Health Studies
Award
MSc
Duration & study mode
Typically 3 years
School
Health & Life Sciences
Location
Fully online
Course starting dates
-
Fully online: January, May, September
This MSc Health Studies offers health and social care professionals the opportunity to build upon their knowledge and develop the skills and expertise requirements of senior health and social care professionals and strategic leaders.
The programme consists of core and option study modules set within a framework of inter-related themes including:
Modules reflect relevant contemporary issues for healthcare professionals and are mapped against the core and specific dimensions of the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework. These are equally applicable to many professional and organisational groups.
You will also have the opportunity to select areas of particular interest that are meaningful and relevant within your own organisation/work setting.
After my arrival in Scotland, I’d explored a number of other options but the course I chose, MSc Health Studies, fitted with my personal goals. I found this course suitable for people like me who already have extensive healthcare experience and wish to build on their knowledge and skills.
Devashish Ray, Health Studies student
The educational focus of the MSc is on building upon your existing knowledge and skills so that you continue to develop academically, personally and professionally. It supports the concept of lifelong and career-long learning; a continuous process of development, supported by meaningful study, reflection on personal and professional experiences, and shared learning. This is enshrined in the NHS-wide framework to support personal development planning, professional and career development in line with service developments - the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF). Modules in the course are mapped against the KSF.
(The Times / The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019)
Overall student satisfaction amongst UWS postgraduate students (iGraduate Student Barometer 2017-18)
of UWS postgraduate students would recommend UWS to a friend (iGraduate Student Barometer 2017-18)
We welcome Scottish, UK and international students and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
Don’t worry if your qualifications are not listed here, we take a range of factors into account when assessing your application and are happy to consider other alternative combinations of qualifications and experience
If you are applying with an EU or non-EU qualification, please check our Postgraduate & Post-experience Entry Requirements page which gives more information about country-specific entry requirements.
Our course is aimed at health professional graduates or those with substantial professional experience at a senior level.
Applications are welcome from a wide range of backgrounds such as:
You will normally have an Ordinary bachelor's degree or demonstrate relevant senior management experience in a health-related area.
You must have the English language and literary skills as per university guidelines or Nursing and Midwifery guidelines* (IELTS score of 7.0 or above) for work-based modules (see English Language Requirements section and NMC hyperlink below for more information).
* Find out more about Nursing and Midwifery Council Guidelines
For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The qualifications below must have been gained within two years of the start of your course.
General English language requirements at UWS: International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)
Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see section below for more details).
SOCIAL WORK DEGREES
For our BA (Hons) Social Work and MSc Social Work programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:
For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to, or require professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council, applicants are required to have an IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET)*.
For such courses, the IELTS score is as follows:
* Note that the Occupational English Test (OET) will now be accepted in addition to IELTS as proof of a Nurse's English Language Competence (Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2019).
For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
TOEFL IBT*: 78; no sub-test less than:
* Please note that TOEFL is still acceptable for admission to this programme for both home/EU and international students.
For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use TOEFL to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level courses. We therefore still accept TOEFL tests taken in the last two years for admission to this programme.
West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE) including acceptance of WAEC Scratchcard*
*UWS will accept a WAEC scratchcard confirming that an applicant has achieved C6 or above as evidence of meeting English language requirement from Nigeria if the student graduated within the last 5 years. After 5 years applicants would be required to provide the WAEC Certificate.
Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:
Our course consists of a menu of core, option and independent study modules, set within a framework of inter-related themes such as:
The modules are mapped against the core and specific dimensions of the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework. You will also have the opportunity to select areas of particular interest that are meaningful and relevant within your own organisation/work setting.
Our MSc Health Studies has three parts:
To gain the award of MSc Health Studies, students must complete 180 credits.
The PgCert comprises the following core module:
plus a further two 20-credit modules from the following list:
Successful completion of the PgCert allows you to proceed to the PgDip, which consists of the undertaking a further two additional core modules, plus a further one optional module taken from the list above:
Successful completion of the PgDip allows you to proceed to the master's module:
Our learning, teaching and assessment methods enable the learning outcomes to be achieved. A range of learning and teaching strategies are employed by online delivery and include:
Our assessment methodology is influenced by the learning outcomes to be tested and employs a range of methods including:
Graduates have enjoyed enhanced employment prospects in health improvement and public health settings. Upon graduation you will have the capacity to become leaders within your sphere of practice and take up senior roles within:
Previous students who have undertaken our MSc course have been able to secure posts in the following roles:
Our School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery offers academic and professional courses which include the following examples of further, research study/progression routes:
The cost of attending university is an investment in your future career.
In addition to tuition fees and living expenses, some courses involve extra costs like study materials, field trips, equipment and uniforms.
Fortunately, there is a great deal of financial support available to help students meet the cost of their study. This ranges from:
The sections below provide details of additional costs that your course may involve along with any financial support that may be available.
You can also find additional information in our Postgraduate Money, Fees & Funding section.
Students on certain degrees will incur some additional costs not covered by their tuition fees. These could be for things like specialist equipment, study materials, work placements, graduation, membership of relevant organisations or costs related to carrying out fieldwork.
For students on course with an element of fieldwork, there may also be extra costs for travel and accommodation.
Please contact the course leader for details of the additional costs associated with this course.
Tuition fees are calculated based on where you are from and what you are studying. Some courses also involve additional costs, such as mandatory field trips, equipment or studying abroad.
Find out how much it will cost you to study at UWS as a postgraduate student.
Scottish students studying at postgraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.
English, Welsh and Northern Irish students studying at postgraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.
EU students studying at postgraduate level of UWS may be eligible for SAAS funding, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.
There are several scholarship and incentive schemes available to international students studying at postgraduate level at UWS, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.
UWS administer a range of discretionary and childcare funds. These are designed to support students who are experiencing financial difficulty or struggling to meet the costs of childcare.
Becoming a student can have an impact on your entitlement to certain benefits. It may mean you are no longer eligible to claim a benefit you have been receiving, or your new income from student funding may affect the amount you are able to receive.
If there isn’t a statutory source of funding for you or your course, or you are in need of additional financial support, you may wish to consider more alternative sources of funding such as trust funds and scholarships.
Choosing to become a student can have a big impact on your budget and you may need to reassess your spending to account for a reduced income. We’ve put together some guidance to help you manage your money and make the right financial choices for you and your family.
All students should apply directly to the University through our online application system. Before you apply, you should check that you meet our entry requirements and you should have all your supporting documents ready.
The first stage of the process is to complete the initial application form. You will then receive a follow-up email with further instructions relating to your application including documents that you will need to forward to support your application, e.g. degree transcripts and certificates etc.
Most courses don't have a formal closing date, but they will close when they are full; apply early to avoid disappointment. There may also be funding deadlines that apply to you.
The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) applies to all international students and researchers (apart from exempt nationalities) who are subject to UK immigration control and are intending to study or research at postgraduate level in certain sensitive subjects.
Students and researchers who are nationals of EU countries, the European Economic Area (EEA), Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the United States of America do not need an ATAS certificate.
An ATAS certificate may be required for certain taught postgraduate master's degrees for international students at UWS.
For the latest information on ATAS and details of eligibility and how to apply for a certificate check the UK Government's dedicated ATAS web pages.
Do you have a question about applying for this course? Get in touch. We are here to help!
We will always try to make sure that we publish accurate course information but we do not accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We will also try to make sure that we deliver our courses in line with our published information. However, we may not always be able to do so and you can find further information about this in our enrolment terms and conditions.