Triangle

Course overview

This unique degree programme develops your expertise in patient safety, human factors, and quality improvement and how this applies to practice.

You will benefit from a strong practical element, as each module offers a mix of classroom-based teaching and access to a comprehensive suite of online learning resources, designed by our award winning e-learning group.

Our programme is designed by an interdisciplinary collaboration, involving leading academics in health science, business and human factors, with key input from collaborative partners including:

Course content is delivered from nationally-recognised experts drawn from patient safety, improvement science, and human factors. Our Advisory Board also includes national and international experts whose role is to highlight emerging developments in these fields.

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Why choose this course?

Collaborative working

designed by leading academics in health science, business and human factors

Access eLearning

resources from our award-winning HELM group

96%

96% of our submitted research was judged to be World-Leading or Internationally Excellent, and our research environment was rated 100% World-Leading. 

Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

Course content

This course aims to deliver safety in the delivery of healthcare, via:

  • Broadening and deepening knowledge and skills in quality and patient safety improvement, including human factors and organisational systems
  • The application of tools and techniques to explore practice-based problems
  • Translating scientific and academic principles to practice
  • Implementing sustainable solutions for improvement in the quality of patient care

The programme can be undertaken full-time over one year or part-time over a maximum of four years, and studied to the level of PGCert (60 credits), or MSc (180 credits).

This course will benefit a broad audience, including:

  • those planning or developing their career in Health and Social Care (public, private and voluntary sectors)
  • clinical staff (nurses, doctors, allied health professionals) from primary, secondary or community care services
  • professional managers and commissioners involved in design and delivery of primary care, secondary hospital-based care, mental health, community and pre-hospital care services
  • those interested in education and teaching in this field and associated research, innovation and scholarship
  • patient safety departments

Modules can also be taken on an individual, stand-alone basis.

Modules

Modules

Develop your understanding of the fundamental principles of patient safety and the methods used for improvement of quality in healthcare.

This course considers:

  • the fundamental principles of patient safety, including safety science 
  • the fundamental methods used for improvement of quality in healthcare
  • the role of improvement science in quality and patient safety in health care
  • the approach to undertaking projects in improvement in a healthcare setting

Develop your understanding of the need for measurement in improvement of healthcare activities and the range of tool and techniques used in creating robust improvement plans in practice.

This course considers:

  • the need for measurement within healthcare improvement activities
  • the steps that might be taken to develop robust measurement plans for improvement projects
  • the range of tools and techniques which can help in developing such plans
  • the application of measurement within specific topic areas within quality and safety improvement

Develop your knowledge of human factors in a healthcare setting and the methods and tools that can be used to identify the need for change.

This module covers:

  • the definitions and application of Human Factors in a healthcare setting
  • the methods and tools that can be used to identify the need for change and to evaluate for improvement

Examine the strategic, operational, social and political aspects of risk, safety and quality with healthcare structures.

This module considers:

  • the strategic and operational structures and approaches to risk and its management at the organisational and policy level
  • the social, political and cultural dynamics of organising and managing for safety, including the role of regulatory bodies and patient-public involvement in guiding and governance of system change
  • concepts and methods of organisational learning and change along with monitoring and implementing improvement
  • the concept of organisational and professional culture in relation to safety and improvement
  • the utilisation and challenges of quality improvement when located in a systems context

Develop your understanding of external influences that impact upon the improvement process and a critical appreciation of the role of leadership and teamwork in delivery improvement.

This module considers:

  • theories of leadership and followership, and their relation to improvement processes
  • the formation and development of teams to delivery improvement
  • the concept of change and the challenges of changing practice 
  • the importance of environmental context and culture in the process of improvement and a range of strategies to address these issues 

This module will develop your understanding of the stakeholders involved as key contributors to safe care and improvement of quality. You will use their feedback to learn how to design quality improvement interventions.

You will consider:

  • the perspective of the public and patients, relatives and carers as key contributors to safe care and improvement of quality 
  • how to engage the public and patients, relatives and carers appropriately in quality improvement 
  • the use of patient feedback in designing improvement interventions 
  • philosophy, background and common structures of involvement and engagement, and awareness of person-centred public involvement in research and education 
  • working with patient and public led initiatives and exploring the value of co-production 

An opportunity to conduct a specific improvement project that addresses a significant quality or patient safety issue in practice.

Alternatively, you may choose to undertake a systematic review or meta-analysis of current evidence related to a specific aspect of health or social care.

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on Monday 13 January 2025.

Due to timetabling availability, there may be restrictions on some module combinations.

Learning and assessment

How you will learn

  • Presentation
  • Group study
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • eLearning
  • Interactive learning
  • Lectures

Each module is a blend of online e-learning and timetabled, face to face taught sessions.

How you will be assessed

  • Assignments
  • Presentation
  • Dissertation

Your work will be assessed during or at the end of each module through a variety of means.

To complete a module and gain its credits you will need to make sure you attend your timetabled sessions and get over the 50% pass mark.

  • In order to achieve the MSc, you will need a total of 180 credits

Contact time and study hours

We encourage our students to think of the course like they would a full-time job and spend around 37 hours on it per week including teaching time. Part time students should consider it similar to a part-time job.

You are expected to work roughly 10 hours for each credit on the course including teaching and independent study, so a 20 credit module should take around 200 hours to complete or around a total of 25 eight-hour days.

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2025 entry.

Undergraduate degree2.2 in related subject

Applying

Our step-by-step guide covers everything you need to know about applying.

How to apply
Medical School – Queen's Medical Centre

Where you will learn

Medical School – Queen's Medical Centre

Our Medical School is based in Queen’s Medical Centre, one of the UK’s largest hospitals.

There are dedicated clinical skills facilities including a dissection suite and teaching laboratories for medicine and healthcare students.

The hospital is located opposite University Park Campus and connected by a footbridge for easy access. Nottingham city centre is 15 minutes away by public bus or tram.

Fees

Qualification MSc
Home / UK £13,450
International £24,300

Additional information for international students

If you are a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you may be asked to complete a fee status questionnaire and your answers will be assessed using guidance issued by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) .

These fees are for full-time study. If you are studying part-time, you will be charged a proportion of this fee each year (subject to inflation).

Additional costs

All students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). We also recommend students have a suitable laptop to work both on and off-campus. For more information, please check the equipment advice.

As a student on this course, you should factor some additional costs into your budget, such as printing, alongside your tuition fees and living expenses. You should be able to access most of the books you’ll need through our libraries, though you may wish to purchase your own copies or more specific titles. 

Funding

There are many ways to fund your postgraduate course, from scholarships to government loans.

We also offer a range of international masters scholarships for high-achieving international scholars who can put their Nottingham degree to great use in their careers.

Check our guide to find out more about funding your postgraduate degree.

Postgraduate funding

Careers

We offer individual careers support for all postgraduate students.

Expert staff can help you research career options and job vacancies, build your CV or résumé, develop your interview skills and meet employers.

Each year 1,100 employers advertise graduate jobs and internships through our online vacancy service. We host regular careers fairs, including specialist fairs for different sectors.

International students who complete an eligible degree programme in the UK on a student visa can apply to stay and work in the UK after their course under the Graduate immigration route. Eligible courses at the University of Nottingham include bachelors, masters and research degrees, and PGCE courses.

Two masters graduates proudly holding their certificates

This content was last updated on Monday 13 January 2025. Every effort has been made to ensure that this information is accurate, but changes are likely to occur given the interval between the date of publishing and course start date. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply.