Overview

Advance your career with a master’s qualification that strengthens your clinical practice, leadership and research skills. Designed for registered practitioners, our MSc Advanced Practice helps you build on your existing expertise.

You can complete the MSc Advanced Practice as a general degree, or choose to specialise in one of six specialist pathways.

Expedition and Wilderness Medicine

This page provides information about the Expedition and Wilderness Medicine pathway, one of six pathways available within our MSc Advanced Practice.

Applicants who have completed the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG) Postgraduate Diploma in International Expedition and Wilderness Medicine are eligible to apply to this pathway within the MSc Advanced Practice course.

The MSc Advanced Practice (Expedition and Wilderness Medicine) course is suitable for all relevant healthcare professionals, such as:

medical doctors
nurses
paramedics
pharmacists.

The aim of this pathway to build on the learning acquired from the RCPSG Postgraduate Diploma in International Expedition and Wilderness Medicine, to further advance the knowledge and skills of these practitioners.

The qualification includes a 60-credit dissertation module at GCU, completed over two trimesters in a nine-month period.

This route to the master's-level qualification combines practical learning, research skills and academic rigour, allowing you the opportunity to demonstrate advancing knowledge and understanding, and ultimately protect patient safety in the specialist area of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine.

You will:

explore the latest research in the field of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine
increase knowledge and skills in clinical research relating to Expedition and Wilderness Medicine
undertake a piece of research in an area that is relevant to advancing your own knowledge and skills in this specialist area of practice.

The GCU Dissertation module provides you with the opportunity to obtain an enhanced understanding of an area of practice related to Expedition and Wilderness Medicine.

Please note: The Expedition and Wilderness Medicine pathway is only available as a part-time study option.

Visit the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons website.

Learn about other pathways in our MSc Advanced Practice.

Why study Advanced Practice (Expedition and Wilderness Medicine) at GCU?

Advance your RCPSG Postgraduate Diploma in Wilderness Medicine into a Master’s degree.
We are the leading university in the UK for Subjects Allied to Medicine (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026).
We teach more students in subjects allied to medicine than any other university in Scotland (HESA 2025).
Our teaching is enriched through collaboration with more than 43 centres worldwide in the Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centres for Nursing and Midwifery, bringing international expertise and real‑world insight directly into your learning experience.

What you will study

Please note that full module information is in the process of being finalised for publication and will be made available here shortly.

In the meantime, you can view and download the Programme Specification at the bottom of this page. This document provides an overview of the course structure, including indicative modules, learning content and further key information. The modules listed on the Programme Specification are for the current academic year and are intended to give you an idea of what you may be able to study on this course.

Careers

The MSc Advanced Practice (Expedition and Wilderness Medicine) equips experienced healthcare professionals with the advanced clinical, leadership, and research skills needed to work safely and effectively in remote, austere, and extreme environments.

Building on the RCPSG Postgraduate Diploma in International Expedition and Wilderness Medicine, this programme develops high‑level decision‑making, autonomous practice, and academic capability tailored to the unique challenges of expedition and wilderness healthcare.

You can progress into senior roles across:

expedition and wilderness medicine
remote and offshore healthcare
humanitarian and NGO operations
search and rescue
extreme‑environment medical support.

The qualification also strengthens pathways into advanced clinical practice within health systems, as well as opportunities in education, training, and research. This MSc is ideal if you are seeking to expand your scope of practice, lead in challenging environments, and contribute to the growing field of remote and expedition medicine.

Course information

Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location
MSc	Part time	9 months	Sep 26	Glasgow	Enquire Apply

Please note that admission to GCU is considered on a competitive basis, and the academic entry requirements stated here may be the minimum required to be eligible for an offer.

International students can get information on entry requirements specific to their country in our International Study section.

Minimum academic requirement

Successful completion of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow International Postgraduate Diploma in Expedition and Wilderness Medicine.

English language requirement

IELTS score of 6.5 (or equivalent) with no element below 6.0.

Additional information for international applicants

Entry requirements by country
Application deadlines
English language tests
Knowledge of English - Applicants from a majority English speaking country may not be required to provide further proof of your English language proficiency. Information about this requirement is available on the Student Visa section of the gov.uk website.

Additional information for all applicants

Relevant experience (Recognition of Prior Learning)

GCU's flexible entry policies exist to allow relevant work experience and prior learning to be considered towards standard entry or advanced entry into a course.

If you do not have the typical academic entry qualifications, but can demonstrate relevant work experience and/or credits from recognised professional bodies, you may be eligible to enter this course via the University's Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) scheme.

Minimum entry requirements

Minimum entry requirements are for widening access students only. If you are from a group that is not currently well-represented in higher education you may qualify as a widening access student. This includes living in a target postcode area, attending a target school or college, attending SWAP, are care-experienced or provide care for someone else, have refugee status or are an asylum seeker.

Download the programme specification

In addition to the core modules that all students must undertake, some courses offer students a choice from a selection of optional modules to shape the focus their degree. Optional modules where available, form part of the overall credit structure of the course.

Download the programme specification for a detailed breakdown of the course structure, including modules, what you'll learn and other useful information.

Terms and Conditions

Details of the University’s terms and conditions are available here.