Technical Leadership

Technical Leadership - MSc

Scientists play a critical role in shaping our world – planning, leading and conducting experiments and research to solve many of society's problems, creating new technologies, materials, equipment, processes and systems. This MSc in Technical Leadership in Analytical Science not only develops your expertise in advanced science, but also equips you with leadership and management skills that can progress your career, opening up more senior positions. You’ll understand strategy, be able to foster innovation, manage projects professionally, engage and motivate others at a University that has invested £34m in its state-of-the-art science laboratories which feature industry-standard equipment and facilities.

Month of entry

September, February

Mode of study

Part time

Location

Keele University campus

Subject area

Natural Sciences, Science

Fees for 2023 entry

Part time £5,500 per year.

Duration of study

Part time 2 years

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Why study Technical Leadership at Keele University?

Ranked in the top 50 UK universities for the teaching of Chemistry, and Business and Management Studies (Complete University Guide 2022)

Gain relevant scientific experience either directly in industry or with industry input here on campus – a minimum of 16 hours per week for 46 weeks in Year 2

Outstanding facilities with high specification experimental and analytical instrumentation to prepare you for professional employment in the science sector

Flexible part-time delivery over two years – only 15 days on campus in Year 1 – so you can earn while you learn, with Year 2 dedicated to an extended year-long industrial project

A Global Top 500 university for Physical Sciences (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022)

Course summary

Designed to develop the technical leaders of the future, this exciting MSc equips you with advanced scientific knowledge and develops key business management skills in the first year, then gives us a unique opportunity to put this into practice on an extended work project over the second year.

It brings together and capitalises on the expertise of the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, and Keele Business School – both of which have an outstanding reputation for teaching excellence. Keele is ranked among the top 50 universities in the UK for Chemistry, and Business and Management Studies (Complete University Guide 2022).

The programme is designed to provide scientific technical knowledge and skills, including instrumentation and experimental skills, data collection and reporting, while developing the leadership qualities that prepare you professionally for the challenges of the modern science sector.

You'll develop a thorough understanding of analytical science through real-life problem-solving activities, which will enhance any previous scientific training. This will enable you to create a workplace culture that promotes scientific endeavour with the ability to convincingly explain any findings to scientists and non-scientists.

Meanwhile, the leadership and management skills specific to this programme will be a fundamental addition to your learning, building your confidence and the capability to engage, motivate and lead others, placing you in a better position to claim senior positions involving driving complex projects and teams forward.

Within our state-of-the-art facilities, you’ll acquire the scientific knowledge, technical expertise and a wide range of professional skills to work with confidence in a commercial or academic laboratory context. The University’s £34m Central Science Laboratory (CSL) has industrial grade analytical and laboratory equipment used for laboratory teaching.

In addition, the Lennard-Jones analytical teaching laboratories are fully equipped with multiple sets of FTIR spectrometers, UV-VIS spectrometers, fluorescence spectrometers, HPLC and GC-MS instrumentation, LC-MS and MALDI-TOF mass-spectrometers, NMR spectrometers (with probes for both solid- and liquid-state), an Inductively-Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES), and a Raman microscope.

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Course structure

Innovatively blending essential skills in leadership and management with industry-led analytical and scientific expertise, this part-time MSc in Technical Leadership aims to develop standout scientists and managers ready to take science to the next level.

In the first year, you’ll learn how to manage projects, processes and people in the context of a laboratory and workplace environment. As well as research skills, such as academic writing, critical paper evaluation, reviewing literature, data analysis and presentation skills, you’ll also develop valuable transferrable skills in project design and leadership management, with an emphasis on self-development and that of others, as well as on how to work successfully in a regulated environment.

Gaining hands-on experience of key laboratory techniques, you’ll be given step-by-step instruction with regards to experimental design and techniques of data analysis, preparing you to confidently extract important scientific information during your work project.

The second year of the course is devoted to an extended work project, for which you will plan and execute a laboratory project - on placement in industry or here on campus with industrial input. Your academic supervisor will provide advice on all academic aspects of the project.

Our flexible delivery allows you to study while in full-time work. Teaching is delivered in short, intense blocks of typically one or two days’ duration, supporting by online delivery. The programme requires only 15 days attendance on campus in Year 1.

The MSc Technical Leadership is studied part-time over two years, with start dates in September and February. You will complete 180 credits to obtain the master’s qualification, comprising six compulsory core modules: five running entirely in Year 1, and the Work Project (60 credits) spanning Year 2.

Year 1 - Core Modules

MAN-40160 Project and Processes (30 credits)
This module is designed to equip you with the required knowledge and skills needed to become an effective project manager within an academic or commercial environment. You’ll deepen your understanding of key project and process challenges, the nature of the problems and dilemmas leaders face, the approaches that can be taken and techniques that can be employed to deliver on projects. Assessment is designed to reflect the type of activities an active project manager will be expected to carry out as part of their working life, for example, preparing a company executive report, making recommendations about new processes and approaches to organisation. This makes the transition from study to work that much easier.

PHY-40029 Data Analysis (15 credits)
This module aims to enhance your analytical skills in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating the use of statistical techniques in the analysis of experimental data. You’ll learn to design, develop and evaluate appropriate methods for data analysis and interpretation, and how to apply these to experimental datasets of varying complexity, using a variety of relevant IT resources. As part of your assessment, you’ll put what you learn into practice, constructing an independent piece of workplace data analysis, reporting and interpreting the results using standard statistical packages, then presenting your evidence-based findings.

CHE-40044 Research Communication (15 credits)
Developing the knowledge and skillset required for academic, scientific or commercial research, you’ll discover how to undertake an effective literature search within a new research field, identify gaps within it and turn these into a research project. Guidance will be given on how to successfully retrieve scientific literature and critically reflect on it through the writing of an academic literature review. You’ll be introduced to the personal skills required of researchers as outlined within the UK’s best practice Vitae Research Development Framework, and, finally, how to communicate results to a wide variety of audiences.

CHE-40042 Research and Development in Analytical Science (30 credits)
This module is designed to develop your analytical, laboratory and research skills. It initially focuses on laboratory issues as a whole, such as efficient working, method development and validation, and professional conduct in the laboratory environment, including technical competence, record keeping, timekeeping, and health and safety. You’ll then consider specific analytical themes such as chromatography, mass spectrometry and spectroscopy.

MAN-40158 Leading Teams (30 credits)
Preparing you to effectively lead and influence people, this module aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of key leadership issues and the organisational systems that support decision making. You’ll learn about contemporary management strategies and practices with regards the employment relationship, such as recruitment and selection, retention, training and development, motivation, and teamwork. You will also consider the nature of the problems and dilemmas leaders face, examining the different approaches and techniques employed to solve them.

Year 2 - Core Module

CHE-40046 Work Project (60 credits)
Grounding your study within real-world context and hands-on research, you will have an opportunity to undertake industrially-based research projects within partner organisations or participate in Keele-based research projects with industrial input. Students on similar courses within the School have enjoyed placements with companies, both small and medium enterprises (SME) and international industries, located here on campus or elsewhere in the UK, including Agilent, ThermoFisher, Bebbington Brick Services, DTL, and TheaPharma.

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Your career

The course has been designed to create the technical leaders of the future – with the critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills needed to develop new scientific knowledge, products, processes or commercial applications in a dynamic environment.

‘Industry ready’ on graduation, you’ll possess a unique professional combination of both scientific and technical leadership skills, able to drive forward business critical projects, using the latest scientific methods to identify opportunities and risks, and make strategic recommendations.

Research scientists and managers can be found in a wide range of industries, including pharmaceutical, clinical trials, manufacturing, energy, renewables, agricultural, food science, petro-chemical, nuclear, aerospace, materials, biomedical, diagnostics, and defense.

Employers may include: clinical research organisations; large pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies; national and global health-related charities; private hospitals and NHS trusts; research councils and their associated institutes; scientific, analytical and technical consultancies; and universities, including those overseas.

The management skills you’ll gain will allow you to take on responsibility for the management of others and organisational budgets, opening up opportunities for career progression. For example, you could progress to a senior research or laboratory management position.

The course is an excellent route for those who wish to progress onto further study at PhD level. With academic experience, you could progress to a role as a senior research fellow or lecturer, leading your own team of researchers.

Roles you may be interested in:

Academic
Research associate
Research scientist
Scientist
Senior Project Manager
Senior Scientific Advisors
Senior Scientist (R&D)
Senior Technical Manager
Technician

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Teaching, learning and assessment

How you'll be taught

The course is taught through through a variety of learning and teaching activities, including lectures, workshops, practical laboratory work, group/team work, independent study and research. Flexible online delivery is supported with short blocks of teaching to maximise your learning and progression on the course.

Analytical Science is a laboratory-based discipline, so practical work forms an integral part of the course. You’ll become familiar with a range of laboratory instrumentation and techniques in investigation and analysis of materials, aware of their capabilities and limitations. You will also develop practical laboratory technician skills, such as handling chemicals safely, managing health and safety, conducting risk assessments, maintaining accurate and informative laboratory notes, and working with others in a safe and productive fashion.

Where possible, we also host guest lectures and research seminars by nationally and internationally known scientists and researchers. Previous seminars have, for example, focused on sustainability and virtual teams. Allocated at the start of your studies, your personal tutor will provide guidance and you’ll also receive dedicated work project supervision.

How you'll be assessed

There are no examinations on this course. Instead, modules are assessed by a mixture of assessment methods, including reflective diaries, practical tests, lab reports, essays, and presentations to demonstrate your understanding of subject-specific content, as well as your analytical abilities and your evaluation of particular concepts and methodologies. Formative assessment occurs in a continuous process driven by lecturer-led discussion sessions, one-on-one mentoring, and practice presentations and posters.

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Keele Postgraduate Association

Keele University is one of a handful of universities in the UK to have a dedicated students' union for postgraduate students. A fully registered charity, Keele Postgraduate Association serves as a focal point for the social life and welfare needs of all postgraduate students during their time at Keele.

KPA interior

Hugely popular, the KPA Clubhouse (near Horwood Hall) provides a dedicated postgraduate social space and bar on campus, where you can grab a bite to eat and drink, sit quietly and read a book, or switch off from academic life at one of the many regular events organised throughout the year. The KPA also helps to host a variety of conferences, as well as other academic and career sessions, to give you and your fellow postgraduates the opportunities to come together to discuss your research, and develop your skills and networks.

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Our expertise

TEACHING STAFF

Keele has an international reputation for its excellence in Chemistry teaching. Most academic staff from the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences are active researchers in the natural sciences, and many have a distinguished track record in publication, the generation of grant income, industrial collaborations, and act as research journal reviewers.

Several staff have particular interests in the development of teaching and learning methods within the natural sciences education and some are members of, and active in, the professional bodies, including the Royal Society of Chemistry, Chartered Society of Forensic Science and Chartered Management Institute.

You'll also be taught by staff from Keele Business School, which is committed to developing the business leaders of tomorrow. The School was the first to be located on a Science Park, sharing space with the Smart Innovation Hub, a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which includes space and support programmes for innovation-led businesses. This provides opportunities for students and staff to work collaboratively with entrepreneurs and business owners, gaining invaluable networks and experience.

PROGRAMME DIRECTOR

Dr Chrystelle Egger (Programme Director), Senior Lecturer – Chrystelle joined Keele in 2007 as a Lecturer in Chemistry and Forensic Sciences, with strong expertise in colloid chemistry, physical chemistry and polymer chemistry. In collaboration with ICI, Synetix, she completed a PhD at UMIST, UK, dealing with mechanistic studies of porous materials, going on to undertake a post-doctoral research project on hybrid porous materials at the Max Planck for Colloids and Interfaces Sciences, Germany, and a second post-doctoral research project on the design of nanoporous foams at the Institut de Sciences et d’Ingenierie Supramoleculaires, France. Chrystelle finished an MBA in Senior Leadership in the Spring 2021 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in the summer 2021. She works very closely with employers on various projects and is focused on narrowing any potential skills gaps, putting employability at the heart of teaching.

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Facilities

The School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, within which this course is based, takes pride in providing hands-on laboratory experience using modern research-standard instrumentation from the outset of its undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes.

Our staff perform world-leading research in all areas within the School with particular strengths in astrophysics, materials science, synthetic, forensic and analytical chemistry. Known for our interdisciplinary approach, our research benefits from collaborations with colleagues elsewhere within the University, as well as collaborations with academic and industrial partners worldwide.

In addition, the library has many resources for Analytical Science, and can be accessed both on campus and online. Students will have access to the IT Services at the University located in the library building.

The Lennard-Jones Laboratories

The Lennard-Jones analytical teaching laboratories are fully equipped with multiple sets of FTIR spectrometers, UV-VIS spectrometers, fluorescence spectrometers, HPLC and GC-MS instrumentation, NMR spectrometers (with probes for both solid- and liquid-state), an Inductively-Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES), and a Raman microscope. Analytical Science for Industry students also have access to XRD (powder and single crystal diffraction), XRF and a scanning electron microscope (with EDX analysis) within the School, but also a range of electron microscopes (SEM and TEM) within the Faculty.

Central Science Laboratory (CSL)

The University’s £34m Central Science Laboratory (CSL) opened its doors to students in September 2019 and provides 5,300m2 of modern, co-located science laboratories. Over £2m alone has been spent on industrial research-grade analytical and laboratory equipment that will be used by students in their day-to-day laboratory teaching. Access to state-of-the-art facilities and high specification equipment will ensure you are well prepared for scientific or industrial employment post-graduation. The environment mirrors the multi-faceted nature of working life and the shared space allows group working and collaboration between disciplines, building the skills and experience much valued by employers.

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