MPH Master of Public Health (on campus) / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

Our face-to-face, campus-based Master of Public Health course meets the training needs of health professionals around the world who are interested in a career in public or global health, or those seeking new skills in this area.

Contemporary public health practice requires practitioners to be adaptable and flexible, with a broad experience of a range of subject areas.

As public health is a rapidly changing and interdisciplinary field, our course is constantly evolving with new units and topics being introduced regularly to ensure that you are at the forefront of contemporary public health practice. We also have additional learning opportunities through our research and CPD programme that deal with the hot topics in public health and primary care.

This course will equip you with:

  • the skills and knowledge to apply to public health concerns at local, national and international level;
  • the ability to apply relevant theory and scientific principles to practical situations;
  • the capability of meeting core-competencies in public health;
  • an understanding of health, disease and health systems in a wider global context.

You can see what our Student Ambassadors have to say about our MPH course and contact them with any questions.

PGCert, PGDip and MPH awards are available.

PhD with integrated master's

If you're planning to undertake a PhD after your master's, our Integrated PhD programme will enable you to combine your postgraduate taught course with a related PhD project in biology, medicine or health.

You can also visit this page for examples of projects related to integrated master's courses.

Special features

Expert teaching

You will be taught by professionals working in the field of local, national and international public health. There is an emphasis on applying your learning to real life public health issues.

Flexible learning

The course is delivered through a mixture of face-to-face and online seminars and lectures, enabling you to fit study around other commitments.

Learn with students from around the world

You will be able to mix with students from a range of disciplines from all over the world. We have over 2,000 alumni from more than 80 countries.

Additional course information

We run induction sessions for all new students starting our Public Health and Primary Care courses.

Face-to-face induction

A face-to-face induction is held at the University at the beginning of the academic year.

The induction is designed to introduce you to the content and technology used throughout the course. It is also an opportunity for you to meet academic and support staff.

You are required attend the face-to-face induction.

The face-to-face induction includes:

  • an introduction to the course units;
  • an opportunity to meet tutors and administrators;
  • an introduction to the online learning environment;
  • an introduction to the library and e-resources at Manchester;
  • an opportunity to present your work and hear about work undertaken by other students

Confirmation of attendance on the face-to-face induction will be sought once you have applied for the course.

Online induction

Our online induction materials will supplement the face-to-face induction and will be available throughout the course for you to refer to.

Teaching and learning

Our course units are delivered using a mixture of online content supplemented by face-to-face seminars and lectures. A learning structure with a recommended pace is in place throughout the course unit, with specific deadlines for all summative assessments.

Some course units require your participation throughout, which require a mandatory face-to-face element.

If you are unable to attend a face-to-face component due to mitigating circumstances, you may be permitted to resit as a first attempt in the next semester. Please contact mph.admin@manchester.ac.uk if this is likely to be a problem.

Coursework and assessment

You will use a number of assessed and non-assessed activities to develop key skills and expand your knowledge base. There are no written exams; assessment is based on assignments and other activities such as moderated discussion boards and group work.

Course unit details

You will be required to take ten compulsory 15 credit units and a critical review for 30 credits, across the three semesters. This is to allow you to benefit from the full breadth of public health practice.

All face-to-face activities will be planned in advance and will be compulsory, including the induction.

You will have the opportunity to conduct a detailed critical reflection and evidence-based review relating to a public health question or topic. It shares some similarities to the preliminary sections of a dissertation, but with a lower word count.

A critical review supervisor will be allocated based on the topic you would like to investigate.

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.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Health Promotion Theory & Methods POPH60021 15 Mandatory
Evidence Based Practice POPH60041 15 Mandatory
Creating Equitable Services for Health and Wellbeing POPH60062 15 Mandatory
Practical Statistics for Population Health POPH60982 15 Mandatory
Communicable Disease Control POPH62051 15 Mandatory
Critical Review - Master of Public Health POPH63150 30 Mandatory
Intercultural Public Health POPH64772 15 Mandatory
Health Improvement POPH65012 15 Mandatory
Climate Change and Health POPH65042 15 Mandatory
Infection Prevention & Control POPH65552 15 Mandatory
Nutrition and Public Health POPH66662 15 Mandatory
Displaying 10 of 11 course units

What our students say

See blog posts from our students about public health on the Biology, Medicine and Health Student Blog .

You can also see what our student ambassadors have to say about our MPH course and contact them with any questions.

Facilities

You will be able to access a range of facilities throughout the University.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk

CPD opportunities

We offer a number of our units as standalone credited CPD courses through our Personal Professional Development programme in public health and primary care.