Public Health (International) MPH

Course overview

Our course is designed to provide health professionals with an advanced understanding of global health needs and how to strengthen health systems and services, in order to achieve universal health coverage.

Join a global community of professionals working to improve the provision of healthcare and address modern global health challenges.

• Learn in an international learning environment, with fellow professionals from a range of countries and areas of expertise.
• Work with leading experts in international health.
• Tailor your course to align your own skills to your own interests with a choice of optional modules.
• Develop the skills and knowledge to further your career in international and national health systems and organisations.

Through the one-year Master of Public Health [International] course, you will be able to apply public health and research competence through your dissertation project. The dissertation is designed to strengthen your ability to work independently on a topical public health issue from an international and national context and offers you the opportunity to build on theoretical learning and research methods.

Make an Impact

Through our course, you’ll learn about effective solutions to combat modern global health challenges. You’ll benefit from the real-world knowledge and experience of our expert staff, as you prepare to join the global professional community to improve healthcare provision, with a focus on low and middle-income countries and contexts.

The course provides the opportunity to take part in a study visit to Geneva, attending workshops and meetings with the World Health Organisation various and other health-related UN and other international organisations.

The course is delivered by the Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development, based in the Leeds Institute of Health Sciences.

You can also study this subject at Postgraduate Diploma (9 months) or Postgraduate Certificate (4 months) level.

Please contact the programme lead if you need further advice on which course would be best for you.

Watch our recent student webinar recording below to find out more.

Course details

This course has two streams, meaning you can choose the one that best suits your professional goals:

• Stream A - a focus on public health interventions and services.
• Stream B - a focus on health policy and health systems.

You’ll also be able to select from a wide range of modules to further customise your course. The taught compulsory modules lay firm foundations for your learning throughout the course:

• Introduction to Global and Public Health – introduces global health issues, public health strategies and health systems for Universal Health Coverage.
• Health Systems Research Methods – looks at how to plan research, choose research methods, evaluate findings and present results.
• Master of Public Health International: Dissertation – apply public health and research competence to a topical public health issue from an international and national context. Your dissertation is the culmination of the MPH[I] course.
• Principles of Public Health (Stream A) – analyses public health problems from a multidisciplinary perspective, dissects and explores how to strengthen existing and to build new health services, programmes and related management systems in order to improve the health of populations and communities.
• Principles of Health Management (Stream B) – planning and policy – analyses types of policies and management systems in the health sector with particular focus on the changing roles of the government.

The MPH(I) also includes a wide range of optional modules which allows you to focus your study to match your interests and experience. Optional modules are currently being reviewed for the programme and there is potential for optional module choices to change.

At Leeds you’ll have the opportunity to take part in a study visit to Geneva, attending workshops and meetings with the United Nations (UN) and other international health organisations. In the past organisations have included:

• World Health Organisation.
• UNAIDS.
• UN High Commission for Refugees.
• United Nations High Commission for Human Rights.
• International Labour Organisation.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies.
• Médecins Sans Frontières.
• GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.

The dissertation you write in your final semester gives you space for in-depth examination of an area of public health that’s relevant to your work and career aspirations.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Public Health (International) MPH in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

Under the guidance of our academic staff, who've all worked in low-and middle-income countries, you'll develop core skills and knowledge from day one. You’ll build on your learning with your chosen modules in specialist fields of public health, policy, planning and management. In addition, your dissertation gives you the opportunity to plan, initiate, execute and complete a substantial piece of independent research, with support and guidance from academics with substantial expertise on the subject of studies.

The course introduces essential learning skills for postgraduate level study, with particular emphasis on the challenges facing those returning to study. A reflective learning approach will form the basis of career-long independent learning and continued professional development.

You’ll learn through a mixture of lectures, seminars, group work, workshops, tutorials and case studies.
You will learn in an international and diverse classroom environment, with students from different countries and academic staff with lived and work experiences outside the UK. You will contribute to an active learning environment, which invites you to reflect on and share your own experiences while learning from others.

Some study sessions use the University's computer resources, with support to enhance your competence in the use of information technology. You'll have access to our Virtual Learning Environment, which inlcudes teaching materials and resources to help you prepare for you assignments and research.

You’ll be able to use University facilities for independent study, such as computing facilities and the Health Sciences library, with its extensive collection of online journals. You will also have access to the newly refurbished Worsley Building with new teaching spaces and a social space specifically for post-graduate students.

On this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

You are assessed by using a range of assessments. Examples include essays, group and individual presentations, reflective logs, posters, development of programme plans, policy briefs, analysis of research papers, research project reports, oral and written examinations and a dissertation.

This range of coursework develops your academic skills and supports your future career. They are designed to assess your understanding and application of international health and also help you develop essential workplace skills, including analysing and synthesising contemporary research-based knowledge and presenting evidenced-based thinking in a coherent manner in a variety of formats.

Collaborative work is also an important part of the course. You will be encouraged to work and interact with academic staff and classmates and develop teamwork skills.

Your research can also have potential real-world impact. A number of our students have gone to publish work that has been carried out as part of their course.

Fees

UK: £12,750 (Total)

International: £29,250 (Total)

Finding funds to study at the Nuffield Centre

If you would like to find out more information about scholarships at the Nuffield Centre, you can discover the relevant postgraduate funding options here .

Read more about paying fees and charges .

For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees .

Additional cost information

Fees for the optional one-week study tour

The cost of the optional one-week tour to Geneva (see Course overview) is not included in the course fees.

Students who choose the study tour as an optional module pay approximately £575. Students who attend the study tour for their professional devleopment pay approximately £750. These fees include travel and accommodation.

As these costs are only approximations, The Nuffield Centre shares information about these fees in offer letters and during the first semester of the course.

Other costs associated with visas (such as visa handling and transport to the visa centre in Manchester), meals in Geneva and any other personal costs are not included in the fees above.

Fees for dissertation fieldwork overseas

While doing the dissertation, you have the option of doing primary data collection fieldwork overseas in a low- and middle-income country. The costs associated with this fieldwork depends on your dissertation and interests, and is not included in the course fees.

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page .