial support can be granted.

How to apply

Apply online

Applying for this programme
Applications for the full-time or part-time programme starting September 2025 need to be completed via the link above.
Applicants for the part-time programme (starting before September 2025) need to complete the application via the Postgraduate Application Form. You will also need to provide a copy of your degree (or higher) certificate(s). Please return the form and certificate(s) copies to pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk
Any questions please contact:
Professional Development Unit
4th floor, Rolle Building
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth, PL4 8AA
What happens after I apply?
After your application is received, it will be processed and sent to the Programme Lead for a decision to be made on your suitability to study. You may be asked to provide additional information or to take part in an interview (for overseas students this may be by telephone or video conference). Once this decision has been made, you will be sent an email either confirming your place on the programme, or rejecting your application and giving the reasons for this decision (you may request further feedback in order to improve your chances of selection at a later date).
Please note that you will be enrolled on the full MSc programme. You may choose to exit with the qualification of PgCert upon completion of an appropriate 60 credits, or a PgDip upon completion of an appropriate 120 credits. More information is contained within the programme specification.
For applicants with disabilities
If you have a disability and would like further information about the support provided by the University of Plymouth, please visit our Disability Services webpage.

Update: application process

Please note that there has been an update to the application process for our masters programmes.
Any part-time applications for programmes starting before September 2025 need to continue to use the Postgraduate Application Form and any additional information forms as required. Full details can be found on our admissions homepage .
Part-time applications for September 2025 and beyond need to apply online via the link on the relevant programme page.
Any full-time applications for programmes starting in September 2025 need to apply online via the link on the relevant programme page.

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