Bachelor of Science in Palliative Care

Course Description

Why (study) the programme

Palliative care improves quality of life for patients and families with life threatening illness. However, palliative care has also been identified as one of the most neglected areas of global health. The Department of Family Medicine hosts a unique mature entry training program for experienced clinical officers and nurses to degree level in palliative care. The aim is to build a critical mass of palliative care experts that will help promote access and improve quality service delivery to all those in need.   

Programme structure

The Bachelor of Science degree in Palliative Care (Hons) constitutes of course work and a research project in the final year. The programme duration is three years in keeping with the rest of the BSc programmes for clinical officers offered by the University of Malawi within the School of Public Health and Family Medicine. For those who do not wish to or will be unable to complete the programme, they will be awarded a Diploma after completing and passing four semester periods of study.

Career prospects

The Palliative Care degree programme aims to produce palliative care experts from a range of health disciplines who can take on clinical, service development, educational, managerial and research and development roles to build on palliative care across the region in both the private and public sectors.

Entry Requirements

Interested applicants should meet the following minimum requirements:

A Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) or any equivalent O-Level qualification with at least credits in 4 science subjects including ENGLISH and BIOLOGY. Other science subjects like mathematics, physics and chemistry will be an added advantage.  

A University of Malawi Diploma or a relevant Diploma from accredited programmes of the University of Malawi such as those offered by Malawi College for Health Sciences, St. John of God College or an equivalent Diploma from a recognized Institution of higher learning. The applicant should have qualified as a nurse or clinical officer.

A minimum of 2 years post Diploma relevant work experience in a hospital setting and are registered with the Medical Council of Malawi or the Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi.

Candidates who were withdrawn from the Kamuzu university of Health Sciences or any other comparable university on academic grounds and those already registered with the University of Malawi or any comparable university as residential, non-residential or mature students ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR ADMISSION.