We run an annual programme of short courses, based on the academic year. Courses run from November until July each year. Courses do not run during school holidays, at weekends or in the evening. 

Our programme is now predominantly delivered online. Occassionally we run in-person courses at Canynge Hall, University of Bristol. Please pay special attention to this when looking through our programme.

Our programme covers epidemiology, medical statistics, qualitative research, health economics, appraisal and synthesis of research, and health protection. 

We update our website with a list of our current short courses in September each academic year.

Many of our short courses run yearly, however some take place every two years. Courses aren’t guaranteed until they are available for booking on our website.

In 2022-2023 we will not run the following courses, though they remain part of our programme and may run in subsequent years:

Our short courses are not formally accredited for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) or the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). You are advised to assess the content of the course and make a judgement about their value.  

Subject to full attendance you will be provided with an electronic course certificate.

The number of participants on each course varies, however, in-person courses will not usually exceed 12 participants and online short courses will not usually exceed 60 participants.

To ensure our courses are suitable for you, and that you can fully benefit from participation, we identify a number of course prerequisites. We kindly request that you check you have access to the relevant IT resources needed for the course and meet the knowledge prerequisites prior to booking.

We use Blackboard and Blackboard Collaborate to deliver our online courses. You will be given access to Blackboard approximately 1 week in advance of your course, to enable you to familiarise yourself with this online learning environment. After the course you will continue to have access to the course materials for the remainder of the academic year.

Some courses may provide pre-course readings or activities. If this applies you will receive full instructions in advance of the course.

To attend any of our courses, payment must be made for the entire course. It is not possible to only pay for one day. As our courses are very popular, we ask that course participants attend every day as there are often others on the waiting list who could make use of the full course. 

Overseas students are welcome to join our online courses. We cannot make allowances for time differences, so all live sessions and group work will take place according to GMT. However, live sessions are recorded and made available for the remainder of the academic year, so they can be accessed at a more convenient time. 

We endeavour to record all live lecture sessions and upload these to the online learning environment within 24 hours. This will enable you to review these sessions at your leisure and revisit them at a later date. Please note that we do not record breakout sessions.

[Note: This is with the exception of Writing a Journal Article and Writing a Qualitative Paper, which are not recorded].

We continue to allow course participants to access to the online learning materials for a temporary period after the course. Access is granted until 8 weeks in advance of the course running again in the next academic year. This usually will provide you with access for at least 3 months, and in most cases for up to 10 months.

We will email you when there is only 1 month of access remaining. We regret it is not possible to provide indefinite access. 

To access Blackboard follow this link: https://www.ole.bris.ac.uk/. Your course is located under 'My Organisations'. We have found Blackboard works best with Google Chrome. 

University of Bristol staff and students should use their UoB username and password to log in.

If you are not a part of the University of Bristol you must use the login details you were assigned for that course. Login details are unique for each course and will not work for any other course you may have attended.

If you have any accessibility requirements, please let us know by updating the accessibility form in your short course booking account. The form is accessed by selecting the blue 'Update your accessibility requirements' button (pictured below) which can be found on the homepage when you log in or on the booking checkout screen. 

Alternatively, if you would like to discuss any access needs, please contact us directly‌.

Dietary requirements are only relevant for in-person courses, currently Writing a Journal Article and Writing a Qualitative Paper. Light refreshments are provided for morning and afternoon breaks, usually tea/coffee, biscuits and fruit. Please note that lunch is not included. You are welcome to bring along your own flask/water bottle.

If you have any accessibility requirements, please let us know by updating the dietary requirements section of the accessibility form in your short course booking account. The form is accessed by selecting the blue 'Update your accessibility requirements' button (pictured below) which can be found on the homepage when you log in or on the booking checkout screen. 

Alternatively, if you would like to discuss any dietary needs, please contact us directl‌y.

We offer voucher packs to eligible individuals. Subject to availability these may be applied during booking to secure a free or discounted place on a course. To find out if you qualify for a voucher pack please review our short course fee policy.

Due to high demand and to maximise the number of people able to secure places on courses crucial to their studies / career development, all free / discounted fee categories are limited to three per eligible individual.

Please be aware that we have a limited number of free places on each short course, offered on a strictly first come, first served basis. Entitlement to a voucher pack does not guarantee that a free place will be available.

Vouchers are automatically allocated during registration, according to our fees policy. You can check our fees policy to see what vouchers you are eligible for.

If after registration you are unsure of your voucher allocation you can check in three ways. Your registration approval email may include this information, and if not you can contact us at short-course@bristol.ac.uk and we will confirm your allocation. Your vouchers will also be visible during checkout when you are booking.

Please be aware that we have a limited number of free places on each short course, offered on a strictly first come first served basis. Entitlement to a voucher pack does not guarantee that a free place will be available.

To use a discount voucher, you must select the correct version of the course and apply your voucher when prompted at checkout.

Courses display in our booking system with 'free' or 'paid' in the course title. Please pay special attention to selecting the correct version before adding to your basket:

• If you are paying full price select the ‘paid’ course.
• To use a 50% discount voucher (if applicable) select a 'paid' course and use your voucher when prompted.
• To use a 100% discount voucher (if applicable) choose a 'free' course and use your voucher when prompted.

You can use the 'show' option above the search bar in the booking system to filter results for 'Free (with voucher)', 'Paid' or 'All' courses, as per the image below:

We operate an annual registration process to check your eligibility for any voucher packs. Both new registrations and re-registrations need to be approved before you can book a place on any of our courses. If you already have an account with our booking system, you will just be required to Sign In, select Complete your re-registration, then confirm your registration details. If you have not registered before, you will need to register in full. 

Registrations open in advance of bookings, to allow time for eligibility for voucher packs to be assessed and implemented. We publish the date and time for registrations to open in advance. To be notified about our timescales for launching registrations you may wish to sign up to our mailing list.

Annual registrations and bookings for the 2022-2023 academic year are now open. Registrations will remain available for the academic year. Bookings remain open until one week before the start date of the course, however the courses are very popular so we strongly advise you to register and book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Annual registrations for the 2022-2023 academic year are now open and will remain available for the academic year. 

Even if you registered last year, you need to re-confirm your existing account. 

NOTE: Participants should complete their own registration and booking. If you want someone else in your organisation to complete the payment, this can be done separately after you have finished registering and booking.

1. Follow this link to complete your annual registration.
2. If this is your first time registering select Register to set up a new username and password. If you are re-registering Sign In with your old username and password, then select Complete your re-registration. (Your 'username' is the email address you registered with.)
3. Complete the form as prompted.
4. If you are registering for the first time you will be prompted to validate your email address.
5. Your registration is now pending - You have completed the sign-up form, which is awaiting approval by a Bristol Medical School short course administrator. We aim to respond to registration requests within 5 working days. If you have any questions please contact us at short-course@bristol.ac.uk. You can speed up the process by responding promptly to any requests for further information from us. You will receive a 'Registration Approved' email when it has been approved.
6. Book a course (see instructions below).

Your 'username' in the booking system is the email address you registered with.

(If this is your first time registering please hit 'Register' and follow the instructions. You need to register even if you are internal to the University of Bristol).

It is important for people to complete their own annual registration and administer their own course bookings. You cannot book courses for someone else, or place bookings for multiple people at once.  

However, once a provisional booking is arranged, payment details can be passed to a finance contact to settle payment.

We open course bookings in September/October each year. We publish the date and time for bookings to open in advance. 

Registrations and bookings for the 2022-2023 academic year are open.

All bookings are subject to availability, some courses are very popular so we recommend you book as soon as possible. In advance of bookings opening we strongly advise you to complete your annual registration to ensure that the verification process for voucher packs does not delay your booking.

To be notified about our timescales for opening annual registrations and bookings you may wish to sign up to our mailing list.

In the interests of fairness we operate bookings on a strict first come, first served basis. It is not possible to reserve a space on a course in advance of the bookings opening, or to roll over a booking or payment from one academic year to the next. 

All bookings are subject to availability, some courses are very popular so we recommend you book as soon as possible. Before booking you must register, to ensure that the verification process for voucher packs does not delay your booking we strongly advise you to register early.

If you miss out on a place for this year, and wish to attend next year, you will need to wait until bookings open for next academic year to book a place on it.

Bookings for the 2022-2023 academic year will be available from midday on 3rd October 2022 and remain open for the academic year. 

In order to book a place on a course, you first need to have completed your annual registration. Even if you were registered last year you need to re-register. (See instructions above). 

NOTE: Participants should complete their own registration and booking. If you want someone else in your organisation to complete the payment, this can be done separately after you have finished registering and booking.

1. Follow this link to the booking system, and login. Alternatively, you can access it via the link to the top right of the Short courses main page or via individual course pages.
2. At the top left go to Course Booking > Find & Book Activities. 
3. Look for the course you want from the list or use the search bar to find a specific course.
4. IMPORTANT: Available live courses will display as 'FREE' or 'PAID'. If you will be paying full price for a course select the ‘PAID’ course. To use a 50% discount voucher (if applicable) select a 'PAID' course, then make sure to select to use your voucher during booking, when prompted. To use a 100% discount voucher (if applicable) choose a 'FREE' course and your voucher will be automatically selected at checkout. You can choose to remove or add an available voucher. You can use the search function to filter on either free or paid courses.
5. Click on the course, scroll down and hit Book.
6. Continue through the booking system. When prompted, make sure you have selected to use any discount vouchers you have available, if applicable.
7. Once your booking is completed you will receive an ‘Order confirmation’ email, with instructions of how to pay. We recommend paying by credit/debit card via the online shop. Please note the online shop is separate to the booking system so if it is your first time making a payment there you will need to set up a separate username and password for it. Here are instructions on How to pay your short course fees.

To facilitate effective waiting lists we have separated course bookings this year into free and paid. Courses will display in our booking system with 'FREE' or 'PAID' in the course title. Please pay special attention to selecting the correct version before adding to your basket.

• If you are paying full price select the ‘PAID’ course.
• To use a 50% discount voucher (if applicable) select a 'PAID' course and select to use your voucher when prompted.
• To use a 100% discount voucher (if applicable) choose a 'FREE' course and your voucher will be automatically selected at checkout. (You can choose to remove or add an available voucher.)

You can use the 'show' option above the search bar in the booking system to filter results for 'Free (with voucher)', 'Paid' or 'All' courses, as per the image below:

If you have been allocated a voucher pack for free or discounted course places, you must use these during booking or you will be charged for the place. If you make an error and book a paid place you must cancel this yourself and re-book using your voucher.

All bookings are subject to the availability of places and we cannot guarantee that a free space will be available when you re-book.

To remove a course from your basket click on 'Remove course' and then select the 'Cancel this booking' button at the bottom of the next page.

It is important for people to complete their own annual registration and administer their own course bookings. You cannot book courses for someone else, or place bookings for multiple people at once.  

However, once a provisional booking is arranged, payment details can be passed to a finance contact to settle payment.

NOTE: The process to join the waiting list is the same as to book a course, only if the course is fully booked instead of being able to Book, you will be able to Register on Waiting List.

In order to join the waiting list please first register with the booking system (instructions can be found above).

1. Go to the booking system and login using the username and password you set up during registration.
2. Go to Course Booking > Find & Book Activities.
3. Find the course you want on the list, or use the search bar.
4. Click on the course you want.
5. Scroll down and click Register on Waiting List.

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that you will get a place as this depends on the length of the waiting list and your position on it. If a place becomes available, you will be invited to attend and have a limited time to respond to our invitation. 

We separate course bookings into paid and free place courses. You can use the search function in the booking system to filter on either free or paid courses. If you have a 100% discount voucher and there are no free places remaining on a course you can opt to join a free place waiting list.

Additionally, you may also choose to book a paid place if one is available, though this will be subject to payment in the usual timescales and subject to our cancellation policy. 

If a space becomes available on a course, we send out a time limited offer email to the person at the top of the waiting list. The email includes a link to accept or decline the offer. Please be aware that the offer is time limited: We typically require a response within 72 hours, however we may reduce this time as we get closer to the course start date. After this time the offer will automatically expire and the next person on the waiting list will be contacted.

To accept the offer:

1. Follow the link in the offer email to access your online booking account.
2. Scroll down to view the available dates (if applicable). 
3. Click on your chosen date (if applicable).
4. Click on 'Add to Basket'.
5. Go to your basket and checkout to secure the provisional course booking. Please ensure that you checkout promptly to secure the provisional booking. If you do not checkout your booking from your basket promptly it may expire and you will loose the offer of the place.

Note: It is not necessary for you to pay fees at the same time as accepting the offer, however you do need to checkout your booking. If course fees apply you will be notified about payment options and deadlines once your provisional booking is secured. All bookings remain provisional until payment has been received. 

To decline the offer:

1. Click on the link 'no longer interested in this course'.

If you wish to decline the current offer, but remain on the waiting list to be offered a place in future:

1. Click on the link 'wish to be offered future places'.
2. Select 'Reject offer and update availability'.
3. Scroll down and highlight the course dates you are interested in attending or click on 'select all'.
4. Click on 'Update waiting list selection'

If you need to cancel your booking, we ask for as much notice as possible. Applicants cancelling more than 4 weeks before the start of a course will receive a full refund. We cannot refund fees if a cancellation is made 4 weeks or less before the start of a course.

We are unable to allow participants to send people other than those named in their place. This is to give those on the waiting list the option of attending. 

Our short courses are very popular, and we often have waiting lists. If you have changed your mind, and no longer wish to participate that is fine, however we ask that you cancel your booking/s so someone else can benefit. To cancel a course:

1. Follow this link to the booking system and login.
2. At the top left go to Course Booking > My Booking Summary.
3. Find the course you wish to cancel and click on the course code.
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select Cancel this booking.
5. Click to confirm when prompted.

Providing you cancel your place 4 or more weeks in advance of the course you will receive a full refund of the course fee. Payment will be refunded by card payment, reverse journal or credit note, depending on your initial payment method. If you used a voucher to pay for your course place this will be automatically credited to your short course booking account.

Note: If cancelling less than 1 week before a course start date, you will need to contact short-course@bristol.ac.uk to cancel your place.

If University strike action is announced that coincides with a short course, we automatically cancel the full course, as we will not know, ahead of time, which of the tutors are taking action. Courses cancelled due to strike action are not ordinarily re-scheduled within the same academic year.

People with existing bookings and those on the waiting list will be contacted by email to confirm the course cancellation.

Paid attendees will be refunded the course fee. As per our terms and conditions, we are not liable for refunds of travel or accommodation costs. Payment will be refunded by card payment, reverse journal or credit note, depending on the initial payment method. Please note that payments cannot be transferred to the next academic year. 

Internal candidates will be automatically registered for the Materials Only (MO) version of the course, where this is available, and any vouchers used will be refunded to their account. If available, live session recordings will be added from previous runs of the course, to ensure the Materials Only version is as complete as possible. Please note that the MO course may not be complete. People booked onto the Materials Only version of the course will be contacted by email to confirm.

Please be aware that we are unable to prioritise bookings for the next run of the course. Bookings operate on a strict first come first served basis each academic year. 

If strike action is called off before the course was due to start, we will, if practical, seek to re-schedule the course for a future date within the same academic year. If a course is rearranged, we will endeavour to offer a temporary priority booking period to those originally signed up.

Courses are individually priced. Please see individual course pages for confirmation of fees payable.

Payment is required to secure a confirmed course place. Please be aware that once payment due dates have passed, unpaid provisional bookings are automatically cancelled. 

You must pay course fees according to the timescales outlined in our booking terms and conditions as follows:

Once you have secured a provisional course place, it is quick and easy to pay your short course fees via our Online Shop. To buy from the online shop, you will need to create an online shop account. You can make secure payments using debit or credit cards (excluding American Express and Diners Club). Payment can either be completed by you, or on your behalf by a nominated administrator or finance contact. Your booking will be confirmed shortly after.

Step-by-step instructions are provided here, along with alternative payment options if you cannot use the online shop.

If you have any problems with your payment, email finance-systems@bristol.ac.uk.

The Online Shop offers help & information and has comprehensive FAQs which cover the system in more detail. Contact us if you need any further help.

Internal University of Bristol staff and postgraduates may opt to pay via UoB journal transfer, if fees are to be met from a UoB grant code. Payment is not automatically made if you select this option at checkout, please follow the steps outlined here.