Become a Healthcare Leader with a Specialized Masters

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical need for effective healthcare management. Now, business schools are stepping up to meet the demand for skilled leaders in the field. 

In a bid to shape the next generation of leaders in global health management, an increasing number of business schools are launching specialized masters degrees in healthcare management.

For instance: London’s Imperial College Business School has launched the new MSc Global Health Management, providing students with an important overview of the global health sector and how it interacts with technology and business.

The program will include several interdisciplinary elements and collaborations with Imperial’s School of Public Health and the Dyson School of Design Engineering. After graduation, students are expected to pursue a broad range of careers in management within the UK’s National Health Service, or in private healthcare, government and non-governmental organizations. 

“The healthcare sector has experienced vast changes over the last few years – whether it be the impact of the COVID pandemic, the knock-on effects that the associated economic crisis had on health, or the opportunities that rapidly developing technologies enable for how we look after those in need,” says Marisa Miraldo, director of the Global Health Management Masters at Imperial. 

“The program encompasses training for the next generation of professionals to address these global health challenges, with a broader focus on managing and preventing health issues that affect populations globally,” she adds. 

Specialized masters degrees: a growing trend

This surge in interest for healthcare management education comes as part of a broader trend: the growth in the number of specialized masters programs offered by business schools worldwide. While traditional MBA and MiM programs have long been the cornerstone of business education, there is a growing recognition of the need for targeted, industry-specific qualifications in various fields, including healthcare. 

“Business schools have generally maintained a generic approach, often subscribing to the belief that all business skills are universally applicable and can be acquired solely through case studies,” says Nora Colton, the Director of the UCL Global Business School of Health based in the UK. “However, due to the unique evolution of the healthcare sector and the distinctive characteristics of its labor market, this perspective is outdated.” 

Indeed, the UCL Global Business School for Health was launched in 2021, as the world’s first business school dedicated to health and healthcare management. The school addresses issues including labor shortages and gender inequality in leadership, as well as other challenges brought to the forefront throughout the pandemic. 

This includes aging populations, increases in non-communicable diseases, inefficiencies and rising costs. “We have a labor force that’s too small for the growing demand for healthcare. By 2030, it has been found that we will be 15 million health workers short of meeting demand in the global healthcare system,” says Colton.

“We need to not just increase the number of people working in healthcare, but we really need to make them comfortable with technology, with analytics, with leveraging that and working across multidisciplinary sectors to solve these big health challenges. And that is what this school is all about.” 

The UCL GBSH offers a range of programs, including the MSc Global Healthcare Management and the MSc Digital Health and Entrepreneurship. 

Bridging business and healthcare: a unique curriculum 

What sets these programs apart is their tailored curriculum, which combines core business principles with specialized coursework in healthcare management. Students gain a comprehensive understanding of healthcare systems, healthcare economics, healthcare policy, and healthcare technology, among other relevant subjects. 

Additionally, hands-on experiential learning opportunities, such as internships and consulting projects with healthcare organizations, allow students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios.

Furthermore, the interdisciplinary nature of healthcare management means many programs are delivered as collaborations between business schools, medical schools and public health schools. 

COVID-19: a catalyst for change

COVID-19 has served as a catalyst, underscoring the importance of effective leadership and strategic planning in healthcare delivery systems. From managing hospital resources to coordinating vaccine distribution efforts, the pandemic has highlighted the indispensable role of healthcare managers in ensuring the resilience and sustainability of healthcare systems.

In response, business schools are seizing the opportunity to equip aspiring leaders with the specialized skills and knowledge required to navigate the complex landscape of healthcare management. These programs are also gaining traction among students seeking to make a meaningful impact in the field of healthcare.

“COVID-19 brought all of the shortcomings of our health care system into the limelight,” notes Supriya Munshaw, the associate dean for academic programs at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, in the USA. 

“The importance of and demand for better health care managers became more pronounced during the pandemic,” she says. “Some issues influencing health care management education were the increased focus and importance of telehealth and digital health, crisis management and adaptive leadership skills, enhanced stakeholder collaboration, managing health care supply chains, health disparities, and data analytics.” 

These themes have been integrated into the Master of Science in Health Care Management at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, delivered full-time over one year in Baltimore. As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, more business schools may look at creating similar programs for aspiring healthcare leaders.