The MSc Ageing and Frailty (with Dementia) is an interdisciplinary, practice focused postgraduate degree delivered fully online* and is designed for professionals either aspiring to, or currently working across health, social care, housing, and third and independent sector settings.
It responds to the growing complexity of later life care, where ageing, frailty and related long-term conditions often co-exist and require integrated, person-centred approaches.
The MSc equips you with advanced knowledge, critical skills and leadership capabilities to improve care, influence policy, and lead service innovation for older people and complex conditions. You will explore contemporary research, policy and practice relating to healthy ageing, frailty, ethics, capacity, leadership and integrated care, with opportunities to apply learning directly to real world contexts.
An optional dementia pathway provides enhanced specialist learning for those working in, or aspiring to develop expertise in, dementia care.
From September 2027 we will also be offering this programme full-time over 18 months at our Paisley Campus. The full-time version of the course will also be suitable for international students.
Join us for our Postgraduate Online Information Session to learn about our postgraduate programmes and find out if UWS is the right place for you!
Upcoming Postgraduate Events
(United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 10) (2025)
of UWS graduates are in employment or further study
of UWS research is recognised as world-leading, internationally excellent, or recognised internationally (REF 2021)
The MSc Ageing and Frailty / MSc Ageing and Frailty (with Dementia) is aimed at individuals who are aspiring to work in, or are currently working in health, social care, and integrated care settings.
You should normally:
You must also submit:
Our supportive admissions approach ensures that those with a strong commitment to advancing their knowledge in ageing, frailty, and dementia care have the opportunity to develop their skills and contribute meaningfully to the field.
As such, if you do not possess a formal undergraduate degree but do possess significant experience in health, social care, or related disciplines, you are encouraged to apply and such applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.
If you do not possess a formal degree qualification, you may be required to demonstrate your ability to engage with study at master's level. This may be either through a written piece of work or an interview process and you will be notified in advance of any further requirements in order to support your application.
We recognise the value of professional expertise and experiential learning and will consider applicants with substantial relevant work experience on a case-by-case basis through in alignment with the UWS Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Framework.
UWS Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Handbook (pdf)
Please note that a maximum of 20 credits at SCQF Level 11 may be considered as part of your application to the MSc Ageing and Frailty / MSc Ageing and Frailty (with Dementia).
For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The qualifications below must have been gained within two years of the start of your course.
General English language requirements at UWS: International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)
Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see section below for more details).
SOCIAL WORK DEGREES
For our BA (Hons) Social Work and MSc Social Work programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:
For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to, or require professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council, applicants are required to have an IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET)*.
For such courses, the IELTS score is as follows:
* Note that the Occupational English Test (OET) will now be accepted in addition to IELTS as proof of a Nurse's English Language Competence (Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2019).
For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
TOEFL IBT*: 78; no sub-test less than:
* Please note that TOEFL is still acceptable for admission to this programme for both home/EU and international students.
For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use TOEFL to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level courses. We therefore still accept TOEFL tests taken in the last two years for admission to this programme.
West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE) including acceptance of WAEC Scratchcard*
*UWS will accept a WAEC scratchcard confirming that an applicant has achieved C6 or above as evidence of meeting English language requirement from Nigeria if the student graduated within the last 5 years. After 5 years applicants would be required to provide the WAEC Certificate.
Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:
PgDip / MSc Ageing and Frailty / MSc Ageing and Frailty (with Dementia) are delivered fully online and uses a range of digital and practice-focused facilities. A full-time version is being prepared for September 2027 entry.
Students access lectures, tutorials, workshops, simulations, and case studies via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and other available University IT applications.
A laptop or tablet with reliable internet is required to engage with online resources, interactive sessions, and expert contributions, ensuring flexible, high-quality learning anytime, anywhere.
Students will be eligible to exit with a PgDip Ageing and Frailty / MSc Ageing and Frailty (with Dementia) upon successful achievement of 120 credits from the following core / recommended / optional modules:
PgDip Ageing and Frailty students are then required to undertake and successfully complete the following four recommended modules:
PgDip Ageing and Frailty (with Dementia) students are required to undertake and successfully complete the two recommended modules from the list above) and the following two Dementia pathway modules:
Successful completion of PgDip together with the successful completion of the Dissertation Module (60 credits at SCQF Level 11), will lead to the academic award of Master of Science.
The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) will be used to deliver learning and teaching materials.
Assessment is designed to reflect postgraduate practice‑focused learning and SCQF Level 11 expectations.
Assessment methods may include: Case studies, Asynchronous Discussion Forums, Written reports, Research proposals, Reflective and Critical Analyses, Oral presentations, and Dissertation / substantial written project.
These methods support critical thinking, applied research skills, leadership development and real‑world problem‑solving, aligning with professional practice across ageing, frailty and dementia contexts.
Graduates of the MSc Ageing and Frailty are likely to work across health and social care organisations, Health and Social Care Partnerships, NHS services, local authorities, housing providers, and third and independent sector organisations. Typical roles include:
Graduates may also work internationally in ageing, public health or community development contexts.
The MSc provides a strong foundation for further study, including doctoral research (PhD, Professional Doctorate) in ageing, frailty, dementia, health services research, or applied practice-based research.
The cost of attending university is an investment in your future career.
In addition to tuition fees and living expenses, some courses involve extra costs like study materials, field trips, equipment and uniforms.
Fortunately, there is a great deal of financial support available to help students meet the cost of their study. This ranges from:
The sections below provide details of additional costs that your course may involve along with any financial support that may be available.
You can also find additional information in our Postgraduate Money, Fees & Funding section.
Students on certain degrees will incur some additional costs not covered by their tuition fees. These could be for things like specialist equipment, study materials, work placements, graduation, membership of relevant organisations or costs related to carrying out fieldwork.
For students on course with an element of fieldwork, there may also be extra costs for travel and accommodation.
Please contact the course leader for details of the additional costs associated with this course.
Tuition fees are calculated based on where you are from and what you are studying. Some courses also involve additional costs, such as mandatory field trips, equipment or studying abroad.
Find out how much it will cost you to study at UWS as a postgraduate student.
Scottish students studying at postgraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.
English, Welsh and Northern Irish students studying at postgraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.
EU students studying at postgraduate level of UWS may be eligible for SAAS funding, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.
There are several scholarship and incentive schemes available to international students studying at postgraduate level at UWS, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.
UWS administer a range of discretionary and childcare funds. These are designed to support students who are experiencing financial difficulty or struggling to meet the costs of childcare.
Becoming a student can have an impact on your entitlement to certain benefits. It may mean you are no longer eligible to claim a benefit you have been receiving, or your new income from student funding may affect the amount you are able to receive.
If there isn’t a statutory source of funding for you or your course, or you are in need of additional financial support, you may wish to consider more alternative sources of funding such as trust funds and scholarships.
Choosing to become a student can have a big impact on your budget and you may need to reassess your spending to account for a reduced income. We’ve put together some guidance to help you manage your money and make the right financial choices for you and your family.
All students should apply directly to the University through our online application system. Before you apply, you should check that you meet our entry requirements and you should have all your supporting documents ready.
The first stage of the process is to complete the initial application form. You will then receive a follow-up email with further instructions relating to your application including documents that you will need to forward to support your application, e.g. degree transcripts and certificates etc.
Most courses don't have a formal closing date, but they will close when they are full; apply early to avoid disappointment. There may also be funding deadlines that apply to you.
The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) applies to all international students and researchers (apart from exempt nationalities) who are subject to UK immigration control and are intending to study or research at postgraduate level in certain sensitive subjects.
Students and researchers who are nationals of EU countries, the European Economic Area (EEA), Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the United States of America do not need an ATAS certificate.
An ATAS certificate may be required for certain taught postgraduate master's degrees for international students at UWS.
For the latest information on ATAS and details of eligibility and how to apply for a certificate check the UK Government's dedicated ATAS web pages.
Do you have a question about applying for this course? Our friendly admissions teams are here to help!
The programme is not open to international applicants.
UK based prospective students
If you’re applying from within the UK, our applicant enquiry team is here to guide you every step of the way.
With cutting edge facilities, specialist knowledge and world-leading and internationally excellent expertise, we aim to develop research outputs that have a tangible, early and positive impact on society across the globe.
DiscoverWe will always try to make sure that we publish accurate course information but we do not accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We will also try to make sure that we deliver our courses in line with our published information. However, we may not always be able to do so and you can find further information about this in our enrolment terms and conditions.