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Why choose the School of Society, Community and Health
An internationally successful course, offering networking opportunities with 150 global partners.
Curriculum mapped against the UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH), UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) and the QAA descriptors.
95% student satisfaction rate (University of Bedfordshire student data, 2023).
About the course
This comprehensive MSc offers a deep dive into public health issues on a local, national, and global scale, fostering specialised skills for advancing public health and disease prevention worldwide. You develop critical research skills; gain insights into the global drivers behind health system reform; and build your understanding of policy development and implementation in across both developed and developing nations. You also learn to apply your knowledge through exploring real-life case studies from around the world.
Course accreditation
The course addresses the key competencies from the UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH) and, on completion, you are eligible to apply for fellow membership of the UK Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).
Facilities and specialist equipment
Gain access to the Faculty’s range of simulation units, including the Moot Court and clinical skills and simulation suites within the three campuses at Luton, Bedford and Aylesbury, to provide instrumental learning opportunities, and prepare you to respond to and manage a range of scenarios you may encounter in real life.
Industry links
Strong links with internal and external development partners such as Luton Borough Council’s Public Health Department, Keech Hospice Care and University of Bedfordshire’s Institute for Health Research.
Your student experience
Gain expertise and insight on a course based on the principle that medical professionals should improve health and prevent disease not just provide treatment for those who are ill.
Build your experience exploring case studies from around the world.
Benefit from a research-active academic team involved in internationally excellent and world-leading research at our Institute of Applied Social Research (REF 2021).
Our research-informed teaching highlights the importance of public health and public health practice worldwide while building your practical, critical and theoretical skills.
Opportunities for work and research experience in public health areas, such as health inequalities, homelessness, addiction and substance abuse, public health policies and planning, and public health epidemiology and data analysis.
This course prepares you for postgraduate research study (MRes/MPhil/PhD) in public health.
The minimum requirement for entry to MSc Public Health is a relevant health or social care degree qualification (grade 2.2 or higher). It is also highly desirable that candidates have some experience working within the health (preferably public health) or social care sector.
I did my undergraduate degree in physiotherapy at Baba Farid University of Health Sciences Faridkot, Punjab, India. I was keen to study for a MSc Public Health and learn about tackling inequalities. University of Bedfordshire’s course has an international reputation for having high quality researchers teach on the programme. Indeed, I have met Professor Gurch Randhawa who volunteers with me every Sunday at Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen, as well as having given us lectures on health inequalities.
What will you study?
Studying our Public Health MSc course will equip you with the specialist knowledge and skills to develop, deliver and manage high-quality, public health services for children, families and communities. To develop your foundational knowledge, you will be introduced to key concepts and principles of epidemiology, disease and epidemiological study design in our Epidemiology in Public Health unit. You will also develop an understanding of the key Principles, Policies and Issues in Public Health and critically evaluate how this has impacted the way public health is addressed. Furthermore, you will develop theoretical and practical knowledge around Healthcare Commissioning and its importance to public health in the UK and internationally.
As a crucial aspect of your study, Public Health Protection will allow you to explore the policies and strategies used to prevent, control and manage outbreaks of infectious diseases and threats to public health. You will be exposed to resilience planning to mitigate a range of threats from environmental hazards and natural disasters to the release of hazardous substances and mass gatherings. Similarly, you will also discuss the fundamental Ethical and Legal Issues in Healthcare to understand the relevant issues that may arise and how to best deal with them despite being subject to intense public debate. Some controversial issues may include the legal right to assisted suicide or behaviour modification to combat obesity.
With an inclusive approach, you will critically consider Health and Social Care Inequalities and the social categories used to understand them. This includes factors such as class, gender, ethnicity and age, which you will explore with an intersectional approach to understand the health and social care experiences of people with intersectional identities. Furthermore, you will also learn to use evidence to analyse public health data in our Public Health Intelligence unit. This will enable you to contribute to policy and decision-making processes to bring about change in public health practice.
Finally, you will complete a Dissertation to conduct an individual research project using a range of research methodologies to develop a study design. To help you with this, our unit in Public Health Research Methods will introduce you to the basic concepts of public health research including how research questions are constructed, quantitative and qualitative research methods and data analysis. You will also learn to construct a research proposal and consider key ethical issues in health-related research.
How will you be assessed?
The assessment strategy is designed to assist you in identifying reflecting on and meeting your own learning needs in relation to your working environment. Each unit is further designed to develop your public health skills in ways which are directly relevant to your workplace.
In order to assist in your future professional and career development each assignment will require you to identify and develop a competency from the UK Faculty of Public Health framework which forms the basis of your learning and underpins your assessment. As you undertake the course units you are given the opportunity to develop your skills in a range of public health techniques via the assessments.
For example you will be required to develop an Action Plan; write a newspaper article summarizing a complex public health issue into layman's terms; write a public health report; develop a public health research proposal; develop a public health presentation; and design a public health poster. Each of these assessments will enable you to demonstrate the ability to critically understand and evaluate complex public health issues and communicate these effectively to a range of audiences.
Careers
There are a range of career opportunities within public health including public health analyst; public health programme manager; and public health specialist. The course can also act as a platform for postgraduate research (MPhil/PhD) study in public health and provides you with sufficient grounding for the UK Faculty of Public Health Part I examination. Upon completion of this course all students become eligible to apply for fellow membership of the UK Royal Society for Public Health.
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £10,000 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees and living costs. Visit www.gov.uk/postgraduate-loan
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
International 2024/25
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £16,900
If you have any questions around fees and funding, please email international@beds.ac.uk
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £10,000 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees and living costs. Visit www.gov.uk/postgraduate-loan
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
International 2024/25
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £16,900
If you have any questions around fees and funding, please email international@beds.ac.uk
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £10,000 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees and living costs. Visit www.gov.uk/postgraduate-loan
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
International 2024/25
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £16,900
If you have any questions around fees and funding, please email international@beds.ac.uk
