Certificate Requirements and Completion

The Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Certificate is a professional development certificate designed for individuals in the health care field, particularly those with experience in the area of infection control (i.e. health care professionals with patient contact).  It is practically oriented and relies heavily on the individual having knowledge of how a hospital operates.

To qualify to receive the IPC Certificate, a student must:

  • complete courses PATH 427, 467, 477 and 451 with a combined minimum overall average of 70%;
  • complete all 4 courses within five years of initial registration.

NOTE: Completion of the UBC IPC Certificate:

  • is not certification as an Infection Control Practitioner;
  • does not guarantee employment in the field of Infection Control.

  • on average it takes 3 years to complete the courses required to qualify for the IPC Certificate.
  • Students have up to 5 years from their initial start date to complete the four courses required for the Certificate.
  • students can expect to devote a minimum of 4-6 hours/week to course work for the 20 week courses (427 and 467), not including preparation time for examinations/quizzes; a minimum of 4-6 hours/week to course work for the 13 week course (477), not including preparation time for examinations/quizzes and 85-90 hours total for the clerkship (451):  3hrs/week: min 1hr/wk mentor contact plus min 2.5hrs/wk independent study (including reading and report writing)
  • Given the nature of an on-line course, there will be required research, reading and preparation time outside of the time you are on-line. The course requires you to login regularly and participate in on-line discussion or group work.  In most cases, you don’t need to be on-line at the same time as your instructor or classmates.

Credit cannot be granted for previously completed courses. All 4 of the UBC courses must be completed in order to qualify for the Certificate.


Providing space is available, UBC students without a health care background may be eligible to enroll in an individual online course. The Clerkship course (PATH 451) is restricted to students pursuing the IPC Certificate and who meet the eligibility requirements for that course.

The online courses are designed for individuals with experience in the health care field, especially the area of infection control. They are practically oriented and rely heavily on the individual having knowledge of how a hospital operates.  Those without this background are not excluded but may have a much more difficult time with the courses if they are unfamiliar with basic nursing practices, hospital equipment and terminology.