Why enrol on the Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education at The University of Buckingham?
The PGCME at Buckingham is a fully online, part-time, Master’s-level programme for busy clinicians and healthcare educators who teach, supervise, assess or support learning in healthcare education.
From February 2026, the updated programme offers a flexible, clinician-friendly route to international professional recognition, combining academic study with practical, workplace-focused development.
Why choose Buckingham’s PGCME?
- Designed for healthcare professionals: Live workshops run in the early evening (typically 6–7.30 pm UK), rotating across weekdays so no one is consistently disadvantaged.
- Truly flexible: A blend of interactive live sessions, asynchronous activities, and drop-in support makes it possible to balance study alongside demanding professional roles.
- Professionally recognised: On completion you will be eligible for Accreditation Plus membership of the Academy of Medical Educators (AoME), and the programme is also mapped to the UK PSF (Descriptor 2) to support Advance HE Fellowship (FHEA) applications.
- Practice-based and reflective: Assessments connect educational theory to your real-world teaching and supervision, helping you grow as a confident, critically reflective educator.
- Supportive community: Join a cross-disciplinary network of peers, guided by experienced medical educators who understand the realities of clinical practice.
We aim to produce graduates who are able to:
- Create welcoming, safe, and purposeful learning environments
- Design and deliver engaging and effective teaching, learning, and assessment activities
- Have purposeful, developmental conversations with learners that support their personal and professional career development
- Have a sound grasp of key educational theories and concepts, drawing on these to develop and critique their own and others’ educational practice
- Adopt a critically reflective and reflexive approach to medical education and training.
Professional recognition
On completion of the PGCME you will gain:
- Accreditation Plus with the Academy of Medical Educators (AoME): Automatic eligibility for professional membership, including post-nominals, mapped to AoME Professional Standards.
- Advance HE Fellowship (FHEA):
- Participants who enter with at least six months of prior teaching experience and complete 80 hours of teaching during the programme will be awarded FHEA automatically on graduation.
- Participants who do not yet meet these criteria on admission/ on entering the programme will graduate with the PGCert and AoME Accreditation Plus, and can apply for FHEA independently once they have the required experience.
The Buckingham PGCME is therefore both a postgraduate qualification and a pathway to internationally respected professional recognition.
What students tell us
We receive consistently excellent feedback from our students across all modules.
“The online course was far more engaging and motivating than I expected. The balance between activities, discussions and reading worked really well, and the tutors were so responsive that it always felt ‘live’ and interactive.”
“The course exposed me to new ideas and concepts in education, and being online made it much easier to balance with my clinical work. The tutors were always available and supportive throughout”
Modules
The PGCME consists of two compulsory 30-credit modules. Both must be completed to receive the award.
- Module 1: Introduction to Inclusive Teaching, Learning, and Assessment in Medical Education
- Module 2: Transformative Practices and Leadership in Healthcare Education
Each module runs for 15 weeks, with a planned pause between terms to consolidate learning and balance study with professional commitments.
Find out more
Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions (PDF).