MPH (Master of Public Health)

Core and optional courses

Core Courses (semester one)

Principles of Public Health
Aims: The course aims to provide a foundation in public health for students.  It will introduce the fundamental concepts of health and illness and the factors that influence health in different settings.

Introduction to Statistical Methods 
Aims:
1. To introduce fundamental concepts in biostatistics, especially uncertainty, variation, estimation and comparison.
2. To examine statistical issues in study design.
3. To introduce the most commonly used methods of analysis of data.
4. To give students a framework for critically reading published papers.
5. To give students experience of carrying out standard statistical analysis of small data sets using a computer.

Introduction to Epidemiology
Aims: To introduce students to the epidemiological approaches that are used to understand the health of populations.

Research methods
(for MPH students there are no credits or fee attached to this course as it is part of the Project; for PGDip. PGCert and CPD students it is a 20 credit course) 
Aims: To introduce students to a range of data gathering techniques, methodologies and principles, and to explore the strengths and weakness of different approaches.

Research Project (semesters one, two and three)
Aims: On successful completion of the MPH project students will be able to apply knowledge of research methods to design, develop and autonomously carry out a research project relevant to public health.

Optional Courses (choose three)

Communicable Diseases 
Aims: To review the threats to Public Health from communicable disease and appraise the tools available to respond to these.

Environmental Health
Aims: To evaluate the role of the physical environment in determining health status and perpetuating inequalities in human health.

Further Epidemiology and Statistics  
Aims:
To build on the concepts and methods introduced in the Introduction to Statistical Methods course and the Introduction to Epidemiology course.
To introduce students to the application of more advanced but commonly used methods of analysis of data; to give students practical experience of the application of these methods to the analysis of data using a suitable statistical computing package (currently STATA).
To demonstrate the application of epidemiological principles and interpret the rationale for and results of statistical analyses applied to specific areas, including: cardiovascular disease, cancer, psychiatric disorder. 

Globalisation and Public Health 
Aims: The course aims to provide an overall view of globalisation and its impact on public health. It will examine major themes within the globalisation debate, looking at a number of global challenges and their overall impact on health and the burden of disease. 

Health Economics (online course) 
Aims: This course aims to provide students with a basic understanding of health economics, its value and limitations.  The course presents the principles of health economics and the techniques of economic appraisal.

Health Promotion: Principles and Practice
Aims: To introduce students to the theoretical approaches and practice of health promotion. This includes the planning and evaluation of health promotion programmes at local, regional and national levels.

Oral health
Aims: This course aims to equip students to critically analyse the principles and current practice of dental public health and to examine the distribution of oral disease and related inequalities in considering oral health need and planning to address inequalities.

Globalisation and Public Health 
Aims: The course aims to provide an overall view of globalisation and its impact on public health. It will examine major themes within the globalisation debate, looking at a number of global challenges and their overall impact on health and the burden of disease. 

Qualitative Research Methods
Aims: To enable students' developed understanding and acquisition of principal skills in relation to qualitative research methods relevant to public health practice.

MPH (Master of Public Health)

Health Promotion Specialism

This specialism will be relevant to those developing careers in health promotion or improvement with the National Health Service or third sector organisations. With a focus on key concepts in health promotion theory and practice, it will prepare graduates to contribute to health promotion related knowledge management, project development, policy analysis, building capacity in individuals and communities, and partnership working.

For the MPH degree with a specialism, all students will take four core courses, and focus optional course selection and dissertation topics on relevant specialisms.

Core courses

Students will be required to take the following courses: 

Optional courses

In addition, two of the following 20 credit optional courses must be taken:

MPH (Master of Public Health)

Data Science Specialism

Data Science is a rapidly growing field of employment opportunity where government agencies, universities, international health agencies, consulting/research firms and other scientific organisations are typical employers.

One key focus of Public Health Data Science is the analysis of routine administrative health data to improve monitoring of population health and prevent ill health. It covers aspects of information governance and disclosure control and introduces advanced methods of data management and analysis, which help in exploring disease pathways and factors important in patient care, and in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of health research.

For the MPH degree with a specialism, students will be required to take the following courses:

Core courses

Optional courses

In addition, two of the following 20 credit optional courses must be taken:

MPH (Master of Public Health)

Health Economics Specialism

This programme will prepare graduates to develop specialist and applied economic analyses relevant to health service delivery with potential to be translated into policy. The programme prepares graduates to create analyses, cost and decision analytic models, and evaluations with potential to underpin decision- making and investment in population health improvement initiatives.

For the MPH degree with a specialism, all students will take four core courses, and focus optional course selection and dissertation topics on relevant specialisms.

Core courses

Students will be required to take the following courses: 

Optional courses

In addition, two of the following 20 credit optional courses must be taken:

MPH (Master of Public Health)

Epidemiology Specialism

This specialism will enable graduates to use real world evidence to lead on the design and delivery of evidence focused projects, particularly on data analysis, modelling, and interpretation of findings. Academic epidemiologists will typically explore research questions through conducting secondary analyses on existing data sets.

For the MPH degree with epidemiology specialism students will be required to take the following courses:

Core

Optional courses

In addition, two of the following 20 credit optional courses must be taken:

MPH (Master of Public Health)

PgDip/PgCert in Public Health with specialism

For the PgDip Public Health with specialism, all students will take

Public Health with Health Promotion specialism (PgDip)

Students will be required to take the following courses:

In addition, one of the following 20 credit optional courses must be taken -

Public Health with Data Science specialism (PgDip)

Students will be required to take the following courses: 

In addition, one of the following 20 credit optional courses must be taken:

Public Health with Health Economics specialism (PgDip)

Students will be required to take the following courses: 

In addition, one of the following 20 credit optional courses must be taken:

Public Health with Epidemiology specialism (PgDip)

Students will be required to take the following courses: 

In addition, one of the following 20 credit optional courses must be taken:

Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health

Comprises:

MPH (Master of Public Health)

Continuing Professional Development

Our taught courses are available to take on an individual basis for continuing professional development purposes by those who meet the MPH entry requirements.