Program Overview

PhD Public Health & Health Policy

The PhD in Public Health and Health Policy is a research degree that can be undertaken full-time over 36 months or part-time over 60 months. Students are expected to undertake research that results in a thesis which contributes to the wider literature in the field, thereby making an original contribution to current knowledge.

Research Opportunities

All Postgraduate Research Students within the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences are members of the Graduate School and have access to facilities, events, and funding opportunities. PhD students in Public Health and Health Policy can also link into the Centre for Health Policy, which offers links to networks of academics, policy makers, and practitioners.

• Life on Mars: reconstructing the welfare of boys admitted to the TS Mars, 1869 to 1929
  • This project is based on the records of the TS Mars.
  • It will address questions including: what light can data shed on the welfare of children on the TS Mars? What light do these records shed on child & adolescent growth patterns since the mid-19th century? What light does the Mars shed on the relationship between the statutory & voluntary sectors in the management of welfare institutions? What role did the Mars play in the history of care & reformation in 19th and early 20th century Scotland?
  • Deadline: open-ended
  • Funding: unfunded
• John Anderson Research Studentship Scheme (JARSS)
  • John Anderson Research Studentship Scheme (JARSS) doctoral studentships are available annually for excellent students and excellent research projects.
  • There are two main sources of funding:
    • Central University funding
    • Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council - Doctoral Landscape Award (EPSRC - DLA) funding.
  • The JARSS 2025/26 competition will open in October 2024 and students successful in this competition will commence studies in October 2025.
  • Deadline: open-ended
  • Funding: Funded

Fees & Funding

All fees quoted are per academic year unless otherwise stated. Entrants may be subject to a small fee during the writing up period. Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.

• Annual revision of fees:
  • Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that the majority of fees will increase annually.
  • The University will take a range of factors into account, including, but not limited to, UK inflation, changes in delivery costs and changes in Scottish and/or UK Government funding.
  • Changes in fees will be published on the University website in October each year for the following year of study and any annual increase will be capped at a maximum of 10% per year.
• Fees for 2024/25 and 2025/26:
  • Scotland: £4,786
  • England, Wales & Northern Ireland: £4,786
  • Republic of Ireland: If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status.
  • International: £18,050
• Funding:
  • Take a look at our funding your postgraduate research web page for funding information.
  • You can also view our scholarships search for further funding opportunities.
• Postgraduate research opportunities:
  • Search for all funded and non-funded postgraduate research opportunities.
• Additional costs:
  • International students may have associated visa and immigration costs.

Supervisors

Supervisors and their areas of expertise:

• Neil Quinn: global public health, social welfare policy, social work, health, human rights
• Prof Katherine Smith: public health policy, health inequalities, tobacco control, qualitative methods, lobbying and advocacy, the interplay between evidence and policy
• Prof Bernard Harris: history of social policy, history of health, anthropometric history, voluntarism and the state, history of mutual aid
• Dr Ellen Stewart: health policy, social policy, citizen participation in policy and research, activism and health policy, qualitative methods

Our Research

A PhD in Public Health and Health Policy at Strathclyde may incorporate more than one of the following areas:

• Using theoretical perspectives from public health and social sciences to advance knowledge in associated areas.
• Identifying the impact of public policy on health outcomes.
• Exploring the impact of the social determinants of health of the health and well-being of vulnerable groups.
• Assessing and evaluating approaches to promote health and well-being and address health inequalities.

At Strathclyde, we can offer supervisory expertise in a variety of areas within Public Health and Health Policy, including:

• Public health
• Social determinants of health
• Health and human rights
• Mental health
• Public policy analysis
• Health inequalities
• Health of vulnerable groups
• Contemporary social movements and health
• Health history
• Health communication
• Task-shifting

All PhDs have two supervisors, and the supervisory team may be comprised of colleagues from different subject areas or Schools within the Faculty. Interdisciplinary applications are strongly encouraged.

Support & Development

As a postgraduate researcher in Public Health and Health Policy, you will be supported throughout your journey by the Faculty Graduate School administrative team. We're members of the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities and the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science. All registered PhD students are members of one or both of these schools (depending on your subject discipline), which provide training, event and funding opportunities.

• The Graduate School is also a well-equipped physical space, which further facilitates our strong emphasis on interdisciplinary working.
• Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development (PgCert RPD):
  • While pursuing your PhD, you'll also undertake the University’s Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development (PG Cert RPD), which provides comprehensive professional and personal development training for all postgraduate research students.
  • The programme offers a tailored suite of workshops, courses, events, online provision and resources designed to meet the development needs of postgraduate research students.
  • PhD students will graduate with the University’s Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development.
• Research Skills Programme:
  • The Faculty also offers a Research Skills Programme which comprises a set of workshops aimed at supporting your development as a competent researcher in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Apply

If you are interested in studying for a PhD in Public Health & Health Policy, the first thing you need to do is to find out if there’s a supervisor available to oversee your studies.

• Entry requirements:
  • Normally, a Masters degree from a recognised academic institution and at least one year of full-time experience (or equivalent) in a professional field with an educational dimension.
• The application:
  • When applying, you will be asked to upload:
    • Your research proposal
    • Scans of degree certificates/transcripts
    • Two academic reference letters
    • Confirmation of funding
  • If you are an international applicant and don’t have a Masters degree from a UK University (or a University where the primary medium of instruction is English), you will also be required to provide IELTS certificate (overall band score of 6.5 with no individual test score below 5.5)
• Start date:
  • Most PhD students start in October, so they move forward as one cohort, but you can start at any time of year.
• Accepting an offer:
  • When you've accepted our offer, we'll need you to fulfil any academic, administrative or financial conditions that we ask.