Credit-bearing standalone short courses (PPD)

Our postgraduate degree programmes are made up of short courses that can be taken as standalone study, we also refer to this as Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD).

The Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD) scheme is aimed at working professionals who want to advance their knowledge through postgraduate-level learning, without the time, or financial commitment, of a full award.

Qualification

You may take a maximum of 50 credits worth of courses over two years and gain a University of Edinburgh postgraduate award of academic credit.

You can also choose to continue your studies after one year and put credits towards a postgraduate Certificate, Diploma or full Masters degree.  Any time spent taking courses through the PPD scheme will be deducted from the amount of time you have left to complete the higher award.

Delivery

Courses are delivered fully online using a blend of learning methods supported by the University’s interactive online learning environments.

They are distance learning courses, but you won’t feel isolated - you will have the opportunity to work closely with your fellow students and tutors in a properly supported, collaborative and vibrant online learning environment. With access to the internet, you will be able to study at the times and in the places which suit you best.

Applications

Applications must be made through the University's online postgraduate prospectus.  Search for the parent programme and follow the link to apply to "PG Professional Development in [programme name] (Online Learning) (ICL) - 1-2 years (part-time intermittent study)".  Once you have started your application to the degree within which the course sits, you will be asked to specify the name of the course you are applying to.

If you have questions or concerns throughout the application process, please contact the parent programme support teams directly.  Contact details can be found on the parent programme pages linked to in the concertina.

For more information on the parent programme, please see here: Advanced Clinical Practice

General MedicineCreditsStartDuration (hours)
Evidence based veterinary medicine in clinical practice10January100
Gastroenterology10January100
Hepatology10May100
Non-surgical musculoskeletal disease10February100
Practical pathology and microbiology10January100
Professional and clinical skills for advanced veterinary practice     10November100
Recent advances in internal medicine10September100
Renal and urinary10May100
Thoracic imaging10February100
Companion AnimalsCreditsStartDuration (hours)
Antimicrobial stewardship in companion animal practice10November100
Approaches to gastrointestinal surgery in dogs and cats10April100
Canine endocrine disorders10November100
Companion animal respiratory medicine 110April100
Companion animal respiratory medicine 210November100
Feline medicine 110September100
Feline medicine 210January100
Feline medicine 310April100
Neurological emergencies in dogs and cats10November100
Standard diagnostic testing in companion animals10February100
Veterinary cardiology 2: cardiac diseases of the cat and dog10November100
Wound management and reconstructive surgery in dogs and cats10April100
Equine PracticeCreditsStartDuration (hours)
Approaches to wound management in horses                                          10April100
Poor athletic performance in horses10May100
Recent advances in equine Practice10September100
Standard diagnostic tests in equine practice10February100
Exotic Pet AnimalsCreditsStartDuration
Principles of exotic pet medicine10September100
Rabbit medicine10April100
Standard diagnostic testing in exotic pet animals                                 10February100
Production Animal PracticeCreditsStartDuration (hours)
Bovine reproduction: beef and dairy 10November100
Controlling infectious diseases in beef and dairy cattle    10September100
Ewe survival10February100
Feeding for production10April100
Foot health10September100
Heifer rearing10January100
Lamb growth10November100
Lambing percentage10May100
Management of the beef herd10April100
Recent advances in production animal practice10September100
Standard diagnostic tests in production animal practice                   10February100
Udder health10May100

For more information on the parent programme, please see here: Clinical Animal Behaviour

CourseCreditsStart dateDuration (hours)
Anthrozoology20April200
Clinical animal behaviour20January200
Evidence-based veterinary medicine in clinical practice B10April100
Principles of applied animal behaviour20September200

For more information on the parent programme, please see here: Data Driven Breeding and Genetics


For more information on the parent qualification, please see here: Data Driven Sustainability

CourseCreditsStartDuration (hours)
Foundation in nutritional epidemiology10April100
Making science relevant to policy and decision making20January200 
Understanding planetary health and data10February100

For more information on the parent programme, please see here: Equine Science

CourseCreditsStartDuration (hours)
Equine behavioural medicine20January200
Equine behaviour, welfare and ethics20January200
Equine digestion and nutrition20September200
Equine excercise physiology20April200
Equine orthopeadics20September200
Equine reproduction20January200
Equitation science20April200

For more information on the parent programme, please see here: Global Food Security and Nutrition



For more information on the parent programme, please see here: One Health

CourseCreditsStart dateDuration (hours) 
An introduction to One Health20September200
Antimicrobial resistance: a One Health perspective10January100
Ecosystem health10January100
Innovative approaches to health challenges across disciplines10April100
One Health policy10January100
One Health: risk communication and preparedness10May100
Zoonotic diseases: a One Health perspective10September100