Evaluation of MSc programmes: MSc in Healthcare Management ...

1.1 Introduction
This report outlines the findings from an educational evaluation that
comprehensively measured the impact that masters’ degrees in healthcare
management, leadership & management development and quality and safety in
healthcare management had on graduates who completed the programmes at
the Institute of Leadership, Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI) in Ireland. The
results presented here include graduates’ evaluation of the quality of their
course, the extent to which graduates reported the development of leadership,
management and generic capabilities and, the impact the master’s programme
had on graduates’ subsequent careers. The participants in this study were
graduates who completed a MSc in Healthcare Management, MSc in Leadership
and Management Development or MSc in Quality and Safety in Healthcare
Management. These programmes have been delivered at RCSI since 2005 with
the first graduates in 2007. The first section of the evaluation reports on the
methods used to evaluate the masters’ programmes at the Institute of
Leadership. This is followed by the presentation of the results which includes:
the demographic profile of the sample, the results from the survey that measured
graduates’ experience of their programme of study, the extent to which
graduates made gains in the development of leadership capabilities and, finally,
the employment destination of graduates following the completion of the
programme.
1.2 Methods
The evaluation is principally concerned with measuring the quality of the
programme and the educational and professional outcomes achieved by
graduates as a consequence of the programme. In this study outcomes are
classified as short to medium term outcomes and longer-term impacts. Short to
medium term outcomes included students satisfaction with their programme of
study, academic achievement, the development of generic capabilities
(graduates’ ability to tackle unfamiliar problems, work as a member of a team,
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