Advanced Clinical Practice MSc, Apprenticeship, and Top-up MSc Welcome Pack
Welcome to MSc Advanced Clinical Practice, MSc Advanced Clinical Practice Degree Apprenticeship, and MSc Top-up – September 2026.
Welcome to the MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) and MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner Top Up Degree. These courses will develop and equip healthcare professionals with the key skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to independently manage defined episodes of clinical care whilst demonstrating expertise within their scope of practice. The full MSc awards are linked to the four pillars of ACP (clinical, education, leadership and research) and aim to enhance service delivery and improve patient health outcomes.
The full master’s courses are accredited by the Centre of Advancing Practice (MSc ACP/ MSc ACP (top-up) and MSc ACP Degree Apprenticeship routes). NHS England’s Centre for Advancing Practice has been established to standardise post-registration education by accrediting advanced practice courses that achieve the standards outlined in the multi-professional Advanced Practice Framework. Practitioners who have completed accredited education programmes will be eligible for a digital badge and to be listed on the Centre’s Advanced Practice Directory.
Assessment strategies in this programme are varied, offering students the opportunity through critical reflection to review learning, development, and practice in relation to ACP.
For those on the apprenticeship route, assessments also support the achievement of the ACP apprenticeship standard and are aimed at preparing the student for their End Point Assessment, preparation for which is included in the final 20 credits of the programme. The programme delivery model of the apprenticeship route utilises the multi-professional active-blended learning and teaching approach. Each module requires part-time university attendance and for apprentices, supports attainment of the 20% off-the-job training requirement.
Your Course Leader
Clare Cooper
Senior Lecturer Advanced Practice
advancedpractice@northampton.ac.uk
Please email the myself and the team if you have any specific questions about your course, inclusive of course content, structure, student support options and/or the induction process.
Supporting you before you arrive
Ahead of the course start date, applicants will be invited to enrol which is a two-part process. Applicants will be invited to complete online enrolment, this will be followed by instructions from admissions on how to book onto a Face-to-Face enrolment session. To access the classrooms at Waterside Campus, students need to attend a face-to-face enrolment session where identification will be checked, personal and contact details will be confirmed, passports and/or visas (if applicable) will be scanned and a student ID card will be issued.
Please note that ID cards can only be issued to enrolled students, so it’s important to complete both the online and Face to Face enrolment process.
Find out about the University and the support on offer. We will discuss the course set up, module/work-based learning set up and your award maps. There will be an additional session for apprentices to discuss the funding agreements and to focus on the apprenticeship specific requirements of the programme.
- Date: Wednesday 23 September 2026
- Time:
- 11am- 1.30pm (all routes)
- 1pm-3pm (ACP Apprentices Only)
- Place: Learning Hub, Floor 1, Room LH016
Any special instructions:
- You will need to complete enrolment prior to attending this session to obtain a student ID card (this will gain you access to the teaching spaces).
- Map: Waterside Campus
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Advanced Clinical Practice course team via advancedpractice@northampton.ac.uk.
Equipment
To support your clinical modules, you will require your own stethoscope, all other equipment will be provided for each taught session.
