MA in Leadership (Health Specialization)

Through a combination of online courses and a series of short residencies, the MA in Leadership with a specialization in Health program allows you to gain the leadership skills necessary to develop strategies and processes that can be applied immediately to meet the business and service needs of the health care system. The program is designed to better equip graduates to create high performing workplaces that deliver improved health services.

In September 2011 a revised MA in Leadership with specialization in Health program will be delivered.

Modifications to the delivery of the Health specialization in 2011 will include:

• a reduction in the number of on-campus residency periods from four to two with the first offered at the beginning of the program and the second offered one year later
• addition of elective courses to program curriculum
• the option of completing a thesis or an Organizational Leadership Project

Critical elements of the program have been retained:

• leadership content within context of health sector
• health sector experienced instructors and students
• the cohort and collaborative learning model
• competency based learning outcomes
• team teaching and integrated curriculum approach in residencies
• intensive feedback and assessment
• a focus on personal leadership and managing/leading change in organizations

Students are expected to assess their personal and organizational learning needs in order to place in context the content related to our seven core competencies:

• Personal Leadership
• Manage Own Learning and Change Processes and Enable Others’ Learning
• Communication
• Team Leadership and Group Facilitation
• Systems Thinking
• Organizational Leadership
• Organizational Inquiry and Research

Who it’s for
Middle and senior managers who lead clinical service departments, health policy development, and community agencies, including those involved in health services, strategic planning, human resources, finance, information technology, communication and other program services. Many of the students in the program have come from provincial and federal ministries of health, regional health authorities and districts, health care agencies, health boards, and private sector health care organizations.

Applicants who do not have the formal academic education to qualify for admission may be assessed on the basis of both their formal education and their informal learning, in accordance with the Flexible Admission Policy.

Outcomes
Graduates of the program will have the ability to:

• Develop personal, organizational and societal learning practices
• Use systems theory, thinking and planning in problem discovery, identification and solution skills
• Apply concepts and models of strategic leadership within the organization
• Apply action research and evaluation processes to improve decision-making abilities and implement innovation, and create results
• Use business planning processes and organizational performance measures to implement change from concept to evaluation
• Use evidence-based indicators to analyze and develop strategies to engage employers, interest groups and stakeholders in implementing change. More