Intercalated BSc
One year
London, UK
Take your clinical career to new heights with a year in management
Healthcare faces enormous challenges including an ageing population, rising costs, staff shortages and global health disparities. As such, there is increasing demand for clinical professionals with management experience who can think creatively and strategically to develop innovative solutions to improve the healthcare system. That’s why at Imperial College Business School we offer a year in management for intercalating medical, dental or veterinary students from Imperial College London and other UK or Irish institutions.
With a specific focus on healthcare, our Intercalated BSc programme will equip you as a future clinician with the skills and tools required to drive change and improve patient care in an ever-evolving medical landscape. So whether you’re thinking about making changes in the NHS, taking on a managerial role within a clinical setting, starting your own private practice or simply want to broaden your horizons, acquiring management skills will help you succeed in a range of healthcare settings.
Combine your healthcare expertise with management to create innovative solutions
Programme content
The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including accounting, strategy, entrepreneurship and marketing with a strong focus on leadership, problem-solving and innovation. Through formal teaching, group projects, case studies and guest speakers, you will gain valuable insights into the business side of healthcare. Outside of lectures, you will be expected to complete around 100 hours of independent study per module.
The module outlines are provided below. Please not modules are subject to change.
Online pre-study modules
Before the start of your programme you will be expected to complete online pre-study modules which are delivered via The Hub, our bespoke virtual learning environment. You will complete two online primer modules, in maths (strongly recommended) and plagiarism awareness (compulsory), to get ready for the year ahead.
Induction week
The programme starts with a comprehensive induction week, which includes sessions to support your transition to the field of business and management studies, such as workshops on the Fundamentals of Business, and Working with Case Studies.
You will also meet and network with the rest of your cohort, as well as students from our Joint Honours programme, working together in small groups to compete in a non-assessed business simulation game. The week culminates with group presentations on what you have learned, and a programme social event.
Accounting
The aim of this module is to develop certain accounting related skills, by explaining the techniques of financial accounting and management accounting, and examining their relevance to the broader issues of financial decision-making and management control in organisations. The module gives you a basic insight into the way that business performance is measured, and how business decisions can be structured and analysed.
Health Informatics
This module will give you an understanding of digital health, data and information systems in providing healthcare services and research. You will learn the theoretical aspects of implementing transformational change enabled by technology and the importance of evidence and ethics when designing digital systems.
Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management
The focus of this module is on developing your understanding of modern organisations and the tools you will need to contribute effectively in them. Much of your success as leaders, managers, and professionals will depend on how well you work with and get things done through others. The module places a strong emphasis on giving students the chance for assessing and improving their own competencies in dealing and interacting with others in organisations.
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the process of identifying and exploiting a new business opportunity. An entrepreneur must understand the competitive landscape, estimate the potential demand for their products or services, assess risks and returns, and develop and execute the possible ways to deliver their claims to the best set of consumers. The entrepreneur also needs to acquire resources (funding), compile a team, and generate a vision for the fledgling enterprise.
Health Economics
The Health Economics module covers the foundation of Economics in the health care context. The module analyses the main principles of micro economics, their application to health care and discusses the particular nature of health as an economic good. Great attention is given to the efficiency and equity issues, and their application to health care. The module also includes two lectures on economic evaluation in health care and you are required to do your own assessment using an economic evaluation framework.
Managing Healthcare Organisations
This module has been designed to deliver the aims of providing both understanding of NHS structures, functions and challenges, and the knowledge, personal skills and strategic tools to work effectively in healthcare systems and organisations. Conceptual understanding and knowledge frameworks will be delivered in lectures that encompass topics such as: history and structure of the NHS; current NHS policy, trends and challenges; commissioning and the flow of money through the NHS; value-based healthcare; the workings of a NHS trust and the ICS; innovation in the NHS.
Marketing
This module discusses fundamental topics of marketing decision making to demonstrate how a company can connect with and serve its customers better than its competitors and continue to do so over time. The overall aim of the module will be on understanding the role of marketing in the value creation process
Sustainable Business
The concept of Sustainable Business is at the forefront of contemporary global business practice and the development of business strategies for the benefit of people, planet and profit. Central is the establishment of medium to long term thinking, encompassing the needs of a broad stakeholder base, as opposed to short term commercial results for shareholders (a subset of stakeholders).The key objective of this module is to sensitise you to the interaction between global business, society and the planetary limits in which they operate within.
Research Methods and Practice
This year-long module offers the opportunity to develop skills in research methods so that you can design and conduct empirical research. You will acquire techniques in quantitative and qualitative analysis and interpretation to allow your results to be analysed and presented, and potentially have significant impact on real-world practice. This will also equip you to contribute to a major Group Project.
Group project
The Group Project is a vital component of the programme that forms part of the Research Methods and Practice module. It is a challenging piece of work that aims to equip you, in a short period of time, with a solid basis of research skills. Focusing on a topical management issue within healthcare, your group’s research will culminate in the submission of a major written report and a presentation.
Eligibility criteria
In order to be eligible to apply for an intercalated BSc course at Imperial College London you must:
- Be registered on a recognised Medical, Dental or Veterinary course at a UK or Irish university
- Have completed at least one year of that course before you apply to Imperial College London
- Have at least one year of your degree left when you return to your home institution after completing your intercalated BSc
For more information about the selection process and to sign up for the iBSc Fair please visit the Faculty of Medicine website.
Application process for the intercalated BSc in Management
Medical, Dental or Veterinary students from UK or Irish schools can apply to join Imperial College London for one year to attend one of 17 BSc pathways or specialisms. BSc Management is delivered by Imperial College Business School at the South Kensington campus and designed to complement your scientific and clinical skills with business acumen.
For application deadlines and information on how to apply, please refer to the Faculty of Medicine's Intercalated BSc programme page below.
Please note that admissions for ALL iBSc pathways are managed by the Faculty of Medicine.
Start your journey today
Frequently asked questions
A group would normally consist of six students who investigate a particular health care management related problem. A faculty member supervises each group, and students are given social research methods training in the Autumn term to help prepare them for the research they will undertake through the Spring.
At the end of the summer term, each group writes a joint report of approximately 25,000 words in a format prescribed by the University. In addition, the individual students will give a verbal presentation of their findings.
In the autumn term the programmes examine the economic, financial and organisational framework within which businesses operate. The spring term builds on this general framework and considers the functional issues that arise in the management of business activities. Finally the summer term is timetabled around examinations and the completion of the group project.
Some modules on the Intercalated BSc programmes will be taught to all students together as a group, while the classes will be split for other modules. All of this information is detailed in the individual programme handbooks issued at the beginning of the academic year.
Assessment for the programme is conducted on a modular basis. Assessments for each module will vary according to the subject matter/nature of the module, but will normally consist of a combination of different coursework assignments and, in most cases, a final examination. Some modules will be assessed by coursework only.
The nature of coursework and the weight attached to coursework marks vary between modules (details will be given at the start of each module). Students will complete both group and individual coursework assignments during the programme, however, deadlines for which will be frequent and fall throughout term.
Examinations for modules with this sort of assessment will take place in January (for Autumn term modules) and April/May (for Spring term modules). Full details of assessment weightings will be listed in the programme handbook at the beginning of the academic year.
Student evaluations are conducted at the end of each module. These evaluations provide an opportunity to comment on module content and presentation. Students are, however, also encouraged to discuss any issues connected with a module/the programme as soon as possible, either with the relevant faculty member; with the Programme Team; or via the student representatives on the Student-Staff Committee (SSC).