The award, worth 30 credits, aims to provide students with knowledge and skills that help them work effectively in a professional support role within a higher education institution; students are introduced to, and analyse selected contemporary issues which impact on the higher education environment; they are encouraged to engage in critical evaluation of the institutional and departmental implications of these issues, and apply relevant models and concepts to working practices in their own team; students are also given an opportunity to gain an understanding of traditional and contemporary themes in the field of leadership and management; they are encouraged to engage in analysis and application of theoretical principles to develop an awareness of the contestable nature of leadership and management, theory & practice; the module is organised into 3 themes covering the key aspects of leadership and management including, strategy, human resource management and communication and change.