PUBLIC HEALTH at Canterbury Christ Church University

Why Public Health?

The MSc Public Health will prepare you for senior and strategic roles within the public health workforce, such as those in local/municipal authorities, health care, business, social care, the voluntary sector or education. It will provide you with a deep understanding about how to prevent illness and promote good health and wellbeing. You will learn the knowledge and skills that underpin public health practice at individual, community, national and international levels, as well as how to address the specific health needs of the UK population.

By studying our MSc Public Health, you will critically engage with the theories, principles and practise that are core to public health and health promotion. These include engagement with:

• Philosophies of health and health promotion
• Principles of public health practice including health protection
• Social and cultural determinants of health and inequalities in health
• Communicable and non-communicable disease in local and global context
• Epidemiology and its application to disease prevention
• Risk assessment, health needs assessment and health impact assessment
• Ethical perspectives in health promotion and public health
• The physical environment and health
• Inter-sectoral, national and international health policies and drivers
• Globalisation and Health
• Community development and health improvement
• Arts and health
• Research and evaluation

The MSc Public Health learning outcomes are informed by the UK Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework (levels 7 and 8) as well as the International Union of Health Promotion and Education: CompHP Professional Standards for Health Promotion.

Who is this course for?

This course is for national and international students interested in pursuing a career in public health and health promotion. 

This course is for those who wish to study:

• Part-time afternoon
• Part-time day
• Full-time

You will have a relevant first degree, normally in a health or social-science related field OR you will have a professional registration in health, or social care or an equivalent field.

Normally you will have had some relevant work experience, be working in a relevant field of practice, or will have access to one.

Consideration is given to other graduates, or equivalent, who can demonstrate the relevance of this award to their career development. For example, we have been pleased to have lawyers, engineers, priests and human biologists study with us.

International students will need to meet the requirements of any international student coming to study in the UK.

The course enables those who are not currently working in mainstream public health to enter the field, for example those who work in a health-related clinical setting will be better placed to switch to public health work.

What can i do next?

The programme will develop a more strategic understanding and, as such, it is a useful qualification for those who are interested in managerial or senior roles that are concerned with health and wellbeing in health care, social care, education, business or the voluntary sector.

The modules are mapped against the UK Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework, thus meeting many of the ‘know-hows’ of the framework. This knowledge can be used towards your registration as a public health practitioner or a public health specialist.

Typical areas of employment that you can enter after completing this degree programme are:

• Commissioning public health services
• Public health intelligence and surveillance
• Health trainer
• Project management: bid writing, community engagement and empowerment
• Health policy and electoral reform
• Health research
• Communicating health information through social marketing and health-related media
• Health services improvement and administration
• Criminal justice system work in prisons and probation
• Housing support, welfare and citizen’s advice
• International development and global health: education programmes, tackling poverty, human rights
• Charity work: fundraising, improving life-chances for vulnerable people and those with disabilities
• Non-Governmental Organizations
• Undertake further study to become a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
• Improving healthy lifestyles (e.g. physical activity, sexual health, smoking cessation, drugs and alcohol, weight management)
• Town planning, urban development and regeneration, healthy places
• Health protection, health improvement, environmental health, health and safety officer, risk management, emergency planning
• Occupational health – workplace health and wellbeing, human resources
• Coaching, mentoring, counselling, supporting people with mental health issues, youth support work