University of South Australia
Master of Health Services Management
- Delivery: Face to Face
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 24 months
Expand your knowledge and skills in management, administration, leadership, project management and strategic and financial management.
Course overview
Degree overview
- Advance into leadership and management positions across the diverse health and ageing sectors.
- Benefit from flexible study options through online and on-campus learning.
- Enjoy a unique blend of health and business courses for a contemporary health management focus.
- Partner with industry while completing a major project targeting real-world health management issues.
- Join South Australia's No. 1 university for graduate careers.
- Study course content informed by the competency framework developed by the Australasian College of Health Services Management.
- Study a curriculum informed by world-class research in public health and health services, business and management.
- UniSA is an unstoppable university for unstoppable people. As one of the World's Top Young Universities, we'll ensure you get the experience your future profession demands, so it'll feel like you're studying one minute and in a career the next.
This master's degree is for health or medical professionals who want to develop their leadership, management and business skills.
In two years of full-time study (or part-time equivalent), you'll be equipped for management roles in the health and aged care sectors. Professionals working in aligned industries, such as engineering, accounting or ICT, may also find this a rewarding and relevant pathway to roles in health management.
Key facts
What you will study
To earn the Master of Health Services Management, students must complete 72 units. Unless otherwise indicated, each course is worth 4.5 units.
Complete the following courses:
- Responsible Leadership in Health
- Quantitative Design for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Research
- Talent Acquisition and Development
- Health and Aged Care Systems and Operations
- People, Leadership and Performance
- Leading and Managing Organisational Change
- Financial and Economic Management for Health and Aged Care
- Fundamentals of Data Analytics for Business
- Project Management for Business
- Health Ethics
- Quality and Safety for Health and Aged Care Managers
- Performance Review and Health Economics
- Strategy for Health and Aged Care Managers
- Capstone in Health Services Management (9 units)
Entry requirements
Applicants are required to hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in an approved Field of Education (FOE) or a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Health Services Management from a recognised higher education institution.
Approved Fields of Education are:
- Health
- Human Welfare Studies and Services
- Behavioural Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Public and Health Care Management
- Biochemistry and Cell Biology
- Genetics
- Microbiology
- Human Biology
Fields of Education not listed above may be considered at the discretion of the Program Director.
Applicants with a completed Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management or Graduate Diploma in Health Services Management will be eligible for entry as well as credit, based on courses already completed.
Recognition of Prior Learning
Credit transfer (study credit) formally recognises your prior learning and work/life experience. It can be granted for specific courses (subjects) or a block of courses where your previous qualification or experience is equivalent to the learning.
So, what counts as prior learning? It can be from one of the following providers:
- Recognised higher education provider.
- TAFE or other recognised VET provider.
- A professional body, enterprise, private educational institution or other similar body.
- Work experience.
Contact the university for more information.
Outcomes
Learning outcomes
Through a unique blend of health and business courses, you'll learn to:
- Provide the overall strategic direction and management for a service, facility, organisation or centre.
- Worked at senior levels of management, influencing high-level organisation and financial and administrative decisions.
- Prepare for leadership roles in health within Australia and internationally.
- Develop and strengthen project management processes to plan, manage, execute and deliver successful projects.
- Develop competencies in designing rigorous quantitative research to inform healthcare knowledge, practice and policy.
- Undertake administrative operations such as reporting and budget planning.
- Understand business analytics, the accounting environment and health economics within organisations.
Career outcomes
The Master of Health Services Management will prepare you for a range of leadership and management positions in the health and aged care sectors.
Graduates can work in a wide variety of senior leadership roles, such as:
- Clinical Manager
- Practice Manager
- Aged Care Manager
- Health and Welfare Services Manager
- Medical or Hospital Administrator
- Primary Health Organisation Manager
- Theatre Manager
Fees and FEE-HELP
Indicative annual fee in 2025: $27,800 (domestic full-fee paying place)
The indicative annual fee is based on 1.0 EFTSL (Equivalent Full-Time Study Load) or 36 units.
Student fees may vary depending on:
- The number of courses studied per year.
- The choice of major or specialisation.
- Choice of courses.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee-paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.
