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As a foreign-trained sonographer in the UK, you do benefit greatly from having a PGD in ultrasound from Nigeria if your goal is to eventually get a Masters in ultrasound. In this post, I’ll be telling you how.
This post is the second of a three-part series. In the first part, I explained in detail what CASE accreditation and CASE equivalence is, using a Nigerian context to further aid with simplifying and understanding the topics better. This information is important to understanding the second and third part of this series, so if you haven’t seen this, check it out here.
In this post, I will be outlining the MSc ultrasound structure in the UK, the different UK schools that offer MSc admission with your CASE-equivalent qualification, and how it benefits you if you already have an ultrasound PGD from Nigeria and want to undertake an ultrasound MSc in UK.
The MSc Ultrasound structure in UK
In the UK, the typical postgraduate ultrasound academic structure usually takes 3 years (part time) to complete your studies to a masters level.
The first year is 60 credit units to get you a PGC, the second year is for an additional 60 credit units to get you a PGD, and the third year is for a final additional 60 credit units to get you an MSc.
So a total of 180 units to get an MSc. But you don't have to undertake each stage all at the same time, you can stop at PGC or PGD level, or decide to carry on to MSc level whenever you please.
The first 120 units to get you a PGD includes all the clinical courses (Obstetrics, gynae, abdomen, testis, etc), science, instrumentation, and physics courses.
The last 60 credit units to get you up to a Masters degree is specifically for either;
1) Research methods and dissertation, or
2) Audit methods and Clinical Audits.
You get to choose whichever one you want.
In Nigeria, to qualify for your PGD in ultrasound, you have to complete research methods and a project work (dissertation), which means what you did as a PGD in Nigeria, would actually be a complete master's degree in the UK- because you did all the clinical courses in addition to research methods and dissertation.
That's how robust your PGD from Nigeria is!
What does this mean for a Nigerian sonographer in UK who wants to undertake an Ultrasound Masters in the UK?
What this means for you is that with your PGD in ultrasound from Nigeria, you can literally skip the first 2 academic years (the PGC and PGD stages) because you've already obtained that qualification (PGD) from Nigeria.
Furthermore, and even better, this also means that you do not need to go through the hassle of finding a clinical placement site and clinical mentor for your MSc admission. That's because you won't be doing any clinical courses, you already did that in your PGD training, so it does not apply to you.
What else does this mean for you? It also means you only have to pay one year's worth of fees as opposed to 3 years’ worth of fees!!!. Sweet!
And just in case I haven't been clear enough, yes, all your PGD ultrasound credit units from Nigeria are recognised and will be transferred to the UK university (the more diverse and inclusive universities, as discussed in the first part of this series) via the recognition of prior learning (RPL) route.
UK Schools that offer MSc Ultrasound admission with your Nigerian CASE-equivalent PGD ultrasound qualification.
Research for this is still ongoing, however as far as is known currently, AECC University college in Bournemouth accepts Nigerian-trained sonographers into their ultrasound Master's programme (subject to meeting specified requirements of course), and are able to transfer their credit units obtained from Nigeria via the RPL pathway.
Sheffield Hallam university (SHU) also accepts Nigerian-trained sonographers into their MSc programme via the RPL route (again, this is subject to meeting specified requirements).
Both AECC and Sheffield Hallam are both CASE-accredited universities. You can see the list of CASE accredited universities here.
This list will be updated if there are any more UK universities that are evidently found to enrol Nigerian-trained sonographers via the RPL route.
However, all it takes is simply writing to any university of your choice that offers MSc in ultrasound and ask them if they support a transfer of credit units from international qualifications via the RPL route. You may also find this information about the school on their official website.
AECC currently charges £6,516 per 60 credit units for international students and £3,910 per 60 credit units for home students, see the fees here . As expensive as this is, it’s still good position to be in because if you were to undertake the entire 120 credit units, you would have to pay £19,548 as an international student, and £11,730 as a home student. That's huge!
Sheffield Hallam university (SHU) currently charges £3,305 per 60 credit units (dissertation) for both international and home students, see the fees here. Which means that if you were to undertake the entire 120 credit units, you would be paying £9,915. So having your PGD from Nigeria would save you a whooping £6,610.
Remember from my previous post that if you haven't lived in the UK for up to 5 years continuously, then when you decide to undertake a Masters in the UK, you're very likely going to get categorised as an international student. I explained this in my previous post about "How to become a UK sonographer from Nigeria". If you haven't seen this post, you can follow the link here.
SHU offers no difference in price whether you’re a home student or international student, so it doesn’t matter when you decide to enrol with them. However, for those looking to enrol in AECC, the international fee is £2606 more than the home student fee, which is pretty steep. So for this reason, some people might want to wait till they attain the status of home student before enrolling with AECC.
Alternatively, if your NHS Trust is sponsoring your MSc, then the difference in fees might not really matter much if the Trust can afford it.
Either ways, the decision is entirely up to you and the circumstances surrounding your desire to further your studies.
The bottom line is that having a foreign qualification should not stop you from getting your MSc ultrasound in UK, and you don't have to pay outrageous fees or spend 3 years to bag your Msc.
Do you want to know How to apply for an MSc ultrasound spot in your desired University, and the specific requirements necessary to secure a Masters in Ultrasound with your PGD ultrasound from Nigeria?
In the third part of this series, I have detailed a step by step guide on how you can apply for an MSc ultrasound spot in your desired UK University, the specific documents you need to secure a Master's placement in the University, how to calculate your credit units from your PGD, and some tips on how to navigate a difficult application process. Check it out here.
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Hopefully you now have more clarity on how having your PGD from Nigeria gives you an advantage when deciding on getting your Masters in the UK, and you can utilise this knowledge effectively going forward.
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It will be right to say that every of your posts have no bit to ignore or disregard, they are all 'chicken breast fillets' thus I simply pour all into my mouth, close my eyes and sleep leaving everything to assimilate into my blood stream😀😀. You are good in what you are doing, keep it up.
That's a good one Raj, keep it up.