MSc Advanced Clinical Practice Musculoskeletal Management

Year of Entry 2025/26
Students examining a bone

MSc

Advanced Clinical Practice Musculoskeletal Management

Part-time Physiotherapy

Enhance your proficiency as a specialist clinical practitioner or advanced clinical practitioner in a variety of musculoskeletal healthcare settings.

Everything you need to know...

  • Pound sign

    What is the fee?

    Home: £10,620 for the course

  • Time

    How long will I study?

    3 Years

  • Location

    Where will I study?

    Collegiate Campus

  • Date

    When do I start?

    September 2025
    January 2026


Course summary

  • Advance your clinical, therapeutic and reasoning skills.
  • Develop your skills in communication and leadership. 
  • Prepare to bring about more evidence-based, efficient and effective services.
  • Engage in debate and increase your ability to facilitate service development and enhance patient care.

This course is designed for experienced postgraduate healthcare professionals working in musculoskeletal clinical practice. It’s also suitable if you’ve studied manual therapy at a high level on clinically-based courses – such as with the International Maitland Teachers Association. You can have relevant clinically-focused learning recognised and the credits transferred via a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process.

 


How you learn

Watch course leader Sionnadh McLean talk about this course.

At Sheffield Hallam, all our courses are designed to engage you with the world and challenge you to think in new ways. You’ll get to collaborate with others, and you’ll be taught in a supportive environment where you can thrive.

On this course you’ll engage with evidence, theories and concepts relevant to musculoskeletal practice. You’ll be encouraged to share ideas, broaden your understanding and reflect on your own clinical practice – as well as to learn from other people on the course.
You learn through

  • practical sessions
  • independent guided study
  • student-directed learning
  • formative tasks
  • our virtual learning environment (Blackboard)

You also can study individual modules from this course and gain academic credit towards a qualification. Visit our continuing professional development website for more information.

Applied learning

Work placements
You can choose to take mentored clinical practice (MCP) as part of the course. These are opportunities to transfer knowledge to practice while gaining feedback from expert clinical practitioners.
MCPs are useful if you want to join the Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (MACP) or pursue advanced clinical practice routes.


Networking opportunities
You’ll learn from enthusiastic tutors and specialist visiting lecturers – including academics who have physiotherapy research published in peer-reviewed journals.

 


Future careers

This course prepares you for a career in physiotherapy and musculoskeletal practice.
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work in

  • the NHS
  • the public sector
  • the military and sports sector
  • private clinics and private hospitals
  • advanced practice roles, such as emergency department physiotherapist
  • research
  • teaching

 

Where will I study?

You study at Collegiate Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

Collegiate campus

Collegiate Campus can be found just off Ecclesall Road, a bustling student district.

Collegiate Campus map | Campus facilities 


Collegiate Campus map
Location

Collegiate Crescent
Sheffield
S10 2BP

Get directions
Students outside Collegiate Library
Collegiate library

Collegiate Library can be found just off Ecclesall Road. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.

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Equipment and facilities


We’ve invested over £100m in new facilities to help you study how and when you want. This means 24-hour libraries and study spaces designed by our students.

 

360 tour - physiotherapy facilities

Entry requirements

All students

Academic Qualification
Normally, applicants will hold a first degree or professional qualification which is recognised in the UK in a related health care subject.

Other formally certified qualifications
Equivalent, international academic and/or professional qualifications will be considered on an individual basis. Applicants will be considered on other relevant evidence. Applicants are usually required to provide at least one reference evidencing their capability for postgraduate study.

Level of English language capability
If English is not your first language you must have an IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each skill area. Note that the attainment of an IELTS score of 7 (with no element below 6.5) is required for registration with HCPC.

Relevant work or work-related experience
Applicants must usually have 24 months full time (or equivalent part time) experience managing and treating musculoskeletal dysfunction and normally be working in a relevant role. Applicants will be motivated and prepared to study independently and autonomously. They must be prepared to embrace the challenges of Masters level study including online distance learning, have access to a reliable internet connection to support engagement and have sound IT skills.

Use of Prior Credit (RPL): prior certificated credit or prior experiential credit may be used within the programme in the following ways:
Through the University's recognition of prior learning (RPL) process it may be possible for applicants to be exempt from some modules of the programme.

Additional information for EU/International students

This course is not open to international students who require a Tier 4 (General) student visa to study in the UK. If you are an international applicant but do not require a Tier 4 (General) student visa, email our Admissions Team to find out whether you’re eligible to apply.


Modules studied may differ depending on when you start your course.

Modules

Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.

Modules studied may differ depending on when you start your course.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Musculoskeletal Management Of The Lower Quadrant
Credits 30
Assessment Coursework(40%) , Practical(60%)
Musculoskeletal Management Of The Upper Quadrant
Credits 30
Assessment Practical(100%)
Year 2

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Researching For Practice (Distance Learning)
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Researching For Practice (Taught)
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)

Elective modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Contemporary Issues In Advancing Practice (Distance Learning)
Credits 15
Assessment Practical(100%)
Ergonomics And Human Factors At Work
Credits 30
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Evidencing Your Cpd
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Evidencing Your Cpd
Credits 30
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Fcp 1 Advanced Msk Practice
Credits 30
Assessment Coursework(50%) , Practical(50%)
First Contact Practitioner 2: Primary Care Practice
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Fundamentals Of Musculoskeletal Radiographic Image Interpretation
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Health Promotion And Lifestyle Management
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Injection Therapy For Joints And Soft Tissue
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(50%) , Practical(50%)
Leadership In Practice
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Learning And Teaching For Practice
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Learning And Teaching For Practice (Distance Learning)
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Macp Clinical Placement In Neuro-Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy
Credits 30
Assessment Coursework(40%) , Practical(60%)
Non-Medical Prescribing
Credits 30
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Pain Management (Distance Learning)
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Planning Service Improvement
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Theory Of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound
Credits 15
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Therapeutic Exercise And Physical Activity
Credits 30
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Therapeutic Management Of Neuromusculoskeletal Pain
Credits 15
Assessment Practical(100%)
Final year

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Dissertation 60 Credits
Credits 60
Assessment Coursework(100%)

Fees and funding

Home students

Our tuition fee for UK students starting part-time study in 2025/26 is £10,620 for the course. The tuition fee displayed above is for the full course. If the full course is more than one year in duration, the fee will be divided into annual payments which will then be rounded. This may mean the total fee you pay is slightly higher than the fee stated above. If you take a break in study or have to re-take part of the course, you may also be charged an additional fee and will be notified of this at the time. Our tuition fee for UK students starting part-time study in 2025/26 is £3,540 per year.

If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.

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Postgraduate student loans

Up to £12,471 is available in 2024/25 for home students on most masters courses.

Learn more

Additional course costs

The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.

General course additional costs

Additional costs for Health and Social Care (PDF, 165.7KB)

Legal information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.

 

How do I apply?

You apply for this course via our online application form.

Apply for September 2025

You can also use the application form above to apply for future years of entry.

Not ready to apply just yet?

Why not come to our next open day? Open days are the perfect place to talk to staff and students, visit our campuses and get all the information you need. Alternatively, feel free to ask us a question.

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Why choose us?

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Teaching

We are Gold rated in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) for the outstanding quality of our teaching and student outcomes

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Funding

Home students can access a non-repayable maintenance grant of at least £5,000 per year, eligibility applies

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Training

We are one of the largest training providers of health and social care in the UK, giving you access to cross-discipline learning

Where next?

Find out more about Sheffield Hallam's postgraduate opportunities and community.

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Information for international students

Information for international students including entry requirements by country and funding.

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