Studying our Public Health BSc (Hons) course will equip you with the specialist knowledge and skills to prevent ill health and promote wellbeing. In areas of theory, you will be given an introduction to public health and the key strategies for public health promotion in our Foundation of Public Health unit. Paired with our unit in Key Concepts in Health Promotion and Behaviour Change, you will explore the concepts of health promotion and behaviour change in relation to health promotion strategies. In an Introduction to Community Health Assessment, you will explore the methodologies and approaches for conducting health needs assessments as well as examine the key interventions used to address health inequalities. More specifically, you will look at Primary Health Care: Theory and Practice to understand its principles, importance and how it can be applied to practice. As a healthcare provider, it is important that you recognise your responsibility to promote health equity and social justice in areas of your work. This is where our unit in Inclusivity and Diversity in Health will develop your understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion in public healthcare to address systemic barriers that impact health outcomes for marginalised communities. 

In your second year, you will delve into more complex discussions such as in our Global Public Health unit that will allow you to analyse principles and approaches to issues in healthcare development and research. Drawing from your own experiences and practice, you will also engage in debates around Public Health Policy and Strategy to analyse how policies are developed, how decisions are made and how resources are allocated. Similarly, you will be introduced to the key concepts and principles of public health protection, monitoring and emergency preparedness to examine the impact of infectious diseases and environmental hazards on public health in our Public Health Monitoring, Protection and Disease Prevention unit. In particular, you will also look at the public health issues affecting Maternal, Infant and Child Public Health such as malnutrition and breastfeeding as well as diseases such as HIV and malaria that affect the health and wellbeing of mothers, babies and children. Aside from physical health, you will also be introduced to mental health concepts that can be used to support the mental health needs of patients, their families or carers that you may encounter in the workplace alongside dealing with their physical conditions in our Mental Health Matters unit.  

In your final year, you will study more advanced topics such as in our Understanding Epidemiology and Biostatistics unit to understand epidemiological methods and to learn of the statistical principles and techniques used to assess risk and disease impact. You will also consider the social aspects of health, illness and healthcare in our Determinants of Health and Health Inequalities unit. This may include factors such as social class, gender, ethnicity or age and you will explore concepts, methods and policies that can be used to tackle health inequalities in practice. As an essential skill in the field of public health, Leadership and Management in Public Health will allow you to examine and develop the self-management and leadership skills you need in practice. Finally, you will complete a Public Health Project where you will lead and manage your own health-related project into an area of your interest and create a report on your findings. To help you with this, our unit in Research Methods will equip you with the knowledge and skills to conduct research in the fields of health protection, health improvement and health services using a range of quantitative and qualitative research designs. To prepare you for employment, Working in Public Health: Context and Practice will equip you with the knowledge of public health roles and functions for you to consider pursuing a career in. This unit is led by public health practitioners and experts, also successful public health researchers with global reputations.