Healthcare leadership & management
What is health leadership and management?
In health leadership and management, you’ll explore current and emerging influences on the healthcare sector, and develop the leadership skills to move into more senior roles in a diverse range of health organisations and settings.
You’ll learn about the principles that underpin our health systems and services, including strategic planning, policy development, clinical governance, change management, quality enhancement and decision-making, health economics and healthcare financial management, as well as patient safety and values-based healthcare.
Our health leadership and management qualifications also offer the opportunity to upskill with relevant professional experience, by completing an internship in a health organisation. You’ll gain valuable leadership and management work experience, which could include analysing and interpreting data, program development, policy development, advocacy, and more.
Careers in health leadership and management
There’s a strong demand for senior health management professionals in the public and private health sectors, both within Australia and internationally. Our alumni currently hold leadership roles in public and private healthcare sector services spanning hospital, community, aged, primary and allied healthcare. Many of our graduates occupy senior executive, general management, health ministry and other health leadership roles across Australia and around the world.
A postgraduate qualification in health leadership and management could open up job opportunities in:
- health services general management
- health services c-suite roles
- government and non-government policy
- medical communications
- medical insurance management
- non-government health service management
- health economics
- health program management
- healthcare consultancy.
Why study health leadership and management at UNSW?
For more than 60 years, we’ve prepared healthcare professionals for leadership and managerial roles in healthcare – in Australia and around the world.
Join a top-ranking faculty
Our Faculty of Medicine & Health is ranked #54 globally for life sciences and medicine (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2025), and #20 for public health research (Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, 2024). Our health management program is the largest and oldest in Australia. UNSW's School of Population Health is a leader in academic excellence, global impact and social engagement. Our dynamic, international community of staff, alumni, practitioners and students are working together to enhance population health and healthcare systems.
Global partnerships and opportunities
The PLuS Alliance is a partnership between three leading research universities – Arizona State University, King’s College London and UNSW – designed to solve global challenges and increase access to world-class higher education in high-need areas. Through the PLuS Alliance, you can take online courses with Arizona State University, giving you the opportunity to expand your professional network and bring a global perspective to your education.
Collaborate with world-leading medical research centres and institutes
Ranked #4 in Australia for research & discovery for academic reputation (QS World University Rankings, 2025), UNSW’s internationally-recognised medical research centres and institutes are conducting ground-breaking research and discovering new cures, treatment strategies and therapies that have real-world impact. They’re working to eliminate infectious diseases, improve health equity, and use big data to enhance health and well-being for everyone. Students can take advantage of research and collaboration opportunities at our research centres and institutes, which include:
- The Kirby Institute
- Centre of Research Excellence in Medicines Intelligence
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC)
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA)
- Centre for Childhood Cancer Research
- Centre for Big Data Research in Health
- Australian Centre for NanoMedicine (ACN)
Our facilities
UNSW’s Faculty of Medicine & Health has five schools, nine teaching hospitals and rural clinical campuses across NSW, and we’re investing $1 billion in the development of our health precincts.
Our programs
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Our postgraduate qualifications in health leadership and management offer flexible delivery options, so you can tailor your studies to suit your lifestyle – and no matter where in the world you are. This includes online or face-to-face study and full-time or part-time options. You can study health leadership and management in the following postgraduate coursework programs:
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The Master of Health Leadership and Management (Extension) includes a research component, which consists of additional research methodology courses and/or an advanced research project. Opportunities are available to progress from a coursework master’s degree that includes a research component to enrolment in a PhD.
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You can combine the Master of Health Leadership and Management with the master’s programs in public health, global health or infectious diseases intelligence. Studying two programs concurrently enhances your career prospects and gives you the opportunity to combine knowledge and skills from two related disciplines.
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Complete two master's degrees with a research focus. This option includes an extension component where you’ll complete additional electives including a research project or a research methodology course.
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Research is a fundamental part of our work at the School of Population Health, through which we address a number of key local, national and international public health issues. The School has a vibrant, thriving research culture and is a pipeline for research development from research students to post-doctoral researchers and senior research leaders, making us one of the leading research schools in Australia.
Our School offers excellent research programs to public health and health service researchers aimed at beginner, intermediate and experienced levels. Options are available for research-only degrees or combined coursework and research. We offer:
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Professional Doctorate - UNSW Future Health Leaders Program
Masters by Research:
Indigenous Alternative Entry Scheme
The Indigenous Entry Scheme redresses the imbalance of access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to population health programs.
Still undecided on what path to take?
Discover which of our Population Health degrees are right for you.
Want to know more about health leadership and management?
Discover which of our degrees are right for you.