The MSc Healthcare Leadership supports professionals to become impactful leaders for the advancement of today’s health and social care environment. The course is suitable for a range of professionals who are involved in health or social care delivery, locally, nationally, or globally.
Through this course we provide a platform for professionals to explore health and social care quality, capacity, and resilience, underpinned by person centred principles. This inter-disciplinary course involves the Schools of Law, Computing, Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedic Practice and Aberdeen Business School and focuses on leadership, law, ethics, technology, finance, population health, change management and data analysis.
We're equipping professionals to lead change in a range of health and social care settings and ensure learning is evidence-based.
This course addresses a range of essential concepts for healthcare leadership which are embedded across the modules. The main themes in the course are: leadership, change, innovation and research, digital technology and problem-solving/decision-making for leadership. The design of the modules facilitates their application to practice-based problems and scenarios to integrate the theory delivered to the student's health context to support their development. The course is informed by the most relevant local, national and global policies, frameworks and strategies thereby ensuring the content remains contemporary and relevant.
Stage 1
In the first stage we will cover leadership, digital literacy, population health and module/s from our elective portfolio of finance and management, data analytics and decision making, leading change, law and ethics and leadership in professional contexts.
Stage 2
Full time students in stage 2 will study research and innovation and two of our elective portfolio topics. Part time students in stage 2 will study population health and choose 1 module from our elective portfolio.
Stage 3
You will undertake a dissertation module and project.
Find out more
Modules
Modules and delivery order may change for operational purposes. The University regularly reviews its courses. Course content and structure may change over time. See our course and module disclaimer for more information.
Detailed module informationLearning Methods
The MSc Healthcare Leadership Course is driven by a philosophy that is student-centred, progressive and applicable to practice. For full time students, a hybrid approach to learning is adopted, with face-to-face teaching on campus and learning within our virtual learning environment, Moodle. For part time students the course is fully online.
Students will apply theoretical learning to health and social care development in a variety of contexts. Exploration and discussion of theory will take place with a diverse selection of students and lecturing staff from various Schools within the university through our elective modules taken from a portfolio of learning.
Activity Summary
Full-time
- Lectures - 35 students per group, 14 hours per week
- Seminars - 35 students per group, typically 2 hours per week
- Project Supervision - one-to-one, 1 hour per week (Dissertation Project - 8 hours total)
- Unsupervised collaborative group study - 8 students per group, typically 2-4 hours per week
- Independent Study - 15-20 hours per week
Part-time
- Lectures - one student per group, 1 hour per week
- Webinar - 10-35 students per group, 4 hours per week
- Project Supervision - one-to-one, 30 minutes per week (Dissertation Project - 8 hours total)
- Unsupervised collaborative group study - 8 students per group, typically 2-4 hours per week
- Independent Study - 15-20 hours per week
Independent Study
Self-study time is an important part of your success, including learning in practice settings. You will be considered adult learners who need strong organisation and self-direction skills.
Assessment
Full time
- 3-5 written assignments, including essay
- 1 (elective) report
- 1 dissertation or project output
- 1 oral assessment
Part-time
Year 1
- 1-3 written assignments, including essay
- 1 (elective) report
- 1 (elective) project output
- 1 oral assessment
Year 2
- 2-4 written assignments, including essay
- 1 (elective) report
- 1 (elective) project output
Year 3
- 1 dissertation
Feedback
We aim to provide you with feedback within 20 working days of hand-in for all written exams, coursework and practical exams.
Staff Delivering on this Course
All teaching staff have relevant backgrounds and expertise to deliver this course. As employees of RGU they will have undertaken a recognised teaching qualification through the Higher Education Academy. Where appropriate, they are registered professionals in their area of specialty. They are subject specialists and have educational and research experience. We have Technology Enhanced Advisors who support all our teaching and learning and assessment activities. Teaching will be supported by industry experts, guest lecturers and research staff.
Academic Support
The Inclusion Centre advises and supports students who disclose a sensory or mobility impairment, chronic medical condition, mental health issue, dyslexia and other specific learning differences. Applicants are encouraged to arrange a pre-entry visit to discuss any concerns and to view the facilities.
Online Learning & Support
All undergraduate and postgraduate students, whether you are learning on campus or by online learning, benefit from using our collaborative virtual learning environment, CampusMoodle. You will be provided with 24/7 online access to your learning material and resources, along with the ability to interact with your class members and tutors for discussion and support.
Study Skills Support
The Study Support Team provides training and support to all students in:
- Academic writing
- Study skills (note taking, exam techniques, time management, presentation)
- Maths and statistics
- English language
- Information technology support
Library Support
The Library offers support for your course, including the books, eBooks, and journals you will need. We also offer online reading lists for many modules, workshops and drop-ins on searching skills and referencing, and much more.
Jobs
Is MSC Healthcare Leadership a good career choice?
As a graduate, you will be able to progress into a health and social care leadership role contributing to the understanding and development of improving health and social care outcomes; patient safety outcomes; service delivery and quality improvement. You will develop the skills to become instrumental in determining the culture of an organisation, lead a large health and care organisation, manage a department or team, provide home-based support, or lead a particular project. You may enter into academia and undertake further research and progress to Doctoral Study.
What is needed to study MSc Healthcare Leadership?
This course is suitable for professionals working in health and social care, including National Health Services, care organisations, private health organisations, care homes, local authorities, government health roles, occupational health, non-governmental and voluntary organisations with a care focus in the UK and internationally.
Standard Entry Requirements
- Applicants normally hold a 2:2 undergraduate honours degree or its equivalent in any subject discipline.
- Applicants with a lower degree classification and / or relevant work experience may be considered on a case by case basis.
- Current (or recent) care work-related experience is required of all candidates seeking admission
Alternative Qualifications
Applicants who do not meet the standard entry qualifications, but do have a professional qualification, combined with a minimum of two years of relevant work experience may be considered on an individual case-by-case basis.
Applicants will be required to provide a Personal Statement in support of their application which demonstrates their understanding of the course and the relevance to their future plans.
International Students
International students who do not meet our direct entry requirements for this course can gain additional entry points through our International College at Robert Gordon University:
English Language Requirements
Applicants whose first language is not English should have an IELTS of 6.5 overall, with no component lower than 5.5, or an equivalent.
We accept a variety of in-country and secure English language tests, find out more:
Please note, some courses may require a higher standard of English than stated in this page. Contact admissions@rgu.ac.uk for further information.
For Academic Year 2024/2025
UK & EU Students
Full Time
- £8,110 for entire course
Part Time
- £3,040 for Stage 1
- £3,040 for Stage 2
- £2,030 for Stage 3
International Students
Full Time
- £14,690 for entire course
Part Time
- £5,510 for Stage 1
- £5,510 for Stage 2
- £3,670 for Stage 3
Additional Costs
Some other costs are not included in the course fees:
- The cost of books that you may wish to purchase.
- Costs associated with any placement / study abroad
- Accommodation and Living Costs
- Printing
Alumni Discount
Robert Gordon University is delighted to offer a 20% discount on course fees for all alumni who have graduated from RGU.
Student Funding
Postgraduate students will normally make their own arrangements for payment of fees. However, there are a limited number of SAAS funded places on certain postgraduate courses.
Scholarships and Financial Awards
You may qualify for a scholarship or financial award:
Disclaimer
For new intakes, course fees are reviewed and published annually for each mode of delivery. Tuition fees are fixed for the duration of a course at the rate confirmed in the offer letter. For further information:
Any questions?
Get in touch with our Student Admissions Service and we'll do our best to help.