A multi-professional course to enable you to develop the consultation and prescribing skills required to qualify as an independent prescriber within your area of practice.
Become equipped with the skills to prescribe medications safely and effectively. This postgraduate course integrates theoretical learning with practical experience to allow you to undertake roles that require you to take on prescribing responsibilities.
This course is currently open to nurses, midwives and trainee ACP students. If you're GPhC or HCPC registered, please view the Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing for GPhC and HCPC registered professionals course page.
This 40 credit Masters course (level 7) is delivered part-time over six months and comprises of two compulsory 20 credit modules, which are taken consecutively, and an overarching non-credit bearing module that includes the period of supervised learning in practice and portfolio. All modules must be passed to be awarded the Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing. 40 credits is approximately 400 hours of student endeavour.
The structure of the NHS, healthcare and service delivery is changing at a fast pace. New roles across healthcare services are developing and supporting a multi-disciplinary team approach to improving patient outcomes. This includes supporting patients to access a range of healthcare professionals with the ability to prescribe appropriately and safely within their scope of practice.
There’s strong emphasis on self-directed learning to ensure that the content is contextualised to your area of practice.
Benefit from interprofessional learning. This programme is open to various healthcare professionals, fostering a multidisciplinary learning environment.
Emphasis on linking theoretical knowledge to practical skills. The course is designed around the core principles of safe and effective prescribing practice.
On successful completion of the course, you’ll be awarded the Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing.
The course adopts a blended learning approach including interactive face-to-face study days, case studies, discussions and online learning. Our Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing includes a wide variety of learning and teaching:
This multi-professional blended learning course takes place over six months including 10 face-to-face study days. Attendance at the University for these dates is mandatory. There is an optional study day in module three. There are an additional two days for completion of face-to-face assessment days.
The modules listed below are an indication only and may be subject to change. Occasionally, it may be necessary to make changes to modules, for example, to ensure they remain current and relevant.
As a research-intensive University, our teaching is informed by the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff. For more information on the circumstances in which the University may need to make changes to modules, please refer to the Terms and Conditions for applicants.
To gain a place at Birmingham you will need to meet our general entry requirements, as well as those specific to your course. Your application will be reviewed by the course’s Admissions Tutor, who will decide whether your application should receive an offer.
This programme is for NMC registered professionals only.
Admissions to the course are undertaken through a process of a university application followed by a supplementary course application form. You'll be required to submit confirmation of your prior experience in relation to your intended prescribing role. Your application will need to be supported by your line manager/employer(s) and where relevant agreement of your organisation's non-medical prescribing lead.
Due to the nature of teaching and learning on this course the number of places in each cohort is controlled. Admissions to the Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing may therefore be competitive.
If your application meets the criteria (subject to conditions placed on the application) but the immediate cohort is full, a conditional offer will be recommended for the next available entry.
All candidates will be subject to an interview. Offers to the course will be conditional on satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) statement and up to date immunisation record submission.
Please note as you are qualified, registered and practicing professionals, you are subject to the fitness to practice procedure for your professional regulator.
Nurse / Midwife applicants for Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing must have:
GPhC and HCPC students requirements will have been met as part of the ACP application.
We charge an annual tuition fee. Fees for 2025 entry are above.
The fees quoted are for one year only. For those studying courses that are longer than one year, tuition fees will also be payable in subsequent years of your programme.
Tuition fees can either be paid in full or by instalments. You can check whether you are eligible for UK or international fees with our admissions team.
Learn more about postgraduate tuition fees and funding.
We are proud to announce that the University of Birmingham are listed as an institution providing course provision for Health Education England (HEE) funded pharmacist applicants. Please ensure that you send the appropriate funding documentation alongside your application form for the course following the process highlighted above.
To help with the cost of studies, this loan is available to all UK students. You can use this loan towards fees, maintenance or other costs at your own discretion. It’s available for all full-time, part-time and distance learning Masters programmes, as long as you don’t already have a Masters qualification (or equivalent).If you’re a student from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can apply for Masters loans from your country’s government.
To help you afford your studies, we’ve put more than £33 million into student support and scholarships. We also offer a range of advice on searching for funding and managing your finances.
We want to welcome the brightest talent to our postgraduate community. That’s why our Birmingham Masters Scholarships award £3,000 to more than 300 students each year.
To apply for a postgraduate programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online.
Application deadline for UK and non visa requiring applicants. We will close applications as soon as the programme is full. Early applications are encouraged.
Please Note
To apply for the Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing, you'll need to submit your application and supporting documents online.
All applicants are required to complete the online application. In addition, you'll need to complete a supplementary application form and Educational Audit.
Once completed, please send your form and requested documents to nursing-prescribing@contacts.bham.ac.uk. Please note that this is an essential part of the process and your application cannot be considered without this supplementary form and required documents.
Find out how to apply to our postgraduate taught programmes. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.
If you have a question about our admissions process, including how to apply, your offer and how to track your application, please visit our admissions portal.
On successful completion of the course, you'll be awarded the Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing.
Graduate destinations include: GP surgeries, mental health services, addiction services, pain management, and specialist secondary care services.
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