MSc Public Health

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Full time according to Funding Council definitions, Part-Time

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This academic course gives you the opportunity to explore in-depth public health issues with public health academics, researchers and practitioners. It reflects local, national and international Public Health agendas and you will have the opportunity to focus your assignment work on your own specific public health-related interests.

You’ll learn about epidemiology and critical evaluation techniques to identify what influences the health of national and international populations and use these methods to determine their health status and needs.

Units in Public Health Management Strategies and Health Promotion & Partnership Working will enable you to formulate your own health solutions, consider the role and function of partnership working to improve public health, as well as critically evaluate health strategies.

Public health involves multi-agency involvement and partnerships and the course is suited to those with interests such as public health, community development, housing, environment, health promotion, transport, environmental health, partnerships, quality improvement and epidemiology. As such, we welcome practitioners and professionals from a range of backgrounds, not necessarily in healthcare. Students studying Public Health have come from backgrounds such as doctors, teachers, nurses, midwives and community public health workers.

“My degree increased my knowledge in the fields of health promotion and partnership building, as well as giving me practical public health experience. This equipped me with the skills to open an NGO (the Dolphin Family Foundation) in Nigeria.”
Chiebere Ogbuneke, graduate

Image description — Studland house at night

Key information

Next start date:

September 2021, September 2022

Location:

Bournemouth University, Lansdowne Campus

Duration:

MSc: Typically 1 year full-time, or 3 years part-time.

Entry requirements:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject. Experience or insight into related work/study/research is usually required.

International entry requirements:

If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) 6.5 or above. For more information check out our full entry requirements.

Course details

You can study three units to gain our Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health, six units for our Postgraduate Diploma, and a final dissertation unit for our Master’s in Public Health. You can also study individual units as a CPD (except Developing a Study Proposal and Dissertation units), rather than register for the whole course.

Our Public Health course is academic in nature and is designed to reflect local, national and international agendas for the continuing professional development of the health care workforce. As a student, you will be able to apply for student membership of The Royal Society for Public Health.

On this course you will be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, researchers and qualified professional practitioners.

Download the programme specification (pdf 394kb)

Core units

Context & Scope of Public Health: An introduction to the scope of the current public health agenda. You'll gain an understanding of national and international public health issues. The unit will build on your previous experience and knowledge of public health and can form a foundation for studying further units.
Epidemiology & Infection: During this unit you'll develop conceptual orientation and knowledge of epidemiological techniques needed for delivering health services to populations. You'll identify what influences the health of population, to assess population health status and need. You'll also develop skills in assessing, planning and evaluating health services and technologies.
Public Health Management Strategies: This unit explores the ways public health strategy is executed. You'll evaluate international public health strategies and interventions. Through evaluation you'll begin to create strategies and solutions to public health issues.
Health Promotion & Partnership Working: This module will evaluate the role of partnership working in health promotion, considering the issues involved in health promotion and health promoting partnerships. You'll examine the evidence base for health promotion and partnership working in public health practice and explore issues such as the role and function of different agencies, needs assessment, planning, execution and evaluation.
Exploring & Evaluating Evidence: Learn about the nature of knowledge and the various approaches to research and knowledge production. You'll learn about different research methodologies and how to assess research carried out by others.
Developing a Study Proposal: This unit will help you to prepare a proposal for a piece of research, literature review or a practice development study. You'll learn how to draw on evidence for identifying and putting together a research question and approaches to investigating it. You'll also discuss issues related to the enquiry process.
Dissertation Project: You'll draw on your previous learning and develop independent study and project management skills. The Dissertation Project will also help you develop specialist knowledge in an area related to your public health interests.

There is a range of assessment methods throughout the course such as essays, reports, presentations. Students are required to reference their work using the BU Harvard referencing system.

This course runs from September to September, with your dissertation being submitted in mid-September. As such you would be eligible to attend the graduation ceremony the year after you’ve submitted your dissertation. Upon completion of the course you will receive your certificate in December.

Learning methods

You will experience a blended approach to learning, which will include lectures, seminars, presentations, reflection and e-learning, as well as self-guided study.

Assesment involves a range of methods including essays, reports and presentations.

We encourage you to access a range of source material from print-based texts and journals to electronic resources. Students therefore require a sufficient level of computer literacy which will also be utilised when writing assignments. If you aren't comfortable in using a computer with ease it may be worth brushing up on your computer skills before your course commences.

Full-time and part-time options

Programme specification

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the university’s taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

Download the programme specification (pdf 394kb)

Your application

We are looking for applicants who:

Are dedicated to improving and advancing public health
Are keen to develop academic skills to underpin public health strategies and implement them in practice.

How to apply

Background and experience

As this course is multi-professional, progressive and reflects local, national and international agendas, it attracts students from a variety of professional and organisational backgrounds who are at different stages in their career and individual development.

Previous students have come from backgrounds such as doctors, teachers, nurses, midwives and community public health workers.

Selection methods

We’ll be selecting the candidates for this course by looking at their applications – normally there are no interviews, however students with non-standard entry criteria may be asked for a telephone or face to face interview. Make sure your application really stands out from the crowd, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining BU. For more information, take a look at our post graduate how to apply pages.

How and when to apply

There is no application deadline for this course. However, if you will need a visa to come to the UK to study, think carefully about the length of time it will take for your visa application to be processed and make sure your visa will be ready in time for the beginning of your course.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject or equivalent. Experience or insight into related work/study/research is usually required.

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow - some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry Team for more information.

International entry requirements

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

China: 学士学位 (Bachelor degree) with a minimum of 65% overall
Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution in Nigeria
Thailand: Thai Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution.
Vietnam: Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of at least 7.0, or a Master’s degree/Thac si.
Turkey: Bachelor’s Degree (Lisans Diplomasi -four years) to be considered for a postgraduate course at BU.

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level.

Careers

This course will prepare you for a diverse range of roles in public health due to its focus on developing your research skills and knowledge to underpin public health practice. This includes working in a wide range of areas in governmental and non-governmental organisations in the UK or internationally.

Read about published research by a former MSc Public Health student

Example roles and employers

Our students have gone on to work as:

Public Health practitioner (Health Visitor)
Research Assistant for UK Management Sciences for Health
Researcher for the National Institute of Public Health
Vaccine Safety Coordinator in Canada
Set up the Dolphin Family Foundation, a non-governmental organisation in Nigeria

*Other students have gone on to work for the World Health Organisation, with charities such as Save the Children and have returned to roles in pharmacy and medicine as well as having had success working as researchers for universities.

*BU Institutional data

Further study

Costs and fees

You can find full information about the deposits required and how to pay your fees in our postgraduate fees and funding section, including details of the Postgraduate Loan (subject to fee status).

All fees are quoted in pounds sterling and are per annum. Fees quoted are for tuition only unless stated otherwise. Your tuition fees will be the same for each year of your course.

Find out more about living expenses for postgraduate students

No hidden extras

What's included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity
Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement.
A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
Disability and additional learning support
The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Costs of living and other expenses you need to consider

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

Laptops, tablets and mobile devices.
Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website.
Optional fieldwork travel, outdoor wear and footwear (where applicable)
Text books, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of text books and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses.
Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass is included in your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation
Sport BU membership.

Repeat Units

Financial help available from BU

Deposits

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable £3,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Our staff

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This could include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students, many of whom are actively engaged in research and/or professional practice which is integrated into the teaching of this course. Please note that teaching staff can change.

Professor Ann Hemingway – Professor of Public Health & Wellbeing

Ann's research projects include an EU funded project called VeggiEAT which aims to develop an EU platform for predictive modelling of processed vegetable intake that takes into account individual characteristics (acceptability, intake level, age groups) as well as environmental cues (choice architecture and institutional setting).

This research will be achieved through the development of consumer-oriented products (sensory analysis); the development of recipes for use by food providers (restaurants, canteens, etc.); and the benchmarking of choice architecture facilitating the consumption of vegetables. The project aims to invigorate the vegetable sector in Europe while addressing in a constructive way the EU objectives of healthier eating at population level. Ann works on this project alongside Professor Heather Hartwell who both teach on the Public Health course.

Another research project Professor Ann Hemingway's involved in is The Horse Course, which using horses to help young people with difficulties, or people with drug or alcohol misuse to build confidence and reduce behavioural problems. Ann's research is evaluating the program and exploring the health and wellbeing benefits of human and animal connections.

View Professor Ann Hemingway's staff profile

Professor Edwin van Teijlingen – Professor of Reproductive Health

Professor Edwin van Teijlingen is trained as a medical sociologist and has an interest in mixed-methods research, qualitative research and evaluation research. A large share of his academic work has been in the field of either Public Health or the Organisation of Maternity Care. He has substantial research experience in conducting large-scale comparative studies, often using mixed-methods approaches.

He has have been involved in evaluating large-scale community-based public-health interventions in Scotland funded by, for example, the Chief Scientist Office (Scottish Government, Edinburgh), the Wellcome Trust, and NHS Health Scotland.

He has also published on various aspects of research methods in a format easily accessible to a lay audience, including a paper on research ethics published in a midwifery journal.

His overseas research is largely based in Nepal. He is involved in the evaluation of a community-based project funded by Green Tara Trust (UK-based Buddhist charity) tries to improve the uptake of antenatal care.

A second one funded by The British Council was awarded in 2009 one of the DelPHE grants to a collaboration between Tribhuban University and the University of Aberdeen and Bournemouth University and a Nepalese NGO. This latest project: Improving Access to Research Literature for Higher Education Institutions in Nepal (PARI Initiative) addresses gaps in teaching, learning and research at Nepalese universities. The project aims to build on capacity of the higher education institutions in accessing and utilising research-based information in the medical, nursing and public health fields.

View Professor Edwin van Teijlingen's staff profile

Professor Ahmed Khattab – Professor of Biomedical & Clinical Research

Ahmed Khattab is a Professor of medical research & clinical practice at theFaculty of Health & Social Sciences. He was educated and trained at Reading University, Royal Berkshire Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London. He also held an honorary position at the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals. Ahmed is a physician by training with special interests in general medicine and medicine for the elderly. His research portfolio encompasses a broad range of health and clinical research programmes, including stroke, vascular disease, diabetes, respiratory, autonomic nervous system, neurodegenerative diseases, gastro-intestinal, haematology, environmental and public health as well as education research. In addition to leading and supporting a number of research programmes within the school, he also supervises a number of PhD, DProf, MSc and BSc students. His research group (i) engages in original and applied research in biomedical and clinical areas; (ii) works on the cellular and molecular basis of human disease; (iii) oversees the biomedical/clinical research programmes within the school; (iv) collaborates with local Hospitals and other Universities; (v) participates in the wider University multidisciplinary research programmes; and (vi) trains postgraduate research students.

Ahmed also leads and contributes to the teaching of a number of units at both under- and postgraduate levels. He has undertaken extensive collaborative research with NHS hospitals (at local and regional levels) as well as with national and international academic institutions. He also served on a number of Committees concerned with training and education. In addition to his membership of the UK General Medical Council, Ahmed is a chartered biologist and a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Public Health & Hygiene. He is also an active member of the Institute of Health Promotion & Education.

View Professor Ahmed Khattab's staff profile

Dr Liz Norton – Senior Lecturer

Dr Liz Norton is a member of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Department of Health Sciences and Public Health. She is also a member of the Bournemouth University Health, Wellbeing and Society Research theme. She has course co-ordination responsibilities for the MSc/ Post Graduate Diploma/Certificate in Public Health. Her teaching/learning facilitating responsibilities mainly relate to Public Health, Health and Research units. Research activity is in the field of public health particularly in relation to the role of the Arts in health and wellbeing and the primary prevention of skin cancer. She has a particular interest in research with young people. In terms of research methodology her interests are in qualitative methods and specifically Glaserian grounded theory.

View Dr Liz Norton's staff profile

Dr Anne Mills – Senior Lecturer Nursing (Adult Nursing Health Promotion)

Anne has spent much of her professional life working in the field of public health in the United Kingdom and several European countries. She currently works as a senior academic at Bournemouth University, where she is actively involved in lecturing in the field of health promotion to both undergraduates and post graduates.

Her research interests are concerned with understanding and addressing the lived experiences of health inequalities.

View Dr Anne Mills' staff profile

What our graduates think

Ramatu Wuni

The course has equipped me with valuable knowledge and skills, I feel more confident analysing issues and applying work place policies and procedures. I have also experienced remarkable improvements in my research abilities and writing skills.

Andrew Kalue

I'm currently working with Brac International as a Research Assistant exploring public health and poverty alleviation. The course was really tailored to meet my needs and I hope to pursue a PhD in the future.

All statistics shown throughout this page are taken from Unistats, Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE), BU institutional data and Ipsos MORI (National Student Survey) unless otherwise stated.