University College London (UCL)
Global Healthcare Management (Leadership) MSc
London, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
5 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
The MSc in Global Healthcare Management (Leadership) is designed to prepare students for leadership roles in health systems around the world. The program covers core topics such as healthcare systems, policy, and management, helping students develop skills to analyze complex healthcare challenges. It encourages critical thinking about how health services can be improved and how effective leadership can shape better patient outcomes. The curriculum combines theoretical knowledge with practical insights, often involving case studies, group projects, and real-world examples to ensure students are ready for the realities of healthcare leadership.
Students can expect to gain expertise in managing healthcare organizations, understanding global health issues, and leading on strategic decisions. The course also emphasizes the importance of innovation, ethics, and sustainability in health management. It supports those aiming to work across different contexts, whether in public, private, or non-profit sectors. Throughout the program, there’s a focus on developing the skills needed to navigate the complexities of modern health systems and lead change effectively. This balanced approach equips students to make meaningful contributions to the future of global healthcare.
UCL Scholarships
There are a number of scholarships available to postgraduate students, including our UCL Masters Bursary for UK students and our UCL Global Masters Scholarship for international students. You can click the link below to search via the scholarships finder for awards that you might be eligible for. Your academic department will also be able to provide you with more information about funding.
External Scholarships
Online aggregators like Postgraduate Studentships, Scholarship Search, Postgraduate Funding and International Financial Aid and College Scholarship Search contain information on a variety of external schemes.
If you have specific circumstances or ethnic or religious background it is worth searching for scholarships/bursaries/grants that relate to those things. Some schemes are very specific.
Funding for disabled students
Master's students who have a disability may be able to get extra funding for additional costs they incur to study.
Teaching and learning
Module teaching is primarily in the form of face-to-face lectures and seminars across First and Second Term.
Weekly group tutorials allow for more detailed discussion and consideration of the material covered in recorded lectures. Face-to-face lectures will be reserved for guest and expert speakers as well as UCL academics who will deliver key components of the modules.
Ongoing seminar sessions will focus on informal case-based presentations and discussions related to module content.
Project development workshops allow for investigative, analytical, synthesis, and data interrogation skills to be developed while being put into practice as you advance your business and research projects.
In Third Term, you will embark on your business project which you will pull together with colleagues having completed much of the research and analysis for the report and presentation in Second Term. You will also finish your individual desk-based research project.
For the business project, your project team will pull together your data, conclusions and case with the assistance of an expert mentor and academic supervisor.
Types of assessment undertaken on the programme will include written exams, coursework essays, presentations, a business project, a research project, and health and business case written analysis.
Face-to-face seminars or virtually attended sessions form typically approx. 15-18 hours per week in First and Second Term, and there is considerable independent reading and recorded lectures study expected through a module delivery period and in the identified revision weeks.
Overall, we expect full-time students to study a full 35-hour week, with time outside classes spent in self-directed study. Part-time and flexible students study at a pro-rata rate.
Modules
Full-time
The Global Healthcare Management MSc programme with a leadership route offers you an opportunity to develop breadth and depth of understanding of global healthcare management challenges and opportunities in this digital age.
In the First Term, you will receive an advanced understanding of business and management for healthcare alongside two modules in the leadership route. In the Second Term, you will focus on the application of these tools within the global health landscape.
All students on this programme will be engaged in two projects. One is a group business project that involves developing an idea for a healthcare improvement from concept to business case report and presentation. Your team will be composed of individuals across the various routes (specialisms) on this programme so that you can appreciate the power of multidisciplinary and diverse teamwork. You will be challenged on ensuring that this project is actionable.
The second project is a research project where you will have the opportunity to work on a research paper that critically examines an aspect or question related to your selected route (leadership) learning. These projects are designed to give you the opportunity to work independently and collectively to gain confidence in your abilities to research and apply your knowledge acquired throughout the programme.
Part-time
The part-time structure consists of 180 credits. Students take 90 credits in year one and 90 credits in year two.
Flexible
The mod/flex structure gives students the flexibility of taking 180 credits over two-five years. Students can take as many or as few modules as they wish each year.
Compulsory modules
- Leadership and Management in Global Healthcare
- Strategic Healthcare Leadership
- Economic Evaluation and Health Financing
- Coaching and Mentoring for Healthcare Leaders
- Organisational Behaviour for an Inclusive and Diverse Workforce
- Changing Health Systems
- Business Project
- Research Project
- Leading Innovation and Change in Healthcare
- Healthcare Power and Politics
Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Global Healthcare Management (Leadership).
What this course will give you
Graduates coming from our Global Healthcare Management MSc with a specialist route in leadership can expect to have:
- A wide-ranging understanding of healthcare management as a discipline together with the contemporary topics driving transformational global healthcare.
- The opportunity to gain skills in the specialist area of leadership where there is a current knowledge deficit, according to our research with health sector employers.
- Significant research and analytical skills that support data-driven approaches to managing healthcare.
- Written and verbal communication skills appropriate for managers and leaders in healthcare settings.
- The expertise to assess value for patients, organisations and society in relation to healthcare.
- The ability to effectively manage and lead a diverse workforce.
- The proficiency to capitalise on entrepreneurial opportunities, either independently or within organisations.
- Experience in teamwork and collaboration to help with problem solving and making teams effective at delivering equality, diversity and inclusion.
- A mindset embracing innovation, nurtured by the experiential learning and real-world examples used in teaching at the UCL Global Business School for Health (UCL GBSH).
- Resilience and know-how in relation to self-management, work-life balance and mental health, supported by continuous professional development throughout the programme.
Building on UCL’s longstanding health credentials – with health spanning across every faculty in the university – the UCL Global Business School for Health has created a unique learning environment for individuals who want to thrive in their roles in the global health economy. Bringing together world-renowned academics in health and business, UCL GBSH is committed to disrupting and reimagining global healthcare by cultivating a new generation of change-making leaders and innovators.
The foundation of your career
Previous graduates have secured positions with a diverse range of employers. While many did this degree as part of their clinical experience and have returned to new leadership opportunities, others have changed from daily clinical care to exciting opportunities within healthcare companies outside patient treatment. Many of our alumni have used the networks developed as part of this course to enter the exciting world of management consulting or joined multinational healthcare companies in the policy or analytics space. Some have used the skills developed here to take their idea for a new enterprise forward. Others have gone into roles in health policy development and implementation.
Employability
Graduates of the Global Healthcare Management MSc can expect to gain a range of directly transferable skills relevant to working in the health and healthcare sector.
All graduates of this programme will gain an in-depth understanding of healthcare management as a discipline, as well as the current topics pushing forward transformational global healthcare. Graduates will also be able to apply significant research and analytical skills to support data-driven healthcare management, along with excellent written and verbal communication skills. An ability to assess value for patients, organisations and society as a whole in relation to healthcare is also an asset to future employers. Key to this programme is students’ ability to specialise in analytics, finance, or leadership. UCL research with employers indicates these are all highly sought-after skills in the current climate, giving graduates of this degree confidence about their future employability.
Your career is the focus of workshops and discussions during an enhanced induction at the start of the programme and is revisited throughout the degree. You’ll also build contacts and networks with a variety of experts, industry leaders, and colleagues throughout your time with us.
Paths to work after this programme
- Public, private, or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the health and healthcare space.
- Healthcare specialisms in professional services, e.g. accountancy, insurance, or legal firms.
- Government and public bodies.Networking
Throughout the year you are exposed to a number of formal and informal networking opportunities. You will have extra-curricular departmental activities that draw a range of supporters and employers, as well as frequent invites to leading health tech conferences in London and the Southeast. There will also be career events aimed at networking and learning what to expect on day one in your next role.