The details
Location: Online Mode of study: Part-time Qualification: Online professional course (20 credits) Study duration: 13 weeks
Start date: Awarding body: University of Essex Delivered by: Kaplan Open Learning For queries: Call +44 (0) 1206 489 358

Learn the most effective ways to coordinate resources and people in healthcare organisations, in this informative online course.  

By exploring strategic management in a healthcare context, you’ll be able to put effective roadmaps in place to achieve objectives in the workplace. You’ll also consider the role of management in both the private and public sector, ensuring you can adopt techniques and theories that work best in your healthcare setting. 

You’ll cover a range of interesting topics, including: 

  • the strategic planning process 
  • strategic communication and how to maintain momentum 
  • the ethical framework around strategic decision-making 

At the end, you’ll have the opportunity to progress onto one of our popular postgraduate courses. 

Why we’re great 

  • Understand the key challenges facing today’s healthcare environments.  
  • Critically examine different schools of thought in strategic management.   
  • Enjoy flexible study, with all courses delivered 100% online and part time. 
  • Gain certification from the University of Essex, a top 30 UK university (Complete University Guide 2025).   
  • Study with an institution with over 15 years’ experience delivering high quality online education.

You’ll study the following topics as part of the online professional course: 

  • introducing strategy and strategic management  
  • concepts, practices and their application to healthcare  
  • frameworks for strategic analysis and strategy formulation  
  • external analysis  
  • internal analysis  
  • directional analysis  
  • the strategic planning processes  
  • identifying & evaluating strategic alternatives  
  • developing action plans  
  • value based healthcare  
  • communicating strategy & maintaining strategic momentum  
  • evaluating success 

Teaching methods 

Studying online gives you the freedom to complete your qualification when and where it suits you – at home, during your lunch hour or in a café. 

Our online professional courses are delivered through a virtual learning environment (VLE) instead of a traditional campus. This means you’ll have access to your study materials 24/7, including: 

  • multimedia lecturecasts made up of written content, short videos, animation, audio recordings, infographics, short tests and mini-assignments 
  • discussion forums for you to chat about the module content with fellow students 
  • live Q&A sessions with your tutors 
  • a comprehensive eLibrary of textbooks and academic journals 
  • support from academic staff and your dedicated Student Support team 

To ensure you receive high-quality tutor support, each class is capped at 20 students. 

 

Assessment methods 

You’ll be assessed exclusively through assignments. These include assessed discussion forums, written assignments and journal entries. 

We’re committed to providing frequent and transparent feedback in the following ways: 

  • our assessment criteria are designed to be simple and transparent 
  • you’ll always be aware of your current provisional grade, right from the start 
  • you’ll be able to clearly view your marks in your gradebook whenever you log on to the learning platform 
  • there’s a seven-day turnaround for marking and feedback of assessed work 
  • you’ll have regular contact with your Student Support team, with whom you can discuss any concerns as soon as they arise 

  

Study duration 

Our Strategic Management in Healthcare online professional course has a study duration of 13 weeks, including a one-week induction to help you settle into online study. 

The Strategic Management in Healthcare online professional course offers a whole host of opportunities. This will be beneficial whether you’re looking to climb the career ladder or take the first step into healthcare – helping you stand out amongst the competition. 

If you wish to continue your studies and boost your prospects, you could choose additional health online professional courses. Alternatively, you could progress on to one of the following postgraduate certificates (60 credits); postgraduate diplomas (120 credits); or full Masters degrees (180 credits): 

Please note, acceptance on to a postgraduate qualification is subject to meeting the entry requirements of your chosen programme. 

No formal qualifications or experience is necessary.  

As our courses are delivered in English, a high proficiency of English is required. If English isn’t your first language, your ability should be equivalent to an IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5. Don’t worry if you don’t hold an IELTS or equivalent qualification – we offer a free online English test to assess your proficiency.  

You don’t need to prove your English ability if you’re a national of, or have completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree in, any of these countries. 

Please note, our online professional courses have a limited number of places available. We’ll always endeavour to get you started on your preferred date, but if this isn’t possible our Admissions team will be in touch to discuss alternative arrangements.

Full tuition fee:
£1,386 UK / £1,455 International (2024-25) Δ
 

  • Our online professional courses are fully inclusive – all teaching materials and required reading are included. 
  • Alumni discount of 10% of the tuition fee available if you’re a previous graduate with the University of Essex or University of Essex Online.
  • We offer a 14-day moneyback guarantee, so if you decide your course isn’t for you during the first 14 days, we’ll give you a full refund. Terms and conditions apply. 

Δ All tuition fees shown are net of any applicable sales tax payable by you in your country of residence. Where we are required to add sales tax at the local statutory rate, this will be added to the tuition fees shown and confirmed during the payment process. 

Subject specialists, industry authorities and experienced academics: the tutors who teach on our Strategic Management in Healthcare online professional course are experts in the business field.

What our students say

testimonials

Anjelika Maromedoba -Master of Public Health (MPH)

I chose the University of Essex Online because it’s a well-known educational organisation with a high student satisfaction rate and huge variety of educational programmes.

I chose the online format of education because it was highly convenient and affordable for me as an international student. I had a full-time job and other commitments, so it was impossible for me to leave my work and study on campus.  I planned to write a dissertation and achieve a Masters degree right from graduation at the regional state university in 2007, but following my internships, work duties didn’t allow me to continue my education and I started...

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