Strategic Leadership in Occupational Safety and Health Degree Apprenticeship
You are an established safety and practitioner looking to develop the change leadership skills necessary to operate at the next professional level
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Viewing course details for 2025-26 year of entry
- Code
- 011B928
- Attendance
- Full-time, Part-time
- Start
- September 2025
- Fees
- £10,700 (UK) * £17,100 (INT) *
- Duration
- 3 years part-time
- Course Leader
- Dr David Thomas
- Study mode
- On campus, Online
- Location
- Hendon campus
- Placement year
- No
- School / Department
- Faculty of Science and Technology
Why choose Strategic Leadership in Occupational Safety and Health Degree Apprenticeship at Middlesex?
This is a new, for 2025, professional practice award based on the IOSH Competency Framework with modules designed to integrate practice from your working environment with academia. Action, research and reflection (core to the PSRB's PDA and CPD) is built in to the programme with the project enabling you to do a ‘deep dive’ into a practice-based activity.
You will be taught in a blended fashion, with a mix of professional practice, in-person lectures as well as online classes and technology enabled supported learning activity. Attendance on campus will enable student led discussion and activity with one module, taking advantage of the space on campus for laboratory-based learning.
The programme is designed to make it easier for you to attend campus with minimal travel, yet engage with the key information for the award making it a national award not aimed at London commuters.
What you will gain
On graduation you will have a systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of Occupational Safety and Health. You will understand the application of (local) health and safety law and champion interventions establishing an acceptable level of risk.
You will have a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to your own research or advanced scholarship being able to inform decisions through the interpretation of data from a multitude of sources, undertake action research in the workplace and provide change leadership in organisations.
Assignments will help you develop and improve a range of communication and engagement strategies and give you transferrable leadership skills that will create broader employability skills outside of safety and health risk areas and be able to lead a multi-disciplinary team.
3 great reasons to pick this course
About your course
In year 1 of the part time route students will cover operational aspects of their professional discipline focusing on the management of Healthy Workplaces and Industrial Hygiene, together with H&S Practice; Operational Risks and Technology. This will challenge students to critically the practice of themselves and their organisation.
In year 2 students will develop decision making, change and broader strategic thinking through the two modules on Strategic Risk Management and Leadership, Change and Project Management.
The culmination of the programme is the MSc workplace project through practice-based learning. This will develop students' intellectual and interpersonal abilities, thereby deepening their critical comprehension of real-world applications and develop key competencies such as co-leadership, employability, employer engagement and develop digital literacy skills.
About your course
Here is a brief overview of the modules you will study on your course.
Year 1 Modules
This module covers the aspects of ‘healthy workplaces’: evaluating regulatory requirements, audits, and environmental oversight; applying research and data analysis for effective risk management strategies; assessing occupational hygiene, hazardous agents, and workplace stressors; addressing organisational change, workforce health, and sustainable safety improvements using Best Available Techniques (BAT) in industrial hygiene management.
This module explores risk management in workplace safety, addressing physical and organisational hazards while integrating legal frameworks and practice-based strategies. Students develop skills in inspection, identification and evaluation of workplace risks, including technological challenges. It emphasizes accident investigation, auditing, and proactive solutions for occupational safety and health improvements.
This module aims to develop apprentices professional practice skills, reflect upon and learn from professional experience within the apprenticeship programme. It is designed to link academic learning with their organisation’s activities and management of safety and health by fostering a strong linkage between theory, practice and reflective practice.
The professional practice modules are the underpinning sources of reflective material that are submitted as part of the End Point Assessment.
This module covers the aspects of ‘healthy workplaces’: evaluating regulatory requirements, audits, and environmental oversight; applying research and data analysis for effective risk management strategies; assessing occupational hygiene, hazardous agents, and workplace stressors; addressing organisational change, workforce health, and sustainable safety improvements using Best Available Techniques (BAT) in industrial hygiene management.
This module explores risk management in workplace safety, addressing physical and organisational hazards while integrating legal frameworks and practice-based strategies. Students develop skills in inspection, identification and evaluation of workplace risks, including technological challenges. It emphasizes accident investigation, auditing, and proactive solutions for occupational safety and health improvements.
This module aims to develop apprentices professional practice skills, reflect upon and learn from professional experience within the apprenticeship programme. It is designed to link academic learning with their organisation’s activities and management of safety and health by fostering a strong linkage between theory, practice and reflective practice.
The professional practice modules are the underpinning sources of reflective material that are submitted as part of the End Point Assessment.
Year 2 Modules
This module covers the critical aspects of risk management: evaluating risk-based approaches, resilience strategies, and limitations of risk assessment; synthesizing empirical evidence to inform decisions; analyzing communication and human factor challenges; examining environmental management systems and circular economy contributions ( UN Sustainable Development Goals) and developing emergency management and business continuity management.
This module covers the key aspects of leadership, strategy, and organisational psychology in occupational safety and health: evaluating management theories, change implementation, and strategic policy positioning; assessing human factors, perceptions, and risk acceptability; developing professional identity, accountability, and interdisciplinary collaboration; interpreting financial data; and addressing challenges in contract selection, project management, and resource allocation.
This module aims to develop apprentices professional practice skills, reflect upon and learn from professional experience within the apprenticeship programme. It is designed to link academic learning with their organisation’s activities and management of safety and health by fostering a strong linkage between theory, practice and reflective practice.
The professional practice modules are the underpinning sources of reflective material that are submitted as part of the End Point Assessment.
This module covers the critical aspects of risk management: evaluating risk-based approaches, resilience strategies, and limitations of risk assessment; synthesizing empirical evidence to inform decisions; analyzing communication and human factor challenges; examining environmental management systems and circular economy contributions ( UN Sustainable Development Goals) and developing emergency management and business continuity management.
This module covers the key aspects of leadership, strategy, and organisational psychology in occupational safety and health: evaluating management theories, change implementation, and strategic policy positioning; assessing human factors, perceptions, and risk acceptability; developing professional identity, accountability, and interdisciplinary collaboration; interpreting financial data; and addressing challenges in contract selection, project management, and resource allocation.
This module aims to develop apprentices professional practice skills, reflect upon and learn from professional experience within the apprenticeship programme. It is designed to link academic learning with their organisation’s activities and management of safety and health by fostering a strong linkage between theory, practice and reflective practice.
The professional practice modules are the underpinning sources of reflective material that are submitted as part of the End Point Assessment.
Year 3 Modules
Develops and fosters appropriate methodologies and analytical techniques (including where appropriate developing familiarity with relevant data analysis programmes e.g. Excel, SPSS, Nvivo etc.) to support students in undertaking their MSc Project. This will include the skills required in the management organisation and delivery of a workplace project.
This module aims to develop apprentices professional practice skills, reflect upon and learn from professional experience within the apprenticeship programme. It is designed to link academic learning with their organisation’s activities and management of safety and health by fostering a strong linkage between theory, practice and reflective practice.
The professional practice modules are the underpinning sources of reflective material that are submitted as part of the End Point Assessment.
Develops and fosters appropriate methodologies and analytical techniques (including where appropriate developing familiarity with relevant data analysis programmes e.g. Excel, SPSS, Nvivo etc.) to support students in undertaking their MSc Project. This will include the skills required in the management organisation and delivery of a workplace project.
This module aims to develop apprentices professional practice skills, reflect upon and learn from professional experience within the apprenticeship programme. It is designed to link academic learning with their organisation’s activities and management of safety and health by fostering a strong linkage between theory, practice and reflective practice.
The professional practice modules are the underpinning sources of reflective material that are submitted as part of the End Point Assessment.
To find out more about this course, please download the MSc Strategic Leadership in Occupational Safety and Health course specification (PDF).
Teaching
You'll be taught by an experienced teaching team with a wide range of expertise and professional experience.
This is a professional programme and you will be taught via a work-integrated blended learning approach which will comprise:
- Work based learning, consisting of on the job development and application of skills, knowledge and professional behaviours. Your progress will be monitored through regular tutorials with tutors and supervised in the workplace by your coach
- Module workshops will be taught by professional practitioners and specialist staff will introduce new relevant academic and professional content
- Specialist workshops will be delivered face-to face and/or online
- Contextualised work based projects, where skills, knowledge and behaviour can be applied in a professional working environment
- Online learning, including structured individual and/or group online learning activities and tasks that involves facilitated tutor and peer group feedback to support learning development.
Apprentice’s knowledge and understanding is assessed through their workplaces through the integration of knowledge with their own practice - with reflection, reflecting current working, cultural and physical environments. Presentations and discussion blogs on the virtual learning environment will also be used as a formative assessment with written feedback given rapidly to progress learning and understanding. Apprentices’ cognitive skills are assessed through reflection and assignment, and the research proposal and workplace project.
We welcome your application regardless of your background or experience.
For this course, we consider your application based on:
-
Minimum 2:2 or better bachelors award demonstrating an ability to study at Level 7.
Plus
- Evidence of Level 6 qualification in Health and Safety or a portfolio, demonstrating an appropriate understanding of Risk Management Processes in their chosen industry with relevant experience.
If you have relevant qualifications or work experience, we may be able to count this towards your entry requirements.
Confirmation that the candidate is able to access a workplace during their studies (for attendance, assessment and work-based project).
An overall score of IELTs 6.5 and above with a minimum of 6.0 in all components.
Employers of apprentices from highly regulated and/or high risk industries will set their selection criteria for their candidates which should include evidence that applicants have capacity to work at level 6+ in preparation for the master’s award track.
The normal requirement is a Good honours degree, 2.2 or above or equivalent qualification in any relevant discipline or Professional Diploma (level 6) e.g. NEBOSH or British Safety Council.
Apprentices may be required to pass level 2 Functional Skills if they do not hold GCSE grade 4 or above equivalents in Mathematics and/or English upon entry.
Equivalent work-based experience may be considered at the discretion of the programme team and employer and may require submission of a piece of work to demonstrate experience and readiness to study at level 6+. Employers who are considering candidates who do not have level 6 qualifications (as set out above) should discuss their suitability with the programme leader.
We welcome students from the UK, EU and all over the world. Join students from over 122 countries and discover why so many international students call our campus home:
- Quality teaching with top facilities plus flexible online learning
- Welcoming north London campus that's only 30 minutes from central London
- Career support to get you where you want to go after university.
For this course, we consider your application based on:
-
Minimum 2:2 or better bachelors award demonstrating an ability to study at Level 7.
Plus
- Evidence of Level 6 qualification in Health and Safety or a portfolio, demonstrating an appropriate understanding of Risk Management Processes in their chosen industry with relevant experience.
If you have relevant qualifications or work experience, we may be able to count this towards your entry requirements.
English language
You'll need good English language skills to study with us. Find out more about our Pre-sessional English course. And, don’t worry If you don't meet our minimum English language requirements, as we offer an intensive English language requirements.
Visas
To study with us in the UK, you will need a student route visa.
Part-time study
Changes to the Immigration Rules introduced in January 2018 now allow international applicants to apply for Student route (formerly tier 4) visas for part-time postgraduate study (courses leading to a qualification at RQF level 7 or SCQF level 11 and above).
Student route visa students studying part-time are subject to certain restrictions:
- No work (paid or unpaid)
- No work placements as part of the course
- No dependants
- No extending under Student route visa in the UK. This includes Student route visa applications to work as a Students' Union Sabbatical
- Officer or for the Foundation Programme for postgraduate doctors and dentists
- Not eligible for the Student route visa Doctorate Extension Scheme.
*Please note that, if the course of your choice involves work experience, unpaid work, placements or internships, we will be unable to sponsor you to study a part-time course under the Student route (formerly tier 4) visa.
Apply as early as possible to make sure you get a place. You can submit your application before you receive your final qualification.
Personal statements
Make sure that you highlight your best qualities in your personal statement that are relevant to this course. Include details of your previous experience and how you will integrate this with your new learning. Please explain the industrial sector you are most interested in.
Interviews
You may be invited to an academic interview.
Find out how to apply for postgraduate taught courses and watch our step-by-step video.
How can the Strategic Leadership in Occupational Safety and Health Degree Apprenticeship support your career?
This apprenticeship creates rounded professionals capable of working competently in their chosen industry but with the risk and safety management knowledge, skills and behaviours that are transferable across all highly regulated industries. Typically, apprentices are being developed to work in the energy generation, construction, manufacturing and railway sectors.
We have some apprentices from HS2 with some from the public service sector – most apprentices are already entering with Level 6 knowledge and are Certified Members of IOSH and/or with appropriate Engineering Council awards.
MDXworks
MDXworks, our employability service, will help you make the most of your experience and connections to achieve your career goals. You'll have unlimited access to one-to-one advice and support from specialists in your sector plus 24/7 online support. You can also make the most of events and networking opportunities, on and off campus.
Our dedicated lifetime career support, like our business start-up support programme and funding for entrepreneurs, has been recognised with the following awards:
- The top 20 UK universities for business leaders and entrepreneurs – Business Money, 2023.
- A top 10 university for producing CEOs – Novuana, 2023.
Start-Up accelerator programme
We can help you bring your business idea to life with our MDXcelerator programme which includes masterclasses with high-profile entrepreneurs, workshops, mentoring opportunities and competitions to secure seed funding.
Global alumni network
You’ll be studying with students from 122 countries who’ll become part of your personal global network. You'll learn how to work with a global mindset and make invaluable connections on your course for your chosen industry.
Fees and funding
The fees below refer to the 2025/26 academic year unless otherwise stated.
UK students
Full-time students: £10,700
Part-time students: £71 per credit
Part-time students: £35 per dissertation credit
*Course fees are subject to annual inflation so the total costs for part-time study are shown here as a guide
For more information and to answer your frequently asked questions, please visit our postgraduate funding page.
The fees below refer to the 2024/25 academic year unless otherwise stated.
International students
Full-time students: £17,100
Part-time students: £114 per credit
Part-time students: £57 per dissertation credit
*Course fees are subject to annual inflation so the total costs for part-time study are shown here as a guide
For more information and to answer your frequently asked questions, please visit our postgraduate funding page.
The following study tools are included in your fees:
- Free access to the resources, learning materials and software you need to succeed on your course
- Free laptop loans for up to 24 hours
- Free printing for academic paperwork
- Free online training with LinkedIn Learning.
Financial support
We offer lots of support to help you with fees and living costs. Check out our guide to student life on a budget and find out more about postgraduate funding.
You may be eligible for one of our scholarships including:
- The Alumni Postgraduate Award – for all UK/EU Middlesex alumni a 20% fee reduction
- The Commonwealth Scholarship – full course fees, airfares and a living allowance
- The Chevening Scholarship – full course fees
- The European Academic Awards – £1000 to £7000 for students showing academic excellence
- Regional or International Merit Award –up to £2,000 towards course fees
For international students, we also have a limited number of other awards specific to certain regions, and work in partnership with funding providers in your country to help support you financially with your study.
Find out more about our postgraduate scholarships.
Help from your employer
Your employer can contribute towards the cost of your postgraduate study as part of their staff development programme.
Fees disclaimers
1. UK fees: The university reserves the right to increase postgraduate tuition fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions. The tuition fees for part-time UK study are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.
2. International fees: Tuition fees are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.
Any annual increase in tuition fees as provided for above will be notified to students at the earliest opportunity in advance of the academic year to which any applicable inflationary rise may apply.
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Dr David Thomas
Senior Lecturer in Occupational Health and Safety Management
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View our range of student ambassadorsWe’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
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