Good supervision is at the heart of effective professional practice, and the rapidly changing context of health and social care means it is a complex and demanding activity.

Through exploration of theory and research evidence the student will develop a critical knowledge base of the nature and context of supervision in their current environment. The unit will also encourage the student to reflect and evaluate their own practice and role  in relation to their professional values and standards.

This unit can be undertaken as part of the MA Leading and Developing Services programme.

Normally students may enter Level 7 study if they have been awarded:

• Undergraduate degree (honours or non-honours)
• An equivalent qualification (the learning outcome of which are demonstrably appropriate in terms of knowledge, understanding and skills) equivalent to 120 credits at Level 6.

If you do not meet this criteria you are still able to apply for this unit but we may ask you to complete a study skills handbook to familiarise yourself with academic writing at masters level or pre-admission work. This will be sent to you when we have received your application form.

Fees and funding:

You will need to pay or indicate employer support of payment for unit or course fees to the university.

Applicants should contact their employing organisation for further details.

Pre-purchased places

The Faculty of Health & Social Sciences has contractual arrangements with NHS organisations, Local Authorities and the Pan-Dorset & Wiltshire Teaching Partnership for pre-paid places on specified modules. If you work within Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset or Hampshire and Isle of Wight you may be able to access the pre-paid places. These arrangements allow organisations to nominate the staff they wish to send on each unit or course.

The pre-arranged agreements allow individuals, such as yourself, a route to access appropriate professional development opportunities that are seen as strategically important to your organisation (in consultation with your Line Manager/Education Co-ordinator). All requests for pre-paid places must first be agreed by your organisation prior to completing an application.

The coursework comprises a reflective learning log equivalent to 2000 words and an observed supervision practice equivalent to 1000 words

Having completed this unit the student is expected to:

1. Evaluate and synthesis the theoretical frameworks and research related to the study of supervision and assess their relevance to the health and social care context

2. Demonstrate an in depth knowledge and critical understanding of the current policy drivers in health and social care services and their impact on their role supervision strategies in their organisation.

3. Demonstrate advanced knowledge and critical understanding of the personal skills, professional standards and approached needed to engage in effective supervision

4. Critically examine the effectiveness of their practice, using reflection and analysis to develop a conceptual understanding of their work as well as a critical awareness of the impact of their interventions.

Course review:

In order to take advantage of new approaches to learning and teaching, as well as developments in practice to benefit our students we regularly review all of our courses. This course is currently going through this process and we will update this page to give you full information about what we will be offering once the review process has concluded.  These changes will come into effect for all new students from September 2025. Applicants will be notified by our admissions team of any changes.