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This degree has been designed to offer you a solid basis in public health epidemiology, health policy and global economics, health education and health promotion, statistics, and infection and disease control – delivered via a mixture of face-to-face, online and blended delivery of modules.
Throughout this course students will be introduced to current knowledge and challenges in Public Health through a range of techniques applicable to research including epidemiology, global health economics and statistics.
Students will learn the main methodologies and theoretical approaches to inform the theory and practice of Public Health and learn a range of skills to analyse, synthesise and evaluate local, national and global issues of Public Health.
Critical analysis skills will be developed under expert guidance and students will be encouraged to demonstrate self-direction and originality in problem solving and executing tasks.
*Master of Public Health (Professional Practice) typically requires an additional 3 months of full-time study and equivalent part-time study, subject to availability and other conditions.
There are two award options for this Master's degree: Master of Public Health and Master of Public Health (Professional Practice)*. In addition, there are two start dates: January and September each year.
For full-time study, the Professional Practice element usually adds an adidtional 3 months duration to your studies (and the equivalent part-time). Full details on the start dates and typical durations are as follows:
Public Health is concerned with the health of the population as a whole, dealing with topics including hygiene, epidemiology, and disease prevention.
As a discipline, it is extremely important both locally and globally as the financial burden of ill health increases its load on the National Health Service providers. Health policies built around changing population needs have improved the health in communities, but they continue to evolve with the expansion of global travel, increased incidence of novel diseases, antibiotic resistance and undesirable lifestyle choices.
These are just a few of the recent Public Health issues brought into the spotlight of news and current affairs. With extreme global events such as tsunamis, earthquakes and weather phenomena, the Public Health issues around the health of those affected are of great concern.
The optional, 60-credit module of Professional Practice (HLS), additional to the award of MPH, will allow students to gain work experience within a related field and if taken could lead to an award of Master of Public Health (Professional Practice).
The MPH (Professional Practice) award is subject to availability and suitability of placements. Students are encouraged to find their own placements to build on their practical or research skills, which could be in the voluntary sector, local authority, or other suitable agreed work environment.
The placement is not guaranteed, nor is it a condition of gaining the award, as it will provide a further 60 credit points to the 180 required through the campus–based modules and dissertation.
*Entry to this module is very competitive and may require an interview at the application stage.
The master's degree is underpinned by internationally excellent/world-class research, (Research Excellence Framework 2014).
Provider of nursing and midwifery education in Scotland
Overall student satisfaction amongst UWS postgraduate Health, Nursing and Midwifery students
The MPH really improved my confidence and group working skills, by allowing me to work with individuals whose cultural background was much different from my own. This allowed me to explore ideas from different perspectives I had not thought of before. The course itself developed my understanding of critical thinking, focusing on aspects like health inequality and inequity across the globe, and how government policies can play a role in these factors. Thanks to the MPH, I have been able to move into a career in Clinical Trial Management, recently becoming a Clinical Trial Co-ordinator. In the future I would like to use the MPH for a career within local Health Boards.
Cameron Lees, MPH Graduate
Our MPH will prepare you for a successful career in Public Health and allied professions both in the UK and globally. This list of potential career prospects is not extensive and the options will vary depending on your first degree, and may include the possible opportunities arising through your local authorities and community projects:
Graduates from our MPH have progressed on to doctoral studies; started new or continued careers in law enforcement and nursing; started their own businesses in health care; and commenced training in theology and ministry.
We welcome Scottish, UK and international students and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
Don’t worry if your qualifications are not listed here, we take a range of factors into account when assessing your application and are happy to consider other alternative combinations of qualifications and experience
If you are applying with an EU or non-EU qualification, please check our Postgraduate Entry Requirements page which gives more information about country-specific entry requirements.
A second class Honours degree. Other academic, vocational or professional qualifications deemed to be equivalent may also be considered.
Other academic, vocational or professional qualifications deemed to be equivalent may also be considered.
Recognised Prior Learning equivalent to PG Dip level (maximum of 120 credits at SCQF Level 11) will allow direct entry to to the MPH in order to undertake both the research project and professional practice dissertation. This might include other relevant health-based postgraduate-level courses or combinations of courses and will be subject to the discretion of admissions and the course leader.
All academic degrees/awards at UWS are taught in English. For applicants whose first language is not English*, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. All English language qualifications must have been gained within two years of the start of your UWS course.
* applicants who are exempt from english language requirements include:
In general terms, if you are applying to study a course at, or above, Year 1 (SCQF Level 7) bachelor’s degree level, then the UKVI’s minimum level of English proficiency is Common European Framework for References of Languages (CEFR) at B2 (Upper Intermediate).
At UWS, we define our general English language requirements using the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training) as follows:
These are minimum requirements and some courses may require a higher standard for admission†.
† Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see IELTS Score Exceptions section below for more information).
For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (BSc Adult Nursing, MSc Adult Nursing, BSc Mental Health Nursing, MSc Mental Health Nursing, BSc Midwifery and MSc Midwifery), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
Our BSc Paramedic Science degree leads to professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC); it has different IELTS requirements than other Health-related courses. Although it is not possible to apply for this degree directly as an international student, for applicants who meet SAAS residency requirements and for whom English is not their first language, then the following IELTS scores are required:
For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science degrees, which may lead to professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
Our BA (Hons) Social Work and MSc Social Work degrees are professionally recognised by the Scottish Social Services Council and applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
In additional to IELTS, we also accept a number of alternative English language for application and admission to our courses for both home/EU and international students at bachelor's degree study at Year 3 (SCQF Level 9), and above. From Cambridge to TOFEL iBT qualifications the number of these qualifications is extensive.
Find out about non-IELTS English Language Tests
UWS has also reviewed a range of High / Secondary School qualifications studied by non-EU applicants that can be used as a basis of entry to a UWS. These range from Botswana GCSEs to USA High School Graduation Diplomas, the number of these qualifications is extensive.
Find out more about international English Language high-hchool qualifications
Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:
Throughout this course students will be introduced to current knowledge and challenges in Public Health, through a range of techniques applicable to research including epidemiology, health economics and statistics. Students will learn the main methodologies and theoretical approaches to inform the theory and practice of Public Health and learn a range of skills to analyse, synthesise and evaluate local, national and global issues of Public Health.
Critical analysis skills will be developed under expert guidance and students will be encouraged to demonstrate self-direction and originality in problem solving and executing tasks.
There is also the opportunity to undertake an optional 60 credit Professional Practice (HLS) module involving a placement, to gain the award of Master of Public Health (Professional Practice).
Students study a range of core and option modules. Core modules include:
Option modules include:
Successfully completing all elements results in the award of Master of Public Health.
For those students seeking to undertake the Professional Practice element they would undertake the following core module after gaining the award of Master of Public Health: *
Successfully completing this module plus the dissertation results in the award of Master of Public Health (Professional Practice).
*subject to a competitive screening process.
You will be taught by research-active Professors, Senior Lecturers and Lecturers, many of whom are undergoing ground-breaking and innovative research, as well as guest lectures undertaken by specialists in their field external to UWS.
UWS has an excellent portfolio in health-related research across several different areas from:
This breadth of expertise allows you to engage with a variety of Public Health issues from the experts, first hand. You will benefit from a comprehensive breadth of expertise and state-of-the-art learning environments at UWS Lanarkshire Campus.
We use flexible teaching and learning approaches to facilitate and enhance your learning.
Depending on whether teaching is face-to-face online or hybrid, examples include:
You will be taught by a mixture of lectures, seminars and tutorials and will be working in collaborative groups on smaller projects and individually for presentations. Role play and other simulated learning experiences will allow rich discussions and develop transferable skills within a safe community of practice.
If available, the optional Professional Practice (HLS) module will develop real-time learning in a typical working environment placement.
Your learning will be supported through access to our interactive virtual learning environment Aula which contains supporting material, on-line tutorials and lectures, reading resources and also encourages collaborative learning through discussion fora and peer review, allowing for a truly blended learning experience.
Our MPH degree uses a variety of assessment methods. The below list provides a guide to the types of assessment methods you can expect:
Case studies
Coursework assignments
Unseen examinations
Oral presentations
Final MSc dissertation
Essays/Reports
Oral presentations
Programme Specification and Module Descriptors for Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses are available to download (PDFs). These provide you with core information concerning your chosen subject.
Use the Link below to download details of our full-time, part-time tuition fees for Bachelor, Masters, Research, and English Language pre-sessional courses for session 2023-24.
Tuition Fees£7,500 Total cost of tuition
£11,750 Total cost of tuition
£11,750 Total cost of tuition
£18,000 Total cost of tuition
£1,070 per module (20 credits)
£1,680 per module (20 credits)
£1,680 per module (20 credits)
£2,570 per module (20 credits)
£9,500 Total cost of tuition
£11,750 Total cost of tuition
£11,750 Total cost of tuition
£21,250 Total cost of tuition
£1,360 per module (20 credits)
£1,680 per module (20 credits)
£1,680 per module (20 credits)
£3,035 per module (20 credits)
All students should apply directly to the University through our online application system. Before you apply, you should check that you meet our entry requirements and you should have all your supporting documents ready.
The first stage of the process is to complete the initial application form. You will then receive a follow-up email with further instructions relating to your application including documents that you will need to forward to support your application, e.g. degree transcripts and certificates etc.
Most courses don't have a formal closing date, but they will close when they are full; apply early to avoid disappointment. There may also be funding deadlines that apply to you.
The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) applies to all international students and researchers (apart from exempt nationalities) who are subject to UK immigration control and are intending to study or research at postgraduate level in certain sensitive subjects.
Students and researchers who are nationals of EU countries, the European Economic Area (EEA), Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the United States of America do not need an ATAS certificate.
An ATAS certificate may be required for certain taught postgraduate master's degrees for international students at UWS.
For the latest information on ATAS and details of eligibility and how to apply for a certificate check the UK Government's dedicated ATAS web pages.
Do you have a question about applying for this course? Get in touch. We are here to help!
With cutting edge facilities, specialist knowledge and world-leading and internationally excellent expertise, we aim to develop research outputs that have a tangible, early and positive impact on society across the globe.
DiscoverWe will always try to make sure that we publish accurate course information but we do not accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We will also try to make sure that we deliver our courses in line with our published information. However, we may not always be able to do so and you can find further information about this in our enrolment terms and conditions.