Public Health (MPH, PgCert, PgDip - Online Learning)

The Master of Public Health (MPH) online programme is based on a longstanding tradition of academic teaching and research in public health at the University of Edinburgh.

Public health is about preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the efforts of society.

History

Postgraduate training in public health has been offered continuously at the University in one form or another since 1875, when a new postgraduate science degree, aimed at those wanting to be Medical Officers of Health, was introduced.

Since the first Chair of Public Health was established in 1898 and the opening of the Usher Institute of Public Health in 1902, the University has engaged in research covering:

• epidemiology
• environmental health
• infectious diseases
• medical statistics
• social sciences in health and health care

Online learning

Online learning is a way to study for an internationally recognised qualification without needing to attend classes on campus.

It is aimed at those who wish to study for a postgraduate qualification alongside work or other commitments.

Online programmes are of equal value to on-campus programmes. The only difference is the way the course is delivered.

Our online learning platform enables you to communicate with our highly qualified teaching staff from the comfort of your own home or work place.

As an online student you have access to the University's excellent resources and you become part of a supportive online community, bringing together students and tutors from around the world.

The MPH (online) programme is entirely online with a study commitment of approximately 10-15 hours per week.

You will study alongside and share your knowledge and experience with students from around the world through active discussion boards, blogs, group work and videos.

The programme is flexible and there are no specific times you need to attend class. It is designed to complement the work commitments and diverse geographical locations of our students.

Assessments and evaluation

Evaluation of the programme is through a mixture of coursework and online participation.

The programme has a variety of types of assessments, including essays, online activities, blogs, group work and tests.

The assessments are designed to fit with the learning outcomes of each course.

Accreditation

The part-time online Master of Public Health has successfully achieved 'Full Accreditation' with Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation (APHEA).

APHEA represent the five leading associations of public health in the European Region and is committed to assuring and improving the quality of educational activities throughout the European Region and the globe.

Why APHEA accreditation is important?

Accreditation is aimed at supporting the continued improvement of education and training for public health workforces throughout the world by providing international and transparent quality recognition.

According to APHEA it:

• contributes to the development, transparency and convergence of Public Health Education
• provides an added sector-based value to national quality assurance and accreditation
• recognises a school's quality beyond the borders of its home country, allowing for transferability of qualifications and potentially providing graduates with better opportunities for employment internationally
• increases attractiveness to national as well as foreign students
• improves the quality of the Public Health workforce and its competitiveness globally

What to expect at the University of Edinburgh

As a student within the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, you will join more than 7,000 students studying a range of postgraduate programmes. Following the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, our vet school and our medical school were both among the UK top five, ranked by research power (Times Higher Education, Overall Ranking of Institutions REF 2021).

Your postgraduate experience here will be supported and enhanced by the wealth of resources and opportunities we offer. We are committed to delivering high-quality, innovative teaching. The latest report from the Quality Assurance Agency awarded us the highest rating possible for the quality of the student learning experience.

The University of Edinburgh is currently ranked 15th in the World in the QS World University Rankings 2023.

Whether you are already a working professional in this area, or new to the subject, this Master of Public Health (MPH) is the ideal programme for those wishing to address today's problems in public health.

Our MPH programme provides you with an understanding of how different scientific disciplines can be used to investigate and then develop the best professional practice in epidemiology, public health and the social science of health.

The programme is designed to provide an entry point to either the public health profession or public health research for those new to the subject, but also to provide sufficient depth for the benefit of existing public health professionals.

The range of elective courses reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the subject.

The Master of Public Health (online) programme aims to equip students with evidence-based conceptual and practical tools, to take a critical interdisciplinary approach to public health challenges.

The programme will equip you with extensive Public Health knowledge which will improve employment prospects in the evolving public health arena.

Students have found excellent opportunities in government, health department, research, policy-making, NGO, charity and international settings.

The Masters can also offer a good basis for further study in the form of a PhD or Professional Doctorate.

Programme structure

You can study to Masters, Diploma, or Certificate level.

All students follow the same five compulsory Year One Certificate-level courses, which provide a solid foundation in the fundamentals of public health. In Year Two (Diploma level), students will take three compulsory courses and choose three elective courses to explore areas of interest in more depth and to tailor the programme to their own learning needs and career goals.

If you complete the Diploma level and are eligible to progress to Year Three (Masters level), you can choose either to do:

• a dissertation project (if agreed by the programme directors), worth 60 credits, or
• a compulsory 20-credit individual project, Integrating Public Health Practice, plus 40 credits of elective courses from the list below.

The course list below shows courses which we expect to run within the programme, but there may be some changes to the curriculum.

The taught course available include the following:

Compulsory courses

• Introduction to Public Health (10 credits)
• Epidemiology for Public Health Practice (10 credits)
• Introduction to Health Promotion (10 credits)
• Introduction to Epidemiology and Statistics (20 credits)
• Public Policy for Health (10 credits)
• Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods (10 credits)
• Systematic Reviews (10 credits)
• Research Design for Public and Global Health (10 credits)

*(Revised 1 February 2023 to update compulsory courses)

Elective courses

• Introduction to Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology (10 credits)
• Societies, Reproduction and Health (10 credits)
• Leadership and Management in Public Health (10 credits)
• Intermediate Epidemiology (10 credits) (Offered by MSc Epidemiology)
• Governance and Financial Management for Public Health Projects (10 credits)
• Public Health Approaches to Declining Health, Dying and Bereavement (10 credits)
• Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in a Global Context (10 credits)
• Noncommunicable Diseases in a Global Context (10 credits)
• Data Analysis for Epidemiology (10 credits)
• Qualitative interviewing and data analysis for public health (10 credits)
• Fundamentals of Health Economics (10 credits)
• Introduction to Global Mental Health (10 credits)
• Statistical Modelling for Epidemiology (10 credits) (Offered by MSc Epidemiology)
• Innovative Approaches to Health Challenges across Disciplines (10 credits) (Offered jointly by online MPH and Vet School)
• Migration and Health (10 credits) (Offered jointly by online MPH and Global Health Challenges)

(Revised 1 February 2023 to update elective courses)

Although we endeavour to provide a wide range of optional courses to choose from, these can be subject to change or cancellation at short notice.

Places on optional courses can be limited, due to course capacity and timetabling constraints. It may not be possible to guarantee every offer holder their top choice of optional courses.

Some courses can be studied as stand-alone short courses.