A career in healthcare is centred on making a meaningful impact. You could be helping someone improve their mobility, communicate more confidently, manage their health through nutrition, or take part fully in everyday life.

Physiotherapy, speech and language therapy (SLT), dietetics, and occupational therapy (OT) are all professions where skilled practitioners are needed in Ireland, offering opportunities to work across a wide range of settings and with people of different ages and needs.

They are also regulated professions. This is important. Regulation helps protect the public and sets the standards professionals must meet to practise and use a protected professional title.

At Portobello Institute, we offer four health science master’s programmes:

Our pre-registration MScs are delivered in Dublin by Portobello Institute and awarded by Health Sciences University (HSU). Led by experienced practising professionals, they combine academic study, practical training, and supervised placements to prepare graduates for careers in their chosen field.

The programmes reflect the standards of their respective professions and, subject to individual eligibility, provide the foundation for an application for registration with CORU, the official body that regulates health and social care professionals in Ireland.

What is CORU Registration?

When you work in healthcare, the decisions you make and advice you give directly impact people’s health and wellbeing. With that comes responsibility.

Regulation helps protect the public by making sure professionals are appropriately qualified, competent, and meet the required standards.

CORU regulates health and social care professions in Ireland, including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, dietetics, and occupational therapy – the four professions connected to Portobello Institute’s pre-registration MScs.

If you want to work in one of these regulated professions in Ireland, registration with CORU is a legal requirement.

Through its Standards of Proficiency, CORU sets the threshold knowledge and skills required to practise safely and effectively.

Only someone whose name appears on the relevant CORU register can practise in Ireland and legally use titles such as ‘Physiotherapist’, ‘Speech and Language Therapist’, ‘Dietitian’, or ‘Occupational Therapist’.

What Does This Mean for You?

Professional registration is what allows you to move from completing your qualification into practice.

Once you are successfully registered with CORU, you can:

  • Legally use the protected title for your profession
  • Demonstrate that you meet the standards required to practise in Ireland
  • Move into professional practice and begin building your career in your chosen field – one that makes a meaningful difference in people’s lives

Understanding this process before you begin your MSc means you can make an informed choice about your programme and know what to expect after graduation.

How Does Registration Work After Your Portobello MSc?

When exploring our health science master’s programmes, you will notice frequent references to both CORU and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Both regulate healthcare professions, but in different countries.

CORU is the regulator in Ireland. It also approves and monitors eligible education and training programmes delivered in Ireland against the standards required for professional practice.

HCPC is the regulator in the UK and carries out a similar role for UK programmes.

This distinction matters because Portobello Institute’s pre-registration MScs are awarded by Health Sciences University, a UK university.

That means:

    • Irish-awarded health science programmes can be approved directly by CORU. Graduates must still apply individually for CORU registration.
    • UK-awarded health science programmes, including Portobello Institute’s MScs, undergo HCPC programme approval. Graduates who wish to practise in Ireland must then apply individually to CORU through the route that applies to their qualification, or to HCPC if they wish to practise in the UK.

All four of Portobello Institute's pre-registration MScs have secured HCPC approval, confirming that they meet the regulator's required education and training standards.

What Does HCPC Approval Mean for Your Options?

An HCPC-approved qualification gives you flexibility in where you take your career next.

You can apply for registration with CORU to practise in Ireland or with HCPC to practise in the UK, subject to the requirements of the relevant regulator.

This can open up a wider range of career opportunities across both countries, from public health services such as the HSE and NHS to private practice, community care, and specialist healthcare settings.

For Portobello graduates planning to work in Ireland, CORU treats our UK-awarded MScs as international qualifications. The route to registration therefore depends on the specific programme you complete, as outlined below.

What Is Your Pathway to Professional Registration?

Programme

HCPC approval status

Pathway to CORU registration in Ireland

MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-registration)

Programme approved by HCPC

Complete the MSc → apply to CORU through the Commonly Aligned Standards (CAS) pathway → complete the CORU registration process → practise in Ireland once registered with CORU

MSc Speech and Language Therapy (Pre-registration)

Programme approved by HCPC

Complete the MSc → apply to CORU through the International Route (‘Qualified Abroad’) → complete qualification recognition and the CORU registration process → practise in Ireland once registered with CORU

MSc Dietetics (Pre-registration)

Programme approved by HCPC

Complete the MSc → apply to CORU through the Commonly Aligned Standards (CAS) pathway → complete the CORU registration process → practise in Ireland once registered with CORU

MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-registration)

Programme approved by HCPC

Complete the MSc → apply to CORU through the Commonly Aligned Standards (CAS) pathway → complete the CORU registration process → practise in Ireland once registered with CORU

 

Commonly Aligned Standards (CAS) and CORU’s Fast-Track Pathway

CORU has compared its Standards of Proficiency in Ireland with those used in the UK, including Northern Ireland.

As CORU states: “The UK standards align with the Irish standards for the majority of professions which CORU regulates.”

This alignment led to the creation of the Commonly Aligned Standards (CAS) pathway, an expedited route for eligible applicants with certain international qualifications.

Under the CAS pathway, eligible qualifications do not undergo the standard qualification assessment, and applicants submit fewer documents. CORU says this can substantially reduce the time needed to enter the register. Graduates must still complete an individual registration application.

As HCPC-approved master's programmes, Portobello Institute's MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-registration), MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-registration), and MSc Dietetics (Pre-registration) offer eligible graduates a pathway towards CORU registration through the Commonly Aligned Standards (CAS) fast-track process.

Eligibility is subject to CORU’s CAS requirements, with each application for professional registration assessed individually.

CORU’s International Route

Where the CAS pathway does not apply, graduates with qualifications awarded outside the Republic of Ireland follow CORU’s International Route, sometimes referred to as the ‘Qualified Abroad’ route.

It is a different process, but the destination is the same: professional registration with CORU.

As part of this route, CORU first assesses the international qualification against the Standards of Proficiency for the relevant profession in Ireland.

Having your qualification recognised does not mean you are registered. You must still complete the registration process and satisfy the relevant requirements before your name can be added to the professional register.

Graduates of Portobello Institute’s MSc Speech and Language Therapy (Pre-registration) can apply through CORU’s International Route.

What Should You Check Before Selecting a Pre-registration MSc?

Before choosing a programme, make sure you understand:

  • Who awards the qualification: Is it Irish-awarded or UK-awarded, and what does that mean for the regulatory process?
  • Your route after graduation: Which regulator will you need to apply to, and what pathway applies to your qualification?
  • Your eligibility and availability: Does your undergraduate degree, previous study, or experience meet the programme entry criteria? Can you commit to the teaching schedule and required full-time placement blocks?
Discover the Future You Could Build in Health Science

Choosing a profession is an opportunity to think about the kind of work you would find meaningful and the difference you want to make.

Understanding the steps towards professional registration can give you a clearer picture of what lies ahead, helping you make an informed choice and work towards a defined professional goal.

Explore Portobello Institute’s health science programmes or speak with a Career Pathway Consultant about the pathway that fits your background and ambitions.