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Full-Time Master's Programme

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Overview

This MSc in Healthcare Operational Management has been designed to fulfil the specific needs and requirements of graduates interested in a management or leadership role within the complex healthcare service sector.

Healthcare organisations share commonalities with production facilities, including the need for efficient process flow, change management, and quality standards. As a student you will explore the principles, approaches, strategies, and techniques for analysing, designing, and managing complex healthcare systems. You will learn to measure efficiency and improve effectiveness, productivity, quality, and safety.

Throughout the year, you’ll acquire the skills and knowledge to assess organisational performance and drive the development and implementation of innovation in healthcare organisations in order to bring about improvement. You will learn about the workings of health systems and the processes that have impact on the industry today, such as the transformative abilities of technology and data.

We will provide you with an insight into health systems modelling, e-health, health informatics, and epidemiology. Ultimately, you will gain the essential knowledge to manage the integration of people, systems, and technologies to ensure the delivery of consistent high quality, person-centric care.

The next tab 'course content' will go into detail about the modules covered within the MSc in Healthcare Operational Management.

Dr Sudi Lahiri talks about Project Management in Healthcare

"Health care service delivery is one of the largest and most dynamic industries in the world. It is also heavily regulated and resource intensive. Hence, healthcare organisations are constantly exploring new ways to improve resource efficiency and return on investments while ensuring that service quality is of the highest standard. These realities have also created exciting opportunities for innovation in the management of healthcare quality improvement projects. It entails understanding stakeholder requirements; managing collaborations with multiple sponsors around different sets of priorities; planning and developing solutions within tightly controlled deadlines in the face of limited resources; and ensuring that deliverables of the project are successfully met against industry accepted benchmarks and government regulations; while also meeting stakeholder requirements around quality, safety and cost."

Read about 'Skilling Healthcare Professionals in a Constantly Evolving Landscape'

Watch our Course Leader's video explanation of MSc Healthcare Operational Management below:

Date
Tuesday, 01 January 2019

Course content

Course modules

This course comprises of the following modules:

You are required to pass eight modules in total for this MSc course.

Please note: the modules outlined above represent those available for this course in the 2022/23 academic year. They should be regarded as an illustrative guide to modules available in future years.

Project

Your project is worth 33% of your final grade and supports you in developing your personal research and analytical skills.

Your research will be broadly related to issues of quality and productivity in the healthcare context and will allow you to focus on an aspect of particular interest to you. For example, that may be around healthcare service design, the use of big data and artificial intelligence in healthcare, the use of technology to improve service delivery, or the implementation of innovation in hospital care - the scope is very wide.

We've listed a few specific project examples below to give you a feel for what some students are focusing on this year:

  • Modelling and Analysis of Patient Flow in the Emergency Department for Quality Improvement
  • Improving Service Design Through the Use of Informatics
  • Healthcare Service Design for Quality Improvement
  • The Productive Operating Theatre: Exploring Healthcare Staff Perceptions of a Lean Programme to Improve Surgical Efficiency and Productivity
  • The Impact of Chronic Disease Self-management on the Healthcare System Using System Dynamics
  • Modelling Patient Flow Using Statistical Tools from A&E to Inpatient Wards
  • Cost-effective Healthcare Service Design
Learning style

The taught component of the course is a mixture of lectures, seminars, syndicate/group work, practicals, online learning and forum activities. Module leaders are experts in their fields and are supported by external speakers working in organisations at the forefront of their fields.

The taught component of the course is assessed primarily through written assignments, although some modules include assessed in-module exercises. There are no written exams on this course.

Each module usually lasts one week. See here for more information about the course structure.

Date
Friday, 01 February 2019

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

In order to meet our academic entry requirement, you should have obtained the minimum of a UK 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalentLink opens in a new window).

Candidates with a UK 2:2 (or equivalentLink opens in a new window) may be accepted upon demonstration of relevant professional experience.

This MSc in Healthcare Operational Management has been designed to fulfil the specific needs and requirements of graduates interested in a management or leadership role within the complex healthcare service sector. It is suitable for graduates from a broad range of academic disciplines across technical, engineering, scientific, medical, management and social sciences.

Candidates with quantitative backgrounds will find this course especially appealing.

English language

If you are a non-native English speaker, we need to confirm that your English language competency is sufficiently good for you to get the most out of your Master's study. We therefore require you to take a SELT (Secure English Language Test) and submit your results as one of your academic requirements.

Whilst we encourage you to take your English test as early as possible, you can upload your results later in the application cycle. You do not need to delay your application until you've taken an English test.

If you are taking an IELTS test, we require a score of 6.5 (with no less than 6.0 in any one component). Please view our web page here for a full list of accepted tests, together with the grades required.

Date
Friday, 01 March 2019

How to apply

Course code for MSc Healthcare Operational Management: P-H1S5
What you will need to provide
  • A completed application form and £60 application fee.
  • A Personal Statement which can be included in the online application.
  • A scan of your transcript (marksheet). If you are still studying, please send us your transcripts to date. NB: if you are made an offer, we will then require you to upload your online degree transcripts and certificate in order to clear your conditions.
  • English language test result (if applicable) - this can be submitted after you have an offer.
  • One reference. If you completed studies less than 2 years ago, this should be an academic reference. If you graduated more than 2 years ago, we will require a professional reference. We contact your referee directly, so please include their valid professional email address on your application form.
  • Candidates with professional experience should include their CV with their application.

You can read more about the application process, and access a link to the application form, on our how to apply web page.

Date
Monday, 01 April 2019

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

For 2023 entry, the tuition fees are as follows: £17,150 (Home students) and £31,450 (Overseas students)

If you are successful in receiving an offer, a deposit payment is required in order to secure your place on the course. Further information about deposits will be communicated to you on receipt of your offer. You can also find more information about tuition fee deposits on our web pageLink opens in a new window. Your remaining tuition fee is then payable at the start of the academic year, or in instalments. For information about how to pay your tuition fees, please review the University's finance web pagesLink opens in a new window.

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship logoMSc Healthcare Operational Management is an approved course for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship, for study during the 2023/24 academic year. Commonwealth Shared Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals, from eligible countries, to gain skills and knowledge which will allow them to contribute to the development of their home countries. The award is for those who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK. Find out more on our web page.

WMG Excellence Scholarships

WMG Excellence Scholarships are merit-based awards, available on a competitive basis. Awards range from 10% to 50% tuition fee discount.

Applications will be judged on past academic achievement, professional experience, reasons for study, and your vision for the future. View our WMG Excellence Scholarship pageLink opens in a new window for full details on how to apply for this award.

Additional Scholarship opportunities

You might also be eligible to apply for other scholarships from the University of Warwick, such as the Warwick Taught Masters Scholarship Scheme; as well as awards from external funding bodies, including Chevening Scholarships. For additional funding opportunities and eligibility details, please visit our Funding web pageLink opens in a new window.

Date
Wednesday, 01 May 2019

Employability

Employability and career prospects

Healthcare is a dynamic sector with ever increasing demands worldwide. There is a constant need for experts with the knowledge, skills and expertise to manage and drive innovation, implement change and improve quality and efficiency in healthcare services.

As a graduate of HOM, you will have a broad range of career opportunities open to you within managerial or organisational leadership roles. With additional experience, you can expect to progress into a key executive role in the healthcare sector, which would involve leading and overseeing programmes, service transformation and policy.

Graduates from this course have gone on to positions within Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trusts, Government, Private Healthcare Providers, and Consultancy Firms, in roles including:

  • Assistant Performance Analyst
  • Associate Consultant - Digital and Smart Analytics
  • Chief Strategy Officer: Healthcare and Applied AI
  • Health Analytics Manager
  • Junior Operations Manager
  • Multidisciplinary Team Coordinator Assistant
  • Patient Access Specialist
  • Programme Director
  • Quality Monitor Specialist
  • Service Transformation Officer
  • Theatre Productivity Administration Manager
"There’s no doubt the MSc has boosted my career, which is now aligned with future technologies in healthcare"

Now working as Chief Strategy Officer at iDoc.ai, a teleglobal consulting digital health initiative, MSc HOM graduate Gaurav Kala is focused on developing solutions to address accessibility and affordability problems in care delivery through the deployment of technologies such as deep learning and intervention-based health.

Currently, he and the team of 17 that he leads are developing innovative AI-powered solutions that enable early detection of ailments. “AI can assist clinicians to detect diseases like cancer and diabetes with greater accuracy, and change their prognosis and management”.

To find out more about Gaurav's role you can visit his alumni story.

WMG: a department embedded in industry

You'll be studying in an environment surrounded by professionals from a range of industries and sectors; including hearing directly from industry experts and guest speakers in many of our modules.

Throughout the year, we also host activities and events that will help you to understand potential career pathways including; seminars; external speakers; industrial visits; alumni talks and more. We encourage our students to make the most of the opportunities available to learn about career options for the future.

Warwick Careers Service

The University of Warwick's Careers Service offers specific careers support to WMG students, through a dedicated Careers Advisor, Siobhan Qadir. The service provides practical workshops and 1-1 appointments for our students covering many aspects of career choice and development, including: how to build a strong CV and write job applications; effective career planning and guidance; and how to enhance your interview and networking skills.

Additionally, each year, employers have a presence on campus, with careers fairs, presentations and guest lectures happening on a regular basis; meaning you'll have lots of exposure to potential employers.

There are also various events run throughout the year to develop your skillset and teach you how to market this to employers. Individual workshops are hosted on a variety of topics, such as networking and time management. Or for those interested in a more complete programme, you can partake in awards such as WMG Skills+ to develop your core employability skills, or the Intercultural Training Programme to strengthen your intercultural awareness. In addition, there is a wealth of online material available to help strengthen your industrial knowledge and build on employability skills, such as the WMG Virtual Careers Programme. Find out more about the support available to you by visiting our Careers and Employability page.

Alumni

We hope that your relationship with WMG and the University of Warwick will continue long after your graduate. The university and the department both have vast alumni networks and, upon graduation, you'll be a member of this ever-growing community of professionals working in countries around the world. You'll have access to our alumni support; events; e-mentoring scheme; amongst many other opportunities.

You can read about more about the careers and experiences of our alumni on our alumni profiles web pages.

      Date
      Saturday, 01 June 2019

      Student views

      What our students say
      Emmanuel Nwagbo

      HOM_studentview1_Nwagbo"The knowledge and exposure I received in this fast-paced year, is invaluable and special. Meeting students from different nationalities and sharing our varied experiences, widened my knowledge about how health systems operate in countries around the world, and the complex challenges that are faced in healthcare enivironments. I really enjoyed the course and its structure, particularly the way the modules were taught and assessed. The course was very challenging; it refined and polished my ability to think critically. As well as this, it engages you and introduces you to new concepts, while encouraging you to go out and search for more answers."

      HOM_student 1Camilla Dobinson

      "I loved the real-world nature of the learning experience at WMG. All the way through the course, I was applying everything I learned to the challenges facing healthcare organisations today, and using that knowledge to formulate solutions" ~ Read more from Camilla

      HOM_student2Pavels Pavlovskis

      "Because you have free time to complete each post module assignment, there’s the chance to research subjects thoroughly. As I worked through the programme, it was amazing how everything came together and I felt that I could see the bigger picture. The guest lecturers we’re fantastic too. These were very experienced high-calibre professionals, mostly from the NHS, who gave us a clear insight into hospital and healthcare operations, the issues they face and the innovative solutions that are driving the future of the sector". ~ Read more from Pavels

      Want to read more from current students and alumni?

      Find out what our current students think about studying at WMG Master's, by checking out our Student Blog web pages. And take a look at the study experiences and career journeys of some of our graduates over on our Alumni Stories web page.

      Date
      Monday, 01 July 2019

      Description

      Developed collaboratively between WMG's Institute of Digital Healthcare, Warwick Medical School, and industry, this programme drives the implementation of innovative services to facilitate quality and productivity improvements in the healthcare service sector.

      key-facts

      *Applications will close prior to the deadline if capacity on this course is reached. Early application is strongly recommended.