Sleep Medicine

The MSc is a part-time course, spread over two years. During that time you will complete eight modules, providing a comprehensive overview of sleep medicine that is in line with the European Sleep Research Society's teaching and training guidelines. These modules include:

• The Physiological Basis of Sleep
• Introduction to Sleep Medicine and Methodological Approaches
• Circadian Rhythm Disruption and Sleep
• Insomnias
• Sleep Disordered Breathing and Sleep-related Movement Disorders
• Hypersomnias and Parasomnias
• Sleep in Specialist Populations
• Sleep and Society

Each module will be assessed by an extended essay, entailing a total of four extended essays submitted every academic year: two at the end of the second and third terms. Throughout the course you will be expected to work on your dissertation, which is the final piece of coursework, to be submitted at the end of the course. This will take the form of a systematic review and a research study design, including ethical considerations and budgeting. To support this process you will also have to complete two modules in research methods.

The course is designed to give as much flexibility as possible, whilst still providing necessary support and community. Lectures are pre-recorded and sent for you to watch in your own time, alongside any relevant reading, case studies and activities.

You will join regular discussion groups. These are run using conferencing software, allowing you to interact in real-time with classmates and teaching faculty and will typically last 90 minutes. For these sessions you will be expected to prepare short essays and/or presentations for discussion.

You will need a computer (Windows or iOS), webcam and microphone for this course. You will also need to ensure appropriate internet connection. The recommended bandwidth for the software is 1Mbps.

For the purposes of the dissertation you will be assigned a dissertation supervisor, who you will meet with as and when necessary. You will also be expected to attend a week-long residential school in person at Oxford. A significant component of the course involves self-directed learning to build on taught materials.

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Sleep and Circadian Neurosciences Institute/Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Sleep and Circadian Neurosciences Institute/Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences.

The main purpose of this course is to provide working health care professionals with the knowledge to implement sleep medicine practice into their own professional undertakings. This course will also prepare students to take the European Sleep Research Society Expert Somnologist examination. Students may also wish to consider further study, in the form of a PhD/DPhil.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. In certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information, please see our page on changes to courses.

Other courses you may wish to consider

Applicants are strongly advised to visit the Medical Sciences Graduate School website to help them identify the most suitable course and supervisors.

If you're thinking about applying for this course, you may also wish to consider the courses listed below. These courses may have been suggested due to their similarity with this course, or because they are offered by the same department or faculty.

All graduate courses offered by the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences

Clinical Neurosciences DPhil

Clinical Neurosciences MSc by Research

Sleep Medicine PGDip

Sleep Medicine MSc

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Entry requirements