Global Health Policy MSc

You will complete one compulsory course and a number of option courses.

Following the taught courses, you will work towards an independently researched dissertation.

We have structured the programme to enable you to undertake a placement during your dissertation.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

On completion of this programme you will be able to understand, critically appraise and apply key concepts and theories within policy studies, international political economy and public health science with specific reference to social and economic determinants of population health status; public health policy norms; concepts of epidemiology and research methods; and processes and institutions of public policy-making.

You will also develop the skills to:

• apply social science perspectives to public health questions
• assess the changing context of public health policy formulation
• analyse diverse source materials and apply to public health questions
• articulate your own conception of core challenges confronting public health
• engage in public health advocacy
• work across disciplinary boundaries

This highly regarded qualification will improve your chances of securing rewarding roles. Recent graduates have taken up employment and research positions with NGOs, health agencies, government departments and international organisations.

We have structured the programme to enable you to undertake a placement during your dissertation, ensuring you graduate with valuable experience and contacts.

The transferable skills you gain in areas such as communication and research will give you an edge in the employment market, whatever your eventual career.

A number of our students, particularly from social science backgrounds, use this programme to prepare for applications to medical school or a PhD programme.

Our programmes are also recognised for training purposes by the UK Faculty of Public Health, and a number of practising doctors undertake study with us.

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

English language tests

For 2020 entry we accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified*:

• IELTS: total 7.0 (at least 6.0 in each module)
• TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition): total 100 (at least 20 in each module). We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• PTE Academic: total 67 (at least 56 in each of the "Communicative Skills" sections)
• CAE and CPE: total 185 (at least 169 in each module)
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with a pass in all four components

For 2021 entry we will accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified*:

• IELTS: total 7.0 (at least 6.0 in each module)
• TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition): total 100 (at least 20 in each module). We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• CAE and CPE: total 185 (at least 169 in each module)
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with a pass in all four components

*(Revised 21 February 2020 to remove PTE Academic from 2021 entry requirements. Revised 21 April 2020 to include TOEFL-iBT Special Home Edition in 2020 and 2021 entry requirements.)

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic or Trinity ISE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries.

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than three and a half years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments. The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on your programme, the duration of your studies, and your residency status. (Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.)

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding