100% Online Master of Public Health (MPH)

This module will present an introduction to the health of populations as examined from the state to the local level. A comparative examination of the structures and functions of healthcare systems will be offered, as well as a review of: the history of public health; basic classifications of diseases and disease outbreaks; concepts of disease transmission; basic indicators of morbidity and mortality; disease prevention and hygiene; primary healthcare and community health; economic impacts on healthcare; healthcare access; and One Health, Ecohealth, and Planetary Health.

A broad overview of epidemiology, known as the language of public health, and statistical methods for data analysis will be offered in this module. This module will provide an overview of how to classify and measure population health and disease transmission and how to analyse these measurements and other quantitative and health data. Case examples specific to public or global health will be employed for each programme.

This module will cover all the basics of quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods research including: devising appropriate research questions; conducting a literature review; writing a research proposal; ethics and informed consent; designing data collection tools; collecting data; analysing data; controlling bias; and writing up the research. You will select a research project that you will work on throughout this module and in the Qualitative Research Methods module. 

This module will cover the foundations of health promotion and disease prevention with a special focus on health communication, health policy, and health education. This module will critically examine successful and unsuccessful health campaigns, and consider contemporary issues that challenge disease control such as those encountered with HIV, TB, and COVID-19 and diet and noncommunicable diseases. The impact of physical and social environments on disease prevention and occupational health will also be examined, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal approaches to healthcare interventions and how to decide which approach to use under given circumstances. A special emphasis will be directed toward identifying and controlling social stigma. Health policy formation and implementation will also be introduced. Finally, emergency preparedness and humanitarian response to population health disasters will be reviewed. 

This module will present an overview of healthcare systems, their functions, and modes of operation. The implications of different types of health systems in terms of access, financing, equity, and quality in health services will also be examined. Furthermore, we will problematise a solely top-down representation of healthcare and demonstrate the role of grass roots organisation and bottom-up healthcare initiatives, as well as the role of medical pluralism in determining how people actually use healthcare. We will also examine the different forms of primary healthcare and the successes and failures of decentralising the healthcare sector. Fundamental concepts of healthcare management and administration will also be reviewed.

This module prepares you to design, implement, and monitor and evaluate health programmes and projects. You will be equipped with the critical skills needed to assess and overcome obstacles and challenges in the application of project design approaches to health programming. The logical framework will be used as a model for project design, monitoring and evaluation. 

This module will provide you with an overview of the historical and current issues and debates concerning gender, and sexual and reproductive health, through the examination of social, political and economic factors impacting sexual and reproductive health. An examination of gender inequity and exclusion is particularly relevant to health outcomes. Issues surrounding maternal and child health, family planning, body image and body dysphoria, and sexual orientation and gender identity will all be examined. Rights-based approaches will be employed and critiqued to support you in your critical analysis of gender, sexual, and reproductive policies, services and interventions.

This module will focus solely on qualitative research methods. Special emphasis will be placed on theoretical frameworks for health; designing interview schedules; conducting structured, semi-structured, and unstructured interviews; conducting focus groups; conducting ethnography and participant observation; special anthropological techniques such as free lists and pile sorts; coding data and thematic analyses; analysing data with NVivo; and writing up qualitative research. 

Local level and primary health care will be the focus of this module, with a special emphasis on mental health and psychosocial support. The challenges of working and intervening at local, community levels, and the access to resources, will be examined. Sociocultural factors, including the social determinants of health will be central to this module. The means to build community support, social cohesion, social capital, and resilience in fostering more self-sufficient communities will also be exam

This module aims to develop a comprehensive and critical understanding of the theory and practice of health promotion in the context of interagency and multidisciplinary partnership collaborations. Topics covered include: Partnerships between disciplines, communities and statutory and non-statutory public bodies; Co-production and stakeholder involvement; Health equity; Individual and community dimensions of empowerment; and Social justice.

The Research Project is the pinnacle of achievement in the master’s programme. It is equivalent to two taught modules in terms of credits (30) and is expected to involve 300 hours of student effort. The research project must reflect sufficient evidence of independent thought to justify the award at master’s level. It enables you to further develop subject area specialisms drawn from the taught modules of the programme, and to utilise research techniques outlined in the Research Methods for Management module.