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Overview
If you're a graduate looking to build a career in business strategy and quality management – or you're an experienced professional wanting to further develop your knowledge and understanding of the field – this MSc Strategic Quality Management Course is the perfect choice for you.
This part-time, distance learning course introduces you to current theory and best practice around operational, functional and strategic quality management. You'll learn how to contribute to an organisation's strategic vision for success, as well as how to implement policies to improve customer relations and business effectiveness.
When you complete this course, you'll have finely-honed quality, organisational and people management skills, and you'll be ready for roles in quality management, training and development, and other related fields.
Recognised by:
Portsmouth Business School is a member of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and the British Quality Foundation (BQF). When you complete the course, you can use this MSc qualification as part of your portfolio of evidence to apply for individual membership of the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI).
Accredited by:
The University of Portsmouth has earned business accreditation from the AACSB in recognition of the outstanding quality of its business and management education. Less than six percent of the world's schools offering business degree programs hold AACSB business accreditation.
Contact information
Contact AdmissionsEntry requirements
MSc Strategic Quality Management (Distance Learning) Master's degree entry requirements
Qualifications or experience
- A second-class honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject. Working professionals without an honours degree who have substantial relevant experience and the academic potential to achieve the award will also be considered.
English language requirements
- English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.
If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.
Course costs and funding
Tuition fees (September 2025 start)
- Part-time distance learning: £4,700 a year (subject to annual increase)
- Part-time distance learning: £4,700 a year (subject to annual increase) (including Transition Scholarship)
- Part-time distance learning: £4,700 a year (subject to annual increase)
Funding your studies
Find out more how to fund your studies, including the scholarships and bursaries you could get. You can also find more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover.
If you're a UK student, you may be eligible for a Government postgraduate loan, which you can use to help with course fees and living costs.
Applying from outside the UK? Find out about funding options for international students.
Tuition fees terms and conditions
Additional course costs
These course-related costs aren’t included in the tuition fees. So you’ll need to budget for them when you plan your spending.
Additional course costs
You’ll study 4 modules a year. You may have to read several recommended books or textbooks for each module.
You can borrow most of these from the Library. If you buy these, they may cost up to £60 each.
Modules
Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits, and you'll need to study modules worth a total of 180 credits.
What you'll study
You'll get to grips with the concept of an integrated management system, which can achieve efficiencies by combining separate management systems.
You'll assess a business's current situation and identify the gaps to reach Organisational Excellence practices.
You'll use EFQM assessment platforms to identify improvements and implement value added actions.
You'll cover the concepts of Total Quality Management within Quality 4.0 and focus on its application within an organisational context.
You'll examine how and why auditing and other popular tools are used for tracking the performance and effectiveness of an organisation.
You'll scrutinise the core principles of business ethics, social compliance and environmental stewardship.
Consequently, you'll also assess the effects on business quality and ascertain how their adoption can effectively support competitiveness and resilience.
You'll aim to justify why your chosen statistics / problem solving tools are appropriate for your product/process improvement, clearly communicating your analysis and outcomes using appropriate visual and text material.
You'll critically evaluate influencing factors within an organisation, such as culture and sector, and their impact on quality as a strategic imperative.
You'll develop a strategic plan to manage the influencing factors, assessing the roles and competencies for a quality professional and their impact for business excellence.
You'll choose a quality problem within an organisation and critically review journal articles to highlight strengths and opportunities for improvement. You'll also design a research plan.
Changes to course content
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
What you'll experience
On this course you'll:
- Learn how to effectively implement policies to achieve customer focus and continuous improvement
- Network via staff with research and consultancy experience, and industry links
Resources for the course are available via the university’s intranet online learning system – you'll need a fast, reliable Internet connection. You'll be able to join in web-based interactive sessions with lecturers and other students and our University Library has extensive online resources that can be accessed via the internet at any time.
Read more about our excellent research in Area StudiesThe University of Portsmouth is ranked the number 1 modern university for research quality in Area Studies
Career development
When you finish the course, our Careers and Employability service can help you find a job that puts your skills to work in the industry.
What can you do with a Strategic Quality Management (Distance Learning) degree?
Previous graduates have gone on to work in:
- quality management roles
- operations management
- training and development
- auditing and business process improvement
Some graduates have set up successful businesses with help and support from the University.
After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.
Work experience and career planning
To give you the best chance of securing a great job when you graduate, our Careers and Employability service can help you find relevant work experience during your course.
We can help you identify placements, internships, voluntary roles and freelancing opportunities that will complement your studies and build your portfolio.
Learning support
During term time, Faculty Academic Skills Tutors (AST) are available for bookable 1-to-1 sessions, small group sessions and online sessions. These sessions are tailored to your needs.
Support is available for skills including:
- University study
- Getting into the right study mindset
- Note-taking and note-making skills
- Referencing
- Presentation skills
- Time management, planning, and goal setting
- Critical thinking
- Avoiding plagiarism
If you have a disability or need extra support, the Additional Support and Disability Centre (ASDAC) will give you help, support and advice.
Teaching
Teaching methods include:
- online resources and activities
- online tutorials
Term dates
The academic year runs from September to June. There are breaks at Christmas and Easter.
How you're assessed
You'll be assessed entirely through coursework.
Apply
Ready to apply?
Starting in September 2025
- Distance learning part-time study (2 years)
International students
If you're from outside of the UK, you can apply directly to us (above) or you can get an agent to help with your application. Check your country page for details of agents in your region. To find out what to include in your application, head to the how to apply page of our international students section.
If you don’t meet the English language requirements for this course yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.
Admissions terms and conditions
When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.