What a Certificate of Advanced Studies is
A master's-level, ECTS-bearing academic award — substantial enough to be meaningful, compact enough to complete alongside clinical work.
Last editorial review: 6 June 2026 · Next scheduled refresh: 1 September 2026.
A focused, standalone certificate
A Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) is a postgraduate, master's-level (FHEQ Level 7) academic award carrying 20 UK credits / 10 ECTS — the established European standard for focused professional study. Each MD Acumen CAS is self-contained: one clinical topic, taught in full, assessed, and awarded on its own. There is no part-finished ladder to climb.
A CAS combines three things a question bank cannot: academic credit, assessed competence, and a currency window that keeps the award meaningful after you earn it.
Where a CAS sits
FHEQ Level 7 is master's standard — the same level as an MSc module or a PGCert, expressed as a focused 20-credit award.
A CAS is awarded at Level 7 — master's standard — within the UK/European frameworks.
What "20 credits / 10 ECTS / 200 notional hours" means. Credit measures volume of learning. 20 UK credits equal 10 ECTS in the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, and represent roughly 200 hours of total learning time — taught sessions, independent study and assessment combined.
Two steps: free CPD, then the awarded CAS
A CAS is Step 2 of a deliberate ladder. Step 1 — free Micro Learning — earns a personalised CPD certificate and is a genuine taster.
Micro-course + Synoptic → CPD certificate
A topic-specific micro-course and aligned synoptic self-assessment, earning a downloadable, personalised CPD certificate (FHEQ Level 7–8). Start free in Micro Learning →
The NVU-awarded CAS
The 10-week, FHEQ L7:8 (70:30), 20-credit / 10-ECTS Certificate of Advanced Studies with capstone and presentation — a living, internationally transferable qualification.
What they confer. Both steps evidence advanced, master's-level knowledge training in a defined clinical topic, and contribute to a regulator or ICB submission for working as an extended-scope practitioner or in an extended role. They do not, on their own, confer it: you must also satisfy your registration college (RCGP, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Royal College of Nursing), your ICB, and your local governance and audit requirements.
A credential designed to travel
Because each CAS is awarded within the European Higher Education Area and carries ECTS credit, it is built to be understood and valued well beyond the UK.
ECTS credits are designed to be internationally portable through the diploma-supplement framework.2 Recognition of any specific overseas qualification is determined by the relevant institution or authority in each country; MD Acumen does not claim regulatory recognition that has not been confirmed in writing.
What a CAS is — and is not
Who awards it, and how it's held to standard
Each MD Acumen CAS is awarded by New Vision University at FHEQ Level 7 within the European Higher Education Area, and delivered by MD Acumen Ltd. Curriculum is aligned with the published guidance of the relevant cornerstone bodies — a description of explicit content mapping, never a claim of endorsement that has not been confirmed in writing.
For how each programme is governed end-to-end — curriculum, assessment, faculty sign-off, risk, feedback and monitoring — see Quality & governance.
References
The frameworks this credential is built on.
- Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies (FHEQ). 2nd ed., 2024. qaa.ac.uk
- European Higher Education Area / Bologna Process. European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). EHEA. ehea.info
- New Vision University. Awarding institution (Tbilisi, Georgia). newvision.ge
Ready to choose a programme?
Explore the three flagship CAS, or see how every programme is quality-assured.
CAS Programmes · Quality & Governance · Legal & Regulatory · enquiry@mdacumen.com