MSc Occupational Medicine

Fees for entry in 2027 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2026 were as follows:

• MSc (full-time distance learning)
  UK students (per annum): £15,200
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £31,500
• MSc (part-time distance learning)
  UK students (per annum): £6,080 for year 1 and 2, and £3,040 for year 3
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £12,600 for year 1 and 2, and £6,300 for year 3
• PGDip (part-time distance learning)
  UK students (per annum): £6,100
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £12,600
• PGCert (part-time distance learning)
  UK students (per annum): £3,000
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £6,300

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

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Students opting for MSc 1 year full-time or 2 year part-time course of study could qualify for a PGT loan from the UK government. Please see our university pages or contact admissions.

Students studying our MSc programme over 3 years part-time may also be eligible for a postgraduate loan if there is no other suitable full time equivalent course available in the UK at the time of application. Please contact our admissions for more information.

Please note: The fees do not cover any costs for travel or accommodation related to any optional on campus events.

Several of our students are sponsored by their employers or the governments of their home countries.

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This unit evaluates exposure control strategies, including equipment and techniques used in controlling exposure to hazards. The unit examines various practice-based topics including the role of ventilation, containment, behavioural factors and PPE in the workplace. A range of work settings are evaluated with analysis of key issues in exposure control for example, control of dermal exposures and implementation of effective dermal risk assessment, communicable disease and infection control in workplaces.

This unit will introduce students to the principles and concepts of good control practice and enable them to develop strategies and reasonably practicable controls as part of integrated occupational health and hygiene programmes to minimise the risks from exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace. The unit builds on the stages of anticipation, recognition and evaluation of exposures, examining the ways in which the exposures can be controlled. Evaluation of control strategies for various hazards and the techniques available to develop health surveillance system in a variety of different workplaces are covered extensively.

The learning outcomes intend to allow students to:

• Develop critical understanding of process control and the need for judgement in setting priorities.
• Use evidence-based practice to examine the technical and legal factors involved in process control.
• Critically analyse risks to health from hazardous substances in the workplace and apply the principles of good control practice and hierarchy of controls to identify, develop and implement reasonably practicable control strategies and integrated control regimes.
• Identify and specify reasonably practicable engineering measures to control exposure to hazardous substances.
• Identify and specify organisational and management measures as part of a control regime.
• Select appropriate personal protective equipment to minimise exposure to hazardous substances.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of control measures, programmes and strategies.
• Make independent decisions that are based on evidence and research in relation to behavioural factors, ergonomics and cost benefit analyses.

Category of Outcome	On completion, students should be able to:
Knowledge and understanding	Apply and synthesis knowledge of the concepts and principles of managing ventilation systems used to control hazardous substances in the workplace. Demonstrate critical thought and application in relation to the types of PPE available when working with hazardous chemicals and other forms of PPE available for use with some physical and mechanical risks. Demonstrate critical understanding of the range of strategies that can be used to control dermal exposure and how these fit into the hierarchy of controls. Demonstrate understanding of factors that influence human behaviour and the significance of behavioural change in reducing exposure risk in the workplace Apply the principles of the hierarchy of control and the management of health risks to develop control strategies for workplace health hazards.
Intellectual skills	Critically evaluate the key aspects of a well-developed control strategy and health protection programme. Critically evaluate existing measures used to control exposure, including ventilation and PPE. Critically assess the range of strategies that can be used to motivate and perpetuate behaviour change. Interpret outcomes of peer reviewed research in the context of exposure control practice and propose solutions as a result of the research findings.
Practical skills	Critically evaluate strategies used for the control of occupational exposures in a range of workplace settings. Communicate developments in practice to a wide audience. Use principles of evidence-based practice to review and improve practice. Identify areas of uncertainty to formulate focused, answerable questions.
Transferable skills and personal qualities	Independently gather, organise, and evaluate information from a variety of sources and develop an evidence-based approach to occupational hygiene practice.   Understand the influence of a wide range of factors when negotiating with others within the field of occupational hygiene. Communicate complex ideas in concise written formats appropriate for a range of stakeholders Apply and synthesise knowledge of health, legislation, and business in the management of work-related issues affecting both individuals and groups.

 

• Principles of Control
• Prevention
• Engineering controls (Containment and Ventilation)
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Human Behaviours
• Occupational Infections

Learning and teaching will take the form of online materials supported by online synchronous lectures, webinars, group discussion, tutorials, and optional on campus workshops, where applicable. Canvas will be used for course materials, group discussions, announcements, reading lists and online assessments.

Description	Weighting	Length
A series of formative activities to support one final summative assignment exploring options for control measures and the management of the risks to health relating to a specific industrial process.	100%	3,500 words

 

• Assignment feedback is available to all students. 
• Feedback on summative assessments is provided following ratification of results by the Examination Board.
• Two web-conference tutorials involving small group teaching provide formative feedback to students.

Students enrolled on the course can access recommended resources through their University of Manchester library account.

• American Industrial Hygiene Association. The occupational Environment: its evaluation, control and management 3rd ed.  AIHA Press 2010. ISBN 9781935082156.
• BS EN 529:2005. Respiratory protective devices. Recommendations for selection, use, care and maintenance. Guidance document. BSI 2005. ISBN 0580469085.
• BS EN 374-3:2003. Protective gloves against chemicals and micro-organisms. Determination of resistance to permeation by chemicals. BSI 2003. ISBN 9780580678561.
• BS 7184:2001. Selection, use and maintenance of chemical protective clothing. Guidance. BSI 2001. ISBN 0580386147.
• Cherrie J, Howie R, Semple S. Monitoring for Health Hazards at Work 4th ed. Wiley-Blackwell 2010. ISBN-10: 1405159626, ISBN-13: 978-1405159623.
• COSHH Essentials: HSG 193. HSE Books 1999. ISBN 0717624218.
• Gardiner K, Harrington JM. Occupational hygiene.  Blackwell Publishing 2005. ISBN 1405106212.
• Gawkrodger DJ. An illustrated colour text: Dermatology. Basic Principles: Churchill Livingstone 1992.
• HSE. HSG 258 Controlling airborne contaminants at work: A guide to local exhaust ventilation (LEV). HSE Books 2008. ISBN 9780717662982.
• HSE. INDG408 Clearing the air: a simple guide to buying and using local exhaust ventilation (LEV). HSE Books 2008. ISBN 9780717663019.
• Lunt J, Lee R, Carter L. Systematic review of preventative behavioural interventions for dermal and respiratory occupational health hazards. HSL 2007/36.

If you have any questions regarding the content of this unit, please contact the Course Unit Leader, Ioannis Basinas, via ioannis.basinas@manchester.ac.uk.

If you have any other queries, please contact the programmes team via shs.programmes@manchester.ac.uk