Overview
Take your musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound practice further at a pace that works for you.
Brunel's Ultrasound for Musculoskeletal Practice PgCert, PgDip and MSc teaches you the advanced skills to use ultrasound confidently in clinical settings. Designed for clinicians working outside of the UK, this staged master's gives you the flexibility to study each stage individually, gaining a recognised PgCert, PgDip or MSc at the end of each stage, or achieve the full master’s qualification in one continuous block. This means you'll develop hands-on expertise while balancing your clinical role.
You’ll build core skills in diagnostic scanning and image interpretation. Alongside this, you’ll explore leadership, education and research, so you’re not just improving your practice, but shaping it.
You’ll learn in a supportive, expert-led environment using Brunel’s specialist ultrasound facilities, with small-group teaching and case-based discussions that reflect real clinical scenarios.
To gain the full MSc qualification, you’ll complete a dissertation focused on your own healthcare area. It’s your chance to generate evidence, improve services and make a real impact where you work.
Got a question about this course? Read our Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Frequently Asked Questions.
You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.
Course content
The Ultrasound for Musculoskeletal Practice PgCert, PgDip and MSc staged master's is designed to develop your skills progressively while giving you flexibility in how you study.
You can take each stage as a standalone qualification - PgCert, PgDip and MSc - or continue through all stages to complete the full MSc. This structure lets you build your expertise over time, alongside your clinical practice. The modules listed below show the typical path of the full MSc course.
Year 1 - PgCert stage
During this first stage, you'll study two modules. Focusing on the fundamentals, you'll explore ultrasound physics, anatomy and scanning techniques, and how to integrate ultrasound into patient care. The emphasis is on building confidence in image acquisition, interpretation and clinical decision-making.
Year 2 - PgDip stage
The PgDip follows on from the PgCert, developing your research skills and how to analyse both quantitative and qualitative data to support evidence-based practice. You’ll also choose from optional modules, including advanced musculoskeletal ultrasound skills, ultrasound-guided injections, clinical leadership and teaching.
If you plan to continue to study the full MSc, you'll need to take both PH5603 Quantitative Methods and PH5604 Qualitative Research modules, as these form the foundation for your dissertation. If you're completing the PgDip only, these modules are optional.
Year 3 - MSc stage
Once you've completed both the PgCert and PgDip, you'll be ready to progress to the MSc dissertation. Your dissertation brings everything together and completes your full master's qualification. You’ll design and carry out a research project focused on musculoskeletal ultrasound, generating evidence that can support service improvement and inform clinical practice in your own setting.
CPD
You can also take these modules as separate CPD units, if you meet the entry requirements for that module, so you don’t need to apply for the full course. Explore our CPD modules and view their entry requirements.
Compulsory
- PH5695 - The Fundamentals of Ultrasound in Musculoskeletal Practice
The aim of this module is to provide students with a scientific and evidence based approach to the physics and instrumentation of ultrasound and to ensure students are able to correctly and accurately perform musculoskeletal ultrasound techniques for peripheral joints.
It will provide students with an in depth introduction to the principles and practice of musculoskeletal ultrasonography in order to fully prepare students to undertake further clinically applied sonography modules. Eg ‘Module 2: Integrating musculoskeletal ultrasound into practice’
- PH5694 - Integrating Ultrasound into Clinical Musculoskeletal Practice
To support students to acquire the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to deliver diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasonography in clinical practice in line with professional standards and guidelines.
Compulsory
- PH5604 - Qualitative Research in Health and Social Care
This module aims to critically explore, reflect upon and develop qualitative research skills and knowledge in health, and to explore qualitative approaches in research in the context of their philosophical, societal, and cultural underpinnings and use in clinical settings.
In additional to theoretical perspectives, through online lectures and interactive workshops you will be introduced to and practice different methods of collecting data and data analysis.
You will learn how to evaluate the quality of qualitative research and consider aspects such as ethics, power, reflexivity and the role of co-construction. This is made relevant to research projects but also service evaluations, quality improvement projects and practice.
- PH5603 - Quantitative Methods and Design for Health Science Research
In this module we aim to develop your critical understanding of quantitative clinical research methodology and the principles of how to use clinical evidence to constructively inform your practice. This means developing skills and knowledge of quantitative research methods and design, understanding data and how to analyse and interpret it and learning how to critically appraise published research.
Indicative content includes consideration of research ethics, governance and integrity alongside theoretical underpinnings of scientific method. Different research designs will be examined alongside common sampling and approaches to statistics.
Optional
- PH5612 - Advanced Clinical Leadership
This module aims to develop advanced knowledge, skills, qualities and behaviours of leadership for clinical healthcare professionals working in a range of roles in healthcare settings in the NHS. This knowledge and skills literacy will nurture and enhance existing team-working skills and clinical leadership requirements in order to evidence advanced level skills.
Indicative content includes principles of clinical leadership, leadership theories and change management. Effective team working, partnership working and communication will be explored alongside service development tools including service co-design.
Process analysis will support your understanding of how to audit and measure systems and identify and track change.
- PH5696 - Advanced Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Skills Core
This is a post registration module aimed at medical and allied healthcare professionals who are working at a clinically advanced level using musculoskeletal ultrasound, and who wish to advance their practice with highly specialised skilled use of musculoskeletal ultrasound scanning. This module combines clinical and academic learning with an emphasis on the development of technical skills, clinical reasoning and critical evaluation of current research. This module aligns with the professional standards of conduct and ethics stated by the Health & Care Professions Council, General Medical Council and Brunel University professional standards.
- PH5693 - Advancing Competence in Independent and Supplementary Prescribing Core
This module will equip you with the competence required to practice as Independent Prescribers and/or Supplementary Prescribers within your clinical scope of expertise and be eligible to be recorded as a V300 Independent/Supplementary prescriber.
- PH5692 - Applied Pharmacology
This module is designed to provide, independent and supplementary prescribing students with an in-depth understanding of safe prescribing practice and the important groups of drugs encountered by clinical practitioners as part of evidence-based healthcare. This includes drug actions, therapeutic and adverse effects, significant interactions and an examination of individual drug responses related to the disease conditions that students will encounter in their practice.
- PH5691 - Learning and Teaching in Advanced Clinical Practice
This module aims to provide practitioners with advanced knowledge and skills for the planning, organisation, delivering, teaching and evaluation of effective programmes for clinical training in specialist practice.
Current research and theory underpinning the educational process which support a challenging and supportive teaching and learning environment for clinical practice will be explored aiming to enhance practitioners’ individual ability to critically appraise and augment their skills, knowledge and actively contribute to the education awareness for members of their healthcare team, patients, service users and carers.
Note: Students must currently be in practice and have formally identified and entered an agreement with a mentor and/or supervisor for the learning-in-practice elements of this module, prior to commencing the module.
- PH5646 - Ultrasound Guided Injections
This is a post registration standalone module aimed at medical and allied healthcare professionals working at an appropriate level who wish to practice ultrasound guided corticosteroid injection therapy. This course combines clinical and academic learning with an emphasis on the development of technical skills, clinical reasoning and critical evaluation of current research. For more information, visit our page on Musculoskeletal Ultrasound work-based learning.
Compulsory
- PH5611 - Dissertation
On the dissertation module, students will learn about research by working with an academic supervisor on a topic relevant to their advanced clinical specialist practice. Students will demonstrate their ability to integrate conceptual and theoretical issues, and learn how to design and conduct an original piece of research in an area relevant to their clinical specialist practice or discipline. They will also show their ability to communicate the research process and outcomes in writing and verbally, in a manner appropriate for professional and academic consumption.
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Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel
Careers and your future
This staged master's is designed to help you move forward in your career with confidence.
By the time you graduate, you’ll have advanced MSK ultrasound skills and the ability to apply them in your own clinical setting. You’ll also bring leadership and research expertise, so you can improve services, guide colleagues and contribute to best practice.
As a graduate of this course, you could go on to roles such as:
- leading MSK imaging services in healthcare settings
- working in specialist clinics and multidisciplinary teams
- supporting elite sports organisations
- moving into education, training and mentoring roles
- contributing to research and service development
With demand for musculoskeletal imaging growing worldwide, these skills are increasingly valuable. You’ll be well placed to expand your scope of practice, take on more senior responsibilities and help shape musculoskeletal care in your organisation.
UK entry requirements
2026/7 entry
- A UK 2:2 honours degree, or equivalent internationally recognised qualification in a Health Care related subject (i.e. Physiotherapy, Medicine, Radiography, Sonography and Podriatry)
- Be registered with a relevant allied health profession or medical governing body in your country of residence. Applicants must provide a registration number to verify as part of the application.
- It is mandatory for applicants to complete this form in full as part of their application. Once complete, please upload this to your My Applications portal
Please note that Brunel University London is not able to sponsor Student visas for this programme. International students who require a visa to enter and study in the UK will need to ensure they qualify for an alternative, appropriate visa. This may include the Standard Visitor Visa – please visit our website for further details of this: Visitor and Short-term Study Visas | Brunel University London. As outlined in Senate Regulation 15, all students must have permission to live and study in the UK for the duration of their programme at the University. If this permission is removed, action may be taken under this regulation, such as de-registration from the programme.
All applicants should be fully aware that this course requires regular trips to the UK. Whilst we do not anticipate this will be a problem, the UK Home Office does make some stipulations around ‘frequent or successive visits’ and may solicit more information from any persons they think could be ‘making the UK their main home or place of work of study’. As such, all applicants should carefully consider this if they decide to join the course including any financial risks associated with being refused the right to travel to the UK to undertake the course.
EU and International entry requirements
If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.
English language requirements
- IELTS: 7 (min 6.5 in all areas)
- Pearson: 64 (59 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 68% (63% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 5 (min 5 in all areas)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2026/7 entry
| UK | International | |
| PgCert (60 credits) | £4,040 part-time | £8,265 part-time |
| PgDip (120 credits) | £8,080 part-time | £16,530 part-time |
| MSc (180 credits) | £12,125 part-time | £24,795 part-time |
| Staged Study (60 credits per stage) | £4,040 per stage part-time | £8,265 per stage part-time |
More information on any additional course-related costs.
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
Teaching is delivered through a mix of face-to-face and online learning, depending on the module. You’ll take part in:
- hands-on practical sessions using specialist ultrasound equipment
- lectures, seminars and interactive workshops
- tutorials and small-group teaching
- online learning, including recorded lectures and case discussions
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification. We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies.
You will also need access to an ultrasound machine suitable to musculoskeletal scanning.
You’ll have access to comprehensive study packages that you can engage with at a time that suits you. These include videos of your tutors introducing and explaining subjects, linked with study materials and workbooks. Scheduled live online seminars will allow you to work closely with your tutor and a small group of fellow students, providing opportunities to discuss topics, ask questions, and strengthen your understanding of clinical theories and skills. Each module also provides a wide range of online study materials, including case studies, workbooks, clinical skills videos, and discussion forums.
All students have access to Brunel’s Virtual Learning Environment (Brightspace), which hosts recorded lectures, interactive tutorials, discussion forums, reading lists, and assessment guidance. You’ll also find case-based learning activities, research support materials, and links to external resources, ensuring flexible and accessible learning alongside your face-to-face teaching.
The schedule of teaching and assessment has been designed to maximise your enjoyment and support throughout the programme. By combining campus-based teaching with interactive online delivery, you’ll experience an engaging and stimulating learning environment that helps you to achieve your professional development goals.
Assessment and feedback
Assessment is designed to reflect real clinical practice and help you apply what you learn.
During the course, you’ll be assessed through a mix of methods, which may include:
- written assignments and case-based work
- practical assessments of scanning skills
- presentations and coursework
- research projects and your final dissertation
The exact assessment methods vary by module and are clearly outlined in the module information.
You’ll receive regular feedback from academic staff throughout your studies. This includes guidance during practical sessions, input on coursework and support during your dissertation.
Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.