Urology

Module Aims
Apply an advanced understanding of lower urinary tract anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology to the clinical assessment, investigation and management of lower urinary symptoms.

Module Content

• Anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of the lower urinary tract
• Investigation and diagnosis of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)
• Conservative and pharmacological treatment of benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)
• Surgical treatments for benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)
• Management of overactive bladder (OAB)
• Management of nocturnal polyuria

Learning Outcomes

1. Develop a critical knowledge of the anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of the lower urinary tract as well as in the diagnosis, investigation and management of the person presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms.
2. Critically evaluate the evidence relating to the diagnosis, investigation and management of lower urinary tract symptoms.
3. Apply this knowledge to synthesise and deliver diagnostic and evidence based management strategies to provide the best level of care for patients presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms.

Module Aims
Develop an in-depth understanding of the presentation, investigation and management of prostate and bladder cancer in a variety of settings.

Module Content

• Incidence, presentation and investigation of prostate cancer.
• Diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer.
• Treatment of prostate cancer.
• Presentation and investigation of bladder cancer.
• Diagnosis and staging of bladder cancer.
• Treatment of bladder cancer

Learning Outcomes

1. Develop a critical knowledge of the incidence, presentation, diagnosis, investigation and management of prostate and bladder cancers.
2. Critically evaluate current research and guidelines related to the diagnosis and management of prostate and bladder cancers.
3. Synthesise and translate the critical knowledge into complex case scenarios relating to the diagnosis and management of prostate and bladder cancers.

Module Aims
Develop a critical and systematic knowledge of the presentation, diagnosis and management of patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a variety of settings

Module Content

• Incidence, risk factors and pathogens
• Investigation and diagnosis
• Management of urinary tract infections
• Recurrent urinary tract infections
• Prostatitis
• Epididymitis and orchitis

Learning Outcomes

1. Develop a critical knowledge of the diagnosis, investigation and management of urinary tract infections to include prostatitis, epididymitis and orchitis.
2. Critically evaluate the current research and guidelines relating to the presentation, diagnosis and management of urinary tract infections, prostatitis, epididymitis and orchitis.
3. Synthesise and critically evaluate guidance and evidence to be able to manage and treat patients with urinary tract infections (UTI) in clinical practice including prostatitis, epididymitis and orchitis.

Module Aims
Develop a critical and systematic knowledge of the presentation, investigation and management of renal, penile and testicular cancer in a variety of settings.

Module Content

• Renal cancer - presentation, investigation and staging
• Renal cancer - treatment
• Testicular cancer - presentation, investigation and staging
• Testicular cancer - treatment
• Penile cancer - presentation, investigation and staging
• Penile cancer - treatment

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the recognition, investigation, staging and management of renal, penile and testicular malignancies.
2. Systematically and critically evaluate current research and guidelines relating to the diagnosis, investigation and management of renal, penile and testicular malignancies.
3. Synthesise and incorporate the critical knowledge and evidence base for the diagnosis and management of renal, penile and testicular cancers.

Module Aims
Develop a critical knowledge and systematic understanding of renal tract stones, their investigation and management in a variety of settings.

Module Content

• Pathophysiology of stone formation
• Stones and upper tract obstruction
• Presentation and investigations
• Management of acute stones
• Management of recurrent stones
• Stones and infection

Learning Outcomes

1. Develop a critical knowledge and systematic understanding of the diagnosis and management of renal tract stones, including the pathophysiology of stone formation and the principles of stone prevention.
2. Critically evaluate the evidence relating to the diagnosis, investigation and management of renal stones.
3. Synthesise and incorporate the knowledge and evidence base into complex clinical scenarios relating to the diagnosis and management of people who present with renal stones.

Module Aims
Develop an in-depth knowledge of the investigation and management of erectile dysfunction and Peyronie’s disease, in a variety of settings.

Module Content

• Epidemiology and causes of erectile dysfunction
• Investigations (internal index of erectile dysfunction(IIEF)/body mass index (BMI)/waist/BP blood work/risk factors - cardiac/metabolic syndrome)
• Management (conservative, pharmacological, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), mechanical and surgical)
• Anatomy and physiology of Peyronie’s disease
• Investigation and examination of Peyronie’s disease
• Management of Peyronie’s disease

Learning Outcomes

1. Develop a critical and systematic knowledge of the pathophysiology, assessment and management of erectile dysfunction and Peyronie’s disease.
2. Critically evaluate the evidence and guidelines relating to the diagnosis, investigation and management of erectile dysfunction and Peyronie’s disease, including the underlying pathophysiology.
3. Critically apply knowledge and synthesise the evidence into clinical practice for patients presenting with erectile dysfunction and Peyronie’s disease, including the counselling of patients.

To help students recognise, understand, interpret and apply methods used in healthcare research and critically appraise the various methodologies specific to urological research.

• Terminology used in epidemiology and research studies such as prevalence, incidence, sensitivity, specificity, false positives and false negatives.
• Interpreting graphical representation of epidemiological and statistical data such as Kaplan-Meier curves, forest plots and meta-analyses.
• Calculations used in the assessment of research data such as relative risk, absolute risk and number needed to treat. Statistical tests and their applications including t-tests, ANOVA and chi-square.
• Qualitative research methods.
• Fundamentals of evidence-based practice and its application into the clinical setting.
• Principles of health economics, audit and quality improvement/assurance systems.
• Establishing patient registers and the value of disease-specific registers.
  Research into educational principles for both healthcare practitioner and patient.

Learning outcomes:
Select and apply different methodological perspectives and tools to answer research questions in urology. Critically analyse and interpret research in urology.

To develop students’ ability to critically appraise specific areas of clinical, research and/or organisational practice and develop skills in independent research, study and writing for publication.

The module will depend on the creation of a piece of work based upon a specific clinically related project relevant to the student’s practice. This project may comprise:

• Literature review and appraisal of the evidence.
• Audit of practice including organisational or clinical.
• Review and implementation of evidence-based practice.
• Qualitative or quantitative research (formal research involving human subjects is not anticipated).
• Case(s)-based and quality of service review with critical appraisal.
• Case report, review of literature and organisational assessment.

Learning outcomes:
Design and undertake a research/development project related to urology.
Critically evaluate practice and suggest improvements or change.
Incorporate knowledge of the research process in developing services appropriately.

As each Medical Council has their own rules/regulations with regard to Postgraduate study we recommend that you contact your local Medical Council with regard to recognition.

Upon completion of the course the University would invite you to a graduation ceremony and provide your certificate which makes no reference to the fact that the course was studied online and is therefore typically recognised the same as any other UK University qualification.

Rest assured, the overall Postgraduate Diploma carries a total of 1,200 CPD points, with the MSc an additional 600 CPD points, and all official certifications are issued directly by the University.

When you study one of our programmes you may be surprised to find that there are no lectures or seminars. Your learning will be self-directed meaning that rather than being told information you find it for yourself (with tutor guidance and support). We do this via a series of clinically rich scenarios which your tutor will post on our academic forum which you and your classmates will research, respond to and discuss.

You will be assessed through the Academic Forum, Reflective Journal and Assignments. Learning will be carried out using our online learning platform: Moodle.

You can study whenever and wherever you want - our programmes are totally flexible to fit around your other work and life commitments.

The course is specifically designed so that part of your study is the application of theory to practice in your day job.

We typically suggest that students aim to log into the Moodle platform daily. We recommend a "little and often" approach for reading, reflection and/or posting. High achieving students will typically spend 1-2 hours dedicated to their studies a day; 10 hours per week is sufficient time to spend on the platform.

Those who cannot dedicate more time than once/twice per week may struggle with the demands of this postgraduate programme.

Yes, everything is done entirely online through our learning platform, Moodle. You do not need to attend the University.

All of our courses are delivered in English, so proficiency in the English language is essential for success. If English is not your first language, we require proof of competency as part of your application. We accept the following as proof of English Language skills:

We Accept a Range of English Language Qualifications
While IELTS and TOEFL are among the most commonly used English tests, we understand that students come from diverse backgrounds — and we’re happy to work with you to accept a wide range of other recognised English language qualifications.

We accept IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
Our most commonly accepted test, IELTS is globally recognised and widely used for university admissions.

We accept TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
Another widely accepted test, TOEFL assesses your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in an academic setting.

We accept English Medium of Instruction (EMI) Letters
Many of our international students provide an EMI (English Medium Instruction) letter from their previous institution. This letter should confirm that you were taught in the medium of English. It is a popular and widely accepted form of proof, especially if you have completed prior academic studies in English.

Our University partners Requirements
The University of South Wales accepts an overall score of 6.0 (minimum of 5.5 for each band) and The University of Buckingham accepts an overall score of 6.5 (minimum of 6.0 for each band).

Our Flexible Instalment Plan is designed to offer ultimate flexibility to pay for your programme. You have the choice of two payment options:

Make an Upfront Payment in Full: For those who prefer to settle their fees upfront, you can pay the full amount at the beginning of your programme.

Interest-Free Payments: Alternatively, you can choose to spread your payments out with interest-free instalments every month for the duration of your course.

These options are separate from our existing lending partners, which you can explore further on our programme pages. We believe that education should be accessible to all, and our Flexible Instalment Plan is just one of the ways we are committed to supporting you in your academic journey.

We currently offer two discounts: the Early Bird Discount and the Action Taker Discount. The Early Bird discount allows you to save up to £500 or more, available only to self-funders and is a limited-time offer that runs for the entirety of November for the March cohort or the entirety of May for the September cohort. Our Action Taker Discount allows you to save up to £150 off for PGCert and £250 off for PGDip/2-year MSc programmes. To qualify for Action Takers, you must pay the deposit within 7 days of acceptance.

For Early Bird Discounts, the discount is visible if your application and acceptance are completed within the required timeframe. For Action Taker Discounts, it will reflect once conditions are met.