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Brighton & Sussex Medical School

Dementia Studies

BSMS > Postgraduate > Dementia Studies

Dementia Studies

Key facts 

MSc, PGDip, PGCert

Full-time: 1 year

Part-time: 3 years

Eligible applicants: UK, international

Due to visa restrictions, international students requiring a student visa (including EU/EEA who require a student visa) are eligible to apply for BSMS full-time Masters courses only. Part-time Masters courses, all PGDip and all PGCert courses are open to UK and Irish students and international students (including EU/EEA) who have an alternative visa/immigration permission to stay in the UK (such as settled/pre-settled status, Tier 2/work visa, indefinite leave to remain etc). 

Location: University of Brighton, Falmer campus

General enquiries: brighton.ac.uk/enquiries 

This course is jointly validated by the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex. Applications for 2024/25 entry are now open.

apply for the dementia studies course here >

Dementia students in a seminar

Course overview

Dementia is a growing problem globally. There are more than 800,000 people with dementia in the UK and 44 million world-wide, posing a major challenge for treatment and care.

The Dementia Studies course is aimed at all those involved in the health and care of people with dementia.

The course comprises a unique set of educational initiatives designed to enable healthcare professionals to improve the quality of life for people with dementia by building expertise in generating and delivering better care. It provides a comprehensive and holistic theoretical and practical framework for understanding dementia and enables a broad understanding of the impact of dementia on the individual and society. Clinical knowledge is blended with developing skills in communication for health and social care, research and leadership learning.  

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Key areas of study

  • Understanding dementia
  • Assessment and treatment of dementia
  • Psychological and social perspectives of dementia
  • Research methods and critical appraisal
  • Leadership and change management in clinical services
  • Quality, safety and service improvement in clinical services
  • Communication and learning in health and social care

Course structure

How is the course assessed?

Most modules are assessed by means of a 3,000 word in-depth evaluation of a topic agreed by the student and module leader.

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Modules

PGCert

All three modules from the following clinical module list OR two modules from the clinical module list plus one module from the PGDip professional module list.

  • Understanding Dementia (20 credits) (runs 30 September-4 October 2024)
  • Assessment and Treatment of Dementia (20 credits) (runs 10-14 February 2025)
  • Psychological and Social Perspectives of Dementia (20 credits) (runs 16-20 June 2025)

PGDip

All three clinical modules PLUS three modules from the following professional module options:

  • Research Methods and Critical Appraisal (20 credits)
  • Communication, Learning and Teaching in Health and Social Care (20 credits)
  • Leadership and Change Management in Clinical Services (20 credits)

OR

  • Quality, Safety and Service Improvement in Clinical Services (20 credits)

MSc

  • PGCert and PGDip modules

PLUS

  • Dissertation (60 credits)
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Career opportunities

Successful completion of the course will provide specialised knowledge and expertise which will be invaluable in improving the prospect of employment in the field and will enhance the likelihood of career progression.

Ultimately, students will be empowered to deliver significant improvements in the quality of services provided to people living with dementia.

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Why BSMS?

Our courses bring together a vibrant mix of professionals from a variety of health and social care backgrounds, ensuring that content is up to date and appropriate. As a result, students gain valuable insights into other disciplines, leading to stronger team working – and, ultimately, to better patient care. 

All our clinical courses include professional modules as standard, ensuring that students develop the skills and knowledge to meet the challenges of a changing health and social care sector. We tailor our courses to reflect the current changes taking place within the wider healthcare environment, including the NHS, local authorities and independent or third sector providers delivering or planning services.

alumni student photo

“This course has been really enjoyable. It has brought me up to date on the latest understanding and research into dementia and the ways in which we can best assess, diagnose, treat and support people affected by the condition. The range of topics and extremely knowledgeable and engaging lecturers have really increased my knowledge and passion of the subject. Involving people living with dementia in the teaching of some of the modules was a real highlight too.”

Lauren Wonnacott, MSc Dementia Studies Student  

Entry requirements

A degree and evidence of a capacity to study at Masters level with a substantial interest and/or experience in an area of health or social care.

OR
Evidence of a capacity to study at Masters level and at least two years’ work experience in an
environment related to dementia care (including lived experience).

OR
Completion of at least three years’ basic medical science at a UK medical school (having gained at least 360 credits) with a guaranteed place to continue medical studies on completion of the MSc.

Read more about intercalating >

For international students a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 is required.

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Fees and funding

The fees listed are the overall costs for full-time courses taken in the academic year 2024/25. Where courses are taken part-time over more than one academic year, fees are usually charged pro-rata for the modules taken during each academic year.  

With effect from 2021/22 onwards, EU nationals starting new postgraduate courses will pay international fees and will not be eligible for student funding from the UK government. However, there are exceptions to this for Irish nationals and EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. For the latest information, please see gov.uk/student-finance. If you do not have settled status in the UK and require a work visa, then you will be fee assessed as Overseas and will therefore be subject to the International fee rate.

Find out more about 2024-25 fees and funding >

Scholarships

All BSMS students on Masters courses accredited jointly by the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton are eligible to apply for University of Sussex postgraduate scholarships in 2024/25. 

Read more about fees and funding >

Bursaries

We are pleased to be able to offer up to ten bursaries in 2024/25 to 100% fund study of our Postgraduate Certificate in Dementia (60c) programme. To qualify for a bursary, applicants must work within an NHS or social care organisation in the Kent, Surrey or Sussex region. Bursaries will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information and to apply for the PGCert Dementia, please apply via the button below.

For more information, please contact Claire Martin at [email protected] or Dr Dorina Cadar at [email protected].