Cardiac Rehabilitation

This fully online postgraduate qualification equips students with the knowledge and skills required to make meaningful contributions to cardiac rehabilitation practice. The scientific evidence for cardiovascular disease prevention and rehabilitation is compelling. As such, evidence-based practice features strongly together with multidisciplinary approaches to the comprehensive delivery of high-quality care. The effective implementation of intensive lifestyle and medical risk factor management together with enabling psychosocial health and wellbeing are cornerstone.



Unique features of this programme include:



Flexible learning: Delivered online using scheduled remote tutorials and workshops coupled with directed study, enabling students to simultaneously maintain professional roles in clinical practice or manage other commitments whilst completing their studies.

Delivered in partnership with the National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health (NIPC): This partnership enables an exceptional opportunity for students to interact with leading experts as well as engage in cutting-edge research and further opportunities in cardiovascular disease prevention and rehabilitation.

Interdisciplinary expert teaching faculty: Students from a variety of backgrounds from all over the world interact with international leaders and clinical specialists from cardiology, nursing, nutrition, exercise, behavioural medicine and public health.

The course addresses the latest evidence-base, implementation of best-practice guidelines and healthcare policy, behavioural change strategies, lifestyle approaches to risk factor modification, psychosocial health and medical management of risk factors including hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity and smoking. Outcome measures, health technology and innovation in service design also feature strongly to enable programme uptake and high-quality delivery.

Course Outline

The Postgraduate Certificate in Cardiac Rehabilitation involves students participating in a 30 ECTS Level 9 module that runs from the first week of January to the end of May each year. This module is delivered fully online with scheduled virtual tutorials and workshops taking place typically 1–2 Thursday/Friday evenings (3-7 pm) and 1 Saturday per month.



Unit 1: Evidence, Guidelines and Practice of Cardiac Rehabilitation

Unit 2: Behaviour Change and Education

Unit 3: Intensive Risk Factor Management

Unit 4: Current Perspectives and Future Advances in Cardiac Rehabilitation

Each Unit above has an associated assessment which are all in the form of essays or equivalent, e.g., written assignments, poster presentations, case reviews. There are no exams—coursework accounts for 100% of the assessment.

5 months, part-time.

Next start date

January 2024 | January 2025



Closing Date

For Entry January 2024, closing date = 16 December 2023

For Entry January 2025, closing date = 9 December 2024

Career Opportunities

There is an array of employment opportunities in public health, health promotion, healthcare management, academic and research settings and the pharmaceutical industry. Graduates of the course with a clinical background will also specifically benefit from career advancement in the specialty of cardiac rehabilitation as well as cardiovascular health more broadly.