Why choose the School of Society, Community and Health
Accredited by the UK Chartered Management Institute (CMI), opening the way to CMI Chartered Manager status.
We collaborate with Healthwatch Luton to provide work-based learning and engagement with health and wellbeing boards in Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes.
In the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2025, our social sciences courses rank in the top 10 in their subject field for teaching (3rd); organisation and feedback (6th); and student engagement (6th).
About the course
If you aspire to support, lead and manage transformative healthcare provision, in the UK and abroad, this course advances your understanding of the opportunities and strategies for integrating hospital and community services including local services, GP partnerships, local authorities, and other healthcare and voluntary bodies. You are encouraged to adopt a critical lens when exploring real-life issues alongside the challenges of planning cost-effective funding and joined-up care, with the aim of improving health outcomes.
Course accreditation
The course is dual-accredited by the UK Chartered Management Institute (CMI), offering successful graduates eligibility for a CMI L7 qualification in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice.
Industry links
We collaborate with Healthwatch Luton as well as the local health and wellbeing boards for Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes, offering students opportunities for work-based learning; interaction with health leaders; and experience of real-world settings and contemporary issues.
Your student experience
The course is offered at three levels: PgCert (60 credits), PgDip (120 credits) and Master’s (180 credits); it’s your choice how far you take your studies.
Learn from an industry-experienced academic team, many of whom maintain relevant registrations via practice or CPD, or are research active across multiple areas.
Local leaders from care boards and other relevant organisations contribute to course delivery, giving you practical experience of working in the system.
Work with Healthwatch Luton to research, explore and design health services for different groups.
Experience field visits to health and wellbeing boards to observe proceedings and gain experience of a range of real-world settings and contemporary issues.
Collaborative leadership in integrated health and care systems – Gain the leadership capabilities to strengthen partnership and collaborative working arrangements across all sectors.
Principles and application of health economics – How economics can support leadership decisions when allocating resources in health and social care settings.
Strategic management and leadership of organisational mental health and wellbeing – Understand the impact of mental health and wellbeing on organisational performance and make recommendations to create a positive culture.
Research methods 1: setting deep foundations – Learn to combine existing policy and data with research evidence, developing your critical appreciation of your chosen field of interest.
Research methods 2: design, data collection and ethics – Use your knowledge of research methods to design a robust, appropriate research proposal.
Dissertation This course offers two approaches to your dissertation.
- Join a relevant organisation (for at least 100 hours) to deliver a work-based project that will create change for integrated healthcare services.
- Complete a postgraduate dissertation researching a question of organisational, theoretical or practice importance that is relevant to the course and your own area of interest.
You also choose from three optional modules:
- Health informatics
- Implementing sustainable lifestyle redesigns in allied health professionals care
- Health and social care inequalities.
For an at-a-glance list of modules for this course, download the course specification.
The assessment strategy is one that draws on applied principles in addressing challenges faced in the context of integrated healthcare pathways. Consequently a wide range of assessment that are informed by the wealth of practice information the workforce will face are incorporated into the assessment on this course; including but not limited to; work-based learning portfolios applied research dissertation e-learning modules posters oral presentations case-study-based assessments and reports.
Careers
Career opportunities include health services evaluation and research manager; health informatics/data analyst; health economist; health policy adviser; mental health liaison practitioner; health-related project business manager/coordinator; client-care manager; data quality and assurance leads; digital health/primary care transformation project leads; health/quality improvement/implementation officer; HR; workforce development lead. This is also a pathway for allied health professionals to specialise in integrated care systems and provisions.
Entry Requirements
2.2 honours degree or equivalent in related area
Entry Requirements
2.2 honours degree or equivalent in related area
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £10,000 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees and living costs. Visit
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email [email protected]
International
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £16,900
If you have any questions around fees and funding, please email [email protected]
