Master systems thinking and lead systemic change, enhancing your professional skills and advancing your organisation. Learn from top experts, apply theory in real-time, and benefit from personalised, flexible teaching within a small cohort.
Take your career to the next level with our Systems Thinking and Leadership Practitioner degree. Develop strategic insights, drive impactful change, and become a leader equipped to tackle tomorrow’s challenges. Your journey to transformative leadership starts here.
This course will run in a part-time mode for 30 to 36 months depending on which awarded degree you enrolled for.
You’ll study four core modules exploring systems methodologies, integrating perspectives with reflective practices, developing essential professional skills, and building a solid foundation in systems theory and leadership to enhance your diagnostic, intervention, and leadership capabilities.
Assessment include reports, presentations and coursework exams.
Systems Thinking refers to concepts, frameworks, approaches, methodologies, and interventions that help us to understand the relationships between the different parts in complex situations.
It draws inspiration from various disciplines under natural sciences, social and psychological sciences, and critical and complexity studies.
By the end of this degree apprenticeship, you will be equipped with the tools, methods, and leaderships skills needed to address complex, systemic challenges. You will develop the ability to:
Teaching will utilise a range of learning methods, including lectures, seminars, and workshops.
Study approach is composed 11-to-12-week modules which results in a total of:
The programme is composed of six 20-credit modules that will award you a Postgraduate Diploma. Upon completion of an additional 60-credit dissertation project, you will achieve the full Masters qualification.
The modules listed below are an indication only and may be subject to change. Occasionally, it may be necessary to make changes to modules, for example, to ensure they remain current and relevant.
As a research-intensive University, our teaching is informed by the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff. For more information on the circumstances in which the University may need to make changes to modules, please refer to the Terms and Conditions for applicants.
The following must be taken:
| Module Title | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| Exploring and integrating perspectives in system design, theory and practice | 20 | Semester 2 |
| Perspectives, boundaries and relationships, internal and external | 20 | Semester 2 |
| Systems Theory & Systems Leadership in context | 20 | Semester 2 |
The following must be taken:
| Module Title | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| Organisation, strategy and dialogue | 20 | Semester 1 |
| Systemic Evaluation and deepening leadership practice | 20 | Semester 2 |
| Systems and leadership practitioner | 20 | Semester 2 |
| Dissertation | 60 | Full Term |
To gain a place at Birmingham you will need to meet our general entry requirements, as well as those specific to your course. Your application will be reviewed by the course’s Admissions Tutor, who will decide whether your application should receive an offer.
or equivalent work experience.
If you are an international student, you will need to demonstrate you have a suitable level of English proficiency, usually through the form of an IELTS or equivalent qualification.
For this course we require IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band, which is equivalent to:
Improve your knowledge of spoken and written English in preparation for studying at Birmingham with our pre-sessional English courses. If you have a conditional offer, you can take one of these courses as an alternative to retaking IELTS or other similar qualifications.
Part-time
Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship we will offer the opportunity for learners to achieve a full Masters level qualification via completion of a 60 credit dissertation and a top up fee. Discounts and scholarships may be applied in certain circumstances for this fee, please contact us to discuss.
To help with the cost of studies, this loan is available to all UK students. You can use this loan towards fees, maintenance or other costs at your own discretion. It’s available for all full-time, part-time and distance learning Masters programmes, as long as you don’t already have a Masters qualification (or equivalent).If you’re a student from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can apply for Masters loans from your country’s government.
To help you afford your studies, we’ve put more than £33 million into student support and scholarships. We also offer a range of advice on searching for funding and managing your finances.
We want to welcome the brightest talent to our postgraduate community. That’s why our Birmingham Masters Scholarships award £3,000 to more than 300 students each year.
To apply for a postgraduate programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online.
Select whether you are a UK student or an international student for relevant application deadlines.
Find out how to apply to our postgraduate taught programmes. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.
If you have a question about our admissions process, including how to apply, your offer and how to track your application, please visit our admissions portal.
Take your career to the next level with our Systems Thinking and Leadership Practitioner MSc/PGDip. Ideal for middle to senior leaders and project managers, this programme blends systems theory with practical leadership skills to drive systemic change. Gain insights from the Birmingham Leadership Institute and a network of experts and graduate with a unique qualification, ready to contribute to organisations' success.
Get ready for tomorrow, with advice, guidance and opportunities at every step of your studies. From developing new skills to preparing for a PhD, our Careers Network can help you gain an advantage in the job market or advance in your field.
Whatever you plan to do after your degree, the Careers Network offers a range of events and support services including networking opportunities, career coaching, one-to-one guidance, careers fairs and links with leading graduate recruiters. We also offer subject-specific careers consultants and a dedicated careers website for international students.
Find out why we are the most targeted UK university by top graduate employers (High Fliers report, The Graduate Market 2024) by meeting some of our successful alumni.
