Palliative Care

Entry requirements

A degree in medicine, nursing or dentistry or a 2:1 degree in life sciences or social sciences. You must also have experience of working in palliative care or an associated area, eg clinical or social care research.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This is a multi-disciplinary and multi-professional course. In addition to practicing healthcare professionals, we also welcome and encourage medical students in their 3rd or 4th year to join our intercalated MSc Palliative Care programme.

This course incorporates leading research and innovative and evidence-based practice. It is delivered by the Cicely Saunders Institute in partnership with St Christopher’s Hospice.

Our programme is open to any professional working in palliative care or with people facing advanced illness. Palliative care is a multidisciplinary speciality involving doctors, nurses, and allied health and social care professionals. We believe our students learn best in a classroom reflecting this range of professions.

Key benefits

• Our course has both a national and international reputation, which attracts students from all over the world.
• Strongly focused on evidence and an understanding how to conduct research in palliative care and related areas.
• Course based at the Cicely Saunders Institute, a WHO Collaborating Centre for palliative care and rehabilitation that is at the heart of national and international research and academic-clinical collaborations.
• Our teaching staff are academics, practitioners, policy makers and global leaders in palliative care for adults and children.
• The course is delivered in partnership with St Christopher's Hospice, meaning our curriculum is informed by experts in holistic and compassionate palliative care of the highest quality.

Fees and funding

The following scholarship & studentship available for this programme are:

• Burdett Trust scholarship
  
  
• NIHR INSIGHT Research Masters Studentship (applications are now open and closes on 26 January 2026 at 1pm)
  
  The INSIGHT Programme Research Master's Studentships provide funding and valuable training for early-career registered healthcare, social work or public health professionals (excluding doctors/dentists) seeking to pursue a research career.

Grants:

• Wolfson Professional Development Grant and the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) bursary - Applicants currently employed at hospices in the UK may be eligible to apply for a professional development grant via Hospice UK. It can provide up to £1,500 per year, with matched funding by your hospice encouraged by Hospice UK.
  

Visit the King's Funding Opportunities for further details on other available scholarship, bursaries and more!