Bachelor of Science (BSc)

BSc Global Health (intercalated)

Specialist training for medical students to prepare for a career in global healthcare.
  • Duration: 1 year
  • Year of entry: 2025
  • UCAS course code: 7T31 / Institution code: M20
  • Typical A-level offer: See full entry requirements
  • Typical contextual A-level offer: See full entry requirements
  • Refugee/care-experienced offer: See full entry requirements
  • Typical International Baccalaureate offer: See full entry requirements

Full entry requirementsHow to apply

Overview

Course overview

  • Develop your knowledge of key global health challenges, global determinants of health and illness, and innovative solutions.
  • Engage with a wide range of academics and practitioners working in the fields of health and humanitarianism.
  • Develop research, analytical, and communication skills that are suitable for a range of professions.

Open days

We are pleased to announce that we are returning to hosting on-campus open days in the summer and autumn.

Please see open days for the dates, registration, and other information.

If you're a prospective student, you can also find out more about student life by chatting with our student ambassadors at a time that suits you, and ask any questions you may have about life at Manchester. 

Please check our Coronavirus FAQs for the most up to date information regarding events. 

You can also look at our virtual open day content to help you learn more about the University.

Contact details

School/Faculty
School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
Contact name
Simon Cummins
Telephone
0161 509 2871
Email
Website
http://www.hcri.ac.uk/study/bscgh/index.htm
School/Faculty overview

See: About us

Courses in related subject areas

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

Entry requirements

Scottish requirements

Scottish Advanced Highers are normally required in one of the following combinations:

Three Advanced Highers AAB

or

Two Advanced Highers AA, plus one additional Higher BB

English Language and Mathematics not taken at Higher/Advanced Higher must have been achieved at SCQF level 5 (minimum National 5 grade C / Intermediate 2 grade C / Standard Grade Credit level grade 3).

If you require further clarification about the acceptability of this qualification please contact the Academic School(s) you plan to apply to.

Home-schooled applicants

If you have followed a non-standard educational route and have been, for example, educated at home, your application will be considered against the standard entry criteria of the course to which you applied.

You will be required to demonstrate that you meet the academic entry requirements as specified for the course.

We will also require a reference which should be written by somebody who knows you well enough, in an official capacity, to write about you and your suitability for higher education.

Please refer to UCAS for further information: UCAS reference guidelines

Academic entry qualification overview

This course is designed for medical students who wish to take an intercalated degree.

To qualify for entry onto the Intercalated BSc in Global Health programme, students must have:

  • Obtained permission to intercalate from their Hospital Dean/Medical School or equivalent
  • Successfully completed at least two years of their medical studies (as demonstrated via academic transcripts)

English language

All applicants to the University (from the UK and Overseas) are required to show evidence of English Language proficiency. The minimum English Language requirement for this course is either:

  • GCSE/iGCSE English Language gradeC/4 or;
  • IELTS 7.0 overall with no less than 6.5 in any one component, or;
  • An acceptable equivalent qualification.

Please note that if you hold English as a second language iGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications or achieve a higher grade in your iGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact the academic School for clarification.

The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires that every student from outside the UK and the EU must show evidence of a minimum level of English Language in order to be granted a UK visa (Tier 4 visa) to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level. This level is often referred to as the 'B2 level'.

Additionally, our individual Schools may ask for specific English Language proficiency levels that are necessary for their academic programmes. In most cases these requirements are likely to be higher than the B2 level.

Further information about our English Language policy, including a list of some of the English Language qualifications we accept, can be found on our English Language requirements page.

English language test validity

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years.

Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Fees and funding

Fees

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £26,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

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).

Application and selection

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

Advice to applicants

To qualify for entry onto the Intercalated BSc in Global Health programme, students must have:

  • Obtained permission to intercalate from their Hospital Dean/Medical School or equivalent
  • Successfully completed at least two years of their medical studies (as demonstrated via academic transcripts)

Course details

Course description

BSc Global Health is designed for medical students who want to prepare themselves to be a global doctor, by enhancing their knowledge about the inter-connectedness of health and its determinants.

This course analyses the impact of major social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental factors on health challenges, such as the global epidemic in HIV/AIDS, chronic diseases, trauma in developing countries, tropical diseases and the emergence and rapid spread of infectious diseases.

Special features

This course is offered by the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI) at The University of Manchester, which brings together the disciplines of medicine and humanities, as well the expertise of academics and practitioners.

As an HCRI student, you will further benefit from the comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach in teaching and research, as well as individual tutorial and supervision from academics from a wide range of disciplines including Emergency Medicine, Political Science, International Relations, History, Medical Anthropology, Disaster Management, and Global Health.

Teaching and learning

You will learn through various channels, including:

  • lectures;
  • seminars or small group tutorials;
  • personal study and reading.

Depending on the selection of optional courses you make, which be in semester 1 and 2, you will spend approximately 9 to 12 hours a week informal study sessions (3 hours of formal teaching contact time per week with academic staff for each 20 credits).

For every hour spent at University, you will be expected to complete a further two to three hours of independent study.

You will also need to study during the holiday periods or reading weeks.

We will encourage you to undertake supervised, independent study and original research.

The individual study component could be spent reading, producing written or work or presentations, or preparing your assessment.

Coursework and assessment

You will be assessed in various ways, including:

  • coursework essays;
  • oral examinations;
  • dissertation;
  • practical tests.

Many course units are assessed through a mixture of techniques.

Course content for year 3

Course units for year 3

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
Introduction to Global Health HCRI30021 20 Mandatory
Diseases in Developing Countries HCRI30042 20 Mandatory
Extended Research Paper HCRI30000 40 Optional
Research Paper HCRI30002 20 Optional
War, Migration and Health HCRI30031 20 Optional
Ethical Decision-Making Under Pressure HCRI30062 20 Optional
Decolonising Disaster Studies HCRI30072 20 Optional
Illicit Economies, Conflict, and Development HCRI30081 20 Optional
Practical Approaches to Researching Disasters and Conflict HCRI30111 20 Optional
Disaster Mobilities of Climate Change HCRI30631 20 Optional
The Anthropology of Health and Wellbeing SOAN30251 20 Optional
Displaying 10 of 11 course units for year 3

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

Careers

Career opportunities

Medical students with a global health degree will have a wide range of exciting career opportunities.

Many students will be able to use the course as a starting point to progress onto careers as global health doctors, researchers, teachers, and consultants for NGOs and UN organisations.

Whatever your interests are, you can access support from your tutors, the University Careers Service and an extensive alumni network to boost your career prospects whilst at HCRI and Manchester.