If you’re a healthcare professional looking for flexible postgraduate study that fits in with your busy working schedule, our MSc in Health and Social Care could give you the opportunity to learn more about your specific areas of interest in bite-size amounts.

Key information

Award:

MSc

Mode of Study:

Part-time

Duration:

36 months

Location:

University of Bolton

Start date:

23/01/2023

Course Details

This course is designed to help you identify and lead your own professional development in your health or social care career. It's designed to help you achieve your potential and enjoy your work. By encouraging you to reflect on your performance and take charge of your own development, we aim to help you advance your career in health and social care.

The modular structure of our MSc in Health and Social Care allows you to personalise the programme to your specific interests, working on a module-by-module basis for maximum flexibility. You’ll start your studies with a unit focused on developing analytical skills for professional practice, which will help you to adjust to master's level study and writing. You'll then choose between two and four modules from our list of options that are most suitable to the development of your professional role in health care. Studying the theory of your chosen subjects, you’ll have the opportunity to develop a broader awareness of current issues in health and social care practice by researching themes in-depth and developing evidence-based concepts.

Alongside your core studies, you’ll also be able to focus on developing transferable skills such as problem-solving, leadership and teamwork, and build your abilities in information and communication technology. You'll also undertake a core module learning about research methodologies in preparation for your final core dissertation module, in which a research project can be undertaken in any health-related area of your choice.

Please contact the programme leader for an up-to-date list of option modules and to discuss how this course can help you achieve your professional development goals.

Highlights

The University of Bolton's part-time MSc in Health and Social Care is a modular course, allowing for flexibility of study to fit around your commitments.
You’ll have access to our state-of-the-art Bolton One facility, where you can get hands-on experience in our specialist Clinical Simulation Suites if you choose a clinical module as one of your elected studies.

Key Features

Our dedicated academic team have a wealth of experience working in NHS settings and are engaged in relevant research, bringing their expertise and passion for service excellence to their teaching.
You’ll have the opportunity to benefit from the programme’s strong strategic partnerships with local NHS and social care organisations.
We’ve been offering high-quality courses, specifically designed to meet the needs of the health and social care sector, for over 30 years.
As you study this course, you will be encouraged to develop employability skills, values and behaviours, such as action planning, personal impact and confidence, self-awareness, social and ethical responsibility, respect and commitment to quality.
Practice-based learning is integral to the programme and we’ll encourage you to draw on your practice learning experience to help you apply theory to practice and consolidate your learning.
The course is designed to provide you with the key transferable knowledge and skills required to work across both acute and community care.

You’ll be required to attend an interview with the admissions tutor. This will allow us to explore your prior learning and establish where you may start on the programme.
As this is a modular degree based on continuing professional development, it's essential that your prior experience and learning is considered when deciding on any advanced standing to which you may be entitled. This may be based on qualifications already gained through Recognition of Prior Certificated Learning (RPCL) or it may be based on making a claim for significant work experience, Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL). This process of granting an applicant appropriate advanced standing will be overseen by the Health Pathway Admissions team and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Panel.
Normally, you’re expected to have successfully completed an honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject and have appropriate work experience. If you have a relevant professional qualification and/or substantial experience in a relevant field of practice, then we’ll be happy to consider your application.
We'll consider applications where appropriate work experience can be demonstrated in lieu of, or in addition to, the published academic qualifications in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.
Professionals/practitioners often find it difficult to attend open days. Therefore, if you wish us to visit your service/trust please contact the programme leader to discuss.
If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

The MSc Health and Social Care at the University of Bolton examines health in its broad context and investigates contemporary health issues. There is a growing demand for health and social care workers who are not restricted by boundaries and can work flexibly to accommodate the increasingly complex health and social care needs of individuals, families and communities.

This master’s degree is designed to help you develop a range of key transferable and employability skills, including written and verbal communication skills, IT skills, the ability to work independently and in a team, research and data analysis skills, the ability to provide support and guidance, and work in complex and demanding situations.

What can I do with this qualification?

Successful completion of this master’s degree will provide you with a platform to explore working in a wide range of statutory, voluntary and independent settings including local authority or multi-agency teams.

Graduates with a health and social care background are also in a good position to seek careers in higher education and commissioning and care management services. Graduates may seek roles as service managers and senior coordinators, in advocacy, education and training, working with a range of people in services across the age spectrum and addressing a diverse range of health and social care needs.

Alternative career options

The course is designed to provide you with the key transferable knowledge and skills required to work across both acute and community care in health care related roles such as project work and research. Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. For some of these roles, relevant experience and postgraduate study may be required.

Healthcare management
Research
Commissioning
Community education
Teaching
Health education training in the UK and internationally
Consultancy

Course fees

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2022-2023 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance eligibility 2022-2023 policy on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

Bursaries

Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.

For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:

You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:

You should have to hand:

Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference

Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.

Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.

If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions@bolton.ac.uk

Apply online: University of Bolton MSc Health and Social Care - 23 January 2023

International applications are not possible for this course

As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.

We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.

We use a variety of teaching methods to ensure you receive the broadest of opportunities to fulfil your potential. In lectures, you’ll be introduced to the programme’s core content, which we’ll build on in seminars. You’ll have the chance to participate in group discussions and small group workshops, as well as one-on-one and group tutorials. To develop your practical awareness and skills, you’ll be able to observe simulations performed by tutors and have the opportunity to apply your knowledge in practice-based exercises.

Independent study is a key component of this course. You’ll have access to eLearning packages via our virtual learning environment Moodle, and will be expected to undertake background reading and self-directed study. You’ll be assessed through a variety of methods depending on your choice of modules, such as essays, reports, presentations and set multiple-choice exercises. This combination is designed to ensure you meet the learning outcomes of each module.

The programme comprises 180 credits at level HE7. There are three core modules: two worth 20 credits each and one worth 60 credits (the dissertation). The remaining 80 credits are achieved by the successful completion of option modules from a range available in consultation and agreement with the programme leader.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

Dissertation
Postgraduate Preparation for Research Design
Developing critical analytical skills for professional practice

Assessment methods

Level	Assesment method
Level one	Coursework 100%

Learning activities

Level	Learning activity
Level one	Guided independent study 76%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 24%

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.