Health Care Policy and Management

Entry requirements

The normal entrance requirement is a good Honours degree (upper second-class or above), or an equivalent professional qualification and professional experience. However, appropriate career experience may be taken into account.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The MSc Health Care Policy and Management provides both theoretical frameworks and practical tools that can be applied to health systems in the UK and overseas, designed for senior managers, clinicians and policy makers working in or with health care organisations, or with an interest in developing their careers in this direction.

The MSc in Health Care Policy and Management has specialist options available in:

• Commissioning
• Quality and Service Improvement

group of mature studentsHealth systems are complex in nature. Governments and health care organisations have to manage need and demand with finite resources and increasing public expectations. Within the UK, the NHS is expected to deliver on national targets, improve organisational performance, and respond to local needs and demands, and internationally most countries face similar challenges.

To manage this complexity successfully, health care managers and clinicians need the knowledge, skills and resources to bring about sustainable change. This MSc provides both theoretical frameworks and practical tools that can be applied to health systems in the UK and overseas.

The programme is designed for senior managers, clinicians and policy makers working in or with health care organisations, or with an interest in developing their careers in this direction.

Programme structure

The MSc programme is offered on a full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 year) basis, and consists of four compulsory modules, two optional modules and a dissertation.

The Postgraduate Diploma is offered on a full-time (9 months) or part-time (21 months) basis, and consists of four compulsory modules and two optional modules.

Each module involves approximately 30 hours contact time. To aid those travelling from distance, modules are delivered in units (for example 5 consecutive days, or units of three and two consecutive days).

Specialisms and option modules

HSMC offers the opportunity to graduate with a specialism in a specific area of Health Care Policy and Management. In order to gain a specialism you should use your option modules (two x 20 credits) to focus on one of the following themes:

• Commissioning (‘Strategic Commissioning’ plus one of: ‘Public Service Procurement and Contracting’ and ‘Law, Regulation and Finance of Commissioning’)
• Quality and Service Improvement (‘Quality and Service Improvement in Health Care' and 'Quality and Innovation: approaches to improvement')

Alternatively, participants can select any two of these as option modules. Particpants may also choose from a range of more than fifty other approved modules from the broader school, college and university. Choices are subject to approval by the Programme Director, taking into account module availability, timetabling considerations and demand/viability.

Explore postgraduate study at Birmingham at one of our on-campus open days. Register to attend at: www.birmingham.ac.uk/pgopendays

If you can’t make it to one of our on-campus open days, our virtual open days run regularly throughout the year. For more information, please visit: www.pg.bham.ac.uk

Information for international students

International students can find details of scholarships at www.international.bham.ac.uk/scholarships.htm

Fees and funding

Please visit:

www.birmingham.ac.uk/pgfunding

Qualification and course duration

MSc

PGDip