- Leadership in Healthcare
MSc — 2025 entry Leadership in Healthcare
On this masters course, you will gain the skills to become a visionary leader who can inspire others and provide high-quality, innovative healthcare around the world.
Why choose
this course?
- Study a curriculum designed to enhance your existing skills, knowledge and understanding of leadership and management in healthcare organisations to help you tackle the needs of modern healthcare.
- Examine decision-making, service redesign, implementation of change, patient safety and risk management throughout a variety of healthcare settings.
- Learn from a multidisciplinary team of lecturers and professional experts from a range of practice fields.
- Gain a holistic and broad view of the sector by learning alongside other healthcare professionals and healthcare leaders who'll share their knowledge and ideas with you.
Statistics
100%
Of graduates from our School of Health Sciences are in employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2024, HESA)
92%
The School of Health Sciences received an overall satisfaction score of 92% in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2023
9th in the UK
Surrey is ranked 9th in the UK for overall student satisfaction in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2023
What you will study
While examining both contemporary policy, practice and leadership theory, we’ll help you understand how all these apply to healthcare-relevant situations.
You’ll study topics, including change management, decision making, patient safety and risk management, and service redesign.
You’ll also complete a research dissertation on an area of personal interest, which we’ll match with the expertise of our academic staff, ensuring you get the best support.
This part-time course provides flexibility to complete modules, allowing you to fit your study around existing commitments.
Course length
This course can take between 2-5 years to complete. This is dependent on how many modules you select to study at a given time.
The structure of our programmes follows clear educational aims that are tailored to each programme. These are all outlined in the programme specifications which include further details such as the learning outcomes:
Please be aware: the course content and modules listed for this course are subject to change for the 2024/25 academic year, whilst we undertake a curriculum design review. Please contact the programme leader if you have any queries about the course.
Modules
Modules listed are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Modules are subject to teaching availability, student demand and/or class size caps.
The University operates a credit framework for all taught programmes based on a 15-credit tariff, meaning all modules are comprised of multiples of 15 credits, up to a maximum of 120 credits.
Course options
Unstructured years
Semester 1
Core
This module is designed to meet the needs of professionals working in health and social care who are interested in introducing change within their practice environment. The module will explore the current healthcare agenda, examining the need for change to meet the contemporaneous needs of the population. Students are encouraged to reflect upon how innovative practice could transform service delivery to improve experience quality, relative to their own area of practice.
View full module detailsThe focus of this module is unusually on you as an individual. We examine where you currently feel you are in the context of your professional, personal, and academic journey. As professionals working within health and social care environments, much of our daily focus is on others, this module provides students with an opportunity to pause, to reflect, assess and evaluate what you need to develop within your career. This is a great first module for students returning to study, or for anyone wanting to refocus, as the journey of discovery leads to deep learning and enhanced confidence in your professional, personal and academic needs, so provides a direction for future development.
View full module detailsThis module empowers health and social care professionals to examine the factors contributing to workplace safety and the care of patients/service users, considering the influence of human factors on safety. Additionally, the module encourages students to critically assess the interplay between national patient safety policies and their impact on local guidelines and policies. Moreover, students will cultivate a critical understanding of the intricate legal and ethical issues affecting patient safety. They will also scrutinise the role of accountability in effectively managing safety and risk in the workplace.
View full module detailsSemester 2
Core
This module expands on student learning from the Leading People in Health and Social Care module, elevating thinking to an organisational and strategic level. Students will be empowered to explore the complexity of the internal and external organisational environments, valuing openness, collaboration, and the need for continuous organisational learning. Students will be enabled to recognise and analyse the factors that are key to strategic planning and successfully fulfilling organisational aims and purpose.
View full module detailsThis module builds on the learning from ‘Transforming Services for Quality’ and introduces the fundamental concepts, underpinning theories, and tools of implementation science in improving the quality and effectiveness of health and social care services. Students will have the opportunity to explore how their proposed change initiative could be effectively and routinely implemented in their organisation. They will consider the roadblocks to implementation and strategies to mitigate against these. Students will develop a clear understanding of the similarities and differences between clinical research, quality improvement methods, dissemination and implementation studies and how we can best integrate them to maximise success of implementing small or large scale change initiatives. The assessment will enable them to demonstrate the depth of their understanding and insight into effective application of implementation principles and methods to create a roadmap to stimulate, facilitate, sustain, and scale up positive and successful change in practice for health and social care improvement.
View full module detailsThis module provides students with a fundamental understanding of the core principles of engaging, supporting and leading people. Students will be empowered to support or create workplaces where staff thrive and collaborate, enabling patients and users of health and social care services to feel safe and supported. Exploring the concepts of care, compassion, courage, and vulnerability, to develop skills in enhancing relationships and creating safe environments.
View full module detailsSemester 1 & 2
Core
The module enables students to understand the theoretical and practical aspects of research; how to design research informed by theoretical, methodological and practical issues; and how to prepare a research proposal relevant to health and social care practice. The module provides students with the knowledge, skills and confidence in planning and writing a research proposal that can be taken forward to the dissertation module.
View full module detailsAcross academic years
Core
The dissertation module supports students to plan, undertake and report on a substantial original project that is relevant to their professional practice and their workplace organisations. Students will choose a topic area of their interest and will be supported throughout the project by a named supervisor. The project will involve developing a relevant research question and outlining the relevant policy context, carrying out a literature review, developing a robust methodology, collecting/identifying and analysing/synthesizing data, and to critically discuss the relevance of the findings to practice and current knowledge. Students will gain confidence in understanding and applying the research process. The students will have the opportunity to develop skills in research leadership, critical thinking, and writing, translating knowledge into practice, literature reviewing and digital knowledge.
View full module detailsOptional modules for Unstructured (3 years 4 months -5 years) - FHEQ Level 7
For further information regarding programme structure and module selection, please refer to the course catalogue.
Teaching and learning
You’ll learn from a multidisciplinary team of lecturers. You’ll also be taught by specialist speakers and visiting professors, who bring a wealth of leadership and management experience.
- Group work
- Lectures
- Online learning
- Role play
- Seminars
- Tutorials
- Independent study
Assessment
We use a variety of methods to assess you, which may include case studies, examinations, presentations, simulated learning experiences (objective structured clinical examinations – OSCEs) and written work.
Check individual module information to see full details at a module level.
General course information
Contact hours
Contact hours can vary across our modules. Full details of the contact hours for each module are available from the University of Surrey's module catalogue. See the modules section for more information.
Timetable
Course timetables are normally available one month before the start of the semester.
New students will receive their personalised timetable in Welcome Week, and in subsequent semesters, two weeks prior to the start of semester.
Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week (Monday – Friday). Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities. Part-time classes are normally scheduled on one or two days per week, details of which can be obtained from Academic Administration.
Location
Our Medicine (Graduate Entry) BMBS degree, nursing and midwifery, and health science courses are taught at the Kate Granger Building (30 Priestley Road), on the Surrey Research Park.
Some modules on this course will be taught on Stag Hill campus.
We offer careers information, advice and guidance to all students whilst studying with us, which is extended to our alumni for three years after leaving the University.
100 per cent of our postgraduate health sciences graduates go on to employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2024, HESA). You’ll graduate with a leadership qualification which is highly sought within the healthcare sector across the world. You’ll typically go on to work for the NHS, private healthcare organisations or academic institutions.
Visit the NHS careers website for further information on leadership and management roles.
UK qualifications
A minimum of a 2:2 in a relevant UK honours degree, or a recognised equivalent international qualification.
You should be currently working in a leadership or management role within a healthcare setting. You may be a registered healthcare professional or a healthcare manager.
For information on entry requirements based on International Qualifications, please contact the admissions team with details about where you studied and the content of your qualification.
English language requirements
IELTS Academic: 7.0 overall with 6.5 in each element.
These are the English language qualifications and levels that we can accept.
If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.
Selection process
Applications are screened for standard documentation and then referred to the programme lead for review.
International students travelling to the UK
Due to the module structure of this programme, we are unable to provide sponsorship on the Student Route. International students should make use of the Visitor Visa Route to attend the practical component of the programme. Further details can be found on our apply for a visa page.
Unfortunately, the University cannot guarantee that Visitor Visa applications will be successful, and a refusal may result in students being unable to successfully complete the programme.
Scholarships and bursaries
Discover what scholarships and bursaries are available to support your studies.
Fees
The majority of students on this course will be funded through sponsorship arrangements with their NHS trust employer.
If you would be self-funding, please contact postreg_admin@surrey.ac.uk for information regarding the fees.
Additional costs
- Travelling expenses such as those incurred for travelling between their clinical practice area and the University
- General programme related costs such as study materials
- Potential costs involved in working/studying remotely e.g. internet connection etc
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We provide these terms and conditions in two stages:
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- Second when students accept their offer and register to study with us (registration terms and conditions will vary depending on your course and academic year).
View our generic registration terms and conditions (PDF) for the 2023/24 academic year, as a guide on what to expect.
Disclaimer
This online prospectus has been published in advance of the academic year to which it applies.
Whilst we have done everything possible to ensure this information is accurate, some changes may happen between publishing and the start of the course.
It is important to check this website for any updates before you apply for a course with us. Read our full disclaimer.