Postgraduate Office
Registry
Postgraduate Study
Master of Public Health
GENERAL INFORMATION
The University of Glasgow has been involved in teaching public health since 1839, and its commitment to the public health curriculum is well recorded. The Master of Public Health (MPH) programme has been taught in the Section since 1981. Over the years the programme has responded to the changing emphasis in debates in public health. The Section was among the earliest to move towards a multidisciplinary range of courses involving staff from a number of areas. Currently disciplines represented include health protection and health promotion, epidemiology, sociology, psychology, statistics and health economics.
Today the science and art of public health is a major force. It has a central role in guiding clinical practice, influencing health policy and improving population health. The Master of Public Health programme in Glasgow is designed for the 21st Century practitioner, it follows a flexible and innovative curriculum and enables students to study under the supervision of some of the leading experts in public health. Students also have the possibility to work with PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and to become involved in pioneering work within the Section and among experts from other institutions.
Who is the programme for?
Public health practitioners are drawn not only from the health services, but are also employed in the education system, national and local government, the voluntary sector, as well as industry or commerce. In essence, anyone who works or intends to work in an organisation which has public health responsibilities or aims to improve population health.
Job titles of graduates include:
Professors of Public Health, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Directors of Public Health, Head of Scottish Health Prison Service, Chief Executive of Primary Care Trust, Dean of Faculty of Dentistry, Head of International Development NHS Health Scotland, Epidemiologists, Health Promotion Managers, Commissioning Officer for Learning Disability, Consultants in Public Health, Health Promotion Officers, Public Health Practitioners, General Practitioners, General Dental Practitioners.
Programme Description
The Glasgow MPH reflects the multi-disciplinary nature of public health and provides students with a range of courses to develop knowledge and skills around the theory and practice of public health.
Teaching is provided by practitioners from a wide variety of disciplines including Public Health Medicine, Health Protection Scotland, Environmental Health, and Business/Management.
In order to obtain the award of a Master of Public Health, a student must accumulate 180 credits at Master level. 140 of these credits are gained by successful completion of taught courses, with an additional 40 credits gained through successful completion of a research project
Students will be required to pass the following compulsory courses:
- Principles for Public Health (20 credits)
- Introduction to Statistical Methods (20 credits)
- Introduction to Epidemiology (20 credits)
- Research Methods (20 credits)
- Project (40 credits)
The project is 15,000-20,000 words. The submission date is the end of July.
In addition another three courses must be drawn from the optional course list which is as follows:
- Communicable Diseases (20 credits)
- Economic Evaluation (20 credits)
- Environmental Health (20 credits)
- Further Epidiemology and Statistics (20 credits)
- Globalisation and Public Health (20 credits)
- Health Economics (20 credits)
- Health Promotion: Principles and Practice (20 credits)
- Managing Health Care Organisations (20 credits)
- Oral Health (20 credits) (this course is only offered every two years)
- Psychosocial Approaches to Public Health (20 credits)
- Qualitative Research Methods (20 credits)
Students are also able to take courses that are provided as part of the Masters in Primary Care (General Practice and Primary Care, University of Glasgow).
Timetable
A copy of the 2008/2009 timetable is available here:
Duration of Programme
There is a degree of flexibility around the number of years students can take to complete the programme. Generally the full-time programme is over one calendar year September to September. Students wishing to study part-time can do so over two or three years.
Location
Lectures, seminars and student supervision generally take place in the Section of Public Health and Health Policy, at Lilybank Gardens University of Glasgow.
Awards
At present there are three main awards available
- Master of Public Health (180 credits)
- Diploma in Public Health (120 credits)
- Post-graduate Certificate in Public Health (60 credits)
Entry Requirements
Candidates for the MPH programme usually must have attained at least Second Class Honours Degree. However consideration will be given to candidates with a professional qualification in an appropriate subject or who have gained experience in the field of public health. Admission onto the programme will be at the discretion of the MPH Programme Coordinator.
Where English is not the candidate's first language the university requirement is an IELTS of 6.5 or 650 in the TOEFL.
Tuition Fees 2008/2009
Full-tme Home/EU: £3,750
Part-time Home: £417 per 20 credits
International: £12,850
Further information
Margaret Ashton
Postgraduate Administrator
Email: m.ashton@udcf.gla.ac.uk
Telephone: 0141 330 4037
Fax: 0141 330 5018