MSc Professional Practice in Health (Leadership and Management)

Entry Requirements 2025/26

Standard Entry

Applicants should normally have:

A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree in a relevant subject.

Applicants must be working in health and social practice and hold appropriate registration with a relevant professional body such as the NMC or HCPC, or have a professional qualification relating to their area of practice.

Other qualifications, equivalent professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience will be considered on an individual basis.

The university accepts Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for entry onto the programme subject to approval by the Programme Leader.

International qualifications:

If you have studied a non UK qualification, you can see how your qualifications compare to the standard entry criteria, by selecting the country that you received the qualification in, from our country pages. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English language requirements:

International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7 with 7 in each component (or approved equivalent*).

*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

Fees and Funding 2025/26 Entry

Full UK Fee: TBC

Full International Fee: TBC

Scholarships and Discounts

Discover More about Fees, Scholarships and other Funding options for UK and International applicants.

ADDITIONAL COSTS

There are no Additional Costs

Modules Overview 2025/26

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

Year one Year two Year three

Year one

AC7155 -

Leadership, Management and Decision Making in Healthcare (Core,20 Credits)

This module will focus upon three central and complex areas key to the development of your own practice i.e. Leadership, Management and Decision Making. The module will therefore prepare you to apply effective leadership within the delivery of your service. You will learn about models and frameworks of leadership and application of these within your area of professional practice. This will include leadership styles, communication strategies and conflict management. You will learn to access strategies and behaviours for effective leadership and management that will assist you in achieving and maintaining leadership of self and others. Module content will also include the main theoretical approaches to decision making and allow you to explore and apply these principles. You will learn to critically evaluate the complexity and uncertainty within which judgements and decisions are made, examining how decision-making skills are acquired and better utilised in the range of health and social practice.

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AC7156 -

Leading Quality and Service Improvement in Practice (Core,20 Credits)

This module is for students on the MSc Professional Practice in Health programme. This module will help you advance your knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to leading and advancing practice in your own professional field. You will have the opportunity to identify an area of contemporary practice with a focus on quality improvement, seeking to improve service user outcomes through the systematic review of services against specific criteria. Following this, recommendations for service improvement are identified. You will have the opportunity to plan and complete an audit, sourcing and critiquing a range of relevant contemporary evidence, apply leadership and change theories and contextualise learning in order to prepare you for advancing and leading practice. The module content will include, clinical audit approaches, leadership and change theory, development of strategic leadership skills and networking, promotion of research-based practice and integration of research and theory to practice. You will have the opportunity to apply and relate what you learn on the module towards your academic assessment, which is the development and presentation of a poster and written abstract similar to those presented at a conference.

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AC7158 -

Critical Evaluation of Contemporary Practice (Core,20 Credits)

Policy and Socio-economic drivers for practice
Emerging reports and headlines in health and social care
Organisation Culture and impact on service delivery
Quality improvement
Workforce development across health and social care
Enhancing the use of Digital technology and AI
Commissioning and budgetary considerations
Advancing practice and leading and managing change
Governance issues
Communities of practice
Stakeholder engagement

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Year two

AC7157 -

Managing Strategic Thinking in Healthcare (Core,20 Credits)

This module will focus on the theoretical concepts and phases of strategic thinking in health and social practice. It will consider the principles of strategic thinking for your own cognitive development, exploring this in the context of a critical exploration of the development of your own practice area. The module will also critically examine the complexity associated with strategic thinking, goal setting, planning, resourcing, and explore the assumptions of existing knowledge, current research evidence, policy and empirical evidence. You will consider and explore logic and creative approaches to problem solving, encouraging and developing your proactive application of strategic thinking in an effective way. You will learn about models and frameworks of strategic thinking, applying and considering this in the context of your own area of professional practice. This also entails the consideration of communication strategy and engagement over a range of organisations. The exploration of all of these areas will enable you to access strategies and behaviours for strategic thinking, assisting your development of solution focused approaches to challenges in healthcare practice.

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AC7159 -

Research Approaches and Methods in Healthcare Practice (Core,40 Credits)

On this module you will appreciate the knowledge and skills needed to undertake meaningful research. You will gain a thorough understanding research philosophies, methodological approaches and the different methods associated with a range of research traditions. You will explore the value of research evidence in informing health and social practice and be able to apply the principles of research to critically appraise research quality. The module encompasses a range of topics essential for effective research, including:

• Locating and organising literature
• philosophical assumptions that underpin different approaches to enquiry
• Key methodologies, including qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, systematic reviews and service improvement approaches
• Associated techniques for data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
• Safeguarding research integrity through research governance, addressing quality principles and ethical considerations.

By the end of the module, you will have the skills and confidence to prepare a well-structured research proposal/protocol on a topic that aligns with your interests and contributes meaningfully to health and social practice.

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Year three

AC7160 -

Enhancing practice through research and improvement - dissertation (Core,60 Credits)

This module aims to integrate research and service improvement efforts through collaboration, focusing on three main forms of inquiry: empirical research, systematic review and service improvement projects.

Empirical research emphasises the student as a researcher, providing opportunities to collect and analyse primary qualitative and/or quantitative data to answer relevant research questions. You will explore various methodologies to understand and potentially transform individual or systemic practice. Key areas of empirical research project include worldviews, philosophical paradigms, research question formulation, research approaches and design, literature review, ethical considerations, sample selection, data collection, rigour, trustworthiness and data analysis.

Systematic reviews are a valuable form of theoretical research, offering a clear and critical synthesis of existing knowledge on a specific topic. In this module, you will engage with a rigorous and methodical approach to identifying, selecting, appraising, and synthesising research to address well-defined review question(s). This process includes conducting a thorough literature search, applying precise eligibility criteria, critically evaluating the quality of selected studies, and synthesising findings to draw meaningful and evidence-based conclusions.

A service improvement project will allow you to integrate reflection, theory, action, and practice. Using an appropriate framework for change you will implement a service change which is compatible with the needs of the service user and organisation. You will negotiate and collaborate with relevant stakeholders in the planning and implementation of your project. Key areas for service improvement project include leadership skills, project coordination, decision making, auditing skills, reflective practice, literature evaluation, relevant data collection and project planning and implementation of change management methodologies.

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Modules Overview 2026/27

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

Year one Year two Year three

Year one

AC7155 -

Leadership, Management and Decision Making in Healthcare (Core,20 Credits)

More information

AC7156 -

Leading Quality and Service Improvement in Practice (Core,20 Credits)

More information

AC7158 -

Critical Evaluation of Contemporary Practice (Core,20 Credits)

More information

Year two

AC7157 -

Managing Strategic Thinking in Healthcare (Core,20 Credits)

More information

AC7159 -

Research Approaches and Methods in Healthcare Practice (Core,40 Credits)

More information

Year three

AC7160 -

Enhancing practice through research and improvement - dissertation (Core,60 Credits)

More information

MSc Professional Practice in Health (Leadership and Management)

Course Information

Overview

The Professional Practice in health programme supports learners who wish to advance their knowledge, understanding and skills in the areas of healthcare practice through Continuous Professional Development (CPD).

Entry Requirements 2025/26

Standard Entry

Fees and Funding 2025/26 Entry

Modules Overview 2025/26

Modules

Year one

Year two

Year three

Modules Overview 2026/27

Modules

Year one

Year two

Year three

Modules Overview

Modules previously available as single modules are now incorporated into our Professional Practice in Health programme where they can be used to build an award or studied alone using a single refined application process.

Teaching Staff

Learning and teaching is delivered by experienced research active academics and clinicians, who hold international expertise and extensive clinical experience, emphasising a research rich approach which underpins programme content.

Facilities

Your Career

As a student in this programme, you are likely already employed within a healthcare setting.

Modules previously available as single modules are now incorporated into our Professional Practice in Health programme where they can be used to build an award or studied alone using a single refined application process.