Why study MSc Healthcare Leadership and Management (Online) at Exeter?
Study contemporary approaches to leadership and management in healthcare, including resource management, quality improvement, leading change and health and care policy
Fully online, part-time study designed to fit around demanding healthcare roles, with flexible asynchronous delivery.
Learn alongside clinical and managerial professionals working in the NHS and wider healthcare systems.
Apply theory to real-world challenges drawn from your own experience and using NHS, global healthcare and commercial sector case studies.
Top 10 in the UK for our world-leading and internationally excellent Clinical Medicine research
Based on 4* + 3* research in REF 2021
Our Public Health research is 11th in the UK for research power
Submitted to UoA2 Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care. REF 2021
Top 150 in the world for Public, Environmental and Occupational Health
U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities 2025-26
Course content
Contemporary healthcare requires skilled leadership and management to address complexity, resource constraints and rapid change. This online MSc in Healthcare Leadership and Management develops the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to become an effective and compassionate leader of evolving healthcare services.
You will evaluate and apply theory in healthcare leadership, resource management, policy, resourcing, quality improvement and implementation science to real-world challenges. Learning is grounded in comparative case studies from the NHS, global healthcare systems and the commercial sector, enabling you to critically assess different models and their relevance to the UK healthcare context.
With a strong focus on future healthcare needs, you will explore complex systems, digital health and data analytics to improve care quality, health equity and public health outcomes. Flexible online delivery allows you to study part-time alongside professional practice.
To make it easier to budget, you don’t need to pay the total fee upfront. Instead, you can pay for each module as you are about to start studying it. You can pay for the whole year if you prefer, but the minimum payment is at least the cost of the module you are taking that term.
Find out more about the funding opportunities available to you, including the UK government postgraduate loan scheme.
What opportunities does an online Masters in Healthcare Leadership and Management lead to?
Employer-valued skills this course develops
You will develop skills in strategic management and change leadership, financial decision-making, systems-thinking and digital transformation relevant to senior roles in healthcare.
Career paths
The programme is aimed at clinical and managerial professionals working in the NHS and prepares you to lead service improvement, innovation and organisational change from bedside to board level.
Further study
This programme is designed to be studied as a full MSc, with the flexibility to exit earlier with a PGCert or PGDip if your circumstances change. You can also study individual modules, with one topic available each term, allowing you to build your learning over time.
Complete the form to speak with our team about the best pathway for you.
Teaching and learning
How you'll learn
Online lectures & masterclasses
Interactive online resources
Discussion forums
Guided independent study
Learning from experts
The programme is delivered by experienced academics, lecturer practitioners and researchers with expertise in healthcare leadership & management, finance and NHS-focused education.
Applying research to practice
Teaching is informed by University of Exeter health services research strengths including health economics, implementation science and health professions workforce wellbeing. You will apply research evidence to real-world healthcare challenges through case studies, quality improvement approaches and implementation science frameworks with a strong emphasis on theory-to-practice translation.
Course-specific learning activities
Learning focuses on analysing complex systems, evaluating policy and developing strategic improvement proposals grounded in your professional context, including a strategic business project aligned with NHS or WHO priorities.
Sarah is Associate Professor of Medical Education. Her career began as a registered nurse in the NHS, and she has more than two decades of experience in leading and delivering undergraduate and postgraduate health professions education. Sarah’s interests lie in supporting healthcare professionals to develop as clinicians, leaders, educators and researchers. She is Director of Education and Student Experience for postgraduate programmes in the Department of Health and Community Sciences in the Medical School, Programme Lead for the MSc Healthcare Leadership & Management, and Admissions Lead for the Medicine programme.
Rob Bethune is a colorectal consultant surgeon and the clinical lead of the Quality Improvement team at the Royal Devon University Trust. His clinical practice focuses on surgical care for inflammatory bowel disease. He has held leadership roles in service improvement, including a year at the Southwest Strategic Health Authority working on a 17 hospital collaborative to raise perioperative standards. He later led an NIHR funded programme evaluating quality improvement collaboratives across the English NHS. He has published widely on quality improvement, patient safety, and human factors.
Dr Susanne Smith
Susanna is a Senior Lecturer in Healthcare Leadership & Management in the University of Exeter's Faculty of Health & Life Sciences (Education & Scholarship). I have around sixteen years experience teaching at postgraduate level in healthcare and have a particular interest in leading change at a systems-level and equipping students to manage the complexities of real clinical systems to improve safety, patient outcomes and staff well-being.
Tracey is a Lecturer in Healthcare Leadership & Management in the University of Exeter's Faculty of Health & Life Sciences (Education & Scholarship). She has around twenty years experience teaching at postgraduate level and in executive education. This includes experience with organisations in diverse industries, particularly healthcare, and as a lawyer specializing in Human Resources and Employment Law. Tracey’s particular interest is in leading change at a systems-level and equipping students to manage the complexities of real clinical systems to improve speaking up, safety, patient outcomes and staff well-being.
Dr Nermin Hamza
Originally a dentist, Nermin has a passion for Quality and Leadership which she has pursued by completing a Masters and PhD in the field. Before joining academia, she worked as a Healthcare Quality Manager in Egypt. Her teaching experience commenced in Saudi Arabia and over the past 10 years has taught in several UK universities before joining Exeter.
Dr Alistair Hellewell
Alistair is a consultant anaesthetist working in the NHS with a special interest in anaesthesia for ENT, transfer medicine, non-technical skills and leadership. He has been actively involved in medical education throughout his career working locally, regionally and nationally. He is a co-lead for the Simulation Unplugged course at the Royal College of Anaesthetists and faculty member of the Anaesthetists as Educators portfolio of courses. In 2015 Alistair founded the Philosophical Breakfast Club, a cross industry collaborative learning organisation and platform that creates connections through conferences and events to improve outcomes in safety critical industries.
Study a 100% online Masters degree in Healthcare Leadership and Management at a Top 15 University*
The majority of students are based at our Streatham Campus in Exeter. The campus is one of the most beautiful in the country and offers a unique environment in which to study, with lakes, parkland, woodland and gardens as well as modern and historical buildings.
Located on the eastern edge of the city centre, St Luke's is home to Sport and Health Sciences, the Medical School, the Academy of Nursing, the Department of Allied Health Professions, and PGCE students.
Our Penryn Campus is located near Falmouth in Cornwall. It is consistently ranked highly for satisfaction: students report having a highly personal experience that is intellectually stretching but great fun, providing plenty of opportunities to quickly get to know everyone.
