Critical Care Nursing Clinical Specialty Postgraduate Programs

About This Programme

The Hind Bint Maktoum College of Nursing and Midwifery offers Critical Care Nursing Clinical Specialty at three levels: a Master of Science, a Postgraduate Diploma and a Postgraduate Certificate. The programmes equip students with the theoretical knowledge and hands-on clinical skills needed to manage critical and acute care conditions, with a patient-centred approach that emphasises the holistic wellbeing of patients, and aim to prepare clinical nurse specialists who are both skilled practitioners and compassionate leaders. The postgraduate programmes are developed for nurses practising at a senior or advanced level. The MSc can be completed in 18 months full time or 24 months part time and combines four core courses and six specialty courses, including practicums, with practice placements, portfolio completion and a thesis. The Postgraduate Diploma (24 credits) and Postgraduate Certificate (18 credits) can each be completed within 12 months, and students who exit at one of these levels and later want the MSc must re-enrol within two years. Courses are delivered through blended learning, combining in-person sessions with interactive online teaching; MBRU's catalog says the online teaching is both synchronous and asynchronous and that at least 50% of instruction is delivered face to face, physically in the classroom. Every exit level requires 540 hours of clinical practice, and the catalog notes that certificate placements can be undertaken in the UAE and/or at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland.

Course Highlights

• Exit with an MSc (36 credits), a Postgraduate Diploma (24) or a Postgraduate Certificate (18)
• MSc in 18 months full time or 24 months part time; diploma and certificate within 12 months
• 540 hours of clinical practice at every level, with a thesis for the MSc
• Specialty courses in acute care practice and the care of critically ill patients
• Fees shown after the 50% MBRU Frontliner Scholarship, available to all students regardless of nationality

What You'll Study

The MSc requires 36 credits: four core courses (12 credit hours), three specialty theory courses (9), three specialty practicums (9) and a 6-credit thesis, completed in 18 months full time or 24 months part time, within a maximum of 2.5 and 4 years. The Postgraduate Diploma requires 24 credits and the Postgraduate Certificate 18, and every level requires 540 hours of clinical practice with all proficiencies and competencies met. Part-time study plans spread the same courses over 24 months for the MSc, 18 months for the diploma and 12 months for the certificate.

What You'll Learn

Entry Requirements

Careers

MBRU describes the MSc, with its 36 credits and research thesis, as the best choice for nurses seeking advanced leadership, academic or high-level clinical expert roles; the 24-credit diploma as suited to nurses who want a substantial specialisation without a thesis; and the 18-credit certificate as the fastest pathway to a focused, official qualification in a specialty area that enhances clinical practice.

Accreditation & Professional Recognition

Accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research through the Commission for Academic Accreditation, whose register lists the Master of Science, Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing Clinical Specialty as Active. MBRU's catalog dates the accreditation of the MSc, with its diploma and certificate exit pathways, to August 2025, when the first cohort also started. The college says it intends to seek international accreditation for its MSc programmes during 2026-27.

Programme Details