Year of Entry 2026/27
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MSc

Professional Practice in Health and Social Care

Advance your professional practice through a flexible MSc that integrates contemporary research, ethical leadership and innovative autonomous practice within complex health and social care environments.

Everything you need to know...

  • Pound sign

    What is the fee?

    Home: £10,940 for the course

  • Time

    How long will I study?

    3 Years

  • Location

    Where will I study?

    Collegiate Campus

  • Date

    When do I start?

    September 2026
    January 2027
    April 2027


Course summary

  • Tailor your learning to suit your personal and professional development goals.
  • Apply contemporary research to improve health and social care practice.
  • Develop ethical leadership and autonomous decision-making skills.
  • Collaborate across disciplines to enhance service and patient outcomes.
  • Lead evidence-informed improvements within complex care environments.

The MSc Professional Practice in Health and Social Care supports your career progression with an individualised pathway that’s aligned to your current or previous experience in health and social care. You’ll explore research, leadership, education and applied practice – all strengthening your ability to improve service delivery and outcomes, as well as enhancing your capability for senior and specialist roles. 


Student satisfaction

This course scored 100% for overall student satisfaction in the Postgraduate Taught Student Satisfaction Survey 2025.

How you learn

This programme adopts a blended learning approach, combining online and face-to-face elements to provide flexibility alongside professional commitments. You’ll engage with contemporary theory and research, applying critical insight to your own professional context. Learning activities are designed to promote reflective practice, analytical thinking and professional autonomy.

The programme includes mandatory research and dissertation modules focused on service improvement or applied research within your workplace. You’ll also select from a range of elective modules, enabling you to tailor your studies to your professional interests and organisational priorities.

You can choose to study modules individually and accumulate academic credit towards the full qualification, And Recognition of Prior Learning may also be available (in line with university policy).

You learn through:

  • online resources and guided digital activities
  • interactive webinars and virtual workshops
  • face-to-face learning sessions where applicable
  • structured academic supervision and feedback
  • authentic assessments linked to professional practice

Assessment methods reflect real-world professional demands and may include written case-based assignments, presentations, practical assessments, exams and a final dissertation.

Key Themes

You’ll develop advanced skills in applying contemporary research to professional practice. The course strengthens your ability to critically evaluate evidence, design service improvement initiatives and contribute to innovation within health and social care settings.

You’ll explore ethical frameworks, professional accountability and leadership approaches that support safe and effective practice. Emphasis is placed on developing autonomy, strategic thinking and responsible decision-making within complex care environments.

You’ll examine approaches to quality improvement, service evaluation and organisational change. Through applied learning, you’ll strengthen your capability to lead innovation and influence practice development across multidisciplinary teams.

You’ll also engage with collaborative practice across health and social care systems. The course encourages you to consider wider organisational, political and strategic influences shaping professional practice.

Course Level Support

You’ll be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled employment through a number of key areas, designed to help you progress confidently through masters level study while balancing professional responsibilities. These include:

  • access to experienced academic staff with advanced practice and research expertise
  • structured academic supervision for your dissertation
  • formative feedback across modules
  • peer collaboration within a multidisciplinary cohort
  • access to our Skills Centre for academic writing and study development

Applied learning

Live Projects

Applied learning is central to the programme – you’ll undertake work-based projects aligned to your professional context or experience, exploring areas such as service innovation, leadership strategies, clinical development and organisational change.

The masters level dissertation allows you to investigate a service improvement or research question relevant to your workplace, producing outcomes that have practical value within the organisation.

Networking Opportunities

You’ll engage with peers from diverse health and social care backgrounds through webinars, workshops and collaborative discussions. This interdisciplinary exchange strengthens your professional network and broadens your understanding of system-level practice challenges.

Course leaders and tutors

Lucy Stephens
Lucy Stephens
Senior Lecturer

Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University

Modules studied may differ depending on when you start your course.

Modules

Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.

Modules studied may differ depending on when you start your course.

Year 1

Elective modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Year 2

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment

Elective modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Final year

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment


Future careers

This course prepares you for progression into senior and specialist roles within health and social care, including:

  • senior clinical specialist positions
  • health and social care service management
  • practice education and professional development roles
  • research and service evaluation roles
  • policy and service improvement leadership

The qualification supports professional advancement across NHS, private, voluntary and higher education sectors (subject to employer and professional body requirements).

Equipment and facilities

You’ll study through a blended learning model supported by high-quality digital resources and academic infrastructure – so you’ll need regular access to a PC, laptop or Mac with reliable internet connectivity.

You’ll have access to:

  • our 24-hour online library access and academic databases
  • interactive learning materials and discussion forums
  • specialist software for research and data analysis
  • virtual workshops, webinars and tutorials
  • dedicated academic supervision and postgraduate support

Where will I study?

You study at Collegiate Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

Collegiate campus

Collegiate Campus can be found just off Ecclesall Road, a bustling student district.

Collegiate Campus map | Campus facilities 


Collegiate Campus map
Location

Collegiate Crescent
Sheffield
S10 2BP

Get directions
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Collegiate library

Collegiate Library can be found just off Ecclesall Road. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.

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Entry requirements

All students

Entry requirements depend on your module choice. Normally you need a first degree or equivalent. You may also be able to claim credit points which can reduce the amount of time it takes to complete your qualification at Sheffield Hallam. Find out more

Some modules may require previous clinical or management experience.

If English is not your first language you will need an IELTS score of 6.5 overall and a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or a recognised equivalent.

Additional information for EU/International students

This course is not open to international students who require a student visa to study in the UK. If you are an international applicant but do not require a student visa, email our Admissions Team to find out whether you’re eligible to apply.


Fees and funding

Home students

Our tuition fee for UK students starting part-time study in 2026/27 is £10,940 for the course. The tuition fee displayed above is for the full course. If the full course is more than one year in duration, the fee will be divided into annual payments which will then be rounded. This may mean the total fee you pay is slightly higher than the fee stated above. If you take a break in study or have to re-take part of the course, you may also be charged an additional fee and will be notified of this at the time. Our tuition fee for UK students starting part-time study in 2026/27 is £3,650 per year.

If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.

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Scholarships and financial support

Additional course costs

The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.

General course additional costs

Additional costs for Health and Social Care (PDF, 277.7KB)

Legal information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.

 

How do I apply?

You apply for this course via our online application form.

You can also use the application form above to apply for future years of entry.

Not ready to apply just yet?

Why not come to our next open day? Open days are the perfect place to talk to staff and students, visit our campuses and get all the information you need. Alternatively, feel free to ask us a question.

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Why choose us?

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Funding

Home students can access a non-repayable maintenance grant of at least £5,000 per year, eligibility applies

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Training

We are one of the largest training providers of health and social care in the UK, giving you access to cross-discipline learning

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Employment

98% of our health and social care students are in work or further study fifteen months after graduating

Where next?

Find out more about Sheffield Hallam's postgraduate opportunities and community.

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You can chat to teaching and admissions staff, view our facilities and learn more about your funding options.

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Information for international students

Information for international students including entry requirements by country and funding.

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