Overview
- Degree awarded
- MSc
- Duration
- 3 years (part-time)
- Entry requirements
-
We require a Lower Second Class Bachelor's degree or the overseas equivalent, although each application is judged on its own merits and exceptions to this entry requirement may be made.
Applicants who do not have a Bachelor's degree or the overseas equivalent may apply if they can demonstrate (via a personal statement) that they can communicate clearly, are highly motivated, and have experience of prior learning.
- How to apply
- Apply online
Course options
Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
---|---|---|---|---|
MSc | N | N | N | Y |
Course overview
- Study the worldwide improvement of health, reduction of disparities and protection against global threats;
- Cover topics such as emergency medicine, disaster management, community health, anthropology, and sociology of health and illness;
- Benefit from insights from the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), collaborators on the content of this course;
- Option to specialise in either Disaster Management, Humanitarian Response, or Emergency Medical Response;
- Both January and September intakes available.
Open days
We are pleased to be able to offer individual virtual drop-in sessions with course director Dr Amanda Mccorkindale. This will be your chance to talk about the course content, teaching methods and application process. You can see the available times and reserve a space here: MA HCRI Drop-In Sessions .
Find out what it's like to study at Manchester by visiting us on one of our open days .
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2024, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
MSc (part-time distance learning)
UK students (per annum): 3833 p.a.
International, including EU, students (per annum): 9000 p.a.
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
Each year, we offer a number of awards and subject-specific bursaries (the values of which are usually set at Home/EU fees level), open to both Home/EU and international students. The deadline for these is early February each year.
Details of these funding opportunities, including deadlines, eligibility and how to apply, can be found on the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures' funding page where you can also find details of the Government Postgraduate Loan Scheme.
See also the HCRI fees and funding page and the University's postgraduate funding database to see if you are eligible for any other funding opportunities.
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
- Contact name
- Postgraduate Taught Admissions Team
- masalc@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- http://www.hcri.manchester.ac.uk/
- School/Faculty
-
See: About us
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
- Humanitarianism and Conflict Response
- International Development
- Medicine
- Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
We require a Lower Second Class Bachelor's degree or the overseas equivalent, although each application is judged on its own merits and exceptions to this entry requirement may be made.
Applicants who do not have a Bachelor's degree or the overseas equivalent may apply if they can demonstrate (via a personal statement) that they can communicate clearly, are highly motivated, and have experience of prior learning.
English language
An overall grade of 7.0 in IELTS with 7.0 in writing an no skill below 6.5 is required or 100+ in the TOEFL iBT with a minimum writing score of 25 and no skill below 22.
If you have obtained a different qualification, please check our English language requirements to ensure that it is accepted and equivalent to the above requirements.
English language test validity
Application and selection
How to apply
Advice to applicants
Queries regarding the content of this course should be sent to the Programme Director, Dr Darren Walter , who can discuss the course in greater detail and address any questions prior to applying.
During the course of your study, you will be able to select a specialisation (pathway) in either Disaster Management, Humanitarian Response, or Emergency Medical Response. However, you are not required to select a specialisation and can continue to graduate with a MSc in Global Health only (without pathway title). Alternatively, you can apply to a specific pathway at the point of application.
Skills, knowledge, abilities, interests
Overseas (non-UK) applicants
Course details
Course description
You will explore issues related to the worldwide improvement of health, the reduction of disparities, and protection against global health threats that disregard national borders, particularly in contexts of conflict and disasters. The course is unique in its interdisciplinary approach, bringing together the study of humanitarian studies, disaster studies, emergency medicine, community health, and the anthropology of health and illness. It also offers students the opportunity to select from three distinct pathways within the Global Health programme, with specialities in emergency response, humanitarian response, or disaster management.
You will have access to leading multidisciplinary academics and practitioners. For example, we have a close working relationship with the charity UK-Med, which trains and deploys medical teams to sudden onset disasters and complex emergencies.
Aims
After Years 1 and 2, you should be able to show a critical understanding of:
• Key issues and debates related to the practices of global health programming. You will show familiarity with different theoretical approaches, practical problems and an appreciation of the diversity of policies at international and national levels;
• The range of social science topics which influence global health (including political, historical, and anthropological understandings). You will become familiar with the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of these disciplines;
• The analytical and policy literature concerning the related issues of global health, including economics, governance structures and institutions, the role and perspectives of the state, multilateral and bilateral agencies, international and domestic NGOs and other civil institutions;
• International, national and local approaches to global health, including an awareness of the advantages, problems and critiques associated with 'bottom up' approaches;
• The range of research methodologies associated with global health research;
• The development of a range of academic and professional/transferrable skills through both independent and group-based work.
After Year 3, you should also be able to:
• Demonstrate your capacity for self-managed learning through planning and conducting research on a topic related to your studies;
• Develop your knowledge of a relevant body of literature, understanding of relevant theoretical perspectives and skills of critical reasoning;
• Seek new research findings which, in some cases, add to the existing body of knowledge on a particular subject area;
• Engage in a limited programme of primary data collection or to reinterpret material already available in the public domain;
• Develop knowledge of, and competence in, an appropriate range of research methods, including the development of research hypotheses, an appreciation of the research methodology and analytical techniques to be utilised, the undertaking of a specific research study, the synthesis and evaluation of findings, and a clear statement of conclusions and recommendations;
• Develop writing, presentation and bibliographic skills, which involves the planning and management of a long document.
Special features
Online course delivery
You will be able to engage fully with the course content and other students via lectures, discussion boards, group work, online chat, question and answer sessions with the tutor, and peer-to-peer feedback and assessment.
Pathways
You can study for a MSc Global Health or graduate with a specialisation in MSc Global Health (Emergency Response); MSc Global Health (Humanitarian Response) or MSc Global Health (Disaster Management).
Teaching and learning
Academic and pastoral support will be offered online by the programme director, course leaders and teaching staff, who will be responsible for monitoring progression through the course. A designated programme administrator will be responsible for dealing with day-to-day enquiries.The course is designed for part-time students and lasts for three years in total. You will study four course units in each of Years 1 and 2. Each of the units comprises ten weeks of teaching followed by one week of assessment. You will complete each unit in turn before progressing to the next. The format is designed to be adaptable to the needs of professional students and provides opportunity for reflection between units.
Additionally, you will also complete a research methods course in each year (offered between January and June) to provide methodological knowledge needed to complete your course work and dissertation. Year 3 comprises the dissertation for the MSc award. Students will submit a research proposal and be allocated a dissertation supervisor. You will then be guided through key milestones in the completion of your dissertation.
The MSc Global Health has been designed to recreate a classroom learning environment in an online format. You will be able to engage fully with the course content and peers via recorded lectures, discussion boards, group work, online chat, question and answer sessions with your tutor, and peer-to-peer feedback and assessment.
Coursework and assessment
All assessment will take place online. Each of the units in Years 1 and 2 will conclude with a selection of assessments, including multiple choice tests, essays, group assignments such as wikis, and prose-based assessments.
All units include academic contributions to the discussion forums as part of the overall assessment process for each unit (10%). For these contributions, each student is expected to contribute a weekly written academic piece expressing a view or perspective upon a question raised by the tutor/convenor in relation to the week's topic and materials. Engagement on the discussion boards is required throughout the course.
You will also receive formative feedback and guidance throughout the course, which will enable you to progress and develop your confidence and analytical skills.
You will study four course units in each of Years 1 and 2. Year 3 comprises the dissertation for the MSc award.
Course unit details
You will study four course units in each of Years 1 and 2. Each of the four units comprises eight weeks of teaching followed by one week of assessment.
Year 3 comprises the dissertation for the MSc award.
You will receive 60 credits for the successful completion of each year of the course, totalling 180 credits for the MSc award.
• Emergency Humanitarian Assistance: The provision of Emergency Humanitarian Assistance to populations in need is a complex area of research, constantly evolving and challenged in different ways with each location and crisis. With a multitude of factors impacting upon the size, scale and form of the response, this module will explore the core elements of a response.
• Health Systems: We will examine some of the key building blocks of a good health system as well as the international agendas that frame health system strengthening. It will also explore how a crisis, such as an outbreak or a conflict, impacts health systems and healthcare provision.
• Community Approaches to Health: This module introduces students to the theory and practice of community medicine to understand how practitioners can work with communities in order to change health outcomes. It examine various issues from psycho-social care, behaviour change, aging, HIV, nutrition, breast feeding to immunisation.
• Research Paradigms and Processes: This module offers an introduction to the theoretical and philosophical foundations of research and knowledge production. It explores the underlying principles of both quantitative and qualitative research, their methodological foundations and provides an understanding of the decision-making process involved in designing and answering research questions.
• Applied Research Methods: The module is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles and practical techniques involved in conducting applied research following on from the more theoretical Research Paradigms and Processes module.
• Dissertation: All students will be allocated a dissertation supervisor who will support you throughout the year. Formal dissertation supervision sessions will be arranged, which may be conducted via video conference (MS Teams or Zoom), phone or email, depending upon your personal preference and the facilities available to you. All assessment will take place online. You will submit your dissertation at the end of your final academic year.
Students can also choose three additional 15 credit course units from the list below. To graduate with a pathway specialisation, all optional units need to be from the same pathway and the dissertation needs to be linked to a related topic.
Course unit list
The course unit details given are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
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Dissertation (MSc Global Health) | HCRI70000 | 60 | Mandatory |
Community Approaches to Health | HCRI71000 | 15 | Mandatory |
Ethics, Human Rights and Health | HCRI72000 | 15 | Mandatory |
Health Systems | HCRI74000 | 15 | Mandatory |
Diseases and Trauma in Developing Countries | HCRI75000 | 15 | Mandatory |
Management and Leadership in Health and Humanitarianism | HCRI76000 | 15 | Mandatory |
Risk, Vulnerability and Resilience | HCRI77000 | 15 | Mandatory |
Research Methods in Global Health | HCRI78000 | 15 | Mandatory |
Disaster Preparedness | HCRI79000 | 15 | Mandatory |
Course collaborators
The idea for this course was co-developed with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to respond to the needs of medical humanitarians.
What our students say
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
This course is aimed at both those new to the Global Health and humanitarian sectors and those already in the field.
Those with work experience will be able to harness the knowledge gained from their course to progress within their field of expertise, reaching senior roles in government and non-governmental organisations.
Others will be able to use the course as a starting point to progress into careers within NGOs, national health services, civil service, academic institutions and more.
Find out more about careers and employability and our alumni .
The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability .