Public Health, MA

This course has been designed in response to contemporary international debates about the changing nature and shifting boundaries of multidisciplinary public health.

Taught from a social rather than a medical perspective, it focuses on the strategic and international elements of public health, environment and sustainable development that are critical to effective multidisciplinary practice in these fields reflecting leading-edge, current developments.

The programme provides the opportunity to engage with a wide and diverse curricula including:

• sustainable development
• social determinants of health
• politics
• ethics
• international public health.

It is suitable for recently qualified graduates or those already in employment.

Graduates of this Masters course will:

• be inspired about the potential to act as change agents within multi-disciplinary public health settings
• bring an extensive knowledge of public health with a critical awareness of the philosophical, theoretical and methodological issues to bear on the discipline
• adopt an independent and reflective approach to their learning and future careers.

Contact details
Email us
Telephone: +44 (0)115 848 4460
Visit the School of Social Sciences Website

Course content
The course is modular and includes the following modules:

• Concepts of Health and Healing
  This module explores and engages with a range of theories around the contested concepts of health and healing in contemporary global societies and these will be used to understand the different and, at times, competing discourses in public health theory and practice.
  
• Public Health, Sustainability and Community
  In this module you will situate and apply their skills and knowledge within an understanding of the place of sustainability and regeneration within public health and inform the delivery of public health at the local community level.
  
• Critical Public Health
  This module draws upon ‘cutting-edge’ socio-cultural theory, alongside recent philosophical developments, to question many of the basic assumptions that attend traditional approaches to health and wellbeing.
  
• Policy and Practice in Multidisciplinary Public Health
  You will gain a critical understanding of the broad strategic context of health within emerging domestic and international policy agendas. Your skills will be developed for professional practice in public health including systematic reviews, Health Need Assessment and Health Impact Assessment.
  
• Research Methods
  This module aims to enhance your knowledge of epistemological and methodological issues in relation to social research in addition to expanding their repertoire and understanding in relation to research methods in the social sciences.
  
• International Politics of Health
  Using contemporary political theory, you will analyse the emergence, impact and perpetuation of threats to health and wellbeing and critically evaluate the role and response of international actors and duly develop informed critiques of intervention and involvement.
  
• Dissertation
  You will complete a 60 credit point Dissertation to qualify for the award of MA. Embedded within this module will be a number of practical workshops in which a range of research methods, appropriate for their research, will be explored.

Or in place of a Dissertation, you can opt to take two 30 credit modules instead

• Professional Practice in Public Health
  You will undertake a period of practical experience within the Public Health Field. This module aims to enhance your employability prospects by providing an opportunity to gain understanding through valuable work experience whilst at the same time allowing reflection on how a particular organisation operates.
  
• Research Project
  You will be required to critically reflect on practice in order to define and execute a research question appropriate to your specific professional area and organisational context.

Modules are also available to be taken as part of continuing professional development.

How do you study?
The course is delivered through lectures, workshops, group work and one to one supervision. Students receive support throughout their studies from committed and enthusiastic teaching staff, who are also involved in research activity.

Assessment
The course employs a varied assessment regime, which includes essays, reports, portfolio and presentations. The dissertation gives you the opportunity to design, implement and present a significant piece of research relevant topic of your choice.

Resources and facilities
Our staff and teaching facilities are located on the University's city site in the heart of Nottingham, ensuring they are readily accessible to all. Students are supported by a full range of learning resources, from a £13 million library and education resource centre - where 24-hour IT access is available - to our comprehensive Student Support Services and International Development Office.