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Postgraduate Study Programme "International Health"

The Postgraduate Study Programme "International Health" is a comprehensive program that provides students with the basic knowledge and main principles and concepts of International Health.

Core Course

The Core Course, also known as "Tropical Medicine and Public Health," is the foundation phase of the MScIH programme, as well as the DTMPH and DIPH. This full-time course takes place every year from early September until mid-December, spanning 15 weeks.

Next Starting Dates

The next core course dates are from September 1 to December 12, 2025, with an optional orientation week taking place from August 25 to August 29, 2025. The application period is from January 1 to March 31 for the Core Course of the same year.

Description

By the end of the core course, students will be able to:

• Identify and analyze interrelated determinants of health and major health problems of populations in a cross-disciplinary perspective in low- and middle-income societies.
• Critically collect, analyze, and appraise qualitative and quantitative data relevant for the improvement of health and health care in low and middle-income societies.
• Plan sustainable improvements of health systems considering the diverse intercultural settings as well as social and ethical responsibilities.
• Clearly communicate and work professionally in a multi-disciplinary team.

Content

The core course is divided into three blocks:

1. Concepts and Research Methods
2. Health Problems
3. Health Systems

The following is a list of topics taught in the core course:

Concepts and Research Methods

• Intercultural Communication
• Presenting effectively
• IH Concepts
• Research in International Health
• Literature Review & Critical Literature Appraisal
• Research Ethics
• Medical Anthropology
• Qualitative Methods
• Epidemiology/ Statistics
  • Disease Frequency
  • Types of Epidemiological Studies
  • Summarising Data & Analytic Epidemiology
  • Statistical Inference
  • Bias, Confounding & Interaction
  • Sampling, Sample Size and Power Determination
  • Questionnaire Design
  • Screening tests & Test Accuracy
  • Causation
• Outbreak Investigation
• STATA training

Health Problems

• Infectious Diseases
  • Helminths (Cestodes, Nematodes, Trematodes)
  • Protozoa (Malaria, Leishmania, Trypanosomiasis)
  • Bacteria (Tuberculosis, Leprosy, Cholera, Typhoid Fever, Brucellosis, Leptospirosis, Melioidosis, Plague, Rickettsioses, Anthrax, Tetanus etc.)
  • Viruses (Dengue, Yellow Fever, Rabies, Japanese Encephalitis, HIV, Hepatitis, Viral Heamorrhagic Fevers, Zika, Chikungunya, SARS-Covid-19 etc.)
  • Mycoses
• Reproductive/ Child health
• Chronic/ Non-communicable diseases
• Vaccinology
• Dermatology & Venerology
• Neurology
• Mental Health
• Substance & Alcohol Use Disorder
• Psychiatry
• Oncology
• Oral Health
• Venomous & Poisonous animals
• Medical Entomology
• Antibiotic Resistance
• Laboratory Medicine in International Health & Exercise

Health Systems

• Development theory
• Social Determinants
• Health Promotion
• Systems Thinking
• Community Oriented Primary Care
• Health System Building Blocks
• Health Systems Strengthening
• Public Health Planning
• Quality Management
• Health Economics
• Gender
• Nutrition
• Climate Change
• Urban Health
• Surgery in International Health
• Management of Medicines
• Health and Humanitarian Assistance
• Health Policy

Assessment Procedure

The assessment procedure consists of:

• Three written closed book exams of approximately 3 hours each after each block, contributing 63% of the overall mark.
• One overall oral examination at the end of the core course, contributing 33% to the overall mark.
• One group presentation (project management), contributing 2% to the overall mark.
• One essay (health economics), up to 1200 words, contributing 2% to the overall mark.

Prerequisites

Students are recruited from a variety of backgrounds relevant to International Health, including medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, health scientists, nutritionists, biologists, social scientists, social workers, psychologists, health educators, health programme managers, and economists. The program is open to applicants worldwide, with a particular encouragement for applications from low- and middle-income countries.

Minimum entry requirements:

• Completion of a 3-year Bachelor's program (or equivalent, 180 ECTS credits) in a health-related field.
• English proficiency certificate equivalent to a TOEFL score of 550 paper/213 internet/80 online, or IELTS score 6, or DAAD grade A or B in all categories.
• Applicants with professional experience in a health-related field in low- or middle-income countries will be preferentially admitted.

ECTS Credit Points & SIT (Study Investment Time)

The core course is worth 20 ECTS credit points and requires 600 hours of Study Investment Time (SIT), consisting of approximately 400 hours of direct contact and 200 hours of self-study. The course requires 85% presence during direct contact hours.

Tuition Fees

The tuition fees for the core course are:

• 6,000.00 Euro for tropEd MScIH students.
• 7,500.00 Euro for DTMPH and DIPH participants and guest students.
• Approximately 40.00 Euro to 150.00 Euro for Stata software license.