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Subjects A-B

  • Accounting
  • Agriculture
  • Ancient History
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Architectural Engineering
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Biochemistry
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Bioveterinary Sciences
  • Building and Surveying
  • Business and Management

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  • Chemistry
  • Classics and Classical Studies
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Construction Management
  • Consumer Behaviour and Marketing
  • Creative Writing
  • Criminology
  • Drama
  • Ecology
  • Economics
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  • Engineering
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  • Foundation programmes
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  • Healthcare
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  • International Foundation Programme (IFP)
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  • Italian
  • Languages and Cultures
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Marketing
  • Mathematics
  • Medical Sciences
  • Meteorology and Climate
  • Microbiology
  • Museum Studies

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  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacology
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physician Associate Studies
  • Politics and International Relations
  • Psychology
  • Real Estate and Planning
  • Sociology
  • Spanish
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Surveying and Construction
  • Teaching
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Subjects U-Z

  • Wildlife Conservation
  • Zoology

We are in the process of finalising our postgraduate taught courses for 2026/27 entry. In the meantime, you can view our 2025/26 courses.

PGCert-GradCert Independent Prescribing for Nurses (Levels 6 and 7)

  • Year of entry
    2025/26
  • Course duration
    Part Time: 6 months Other: Courses start in September and January
  • Year of entry
    2025/26
  • Course duration
    Part Time: 6 months Other: Courses start in September and January

Train to become an independent prescriber on our postgraduate Non-Medical Prescribing programme for nurses. The programme comprises a variety of teaching and learning methods, including in-person study days, self-directed study and online learning.

You will be expected to complete a minimum of 78 hours of learning in practice. Details of our accreditation can be found on the NMC accreditation website. Since January 2020, this programme has been approved against the new NMC programme standards.

Nurses studying the programme can be assessed at either level 6 (undergraduate), leading to a Graduate Certificate, or level 7 (postgraduate), leading to a Postgraduate Certificate. Both programmes award 60 academic credits.

Upcoming cohorts enrolment options:

September 2025 course

  • Day: Thursdays
  • Start date: 11 September 2025
  • Course length: 26 weeks, including eight on-campus days
  • Applications open Monday 19 May 2025 and close on Monday 14 July 2025.

January 2026 course

  • Day: Thursdays
  • Start date: 22 January 2026
  • Course length: 26 weeks, including eight on-campus days
  • Applications open Monday 30 September 2025 and close on Monday 24 November 2025.

Full course structure and timetables for 2025 and 2026 intakes are available. Please email CIPPET stating the month you’d like to join, and we will send you the information for the relevant intake.

Application information

Find information about how to apply online and the required application documents in the entry requirements section. Please note, failure to upload all of the correct documentation will lead to the application being rejected.

Overview

Train to become an independent prescriber on our postgraduate Non-Medical Prescribing programme for nurses. The programme comprises a variety of teaching and learning methods, including in-person study days, self-directed study and online learning.

You will be expected to complete a minimum of 78 hours of learning in practice. Details of our accreditation can be found on the NMC accreditation website. Since January 2020, this programme has been approved against the new NMC programme standards.

Nurses studying the programme can be assessed at either level 6 (undergraduate), leading to a Graduate Certificate, or level 7 (postgraduate), leading to a Postgraduate Certificate. Both programmes award 60 academic credits.

Upcoming cohorts enrolment options:

September 2025 course

  • Day: Thursdays
  • Start date: 11 September 2025
  • Course length: 26 weeks, including eight on-campus days
  • Applications open Monday 19 May 2025 and close on Monday 14 July 2025.

January 2026 course

  • Day: Thursdays
  • Start date: 22 January 2026
  • Course length: 26 weeks, including eight on-campus days
  • Applications open Monday 30 September 2025 and close on Monday 24 November 2025.

Full course structure and timetables for 2025 and 2026 intakes are available. Please email CIPPET stating the month you’d like to join, and we will send you the information for the relevant intake.

Application information

Find information about how to apply online and the required application documents in the entry requirements section. Please note, failure to upload all of the correct documentation will lead to the application being rejected.

Entry requirements

Application requirements

1. Confirm you meet the professional entry requirements:
  • You must be a registered nurse (level 1).
  • You must have been a registered nurse with the NMC for at least one year.
  • You must have the necessary governance support structures in place to undertake the programme (e.g. clinical support, access to protected learning time and employer support where appropriate).
  • You must have the necessary competence, experience and academic ability to study the programme.
  • You must have the capability to provide safe and effective practice at the level of prescribing including: clinical/health assessment, diagnostics/care management, planning and evaluation of care.
2. In the majority of cases, applicants must have a practice assessor and a practice supervisor to support their learning as this is an NMC requirement. Information about the roles are available in the document in this section. It is the responsibility of the applicant to try to secure this support - if you have not managed to have agreement to support you from a nominated practice assessor and practice supervisor we will interview you to discuss this.

Information on the role of the practice assessor and the practice supervisor

3. You should confirm you are able to attend all the study days using the enrolment timetable in the upcoming cohort enrolment information. If you are unable to attend all of the study days, your success in gaining a place on the course may be affected — please consider applying for the next cohort.

4. Complete an application form, which includes a statement of purpose.

5. Prepare the following documents, as you will need to provide all of these documents during the application process. Please format into one PDF and upload in the transcript or “other” section of the application:

  • DPP (practice assessor) declaration
  • Practice supervisor declaration
  • Workplace-based learning declaration
  • Applicant checklist
  • If you are being part or fully sponsored: Proof of funding (Please note: some NHS organisations require a Purchase Order number for the payment of invoices. This must be stated on this letter to ensure invoices are paid promptly).
  • If you are self-funding, or doing your learning in practice hours with an organisation who is not you employer, the Self-funding declaration.
  • Practice placement profile

How to apply:

To apply to the programme, you need to submit the documents above using the University's online portal.

6. Access the online application portal.

All communication from the application system is via automated email. Some National Health Service (NHS) email servers flag these email addresses as spam, therefore we recommend using a personal email address to ensure you receive all communications at this stage.

Once you have started an application, the system will email you to remind you to start, and/or complete, your application at regular intervals. If your account is flagged as dormant for three or more weeks, your application may be automatically removed.

7. Once you have created an account, select your programme choice from the drop-down menu:

  • Graduate Certificate in Independent and Supplementary Prescribing for Nurses (Level 6)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Independent and Supplementary Prescribing for Nurses (Level 7)

8. Complete all the required fields (marked with an asterix *) and upload all of the documents stated above (step 4 and 5).

Make sure you upload your statement of purpose to the 'statement of purpose' field in the application portal.

The application portal cannot accept multiple uploads. Therefore, you will need to scan the documents from step 5 into one document. If you are supplying a transcript, you can submit your combined documents to the 'other' field. If you are not supplying a transcript, you can submit your combined documents into the compulsory 'transcript' field instead of a transcript. Failure to submit all of the required documentation in a timely manner may affect our decision whether to accept you on the course.

9. References

Once you have submitted an application, an automatic email will be sent to your referees (if you have provided an email address for them). It is your responsibility to make sure that your referee supplies a reference. We would therefore advise that you contact them in advance of submitting an application so that they have time to prepare a reference. They can use our template to prepare their reference in advance. Please also note that emails from the application system may be sent to their 'spam' folder, which they should check if they have not received the email when expected.

If you have completed postgraduate study, you should provide details of one academic and one non-academic referee. If you have not completed postgraduate study, you can provide details of two non-academic referees. A suitable non-academic referee is typically a past or current employer, or a formal workplace-based supervisor such as a practice assessor or practice supervisor.

10. Attending an interview

As part of the application process, students may be asked to attend an interview.  This enables us to determine your suitability for the programme against the entry criteria and find out further information about your experience. Interviews will take place online using Microsoft Teams.

11. The outcome of your application

Applications are reviewed throughout the year. However, the greater the number of applications we receive, the longer it may take to inform you of the outcome. Applicants cannot enrol until all the documentation is received and an unconditional offer is made, the usual deadline for this is two weeks before the start of the programme. Therefore, at the latest, we will notify successful applicants two weeks before the start of the programme. Some late offers may be given to those on the reserve list, however.

Due to the high volume of applications we are receiving at present, we are unable to provide individualised feedback if you are unsuccessful.

Pre-sessional English language Programme

Our Pre-sessional English Programme is for international students who need to meet their degree programme English language requirements.

Our courses equip you with the skills and language needed for academic success, including critical thinking, self-reflection, learner autonomy, research skills and integrating sources. The Pre-sessional English Programme is accredited by the British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP), which guarantees you will receive a high-quality student experience.

To find out more, visit Pre-sessional English.

Structure

  • For more information

The September 2025 programme runs from 11 September 2025 for 26 weeks and includes eight on-campus days.

Key dates for the September 2025 programme:

  • Thursday 11 September 2025, Study Day 1 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 18 September 2025, Study Day 2 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 25 September 2025, Study Day 3 (online)
  • Thursday 2 October 2025, Study Day 4 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 9 October 2025, Study Day 5 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 23 October 2025, Study Day 6 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 6 November 2025, Study Day 7 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 27 November 2025, Study Day 8 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 4 December 2025, Mock OSCE (online) or Thursday 11 December 2025, Mock OSCE (online)
  • Thursday 18 December 2025, Study Day 9 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 8 January 2026, OSCE (online) or Thursday 15 January 2026, OSCE (online)
  • Tuesday 10 February - Thursday 12 March 2026, Scope of Practice Vivas (online).

The January 2026 programme runs from 22 January 2026 for 26 weeks and includes eight on-campus days.

Key dates for the January 2026 programme:

  • Thursday 22 January 2026, Study Day 1 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 29 January 2026, Study Day 2 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 5 February 2026, Study Day 3 (online)
  • Thursday 12 February 2026, Study Day 4 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 26 February 2026, Study Day 5 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 12 March 2026, Study Day 6 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 26 March 2026, Study Day 7 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 16 April 2026, Study Day 8 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 23 April 2026, Mock OSCE (online) or Thursday 30 April 2026, Mock OSCE (online)
  • Thursday 7 May 2026, Study Day 9 (on-campus)
  • Thursday 21 May 2026, OSCE (online) or Thursday 4 June 2026, OSCE (online)
  • Tuesday 23 June - Thursday 23 July 2026, Scope of Practice Vivas (online).

Full course structure and timetables for 2025 and 2026 intakes are available. Please email CIPPET stating the month you’d like to join, and we will send you the information for the relevant intake.

Fees

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £2,400

New international students:

Tuition fee information

EU student fees

With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.


Additional costs

Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

The fees listed above are for courses starting in May and September 2021.
Applicants can be fully or partly sponsored by their employer to undertake the programme. There is information on how to provide proof of sponsorship in the 'Entry requirements' section above.

If you think you are eligible for a Pharmacy Integration Fund commissioned place, you can confirm this using the information on the Pharmacy Integration Fund site. As stated in the fact sheet, you will not need to provide a sponsor letter but need to upload an email proof of eligibility with your application.

For all other potential HEE sponsorship/commissioned options, you should contact your local HEE Branch Educational Commission Manager.

Financial support for your studies

Applicants can be fully or partly sponsored by their employer to undertake the programme. There is information on how to provide proof of sponsorship in the 'Entry requirements' section (step 5) above.

For all other potential HEE sponsorship/commissioned options, please contact your local HEE branch educational commission manager.


Careers

Our programmes are based on developing your professional competence and confidence. Network with other healthcare professionals from a range of employers and sectors to identify future career options. The academic credits from this programme can also be used towards our MSc in Advancing Healthcare Practice programme.

We also offer a Certificate in Advanced History Taking and Clinical Assessment, a three month module which can be studied before or after the prescribing programme. Please contact cippet@reading.ac.uk for more information. 

We can also offer advice to help you meet your professional regulator revalidation requirements and/or leadership body credentialing processes, and support you in building a personal learning plan to enhance your career prospects.

Before applying, please make sure you have completed all of the documents listed in the entry requirements section.


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