This course is open for applications
Page last updated 25 October 2024
Introduction
A professionally-orientated and internationally recognised award, validated and accredited by the Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation (APHEA).
Accreditations and partnerships:
Public health refers to all organised measures to promote and improve health, protect the health of populations, prevent disease, reduce inequalities and tackle the root causes of ill-health in global and local contexts.
UWE Bristol's MSc Public Health is structured around an interdisciplinary curriculum, drawing upon the social, human and life sciences to develop students' intellectual and investigative skills. Through studying a wide range of intersecting disciplines, you'll meet the professional competences for employment in the field of public health.
This course prepares graduates for employment in public health at all levels, spanning health protection, disease surveillance, epidemiology, health promotion, community development and public health leadership.
The course content is applicable to people from any disciplinary or professional background. These include health and social care, local government, education, planning and regeneration, international development, human rights and social justice, and health-related voluntary and community sector contexts.
Professional Focus
The MSc Public Health is an internationally recognised and professionally-orientated award that is validated and accredited by the Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation (APHEA).
The course delivers the full range of skills, knowledge and professional competences recognised by the UK Faculty of Public Health and ASPHER (the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region).
We've developed long, established relationships with public health providers across South West England. These include Health Education England and the UK Health Security Agency, who contribute to teaching and provide sponsorship and placement opportunities for students.
Fit for Purpose
The MSc Public Health is a stimulating, challenging and renowned contemporary public health course. Our primary goal is to produce leaders, critical thinkers, problem solvers and analysts, who'll contribute to the ever-changing world of global public health and build a fulfilling and rewarding career.
Our teaching team comprises experienced academics with extensive professional experience and strong research and publications portfolios. The MSc Public Health is also closely aligned with the University's Research Centre for Public Health and Wellbeing. We're based within the School of Health and Social Wellbeing, which is part of the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences.
Structure
Content
Applicants can choose to study towards a Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits), a Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits) or the full MSc Public Health (180 credits). All the individual taught modules are also available as stand-alone Continuous Professional Development (CPD) units.
Modules (all compulsory for the full MSc Public Health):
- Dissertation (45 credits) - a summative research project, based on primary or secondary research that involves submission of a research protocol and a final research report.
- Epidemiology of Non-Communicable Diseases (15 credits) - explores the full range of non-communicable diseases, issues, determinants and contexts, and how these are addressed within the public health realm.
- Health Promotion (15 credits) - develops knowledge, understanding and practical skills in health promotion, a core component of public health practice.
- Health Protection (15 credits) - examines the range of communicable diseases and investigates communicable disease control, surveillance and outbreak management. The module is part-taught by professionals from Public Health England.
- Introduction to Global Public Health (15 credits) - introduces multidisciplinary public health, based on a socio-ecological model of health, and prepares you for the programme as a whole.
- Leadership for Public Health (15 credits) - introduces skills in public health leadership and management, and is strongly practice-orientated.
- Public Health Policy, Politics and Economics (15 credits) - equips students with ideas from political science and policy studies to enable them to examine the origins, context and impacts of major public health issues.
- Qualitative Health Research (15 credits) - focuses on qualitative research methods and how to apply these in public health contexts
- Quantitative Health Research (15 credits) - focuses on quantitative research methods and how to apply these in public health contexts.
- Research and Project Management Skills (15 credits) - explores the key stages of developing a theoretical framework, developing a research question, crafting the research design, navigating research ethics and governance issues, and disseminating research or evaluation outputs.
Please also note this structure is for the full-time course delivery only. For part-time delivery, the same modules will be studied. However, the structure will differ.
The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching includes lectures, seminars, group discussions, action learning sets, case studies and self-directed learning.
For more detail see our glossary of teaching and learning terms.
Study time
Part-time students normally attend one day a week and can take up to 90 credits in one year, completing the course within two years.
Full-time students normally attend up to three days a week during two teaching semesters and must complete 180 credits including the Dissertation over one year.
Assessment
All modules are assessed by a summative assessment, which can include coursework (essay or project), examination or presentation, which are sometimes supplemented with formative assessments.
For more details see our full glossary of assessment terms.