Preventive Cardiology

Course Overview

This dual delivery course enables students to complete this postgraduate qualification either in person, blended or fully online. The scientific evidence for cardiovascular disease prevention and rehabilitation is compelling. Multidisciplinary approaches to cardiovascular health and lifestyle medicine are cornerstone to preventive cardiology and cardiovascular rehabilitation practice. This course equips students with the knowledge and skills required to make meaningful contributions to primary, secondary and tertiary prevention; both at an individual level as well as within populations. This course remains the only one of its kind worldwide and offers many unique features creating a highly fulfilling student experience:



Delivered in partnership with the National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health (NIPC): This programme is delivered in collaboration with the National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health located in the Croí, Heart and Stroke Centre, and as a result draws on considerable teaching expertise together with providing a range of high-quality research opportunities. This partnership enables an exceptional opportunity for students to interact with Croí’s specialist health team and engage in an array of exciting evidence-based initiatives in cardiovascular disease prevention and rehabilitation.

Flexible online learning: The course uses a dual delivery approach (with a fully online option available) by incorporating scheduled hybrid tutorials and workshops coupled with directed study. This enables students to simultaneously maintain professional roles in clinical practice or manage other commitments whilst completing their studies. International students residing in Galway and those not working in clinical practice are required to complete a weekly timetable of face-to-face activities that take place in a range of clinical settings.

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 taught modules address the development and practical use of cardiovascular disease risk estimation tools, implementation of healthcare policy, behavioural change strategies, lifestyle approaches to risk factor modification and medical management of risk factors including hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity and smoking. There is also a specialist pathway in cardiac rehabilitation available as an option for practitioners with a specific interest in secondary prevention.



Students are supervised in designing an original research project which addresses a specific research question in any aspect of preventive cardiology. Contributors are drawn from clinical departments at Galway University Hospitals, scientific and healthcare disciplines at University of Galway, the Croí clinical team, and established international partnerships.



Why Choose This Course?

About you (i.e., the prospective student)

Are you interested in the risk factors which underlie cardiovascular disease? Are you motivated to prevent cardiovascular disease rather than merely treating its manifestations? Do you want to provide effective self-management support to individuals living with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other related long-term conditions? Do you want to influence national healthcare policy by demonstrating the patient and economic benefits of cardiovascular disease prevention? If so, then preventive cardiology may be the course for you!



Why choose University of Galway?

At University of Galway we take pride in working closely with postgraduate students to develop their fullest potential. We understand the challenges of combining your personal and professional lives with a postgraduate programme and we work hard to support you in every way on this journey. The excellent course materials and innovative e-learning platform will enable you to make optimum use of your private study time. University of Galway’s unique collaboration with NIPC and Croí means that up-to-date, relevant information will always be close at hand and you will get to appreciate the translation of evidence-based preventive cardiology into clinical practice.

Successful applicants will possess at least a Second Class Honours, Grade 1 degree in an appropriate life science, biological science, medicine, nursing or allied health professions. For those who do not hold a primary degree at the required level, a special case will be made if they have demonstrated aptitude for the course material through at least three years of high quality work experience in a relevant field of cardiovascular health. Entry to the Master’s programme is conditional upon achieving at least 60% in the core compulsory modules of the Postgraduate Diploma. Candidates coming to Ireland from abroad or who do not have a degree from Ireland or the UK will be asked to provide evidence of an acceptable result in one of the recognised English language proficiency tests, e.g., IELTS total score of 6.5. All prospective candidates will be interviewed by telephone or Skype.

How to apply

We encourage all applicants to apply as early as possible.



Review/Closing Dates (for Taught Programmes)

For most programmes, University of Galway does not set specific closing dates for receipt of applications. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and course quotas will be reviewed continuously throughout the application cycle with the exception of applications for some programmes which are reviewed after the specified closing date. Candidates who do not have their final degree marks available may be made a conditional (provisional) offer.



Online Application

Applications to most postgraduate programmes at University of Galway are made online via www.universityofgalway.ie/apply (see "Application Weblink").

1 year full-time.

Next start date: September 2024.



Review/Closing Dates (for Taught Programmes)

For most programmes, University of Galway does not set specific closing dates for receipt of applications. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and course quotas will be reviewed continuously throughout the application cycle with the exception of applications for some programmes which are reviewed after the specifed closing date*. Candidates who do not have their final degree marks available may be made a conditional (provisional) offer.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the course will be positioned as leaders in cardiovascular disease prevention and will find ample opportunities to apply their learning across a variety of clinical settings in both primary and secondary care. There will also be employment opportunities in public health, health promotion, healthcare management, academic and research settings and the pharmaceutical industry. Clinician graduates will benefit from career advancement within their chosen disciplines. Masters students completing the 5,000-word ‘ready-for-publication’ dissertation will be supported in preparing their work for submission to a peer-reviewed journal, which will further augment their career prospects.