Public Health

Entry requirements

You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in Medicine, Veterinary Science, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Statistics, Geography, Psychology and Social Sciences. This programme is also open to those successfully appointed to the Public Health training scheme in the UK, evidence to support your appointment should be included in your application.

You will also need a quantitative unit/module at a minimum of 55% or an international equivalent such as Epidemiology or Statistics. Or A-Level Mathematics Grade C or above. Or AS-level Mathematics grade B or above. Or GCSE Mathematics Grade B or above.

If you are currently completing a degree, we understand that your final grade may be higher than the interim grades or module/unit grades you have achieved during your studies to date.

We will consider your application if your interim grades are currently slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements and may make you an aspirational offer. This offer would be at the standard level, so you would need to achieve the standard entry requirements by the end of your degree. Specific module requirements would still apply.

We will also consider your application if your final overall achieved grade is slightly lower than the programme's entry requirement. If you have at least one of the following, please include your CV (curriculum vitae / résumé) when you apply, showing details of your relevant qualifications:

• evidence of significant (minimum of one year in a paid role), relevant work experience as an information or data analyst, environmental health officer, public health practitioner, public health principal, public health specialist, public health scientist, research associate or research assistant.;
• a relevant postgraduate qualification in Medicine, Veterinary Science, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Statistics, Geography, Psychology or Social Sciences.

Specific module requirements would still apply.

See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This programme will develop your interest, knowledge and understanding of the three domains of public health: health improvement, health protection and healthcare services.

Your learning will be informed by the highest quality research and be focused on, and reflective of, the public health challenges in the UK and internationally. You will experience and contribute to a wide range of face to face and lectures, workshops, practicals and guest talks as well as asynchronous lectures and activities.

The programme will provide you with a firm theoretical grounding in the principles and practice across the topic areas of public health, health improvement, epidemiology and statistics, research methods and evaluation, health protection, health economics, ethics, and healthcare services.

Through the units you will develop essential knowledge, understanding and critical awareness of the current approaches to public health practice and research. Through the course you will develop your perceptive, critical, and reflective skills. We encourage you to be curious about the discipline, develop your ability to frame questions, work effectively with others and listen and to contribute to informed discussions.

By completing tasks and assessments you will develop a range of skills directly relevant to working in the real world of public health, including undertaking statistical analysis, writing protocols, short reports, blog posts and short answer questions.

For your dissertation you will undertake a research project, chosen by you, and write this as a journal article, which you may then choose to publish as a peer-reviewed publication. You will graduate with an expansive set of skills that will have directly prepared you for careers in public health or a further higher degree in this field.

The programme covers many parts of the Faculty of Public Health's Diplomate Exam.

Beyond this programme you will have the opportunity to meet and study with (through shared units) students from other MSc programmes within the school, including Epidemiology, Health Economics and Health Policy Analysis and Medical Statistics and Health Data Science, enhancing your skills of transdisciplinary thinking.

The Department of Population Health Sciences has international excellence in research methods, health protection research, and developing and evaluating public health interventions. The Centre for Public Health is a member of the National Institute of Health Research's School for Public Health and Health Protection Research Unit in Behavioural Science and Evaluation.

This programme is available as an intercalated degree for current undergraduate medicine, dentistry or veterinary students from the University of Bristol or other universities. Find out more about our intercalated degrees and eligibility criteria.

Information for international students

See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.

Fees and funding

International scholars from Chevening, Commonwealth, Fulbright and Marshall are welcome to apply for this MSc.

Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.