MSc Global Public Health (Online)

The MSc Global Public Health online programme is designed for:

• Public health practitioners
• Social or political scientists
• Civil servants
• Anyone working in the health or humanitarian sectors
• Anyone with an interest in social and political sciences

Students will develop the competencies to work in health policy and health service delivery at local, national and international levels, and in governmental and international bodies and NGOs.

The MSc in Global Public Health (Online) is part of a wider programme of study within the Barts and London School of Medicine and Dentistry, directed by a multidisciplinary team of academics from the Wolfson Institute of Population Health (WIPH). 

The goal of the WIPH is to improve the health of local, national and global populations by undertaking world-class research and training. 

The work of WIPH is focused around four areas of expertise:

• Primary Care and Mental Health
• Global Public Health
• Women’s Health
• Clinical Trials and Methodology

The entry requirement for the Global Public Health MSc (Online) is a 2.1 honours degree or international equivalent in any subject. 

A 2:2 honours degree (or the international equivalent) in a related subject or any degree which has a quantitative element will be considered on an individual basis. Alternatively, a degree in any subject and with at least three years’ relevant work experience will be considered on an individual basis. 

If your first language is not English, you should also have one of the following:

• IELTS Academic: 7.0 overall including 6.5 in Writing, and 5.5 in Reading, Listening and Speaking.
• TOEFL: 100 overall including 24 in Writing, 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening and 20 in Speaking.
• PTE Academic: 68 overall including 68 in Writing, and 51 in Reading, Listening and Speaking.

Please visit the Alternative English Language Qualifications page on the main Queen Mary website for more information on language requirements.

Masters

The MSc Global Public Health is a 2-year course that you can study completely online.

During that time you will undertake eight taught modules and a dissertation. For each module you will be awarded 15 credits and you will receive a further 60 credits for your dissertation. To graduate you must have accrued the full 180 credits, which involves completing every aspect of the modules and passing all relevant assignments.

Each module contains 6 weeks of academic content, followed by a reading week. Each module block has 2 assessments. Besides the reading weeks you’ll have breaks every 2 modules of varying durations. The 6 week modules offer a wide variety of different subjects, enabling you to cover a broad range of interesting areas in sizeable portions. 

The modules below will not only provide you with valuable knowledge of the social, political, economic, and ecological determinants of health, but the skills needed to conduct health policy analysis as well.

Through this, you’ll benefit from a multidisciplinary perspective when navigating global public health questions and proposing new ideas in public health settings.

• Health Inequalities and the State of Global Health  – an introduction to the broad topic of global health
• Understanding Epidemiology and Statistics – develop skills in critical appraisal, interpreting the results of commonly used statistical techniques and routine morbidity and mortality measures
• Health Systems Policy and Performance – an introduction to various conceptual and theoretical understandings of ‘health systems’ within a social, economic, historical and global context
• Critical Health Economics – an introduction to core theories and concepts of economics and their applications in health policy
• Global Health Policy and Governance – an introduction to the disciplines of international relations, politics, jurisprudence, globalisation, and global governance as they relate to global health
• Planetary Health – an introduction to various analytical perspectives on environmental change on a local, regional, and global basis and how these relate to human health and planetary health
• Disease Management: Policy and Practice – build links between an appreciation of the clinical features of diseases and their implications for the design of programmes and plans
• Research, Evidence and Policy – an introduction to the philosophy of science and debates about the nature of data and evidence from a public policy and practical/applied public health perspective
• Dissertation – an advanced, in depth examination of a particular area of global public health. Your chosen topic should relate to a relevant issue within the academic field.

Tuition fees (including £250 acceptance fee) £13,295 

Pay in full or in a maximum of six instalments* of £2,174 spread across a two-year period.

For all programmes, a £250 acceptance fee, that is offset against the total payable, is applicable. Your acceptance fee should be paid within 14 days after receiving your offer.

*Whichever payment option you choose, the full payment or the first of the 6 instalments is required four weeks before the course starts unless you are receiving funding from the Student Finance (SF) organisation. In this case they will be due two weeks after you receive your first SF instalment.

May, September

To advance global health, we need experts who can work across disciplines. This MSc provides the breadth of knowledge you need to look at global health through different lenses.

The course will help you connect with work that has social justice at its heart and you will be encouraged to develop your own passion for different aspects of global public health.

You will gain the confidence to critically appraise literature on global health issues and the ability to quickly identify a flaw in an argument or a gap in information, an important skill in any workplace.

You will also develop your ability to summarise complex information and present it in an accessible way to stakeholders who may be unfamiliar with the topic.

After graduating, you will be well-equipped to explore a career in health policy and health service delivery at local, national, and international levels – in governmental and international bodies as well as NGOs.

You will hold the skills and knowledge needed to work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams engaged in health improvement.

Since research and epistemology will be integrated into the modules you’ll be covering, you could also get the opportunity to pursue further academic development in the form of a PhD.

Each course module will be assessed individually according to the module’s learning objectives.

Assessment methods could include:

• Examinations (essays or short-answer questions)
• Assignments (such as writing an academic blog post)
• Presentations
• A 10,000-word dissertation (MSc only)

You will need discipline and motivation to combine study with your work and life. This applies especially to the Global Public Health MSc.

Having to study around 25 hours a week will enable you to complete this postgraduate course within 2 years.

The course’s structure and academic rigour help keep you motivated and on track for success. You will get plenty of support while you study, with weekly webinars and one-to-one Skype access to tutors.