Course Overview
Attendance
* Prices listed for the first year only. Fees for the second year are charged at 25% of the first year.
Course summary
Good health and wellbeing are increasingly becoming a focus for governments, policy makers and researchers, as we face diverse and multifaceted challenges in the 21st century, and careers in health and wellbeing are growth areas in our economy.
On our course, you’ll evaluate the modern health and wellbeing challenges through a multidisciplinary lens and explore interdisciplinary, systemic and community-engaged solutions.
It is imperative that health and wellbeing policies and practices, founded on evidence-based research, are developed to grow and support health and wellbeing in ways that are fit for purpose and sustainable. Our course has a strong focus on the application of research and evaluation methods to critique the health and wellbeing practices available for individuals, communities and societies.
You’ll be introduced to a broad and diverse range of concepts, including the impact of social prescribing on individuals and communities, global approaches to healthcare, health inequalities and health promotion, resilience building and professional relationships and leadership in the sector. You’ll be encouraged to explore and generate transformative solutions to resolve challenges and develop critical responses to existing practice in these areas.
You’ll develop the professional skills and attributes needed to review, design and lead research projects that evaluate aspects of integrative health and wellbeing.
Student diversity is welcomed, embraced and supported on this course and is considered to be a key strength for the future development of graduates that are able to meet diverse challenges in health.
On completion of our course, you’ll have a range of interpersonal skills including leadership, facilitation, reflective and supervisory practice. You’ll be able to apply wellbeing and resilience interventions which are key skills for professional leaders in health and industry.
Top reasons to study with us
- Our course team has extensive experience of delivering wellbeing initiatives into business, organisations, educational settings and healthcare settings
- Wellbeing is becoming increasingly sought after and supported as an essential component in society, business and education. Our course will provide you with the skills needed to become a successful wellbeing professional
- Our staff have strong links with employers in all sectors, who are involved in curriculum design and career guidance
- The course includes an integrated placement or internship in a professional healthcare, public health or social prescribing environment, offered in Year 2, which will help you to learn about the needs and requirements of the professional workplace through practical experience.
Course structure
You’ll learn in an integrative way drawing on experiential, interdisciplinary and community learning alongside collaborative co-creation of solutions to evaluate innovative real-world policies and implement health and wellbeing practices.
Teaching methods include lectures, seminars, workshops, simulations, scientific problem-based learning, and self-directed learning.
Students on the Integrative Health and Wellbeing with Professional Experience MSc take 240 credits over two years, including the Extended Work Experience module.
The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.
Core Modules
You'll undertake an integrated placement or internship in a professional healthcare, public health or social
prescribing environment. The module is offered in year 2 for students taking the Integrative Health and Wellbeing
with Professional Experience MSc. The module is designed to enable you to learn about the needs and requirements of the professional workplace through practical experience: to undertake research into the nature of the organisation or sector in which you are working; to gain professional skills and knowledge through practical work; to document and reflect upon the way in which you have acquired new expertise.
This module will explore recent advances in evidence-based integrative medicine. A broad range of both Western and non-Western approaches to health and wellbeing will be evaluated which will be based around diet, exercise, therapies and activities. These approaches will focus particularly on chronic disease, long-term illness and aging. The module will include appraisal of the validity for the integration of these interventions and modalities.
This module introduces you to health promotion theories and strategies through a lens of health inequalities. It explores the role of policies and action to address inequalities. It provides experience in the associated needs assessment, design and evaluation of health promotion interventions. Emphasis is placed on the critical analysis of health promotion policies, programmes and strategies to deliver health for all through a social determinant of health lens. Health care systems are considered with respect to their role of addressing inequalities in health.
This module focuses on the evidence-based research which has informed key UK policy development in health and wellbeing. The evidence for the impact of Social Prescribing and Wellbeing on individuals and communities will be evaluated, also considering critics of this field. International applications of Social Prescribing across different health systems and the key roles of professionals delivering Social Prescribing will be discussed. The module will explore concurrent development and implementation of inclusivity legislation, and its effect on health and wellbeing.
The purpose of this module is to teach the principles and practice of research with a focus on qualitative and quantitative study designs and methods of data collection and processing. It will show how these designs and methods can be applied to evaluation studies as well as to research. It will provide a supportive and intellectually challenging environment within which students develop their knowledge, understanding and skills as researchers.
This module will critically explore reflective practice models; reviewing the impact on professional development and service provision at an individual, group and community level.
Reflective practice models and facilitation approaches will be applied in peer reflective groups where you'll explore workplace and service provision interactions or issues. This group work will lead you be able to contextualise appropriate reflective practice and facilitation processes which will then be used for the exploration of specific situations; this will lead to identification of appropriate professional developmental needs for individuals and groups. This will also support the development of practices for identification of individuals and teams experiencing burnout.
In addition, the module will critically explore the factors that can enable the development of and support the maintenance of relationships in the professional environment and approaches to leadership. Theories will be critically explored that underpin a range of approaches such as Person Centred, Transactional Analysis and other theories of unconscious processes affecting communication and leadership.
This module consolidates and extends the skills learned in other modules and particularly Research Methods I. It culminates in the conduct of a supervised research project relevant to a student’s area of professional practice and course specific discipline.
This module will explore wellbeing and resilience interventions and programmes in workplace settings. Students will explore both the generic and specific issues that diverse professions and organisations are facing in relation to stress, wellbeing and resilience. They will also develop the skills and attributes needed to consult, design, deliver and evaluate bespoke workplace programmes that are both fit for purpose and evidence informed.
For more details on course structure, modules, teaching and assessment Download the programme specification (PDF).
To request an accessible version please email [email protected]
Get your copy of the University of Westminster prospectus and browse the range of courses on offer.
Contact us for general course enquiries:
+44 (0)20 7911 5000 EXT 65511
(Mon–Fri, 10am–4pm GMT)
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(Mon–Fri, 10am–4pm GMT)
Open evenings
Join us at an open evening online or on campus. Get a feel for student life at the University of Westminster and talk to course leaders and our support teams.
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Careers
Industry links
Our staff have links with companies in the public and private sectors including the NHS, Microsoft, Ofcom, councils and schools, integrative health clinics, conventional medical settings, fitness and wellness centres and organisations.
Transferable skills
You'll gain the knowledge and experience to work in organisations and areas including charities, government departments, higher and further education, local authority, policy organisations, public health teams and statutory bodies.
Employers around the world
The University’s Careers and Employability Service has built up a network of over 3,000 employers around the world, helping all our students explore and connect with exciting opportunities and careers.
Career development
Opportunities for part-time work, placements and work-related learning activities are widely available to students.
Our staff continue to widen and strengthen the University’s links with employers in all sectors, involving them in curriculum design and encouraging their participation in other aspects of the University’s career education and guidance provision.
Throughout the course, you’ll have opportunities to engage with the University’s Centre for Resilience, who provide high-quality evidence-based human resilience training consultancy and evaluation services for the corporate and public sector.
Job Roles
This course will prepare you for roles such as:
- Government policy officer
- Health and wellbeing manager
- Health and wellness magazine editor
- Health care support worker
- Health improvement lead
- Information analyst
- Integrated commissioning manager
- Transformation and quality improvement assistant
- Researcher
- Young people’s resilience worker
- Wellbeing/resilience coach and facilitator
Graduate employment
Graduates from this course could find employment in organisations and areas such as:
- Charities
- Government departments
- Higher and further education
- Local authority
- NHS Trusts
- NHS England
- Policy organisations
- Public health teams
- Statutory bodies
Westminster Employability Award
Employers value graduates who have invested in their personal and professional development – and our Westminster Employability Award gives you the chance to formally document and demonstrate these activities and achievements.
The award is flexible and can be completed in your own time, allowing you to choose from a set of extracurricular activities.
Activities might include gaining experience through a part-time job or placement, signing up to a University-run scheme – such as mentoring or teaching in a school – or completing online exercises.
Read more about our Westminster Employability Award.
Course Leader
Dr Heidi Sowter
Senior Lecturer
After working as a cancer research scientist for 11 years, Heidi moved into teaching in 2006, and joined Westminster in 2020. She has taught many aspects of human health, and places great emphasis on ensuring that her students graduate with employability and critical thinking skills.
Throughout her research career she has focussed on molecular aspects of cancer, but has more recently developed an interest in non-medical interventions. For example, she was the chief investigator of two clinical trials: ‘Yoga for Gynaecological Cancer patients’ and ‘Inspiratory muscle training for cancer patients suffering from dyspnoea.’ She was also a trainer for the NHS cancer network, and provided oncology workshops for nurses around England.
We aim to bring together students from many walks of life, and create an atmosphere of open-minded thinking to allow us to tackle modern-day health problems.
Course Team
Why Study this course?
Area of economic growth
Wellbeing is becoming increasingly sought after and supported as an essential component in society, business and education.
Multidisciplinary approach
You’ll evaluate the modern health and social care challenges through a multidisciplinary lens and explore interdisciplinary, systemic and community-engaged solutions.
Strong links with employers
Our staff have strong links with employers in all sectors, who are involved in curriculum design and career guidance.
Entry Requirements
A minimum of a lower second class honours degree (2:2) in a relevant discipline including health or allied health related subject, or in social care related subjects.
If your first language is not English, you should have an IELTS 6.5 with at least 6.5 in writing and no element below 6.0.
Applicants are required to submit one academic reference.
Recognition of prior learning and experience
If you have previously studied at university level, or have equivalent work experience, academic credit may be awarded towards your course at Westminster. For more information, visit our Recognition of Prior Learning page.
Application process
Visit our How to apply page for more information on:
- the application process
- what you need to apply
- deadlines for application
A minimum of a lower second class honours degree (2:2) in a relevant discipline including health or allied health related subject, or in social care related subjects.
If your first language is not English, you should have an IELTS 6.5 with at least 6.5 in writing and no element below 6.0.
Applicants are required to submit one academic reference.
Recognition of prior learning and experience
If you have previously studied at university level, or have equivalent work experience, academic credit may be awarded towards your course at Westminster. For more information, visit our Recognition of Prior Learning page.
Application process
Visit our How to apply page for more information on:
- the application process
- what you need to apply
- deadlines for application
More information
What our students say
Kate Dickens
Integrative Health and Wellbeing MSc (now Health and Wellbeing MSc) - 2024
Choosing Westminster for its master's program was the right decision. The hands-on, global learning experience has been incredibly rewarding. The academic and career support has been fantastic, pushing me to grow. I'm proud to be part of this diverse community.
Shivani Patil
Integrative Health and Wellbeing with a Professional Experience MSc - 2024
The University of Westminster is incredibly student-friendly, especially when it comes to employability. It’s just a matter of exploring and taking advantage of what’s available!
Learn New Skills
Improve your communication skills
Effectively communicate complex and sensitive information, relevant to health and wellbeing, to individuals or a range of stakeholders.
Learn how to professionally bid and deliver programmes
Develop competence and confidence to professionally bid for and deliver programmes for Integrative Health and Wellbeing in the workplace, demonstrating entrepreneurship.
Develop your interpersonal skills
On completion of our course, you’ll have a range of interpersonal skills including leadership, facilitation, coaching, reflective and supervisory practice.
Fees and Funding
UK tuition fee: £10,700 (Prices listed for the first year only. Fees for the second year are charged at 25% of the first year.)
When you have enrolled with us, your annual tuition fees will remain the same throughout your studies with us. We do not increase your tuition fees each year.
Find out how we set our tuition fees.
Paying your fees
If you don't wish to pay the whole amount of your fees at once, you may be able to pay by instalments. This opportunity is available if you have a personal tuition fee liability of £2,000 or more and if you are self-funded or funded by the Student Loans Company.
Find out more about paying your fees.
Alumni discount
This course is eligible for an alumni discount. Find out if you are eligible and how to apply by visiting our Alumni discounts page.
Funding
There is a range of funding available that may help you fund your studies, including Student Finance England (SFE).
Find out more about postgraduate student funding options.
Scholarships
The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible postgraduate students.
Find out if you qualify for one of our scholarships.
Additional costs
See what you may need to pay for separately and what your tuition fees cover.
International tuition fee: £17,500 (Prices listed for the first year only. Fees for the second year are charged at 25% of the first year.)
When you have enrolled with us, your annual tuition fees will remain the same throughout your studies with us. We do not increase your tuition fees each year.
Find out how we set our tuition fees.
Paying your fees
If you don't wish to pay the whole amount of your fees at once, you may be able to pay by instalments. This opportunity is available if you have a personal tuition fee liability of £2,000 or more and if you are self-funded or funded by the Student Loans Company.
Find out more about paying your fees.
Alumni discount
This course is eligible for an alumni discount. Find out if you are eligible and how to apply by visiting our Alumni discounts page.
Funding
There are a number of funding schemes available to help you fund your studies with us.
Find out more about funding for international students.
Scholarships
The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible postgraduate students.
Find out if you qualify for one of our scholarships.
Additional costs
See what you may need to pay for separately and what your tuition fees cover.
Teaching and Assessment
Below you will find how learning time and assessment types are distributed on this course. The graphs below give an indication of what you can expect through approximate percentages, taken either from the experience of previous cohorts, or based on the standard module diet where historic course data is unavailable. Changes to the division of learning time and assessment may be made in response to feedback and in accordance with our terms and conditions.
How you’ll be taught
Teaching methods across all our postgraduate courses focus on active student learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, problem-based and blended learning, and where appropriate practical application. Learning typically falls into two broad categories:
- Scheduled hours: examples include lectures, seminars, practical classes, workshops, supervised time in a studio
- Independent study: non-scheduled time in which students are expected to study independently. This may include preparation for scheduled sessions, dissertation/final project research, follow-up work, wider reading or practice, completion of assessment tasks, or revision
How you’ll be assessed
Our postgraduate courses include a variety of assessments, which typically fall into three broad categories:
- Written exams: end of semester exams
- Practical: examples include presentations, podcasts, blogs
- Coursework: examples include essays, in-class tests, portfolios, dissertation
Data from the academic year 2022/23
Supporting you
Our Student Hub is where you’ll find out about the services and support we offer, helping you get the best out of your time with us.
- Study support — workshops, 1-2-1 support and online resources to help improve your academic and research skills
- Personal tutors — support you in fulfilling your academic and personal potential
- Student advice team — provide specialist advice on a range of issues including funding, benefits and visas
- Extra-curricular activities — volunteering opportunities, sports and fitness activities, student events and more
Course location
With state-of-the-art science and psychology labs and refurbished computer suites, our Cavendish Campus offers our science and technology students a range of learning spaces that are both dynamic and inspiring,
Located in central London, our Cavendish Campus is just a five-minute walk from Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road.
For more details, visit our Cavendish Campus page.
Contact us
Call our dedicated team on:
+44 (0)20 7911 5000 ext 65511
Opening hours (GMT): 10am–4pm Monday to Friday
Opening hours (GMT): 10am–4pm Monday to Friday
More information
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