Today’s global healthcare industry faces unprecedented challenges and requires highly-skilled leaders who can effectively navigate challenging and changing conditions and successfully manage healthcare teams and organisations.
Here’s a guide to help you better understand healthcare management and what’s involved in an MSc Healthcare Management.
What Is Healthcare Management ?
Essentially, healthcare management involves managing healthcare facilities, services and organisations across both the private and public sector.
Healthcare managers oversee the day-to-day operations and facilities of healthcare organisations to ensure healthcare services and facilities offered are optimal and benefit both patients and staff. This includes managing budgets, maximising service efficiency and leading healthcare teams.
Why Study a Healthcare Management Master’s Degree?
If you’re interested in working in a leadership role within the healthcare industry, a healthcare management master’s can be a pivotal step in your career growth.
A healthcare management master’s degree will give you the tools you need to face the industry’s complex challenges – you’ll gain essential confidence and skills in areas such as leadership, crisis management, problem-solving, and change management.
Equipped with these skills, you’ll be empowered to make a meaningful difference in patients’ lives and improve their health and wellbeing.
Online MSc Healthcare Management Course Structure
Online MSc Healthcare Management courses are typically made up of core modules and a dissertation, which provides you with the unique opportunity to take on an original research project in an area you’re interested in.
Core modules of the course typically cover:
- Healthcare leadership and management
- Change management
- Healthcare innovation and systems
- Finance and budgeting
- Research methods and data analysis
- Sustainability in healthcare
Healthcare Management Careers
With growing and ageing populations around the world, as well as unprecedented challenges such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare system continues to experience ever-increasing demand. This means healthcare management professionals are highly sought-after in healthcare organisations around the world.
Some of the roles you can take on with an MSc in Healthcare Management include:
- Health Department Manager
- Healthcare Administrator
- Clinical Supervisor/Manager
- Healthcare Manager
An MSc Healthcare Management can also equip you with a range of transferable skills, such as communication, leadership and decision-making skills, that will help you in any leadership role.
How Much Can You Earn With Healthcare Management Qualifications?
In the UK, an average salary for a healthcare management graduate is around £44,000, depending on the organisation and area of work.
Senior-level healthcare managers, such as directors and chief executives, can expect to earn over £100,000.
Course Start Dates
Online MSc Healthcare Management courses usually start in January and September each year, but some UK universities may offer monthly start dates – check your preferred course page for more detailed information on start dates.
Online Degree Accreditation
It’s important to keep in mind when you’re looking into MSc Healthcare Management courses that for a university to have UK degree-awarding authority, they need to be accredited by the UK Government – find out how to check if a university is accredited in the UK.
Entry Requirements
Qualifications Needed
To apply for an MSc in Healthcare Management, you’ll usually need:
- A minimum 2:1 degree from a UK university or overseas equivalent
- An IELTS score of 6.5 or above, if English isn’t your native language
If you don’t already have a degree, some universities may consider your relevant professional experience and/or qualifications – check with the university whether you meet their entry requirements based on your professional experience and/or qualifications.
Application Deadlines
Because of their high demand, places in online MSc Healthcare Management courses can be very competitive. So it’s a good idea to prepare and submit your course application as early as you can.
Check your preferred course page for specific course application deadlines – we recommend that you prepare your course application at least 3 months before the deadline to give you enough time to put together your documents and organise funding for your course.
The documents you’ll need to apply for an online MSc Healthcare Management usually include:
- An online application form
- CV
- Personal statement
- Previous certificates and transcripts
Learning Format
Online MSc Healthcare Management courses give you the freedom and flexibility to study online, alongside your full-time job and other commitments.
Most online MSc Healthcare Management courses are delivered via asynchronous course content, so you won’t need to attend live tutorials or lectures. But others may have live tutorials and/or lectures that you’ll need to attend – you can usually attend these remotely online, though.
Remote/Online Learning
With an online MSc Healthcare Management, you can keep working full-time and earning a full-time income while you study.
You’ll have online access to all the support and resources you need to help you throughout the course – including access to tutors, academics, and your global cohort of like-minded healthcare professionals.
With an online MSc Healthcare Management, you can also create your own study schedule so that it works best for you and your individual circumstances – discover tips on how to effectively balance work, life and study.
Age and Experience
Online MSc Healthcare Management courses are popular among mature age students already working in healthcare and looking to further build on their existing knowledge and skills.
Studying an online MSc Healthcare Management as a mature age student enables you to:
- Gain a promotion and higher salary within your current healthcare organisation, or pursue more senior healthcare management roles with other organisations
- Leverage your existing experience to achieve greater success in your studies
- Expand your knowledge through the diverse insights and perspectives of your global student cohort
- Use the professional skills you’ve gained in the workplace to help you manage your studies successfully alongside your work and personal commitments
Duration and Time Commitments
MSc Healthcare Management courses are usually made up of 180 Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) points, or ‘credits’ – equivalent to approximately 1,800 total study hours.
Because of work commitments, mature age students tend to choose to study online MSc Healthcare Management courses part-time – this allows them to break down their study hours into more realistic and manageable chunks. You can use our part-time study calculator to find out how long it should take to finish your MSc based on how many hours you can study.
Effective time management is especially important when you’re studying an online MSc alongside your full-time job and other commitments – setting a clearly-defined study schedule before your course starts can help to ensure you stay on-track with your studies.
Course Costs
General Costs
Costs involved in studying an online MSc Healthcare Management include:
Tuition fees – These can range from £8,000 to £25,000, depending on the university. Check your chosen course page for specific details on course tuition fees.
Other costs – If your chosen course requires you to complete exams, you may also need to pay exam fees (plus any travel-related costs if you need to travel to an exam centre).
Funding Options
If you’re a UK resident and want to apply for an MSc, you may be eligible for a Master’s Loan – a government-funded loan that can cover your course costs. You’ll only need to make loan repayments on the loan once you earn over a set amount.
You can find out more about student finance options.
Scholarships and Grants
Many UK universities currently offer grants and scholarships, so be sure to check with your chosen university if they offer any first before you decide how you’ll fund your MSc studies.
We have a number of guides on ways to fund online university study.
You can also visit The Scholarship Hub for more information on UK scholarships, grants and bursaries that may be available.
If you’re a registered UK Study Online subscriber and meet the eligibility criteria, you’ll go into the draw to win a scholarship that can go towards your MSc Healthcare Management tuition fees.
