Diploma in Clinical Mycology Laboratory Practice

The Diploma in Clinical Mycology Laboratory Practice builds structured competence across the full workflow of a mycology laboratory. Students begin with laboratory organisation and biosafety, then move through specimen handling, direct microscopy, culture and isolation. Two modules cover identification of yeasts and moulds in detail, followed by molecular and proteomic methods such as PCR, sequencing and MALDI-TOF. The final module addresses quality management and accreditation, connecting everyday practice to the standards laboratories must meet.

Mycology is a specialist area within microbiology, and many laboratories need staff who can handle fungal work confidently and to accredited standards. This diploma suits biomedical scientists and laboratory technicians who want to deepen their practice or take on bench responsibility for mycology. Tutors are working laboratory scientists and quality managers. For the final project, students prepare a laboratory improvement proposal for a mycology workflow, based on an audit of current practice and including quality indicators, method changes and training needs.