Managing a care service involves decisions about people, resources and the quality of provision. This top-up places those decisions within an undergraduate management programme, helping students connect their earlier learning with the responsibilities of service delivery.
The curriculum brings together global health, sustainability, analysis, quality and project work. Independent study provides space to examine a topic in greater depth and develop a structured academic response.
Applicants enter with relevant prior learning, normally an HND in health or social care or an equivalent qualification meeting Arden’s subject requirements. The top-up completes the final stage of an honours degree.

Core Modules
• Global Health and Sustainability
• Health Analytics and Planning
• Total Quality Management in Health & Care
• Project Management
• Independent Study for Health and Care Management

Course Content

The following themes group the five modules for an overview of the curriculum.

Health Systems and Planning

Consider the wider setting in which services operate and how information can support decisions about provision. This theme connects an understanding of health needs with questions about planning and sustainability.

Modules:
• Global Health and Sustainability
• Health Analytics and Planning

→ Consider health challenges in their wider context.
→ Connect the interpretation of information with service planning.

Quality and Project Delivery

Explore the organisation of improvement work, including how a service can approach quality and coordinate a defined project. These areas connect management intentions with the practical work needed to deliver them.

Modules:
• Total Quality Management in Health & Care
• Project Management

→ Examine approaches to maintaining and improving quality.
→ Organise project activity around clear objectives.

Independent Academic Development

Develop a focused piece of independent study in health and care management. This creates an opportunity to organise evidence, assess different perspectives and present a reasoned conclusion.

Module: Independent Study for Health and Care Management
→ Investigate a relevant topic in a structured way.
→ Communicate an argument supported by evidence.

Programme Outcomes

The programme supports students in developing the ability to:
• Complete the final stage of an undergraduate honours degree.
• Connect health and care knowledge with management decisions.
• Consider quality and sustainability when examining services.
• Use information to support planning and problem-solving.
• Present an independent academic argument clearly.

Key Benefits

• A final-year route for applicants with relevant prior qualifications
• Campus and online learning options
• Five modules focused on health and care management
• Assessment through coursework, with no examinations
• CMI accreditation and IHSCM endorsement
• A foundation for further professional or postgraduate development