The Master's Degree in Health Administration (MUAS) is an official Master's Degree, of 60 credits (ECTS), which is taught jointly by the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED) and the Escuela Nacional de Sanidad (ENS), the latter belonging to the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII). Since 2010, the UNED and the ENS have formed the Joint Research Institute under the name IMIENS.

The different subjects of the Master's degree will be taken over two academic years (1st year, 2023-2024, and 2nd year, 2024-2025). See the Syllabus section for more information on the contents of each course), making training compatible with professional activity. This process helps to rework and enrich the student's experience from this basis to build and consolidate managerial and management skills.

The Master's degree is developed by combining face-to-face and virtual activities. The face-to-face activities allow for more direct interaction between the participants in the Master's programme: students, teachers, lecturers and academic organisation. This activity is managed in sessions that will be held at the end of each subject. They last two days, including exams and various teaching and academic activities. Virtual activities are the most important throughout the Master, with a varied range of methods and tools to work and interact from the virtual course hosted on the educational platform of the UNED.

VERY IMPORTANT: To be taken into account when assessing the application for enrolment in this Master's Degree:

• This Master's Degree consists of compulsory face-to-face sessions.
• There is no recognition of credits taken in Official Non-University Higher Education.
• There is no recognition of credits taken in the Master's Degree.
• There is no recognition of credits taken by Accreditation of Work and Professional Experience.
• No internships are carried out or provided.

Pedro A. Tamayo Lorenzo. MUAS Coordinator / UNED

José R. Repullo Labrador. MUAS Coordinator / ENS

José M. Antequera Vinagre. Academic Secretary MUAS / ENS

This section includes the basic, general and specific objectives and competences that students are expected to acquire in each subject as a result of their learning.

MUAS OBJECTIVES.

General objective: That students acquire advanced multidisciplinary training in the knowledge, skills and attitudes that currently govern the sciences of management, administration and management of health systems and services, enabling them to develop their professional careers in accordance with the needs and demands of society.

Specific objectives: At the end of the course, the student should have the skills and competences to:

• In relation to the macro-management of health systems and networks:
  • Know the agency relationships and determinants of the economy in the health sector.
  • Know how to characterise the components of the different health system models and of the Spanish National Health System itself.
  • Understand the different health service management and organisational models.
  • Analyse the principles, components and applications of good governance in health institutions.
• In relation to the management function and instruments for the management of centres and services:
  • Analyse the essential components of planning, managing and directing health institutions.
  • Understand and know how to apply techniques and methods for the governance and management of people.
  • Knowing the accounting instruments and methods within the framework of economic-budgetary management and cost and expenditure control.
  • Know the management systems for sustainable health architecture and engineering projects.
• In relation to clinical management:
  • Deduce the different situations derived from clinical activity through the assessment of health information systems and metrics.
  • Analyse the fundamentals of clinical organisation and management, as well as quality models based on excellence.
• In relation to analytical methodologies, evaluation and knowledge management:
  • Know the current methods and techniques in the field of public health, clinical epidemiology and applied statistics.
  • Reasoning the fundamentals of health law, as well as the inference of professional and social responsibility.
  • Acquire methodological and instrumental skills in research and evaluation of health centres, services, technologies and programmes.
  • Knowing the policies and instruments in specialised training, research and the development of scientific knowledge applied to biomedical sciences.

COMPETENCIES of the MUAS:

• Basic Competences:
  • To possess and understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity to be original in the development and/or application of ideas, often in a research context.
  • Students should be able to apply their acquired knowledge and problem-solving skills in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study.
  • Students must be able to integrate knowledge and face the complexity of formulating judgements based on incomplete or limited information, including reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgements.
  • Students should be able to communicate their conclusions and the ultimate knowledge and reasons underpinning them to specialist and non-specialist audiences in a clear and unambiguous way.
  • That students possess the learning skills that will enable them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.
• The General Competences of the Master's Degree are:
  • STRATEGIC: To be able to act with vision and take advantage of opportunities in their professional career and to implement efficient results-oriented governance in their management performance.
  • INSTRUMENTAL: Being able to make decisions, solve issues, manage and plan, analyse and synthesise, communicate orally and in writing, manage information, know and use new technologies and social networks, manage time appropriately, have the ability to negotiate, determine priorities and use evaluation techniques.
  • SYSTEMIC: Be able to act motivated by quality, adapt to new situations, think creatively, learn autonomously, act with initiative and entrepreneurial spirit and show professional leadership.
  • PERSONAL. Be able to act with ethical commitment, work in a team and know how to delegate, show interpersonal skills, show critical reasoning and act with personal autonomy and creativity.
• Specific competences of the Master are:
  • Acquire the fundamentals and principles of economics and social sciences applied to the field of health and health systems and services.
  • To assess the efficiency of public health policies through the comparison of models and systems, characterising the position of the National Health System in Spain.
  • Knowledge of the principles and foundations of public health and the epidemiological method.
  • Apply statistical and data science methods and techniques.
  • Analyse situations and issues of community and population health from the perspective of the epidemiological method.
  • Assess the perspectives and foundations of public policies.
  • Relevant knowledge of the ability to apply the integral factors of health law, bioethics and the sociology of health.
  • Analyse global economic frameworks related to health.
  • Assess performance in complex organisational and social systems.
  • Ability to use the scientific method and its application in research.
  • Know the elements that characterise health production and the tools for management control.
  • Evaluate the interventions and technologies applicable in the field of health.
  • Assess professional performance and competences in the context of clinical management.
  • Acquire the fundamentals and principles of health company administration and governance.
  • Relevant knowledge of the factors involved in the management of human capital in the health organisation and services.
  • Ability to apply negotiation and communication techniques.
  • Knowing how to operate with the methods for calculating health staff.
  • Relevant knowledge of the ability to manage budgets in health centres.
  • Relevant knowledge of the ability to apply the integral factors of financial and analytical accounting of the company.
  • Knowing how to apply budgeting and expenditure control techniques.
  • Knowledge of the methods for the management and control of health and environmental engineering projects.
  • Knowing how to draw up management contract models.
  • Relevant knowledge of the ability to apply operational methods of total quality management and patient safety.
  • Perform tasks related to the mechanisms of access and analysis of scientific evidence and its relation to knowledge management.
  • Carry out review, evaluation and supervision tasks on medicines and other health technologies.
  • Knowledge of the essential aspects of the philosophy of science applied to biomedical research.
  • Perform tasks related to the use of new technologies and web 2.0 in health sciences.

Students graduating with the MUAS will be qualified to:

• Serve in technical, managerial and senior management positions in the State and Autonomous Health Administration.
• Develop leadership and management functions in public or private health centres, with a broad vision of the health network, an approach adapted to health professionalism, and an orientation towards the health of the population. 
• Be a researcher in research projects in the field of Health Administration and health sciences.
• Access to doctoral programs related to health, economic and social sciences.

In summary, the student who has passed the MUAS will have acquired the knowledge, abilities, tools and skills that will enable him/her to be competent in a varied profile of tasks, among which we highlight the following five:

(a) Develop policies and management processes of institutions and corporations that govern systems and networks of health and social-health services, both in the field of health risk insurance, as well as in the coordination of networks of centers and services, and in the implementation of programs for the improvement of population health.

b) Plan, organize, direct and evaluate health centers and services, providing significant competencies from the student's own disciplinary perspective: financing, economic evaluation, regulation, information, technology, organization, assistance, care, pharmacy, personnel, administration, general services, public health, health information and documentation, patients' rights, safety, quality, etc.

c) Collaborate with the management of healthcare microsystems, either by leading the processes, in the case of clinical and care disciplines, or by acting as support and liaison for these microsystems in the healthcare centers and networks in which they are located.

d) Implement projects to improve quality and efficiency, organizational change or innovation, based on a good command of technical tools from the world of management, organizational sciences, biomedical research and health services, and the set of disciplinary knowledge provided in the Master's program.

e) To take the initiative to maintain self-training, through "learning to learn" skills, which are projected in the ability to convert experience into tacit knowledge, and through participation in communities of knowledge and professional practice, to convert this into explicit knowledge published and disseminated with the guarantees of the scientific method.

The requirements for access to the Master's Degree are:

To be in possession of an official Spanish university degree of Bachelor or Graduate in Medicine, of Diploma or Graduate in Nursing, of other degrees of Bachelor or Graduate in Health Sciences, or in other disciplines and areas of knowledge oriented to health management.
Degrees issued by an institution of Higher Education of the EHEA (Degrees) that allow access to postgraduate studies in the country issuing the degree are also considered valid.
Other graduates from educational systems outside the EHEA may also be admitted without the need for homologation of their degrees, subject to verification by the selection committee that they accredit a level of training equivalent to the corresponding official Spanish degrees and that they qualify in the country issuing the degree for access to postgraduate studies. Access to the master's degree through this route will not imply, in any case, the homologation of the previous degree held by the interested party, nor its recognition for purposes other than that of taking the master's degree.
Guaranteed availability to attend the sessions scheduled (9 over two years).
Given its admission criteria, this Master's Degree does not contemplate adaptation or leveling courses, so that the student's access once evaluated and accepted is direct.

Previous training initiatives in this sector of health administration and management, show the existence of students with an important background of work practice, who seek to rework their experience and grow as professionals with a university knowledge base. This also coincides with the mission of the UNED, particularly open to the progression and improvement of students who have had a cycle of work performance.

Selection mechanisms:

The following three blocks of merit will be scored for the selection of students in the MUAS.

• Academic record: 25%. In this section, the academic degree or degrees presented by the student (Doctor, Graduate or Graduate) will be valued, as well as the courses and other programmes of continuing training that are certified according to the number of credits/hours related to the administration of health services. In addition, continuing training actions related to the direction, administration, management, governance and planning of health care services and units will also be valued.
• Professional experience: 35%. In this section, professional experience in health and social-health centers, units and services, and in the management, administration, governance and direction of health care institutions will be valued.
• Projects for the improvement of the quality of care, elaboration of technical reports, protocols and scientific production: 40%. In this section, participation in projects, programs, plans; works published as author in books and scientific journals related to the world of management, improvement programs and administration of health services will be valued.

The Academic Committee may request the applicants to justify the merits provided.

Only CVs with the defined structure and with specific sections according to the MODEL PROPOSED BELOW will be evaluated. 

MODEL CV (word format)

MODEL CV (pdf format)

The maximum number of students admitted per course is 65.

The MUAS consists of 60 ECTS. It has a duration of 2 years (2023/2024 and 2024/2025), and the number of ECTS is divided into 9 subjects, including the Master's Thesis (TFM). 

The Master's Degree is structured as follows: 

1.- Compulsory subjects: 52 ECTS

2.- TFM: 8 ECTS 

In the first year of the Master (academic year 2023-2024), students can enrol in the first four subjects, for a total of 24 ECTS. In the second year (academic year 2024/2025), students can register for the remaining credits. 

This Master's Degree does not include internships. 

In accordance with section 4.4 of the Degree Report, no credits are recognised for:

Credits taken in Official Non-University Higher Education.
Credits taken in UB-specific degrees.
Credits taken for Accreditation of Work and Professional Experience.
Two important observations: Required dedication and attendance.

Those interested in taking this Master's Degree should bear in mind, before submitting their application, two extremely important issues: the level of demand required to successfully complete the studies; and the compulsory attendance at certain times of the course. 

Studying the Master's full-time (one academic year), according to EHEA guidelines, requires the student to dedicate 40 hours per week (8 hours per day). Each ECTS credit implies 25-30 hours of effective work by the student. In this sense, students must take into account their real possibilities of fulfilling this requirement and enrol in as many subjects as they consider they can satisfactorily complete according to their available time. 

For this reason, except in exceptional situations, the MUAS must be taken in two academic years, and its design is based on a pedagogical sequence: in the first year, subjects 1, 2, 3 and 4; in the second year, subjects 5, 6, 7, 8, as well as 9 (Master's Thesis) and 10 (Case Studies and Applied Experiences). 

According to the regulations (see the corresponding section), it is possible to study part-time, taking a minimum of 10 credits per academic year, but bearing in mind that the time spent on the Master's degree cannot exceed 4 academic years. 

On the other hand, for this biennial Master's course there are 9 face-to-face sessions scheduled, which will be held in Madrid, either at the headquarters of the National School of Health (c/ Monforte de Lemos 5), or on the UNED campus (c/Senda del Rey, in any of the spaces available in the Faculties located there). They will be held at the beginning of each course and at the end of each subject; each of these sessions will take place over two days (Thursday and Friday). These sessions are used both for teaching activities and for examining the completed subject. The exams or face-to-face tests will not be held at a different place or on a different date from those scheduled for the face-to-face sessions. For the purposes of the face-to-face sessions and assessment, the UNED Associated Centres will not be used. In addition, attendance at the Face-to-Face Sessions is compulsory, being necessary to accredit participation in at least 80% of them as a necessary condition to complete the Master's Degree.

The date and place of the opening face-to-face session of the 7th edition of the MUAS will be communicated sufficiently in advance to admitted students (the date and timetable will be indicated in the admission resolution) who have started the enrolment process. It is the student's responsibility to access the UNED virtual platform from the day the course begins.

STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY PLAN

COURSE 

DURATION 

CHARACTER

ECTS CREDITS 

Health Systems Governance 

Block 01: Economics and Welfare 

Block 02: Health and Health Systems 

Half-yearly 

(First year - Semester 1) 

Available in the 

academic year 2023/2024 

Compulsory 

7 

Epidemiology and Public Health 

Block 03: Public health and clinical epidemiology 

Block 04: Statistical analysis, data interpretation and communication 

Half-yearly 

(First year - 1st semester) 

Available in the 

academic year 2023/2024 

Compulsory 

5,5 

Health Insurance and Health Law 

Block 05: Health Insurance and Network Management 

Block 06: Health Law and Bioethics 

Half-yearly 

(First year - 2nd semester) 

Available in the 

academic year 2023/2024 

Compulsory 

6

Health Evaluation and Knowledge Management I 

Block 07: Evaluation of health services 

Block 08: Analysis and management control of the clinical activity 

Half-yearly 

(First year - 2nd semester) 

Available in the 

academic year 2023/2024 

Compulsory 

5,5 

Managerial Functions 

Block 09: Management function and strategy 

Block 10: People management 

Half-yearly 

(Second year - 3rd semester) 

Available in the 

academic year 2024/2025 

Compulsory 

6 

Management Functions 

Block 11: Financial, purchasing, logistics and hospitality management 

Block 12: Management of infrastructures, technologies and investments 

Half-yearly 

(Second year - 3rd semester) 

Available in 

academic year 2024/2025 

Compulsory 

5 

Clinical Management 

Block 13: Clinical management 1. Organisation and operation 

Block 14: Clinical management 2. Instruments and key areas 

Semester 

(Second year - 4th semester) 

Available in the 

academic year 2024/2025 

Compulsory 

6 

Health Evaluation and Knowledge Management II 

Block 15: Knowledge Management 

Half-yearly 

(Second year - Semester 4) 

Available in the 

academic year 2024/2025 

Compulsory 

4 

Master's Thesis (TFM) 

Annual 

(semesters 3 and 4) 

Compulsory 

8 

Case studies and experiences from applied research 

Annual 

(semesters 3 and 4) 

Compulsory 

7 

Assessment

Assessment of the acquisition and development of competences, knowledge and skills will be carried out by means of the following activities:

Written test: consisting of a multiple-choice test and open questions or development (subjects 1 to 8).

Preparation of a case study, for the subject "Case studies and applied experiences from" (subject 10).

Preparation, presentation and public defence of the Master's Thesis (subject 9).

Each subject may incorporate the assessment system or systems best suited to the teaching objectives.

The mention of "Matrícula de Honor" may be awarded to students who have obtained a grade equal to or higher than 9. The number of students may not exceed five percent of the students enrolled in a subject in the corresponding academic year.

Students will find further information on these matters in the virtual course of the Master's Degree.

• RD 822/2021, de 28 de septiembre, Organización de las Enseñanzas Universitarias
• Normas y criterios generales de reconocimiento y transferencia de créditos para los másteres.
• Normas de permanencia en estudios conducentes a títulos oficiales de la Universidad Nacional de Educación A Distancia.
• Regulación de los trabajos de fin de master en las enseñanzas conducente al título oficial de master de la UNED.

De acuerdo con la legislación vigente, todas las Universidades han de someter sus títulos oficiales a un proceso de verificación, seguimiento y acreditación.

En el caso de la UNED, el Consejo de Universidades recibe la memoria del título y la remite a la ANECA para su evaluación y emisión del Informe de verificación. Si el informe es favorable, el Consejo de Universidades dicta la Resolución de verificación, y el Ministerio de Educación eleva al Gobierno la propuesta de carácter oficial del título, ordena su inclusión en el Registro de Universidades, Centros y Títulos (RUCT) y su posterior publicación en el Boletín Oficial del Estado.

Los títulos oficiales de máster han de renovar su acreditación antes de los seis años, desde la fecha de inicio de impartición del título o de renovación de la acreditación anterior, con el objetivo de comprobar si los resultados obtenidos son adecuados para garantizar la continuidad de su impartición. Si son adecuados, el Consejo de Universidades emite una Resolución de la acreditación del título.

Estas resoluciones e informes quedan recogidos en el Registro de Universidades, Centros y Títulos (RUCT).

VERIFICACIÓN / MODIFICACIÓN

• Memoria del Título
• Informe de Verificación de la ANECA
• Resolución de verificación del CU
• Informe/s de modificación del Plan de Estudios
• Inscripción del Título en el Registro de Universidades, Centros y Títulos
• Publicación del Plan de Estudios en el BOE

SEGUIMIENTO

• Informe de seguimiento del título 2015

ACREDITACIÓN

• Informe de renovación de la acreditación 2016
• Resolución de acreditación del CU 2016
• Informe de renovación de la acreditación 2020
• Resolución de acreditación del CU 2020

This Master's Degree in Health Administration does not include an internship.

The UNED has an Internal Quality Assurance System (SGIC-U) that covers all its official undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees, as well as the services it offers, whose design was certified by ANECA.

The SGIC-U includes all the processes necessary to ensure the quality of its faculty, resources and services for students: access, admission and reception, external internships, mobility programs, academic guidance and job placement, monitoring and evaluation of the results of training, attention to suggestions and complaints and the adequacy of support staff, among others.

Those responsible for the IQAS are:

The Coordinating Committee of the Degree.
The Quality Assurance Committee of the Center.
The Dean's or Management Team.
The Quality Assurance Commission of the UNED.
Through the Statistical Portal, the UNED provides information to the entire university community on both the results of training and the results of satisfaction of the various groups involved.

No aplica para este Título

The Master's Degree in Health Administration consists of 9 face-to-face sessions of compulsory attendance. Failure to attend them means failing the subject/subjects to be examined in those sessions.

The classroom sessions will be held either at the headquarters of the National School of Health, in Madrid (c/ Monforte de Lemos 5), or in one of the Faculties located on the campus of the UNED (c/Senda del Rey). They will be held at the beginning of each course, and at the end of each subject; these two-day sessions are used both for teaching activities and for examining the completed subject. The exams cannot be held on a different date, nor in a different place, with respect to what is scheduled for the Presential Sessions.

The dates of each face-to-face session will be announced within the Virtual Course, as well as by e-mail, with sufficient time in advance so that the student can schedule them. In any case, an indicative schedule of such dates will be made available at the beginning of the Course, which will be tried to be definitive.

Students who have passed this Master's Degree will have acquired the knowledge, competencies and skills that will enable them to be competent in a varied profile of functions, among which we highlight the following five:

Develop policies and management processes of institutions and corporations that govern systems and networks of health services, both in the field of health risk insurance, as well as in the coordination of networks of centers and services, and in the implementation of programs for the improvement of population health.
Plan, organize, direct and evaluate health centers and services, providing significant competences from the student's own disciplinary perspective: financing, economic evaluation, regulation, information, technology, organization, assistance, care, pharmacy, personnel, administration, general services, public health, health information and documentation, etc.
Collaborate with the management of health care microsystems, either by leading the processes, in the case of coming from clinical disciplines, or by acting as support and liaison for these microsystems in the health care centers and networks in which they are located.
Implement projects to improve quality and efficiency, organizational change or innovation, based on a good command of technical tools from the world of management, organizational sciences, biomedical research and health services, and the set of disciplinary knowledge provided in the Master's program.
 To take the initiative to maintain self-training, through the competences of "learning to learn", which are projected in the ability to convert experience into tacit knowledge, and through participation in communities of knowledge and professional practice, to convert this into explicit knowledge published and disseminated with the guarantees of the scientific method.
Based on the above competencies, MUAS graduates will be able to:

Occupy senior management, techno-structure, and support staff positions in the State and Autonomous Health Administration,
Occupy positions of maximum responsibility (managerial or functional directors) in health organizations both at the level of Specialized Care and Primary Care and socio-health centers.
Work in health programs and projects oriented to the achievement of objectives, the development of innovations and improvements, or the implementation of centers or services.
To be a researcher in research projects in the field of health administration sciences.
Access to doctoral programs related to health, economic and social sciences.

The teaching and learning activities of the Master, developed in the distance mode, conceived and designed for the autonomous learning of the student, will use the following means and forms.

1. STUDIES OF LEARNING UNITS

The basis of distance learning is the reading, study and reflection on the learning units configured as didactic units, articles and texts, study guidelines and self-assessment tools, all of which are materials prepared and selected by teaching staff with a high level of competence and practical knowledge of the subject.

Links to texts and study materials will be included in each learning unit, grouped by thematic blocks. Many of these will be Teaching Units specifically prepared for the Master, and which are available in open access on the UNED Space Platform (Collections of the National School of Health), or in a new publication, the GAPS Journal, which will include review and dissemination articles for specialised teaching, specifically commissioned for the courses on the general subject of "Government, Administration and Health Policies" that are developed in the ENS and the UNED.  LINK LIST OF COLLECTIONS

The subject guides contain the following information for each Teaching Block: a brief introduction; an outline of the Teaching Blocks (objectives and contents), and instructions on study and evaluation. This information will be followed by an outline of the Learning Units, ordered by weeks. 

The Learning Units are built on the platform - virtual course. In each Learning Unit the teachers-coordinators of the thematic block will give a brief introduction and indicate the essential readings that enable the learning objectives to be covered; they will also provide a series of items or questions that facilitate the identification of these objectives. Finally, they will provide links and further reading, as well as open-ended self-assessment questions. All material or links necessary for learning will be specified and accessible from these units. 

Each subject may have video-lessons, dedicated to :

Introduction to the didactic block of each subject.
Synthesis of the compulsory contents.
Case studies.

2. GENERAL COURSE FORUMS

Support for the study of the Units is essential, and is developed through the Virtual Classroom of the course; in it appears a Work Plan structured in chronological sequence to stimulate the sequential monitoring of the study; there is a General Forum where students can communicate with the Academic Direction of the MUAS any doubts, questions, suggestions or issues that arise in the course. Along with this instrument, a Student Forum is provided, where students are encouraged to make a brief self-introduction at the beginning of the course, and which remains as an arena for horizontal communication of students (among themselves), and with their student representatives of the course.

3. WORK AND SUBJECT TUTORING FORUM

Within the Virtual Classroom, and in each Subject, an essential instrument of communication between students and the Professors-Coordinators of each Subject is established. In each Block there will be two Teacher-Coordinators who dynamize the Work and Tutorial Forum; these forums are much more than mere "doubt forums" and are promoted as a place where the Professors launch ideas, propose activities, bring current issues, and rely on questions or comments from students to encourage new discussions and work; the ease with which documents or links are now incorporated into these platforms and forums, creates an enormously creative and enriching dynamic.

The aLF-UNED Platform Forums are designed to send to the internal internet address of all the professors and students (and also other external addresses) immediately or periodically, the communication and transcription of new messages incorporated into the discussion threads.

From the initial impulse (as has been observed in all previous editions of the MUAS), the role of the Teacher-Coordinator becomes more of a moderator and synthesis of the contents that have emerged; the closing of the course also allows the Forums to reach some conclusions in the discussion threads and works that have been developed.

4. TUTORIALS AND DIRECT ADVICE FOR STUDENTS

Enrolled students will be provided with an official Master's email account, which will be the main means of communication with the Academic Committee and the Secretary's Office.  Detailed information on this matter will be given in the guide that will be handed out at the beginning of the course.  

5. ELABORATION OF CASES AND APPLIED EXPERIENCES FROM

This activity, which is part of subject 10 (Case studies and applied experiences), consists of students preparing a case study or applied experience on an issue related to health, health services, service organisation, management or the development of health policies that combines the student's interest with its importance from a health and management perspective and its academic projection. Specific instructions will be given in the Guide, and the first face-to-face session will provide training on how to develop a practical case study or applied experience; and finally, a collection of the best cases and experiences from previous promotions will be made available to students to serve as a guide and model for their development.

At the beginning of the course, a sequence will be established for the presentation of the cases and applied experiences, and in the Virtual Classroom there will be a tool for uploading the work, which will be located in an area of the Classroom accessible to all other classmates, so that everyone can share and learn from the work of others.

The Academic Direction of the MUAS and the Professors-Coordinators of the subject 10, will be available to support in the realization (and to evaluate through the court the cases and experiences for the purposes of the qualification of the subject).

6. ELABORATION OF THE MASTER'S THESIS (TFM)

MUAS students must develop an original work of study and research, which may take various forms: it can be an original research paper with primary or secondary information, prepared according to the usual characteristics of an article for a scientific journal; it can also be a case study of management and organisation of services, in which a management issue and its alternatives for improvement are documented in a sufficiently broad and deep way; It can also be a project for the reorganisation or transformation of a centre, service, unit, technology or service, in which the situation of a specific organisational structure is analysed and documented and the necessary transformation processes are developed (planned or carried out); an essay with a broad and in-depth review of an issue of management or research in health services can be an interesting alternative. Given the practical orientation of the Master, the course allows other TFM formats (portfolio of description and strategic analysis of a health service, map and analysis of care processes, evaluation of interventions, etc.) always with the prior agreement of the Professors-Coordinators of the subject 9 , and also of the Academic Direction of the MUAS.

7. PRESENTATION AND DEFENCE OF THE MASTER'S THESIS

The TFM will be submitted for assessment in accordance with the teaching guide for this subject; students may present and defend their work publicly in the classroom or in the offline mode (submission of the TFM and oral presentation).

The guidelines for the development of this activity of presentation and discussion of the TFM are set out more specifically in Subject 9.

FACE-TO-FACE ACTIVITIES

The activities carried out in face-to-face mode (at the headquarters of the National School of Health, or at the Faculty of the UNED, depending on the case), which involve all subjects, will be as follows

1. PRESENTATION OF THE MASTER'S DEGREE

At the beginning of the Master (first year), a session will be held at the headquarters of the National School of Health, or at one of the UNED Faculties in Madrid, to present the course, the teaching guide, the virtual classroom, the teaching dynamics, and the contact and tutoring tools.

It will also seek the mutual knowledge of the participants, as a motivating element and also as a facilitator of exchange and subsequent communication. In addition, in this session, the academic management and coordination will introduce the contents, seeking the integration of the vision of the Master as a whole, and will also give the appropriate advice for students to assume the difficulties involved in the distance study components, and to be able to programme their stable and sustained effort for the study that is programmed in the Work Plan.

2. LECTURES, ROUND TABLES AND THEORETICAL FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES

In the two-day face-to-face sessions, lectures, round tables or face-to-face classes on in-depth or updated content of the subjects already studied are incorporated, allowing new cognitive competences or the application of knowledge to be built on the basis of personal distance study, and supporting the extension or diversification of the learning carried out. The formats and contents must be adapted to the aspects developed in the subjects studied or those to be studied, and will be subject to a specific programme by the Academic Coordination of the MUAS to ensure that they are up to date and adapted to the aspects debated in the course forums, and which are of greatest academic interest.

3. FACE-TO-FACE SEMINARS

Also in the face-to-face sessions, seminars are held to coincide with the subjects (and the Thematic Blocks that comprise them) where the Lecturers-Coordinators who have led the Forums and have carried out the tutoring function have the opportunity to interact face-to-face with the students, to comment on what has been learned, to resolve doubts, and to introduce additional content for updating, application and extension; these seminars can last between one and two hours.

4. FACE-TO-FACE WORKSHOPS

The face-to-face sessions will also include workshops for the acquisition of practical skills and competences, which will complement personal study in those subjects that are not very susceptible to distance learning; practical aspects, calculation exercises, analysis of cases and issues, development and application of methods, etc. They may last between two and three hours, and students will have a high level of participation and interaction.

5. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF CASES AND EXPERIENCES .

In the second year of the Master, the Academic Direction of the MUAS will choose for each classroom session some of them, which for their quality, interest, and fit with the subjects under study, will be presented publicly through a brief presentation by the student, followed by comments from peers and faculty. This activity will be a bonus for the mark obtained in the previous activity, allowing the mark to be increased if these presentations add value to the learning process.

UNIVERSITY MASTER´S DEGREE IN HEALTH ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

INFORMATION IDENTIFYING THE QUALIFICATION

Name and status of awarding institution

Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia.

Public University.

Name of qualification and title conferred in original language

Máster Universitario en Administración Sanitaria por la Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia.

Status

National validity.

Approved by Accord of the Council of Ministers on March 8th, 2013.

Main field(s) of study for the qualification

The study is included in the field of Health Sciences.

Language(s) of instruction/examination

The degree is taught in Spanish language.

INFORMATION ON THE LEVEL OF THE QUALIFICATION

Level of qualification

Level 3 (Master) in the Spanish Framework of Higher Education (MECES) is equivalent to level 7 of European Qualification Framework (EQF).

Official length of programme

The official length of programme is 60 ECTS and it is designed to be studied in two years (part time for being compatible with working students).

Access requirements

Bachelor’s Degree, Engineering or Diploma.

INFORMATION ON THE CONTENTS

Mode of study

Blended learning to full time.

Programme requirements

The program of studies is composed of 45 compulsory ECTS, 7 external practices and 8 Master's Dissertation ECTS.

Subjects

Health Systems Governance
Epidemiology and Public Health
Insurance and Health Law
Health Assessment and Knowledge Management (I)
Managerial Functions
Management Functions
Clinic Management
Health Assessment and Knowledge Management (II)
Placements in Master of Health Management
Dissertation for the Master in Health Management

Grading scheme

In the Spanish university system, modules/courses are graded on a scale of 0 to 10 points with the following qualitative equivalence:

0-4.9: "suspenso"; 5-6.9: "aprobado"; 7-8.9: "notable"; 9-10: "sobresaliente". A special mention, "Matrícula de Honor" may be granted to up to 5% of the students in a group provided they have got a "sobresaliente". To pass a module/course it is necessary to get at least 5 points.

In cases of recognition of ECTS, professional experience, cultural or sports activities, or student representation no grading will be recorded but, where appropiate, the word "Apto".

INFORMATION ON THE FUNCTION OF THE QUALIFICATION

Access to further study

This qualification gives access to Doctoral studies, provided that the student had completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits in the overall teachings of Bachelor and Master.

Stated objectives associated with the qualification and professional status (if applicable)

The main aim of this degree is the students acquire an advanced multidisciplinary training on the attitudes, abilities and skills necessary to undertake the management and administration of healthcare systems and services. The students will be able to develop their professional career according to the social demands and needs. In order to achieve this aim, each subject has a series of general and specific competences. These competences include knowledge, skills and actions related to strategy, instrument management, systematic action and personal development.

The main learning outcomes and competencies acquired are: Be able to characterize the elements of the socio-economic environment and its impact on healthcare services; be able to lead and use management instruments in healthcare centres and facilities; be able to run healthcare centres, clinical management units and projects; be able to design and evaluate the methodological basis for analysis and knowledge management.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Master is taught in collaboration with the Instituto de Salud Carlos III www.isciii.es through the National School of Public Health (Escuela Nacional de Sanidad). From 2010 this school has become a University Institute of the UNED (IMIENS) for better coordination of research, training and advisory projects. http://www.imiens.es/index.php

The professors participating in this edition of the Master are the following (ordered by subject and block in which they participate, with indication of the institution to which they belong):

Subject A1: GOVERNANCE OF HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS

B01 Economics and Welfare

Pedro A. Tamayo Lorenzo (UNED)

Ana Herrero Alcalde (UNED)

B02 Health and Health Systems

José M. Freire Campo (ENS)

Cristina Hernández Quevedo (London School of Economics and European Observatory)

Subject A2: EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH

B03 Public Health and Clinical Epidemiology

Miguel Ángel Royo Bordonada (ENS)

Yolanda Fuentes (Hospital Clínico de San Carlos)

B04 Statistical Analysis, interpretation and communication of data

Imaculada Jarrín Vera (ISCIII)

Enrique Bernal Delgado (IACS)

Francisco Estupiñán Romero (IACS)

Subject A3: HEALTH INSURANCE AND HEALTH LAW

B05 Health Assurance and Network Management

José Ramón Repullo Labrador (ENS)

Rosa Urbanos Garrido (Universidad Complutense, Madrid)

B06 Health Law and Bioethics

José María Antequera Vinagre (ENS)

David Larios Risco

Subject A4: EVALUATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT I

B07 Evaluation of Health Services

Juan Oliva Moreno (University of Castilla la Mancha)

Javier Martín Román (UNED)

B08 Analysis and control of clinical activity management

Agustín Albarracín Serra (Quirón Salud)

Sonia García San José (Hospital U. Gregorio Marañón)

Daniel Toledo Bartolomé (H. U. Gregorio Marañón)

Subject A5: MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS

B09 Managerial Function and Strategy

José María Muñoz y Ramón (ENS)

Mayte Alonso Salazar (Hospital U. Infanta Sofía de Madrid)

B10 People Management

Juan Pablo Martínez Marqueta (Quirón Salud)

Ángela Hernández Puente (AMYTS de Madrid)

Subject A6: MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS

B11 Financial, Purchasing, Logistics and Hospitality Management

Marisa Martín Del Burgo (SERMAS 112)

Emilio Rodríguez Pérez (Hospital U de Móstoles)

B12 Infrastructure, technology and investment management

José León Paniagua Caparrós

Manuel Pérez Vallina (Hospital U. Gregorio Marañón)

Raúl López Martínez (Hospital U Gregorio Marañón)

Subject A7: CLINICAL MANAGEMENT

B13 Clinical Management 1: organisation and functioning

Susana Lorenzo Martínez (Hospital U. Fundación Alcorcón)

José Jonay Ojeda (Hospital U. de la Paz)

B14 Clinical Management 2: instruments and key areas

Carolina Varela (Hospital U. 12 de Octubre)

Reyes Álvarez-Osorio García de Soria (Hospital de Poniente)

Subject A8: ASSESSMENT AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT II

B15 Knowledge Management

Ferrán Catalá López (ENS)