Healthcare Management MSc



Study health and social care at an advanced level, learn alongside students from around the world and enhance your career development

Overview

This innovative course is designed for graduates who have, or aspire to, a management role in health and social care.

The programme, delivered by the School of Health and Social Care, will prepare you to work effectively within the complex and rapidly evolving environments of health and social care, and provide the opportunity to enhance your knowledge and skills within a broad international context 

A particular feature is the opportunity to learn on campus with students from Scotland, across Europe and around the world.

On completion of the programme students already working in healthcare have attained promotion or commenced further study at PhD level.

Others have taken the programme as a stepping stone to healthcare management positions in their home country.

Typical entry points to this course are in January and September. Please enquire for more information.

Two students talking.

Mode of Study:

Part-time (available as full-time)

Duration:

3 years

Start date:

JanSep

Course details

Learning, teaching and assessment methods focus on providing students with engaging and contemporary learning materials that relate to practice and theory and challenge students to take a critical perspective on both. 

While the assessment methods used are varied, they all have direct relevance to the world of work.

Lead academics

The Programme Leader is Mary Abboah-Offei who has a PhD in Palliative care, MSc in Nursing, and a Fellow with the Higher Education Academy. Mary is a nurse by background and her key research area is developing and evaluating complex interventions including person-centred intervention for people living with HIV/AIDS. During her postdoctoral research, Mary worked on global health projects including reviewing national health policies, improving early childhood development, and strengthening health systems in low and middle income countries, with funding from the British Academy and the Medical Research Council, UK. Mary has also lectured in Palliative Care, Quality Improvement & Safety in Health and Social Care, as well as Health and Wellbeing Across the Life Span. Currently, Mary also teaches on the Master of Public Health programme.

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    How you’ll be taught

    This is a part-time course and attendance is individually tailored to meet student circumstances.

    You can choose to start in either January or September. You’ll learn by a variety of teaching methods including lectures, tutorials, online learning and independent study.
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    Assessments

    A range of assessments are used for learning. These include: 

     

    •Critically reflective outlines and essay
    •Examination
    •Learning agreement
    •Project proposal
    •Project
    •Report
    •Financial report
    •Reflective account
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    Work placement

     There are no work placements on this programme. Students are encouraged to attend healthcare management events locally.
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    Facilities

     Our Sighthill campus serves more than 5,000 students and staff of the Schools of Applied Sciences and Health & Social Care. Facilities include our [EN]GAGE sports centre.

Disclaimer

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our disclaimer.

Entry requirements

What are the entry requirements for Healthcare Management?

The entry requirement for this course is a bachelor’s degree with honours, at a 2:2 or above or equivalent in a subject. Relevant subjects include but are not limited to dentistry, dietetics clinical education, global health, health promotion, health administration or healthcare management, medicine, nursing, midwifery, occupational therapy, pharmacology, physiotherapy, clinical psychologist, radiotherapy, podiatry, speech & language therapist, ophthalmologist, anaesthetics, medical laboratory scientists.

Applicants with a lower degree classification and relevant current work experience may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Current (or recent) health care work-related experience is required of all candidates seeking admission. Ideally applicants should have at least 12 months experience working in a leadership or management role.

As part of your personal statement, you should include the following information to support your application:

  • Evidence of your work experience in healthcare (experience of working at a senior management level or equivalent)

  • How have your current or previous studies influenced your decision to study healthcare management?

  • What interests you about the subject area or course? Why do you want to complete this programme?

  • What skills and attributes you have gained from inside and outside of education? For example, are you good at problem solving or have good analytical skills?

  • Do you have a long-term career goal? How will this course help you get there?

  • Do you have any relevant work/volunteer experience, and any other achievements you would like to be taken into consideration?

The University does not sponsor students to study on part-time programmes in the UK under the Student Visa route. International Applicants must therefore have other valid immigration leave to study on this programme.

Can I get admission into Healthcare Management based on my working experience in this sector?

This course has academic entry requirements which are assessed alongside relevant work experience. Full details of any relevant work experience, including references should be submitted with your application and may be considered for entry where the minimum academic entry requirements are below those required.

Usually, unrelated work experience is not considered sufficient for entry without meeting the minimum academic entry requirements. Please contact us with your specific circumstances by submitting an enquiry form above and we will be happy to discuss your options.

Can I make an appointment with an advisor to discuss further about the admission process?

If you want to get more information on the admission process, please get in touch with the postgraduate admissions team by submitting an enquiry form above.

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test.  The English Language requirements for this programme are IELTS (Academic) with an overall score of 6.5 with no individual component score of less than 6.0.  For guidance on the acceptability of other English Language tests please contact pgadmissions@napier.ac.uk

This may not apply if you have completed all your school qualifications in English, or your undergraduate degree was taught and examined in English (within two years of starting your postgraduate course). Check our country pages to find out if this applies to you.

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students from 2024/25 2025/26
Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland-Taught modules *£1,105 *£1,160
Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland-60credit Dissertation module £650 £690
Overseas and EU-Taught Modules *£2,820 *£2,959
Overseas and EU-60credit Dissertation £1,900 £2,000
Please note tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next. For more information on this and other Tuition Fee matters please see Frequently Asked Questions about Fees Click this link for Information of Bursaries and Scholarships
Fees for modules are calculated according to the number of credits (multiples of 20). The rate shown in the table is for 20 credits*. The total fee you will pay is dependant upon the exit award you wish to achieve.
The University offers a 20% discount on Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes to its alumni. The discount applies to all full-time, part-time and online programmes. The discount can only be applied to year one of a full-time Postgraduate degree, any additional years are exempt from the discount. For part time Postgraduate degrees the discount will apply to years one, two and three only and any additional years will be exempt from the discount.
Please note that the tuition fees liable to be paid by EU nationals commencing their studies from 1 August 2021 will be the Overseas fee rate. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.


Please note:

The discount for Edinburgh Napier alumni can only be applied to year one of a full-time Postgraduate degree, any additional years are exempt from the discount.

For part time Postgraduate degrees the discount will apply to years one, two and three only and any additional years will be exempt from the discount.

Please read our full T&C here

Careers

What can you do with a healthcare management degree?

By studying healthcare management at Edinburgh Napier University, you will become an innovative leader in healthcare practice, with strong communication and collaboration skills which will enable you to work effectively as a healthcare manager. You will learn how to critically analyse current health and social policy at a local, national and global level and develop your problem-solving skills to influence strategic and organisational decision making in the wider healthcare context.

What does a healthcare manager do?

Health care managers play a crucial role in ensuring the efficient and effective operation of health care departments within primary healthcare and social care settings. They are responsible for planning, coordinating, and overseeing the delivery of health services. This may include managing staff, budgets, and resources to ensure the delivery of safe and effective high-quality patient care.

Future healthcare managers need to be able to integrate theory and practice to be able to work effectively in a highly complex and rapidly changing healthcare environment.

Daily tasks and responsibilities within this role may include:

  • Effective management of self and others
  • Fiscal and budget responsibilities
  • Policy implementation based on available research & evidence
  • Ensuring regulatory compliance
  • Contribute to the delivery of sustainable healthcare
  • Strategic planning of healthcare services