Program Overview

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Master of Public Health (MPH)

Duration: 3 Semesters

Qualification Awarded: Master of Public Health (MPH)

Language: English

Mode of Study: E-Learning/Distance Learning (Online)

Introduction

The Master of Public Health (MPH) programme covers the main domains of Public Health Practice (Health Protection, Health Improvement, Health Services Provision) and offers the opportunity to specialise in a broad range of public health topics. The programme places a strong emphasis on global aspects of public health, like the epidemiology and prevention of both non-communicable and infectious conditions. There is a focus on important public health issues in both developed and developing countries for preparedness in disaster risk reduction, prevention, response and recovery.

Programme Overview

Public Health refers to all organised measures aimed at preventing disease, promoting health and prolonging healthy life. Its aim is to ensure a high standard of living and well-being for individuals and societies globally.

The University of Nicosia’s Master of Public Health (MPH) programme covers the main domains of Public Health Practice (Health Protection, Health Improvement, Health Services Provision) and offers the opportunity to specialise in a broad range of public health topics. The programme places a strong emphasis on global aspects of public health, like the epidemiology and prevention of both non-communicable and infectious conditions. There is a focus on important public health issues in both developed and developing countries for preparedness in disaster risk reduction, prevention, response and recovery.

The Faculty of Public Health Diplomate Examination (DFPH)

The MPH programme curriculum has been designed with the DFPH (formely the Part A exam) in mind, and the learning outcomes correlate to a large extent with those of that exam.

Students who pass the DFPH exam are demonstrating a professional level of knowledge and understanding of the scientific basis of public health. Success in the DFPH leads to election into Diplomate Membership of the Faculty of Public Health.

Student Outcomes

Thanks to our exciting approach to learning, with a curriculum constantly updated to focus on new issues in global public health, graduates are prepared to tackle real-world challenges. Upon graduation, they will be ready to work in the public sector at local, national and international health agencies. This course has provided our alumni with greater opportunities in non-governmental organisations, charities as well as private sector career work in consulting firms, pharmaceutical industry, start-ups and policy research. With the ability to specialise during your studies, students have multiple pathways for success. The strong emphasis on innovation and technological advancements enables graduates to provide vision and initiate strategic change in healthcare organisations.

Programme’s aims and objectives

The main aims of the programme are to enable students to:

• Enhance the necessary knowledge and skills for conducting and critically evaluating research relevant to Public Health.
• Develop a comprehensive, holistic and evidence-based approach to Public Health.
• Develop the skills and critical thinking for practicing health protection, health promotion, and disease prevention for the major non-communicable and infectious conditions affecting the developed and the developing world.
• Develop the necessary knowledge and skills for identifying and tackling environmental threads to population health, including emergency response, recovery and rehabilitation in the context of disasters, as well as occupational hazards and their prevention and management.
• Develop the necessary knowledge and skills for applying the principles of health economics for prioritizing, devising, and evaluating cost-effective health services and systems in different settings, both nationally and globally.
• Develop the necessary skills and confidence to assess needs, conduct, and disseminate (through scientific papers and oral presentations) high quality research relevant to Public Health.

The specific objectives of the programme are to:

• Introduce and analyse the major principles of Epidemiology and Public Health, with emphasis on studying the frequency, distribution, determinants, and prevention of disease in populations.
• Provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to assess the needs, design, analyse, interpret, and critically evaluate quantitative (epidemiological) and qualitative research studies relevant to Public Health.
• Provide students with the necessary critical thinking, practical skills, and confidence to perform appropriate statistical analysis for conducting epidemiological research, using a statistical software package.
• Introduce and analyse Health Protection and Health Promotion, covering and explaining the methodology used for protecting the public from infectious agents and environmental hazards, as well as the methodology used for preventing disease and improving health in populations.
• Provide students with in depth knowledge on the epidemiology of the major chronic and infectious conditions causing the biggest burden on developed and developing societies, as well as regional, national and global preventive initiatives for tackling these.
• Analyse the different epidemiological paradigms for the aetiology of non-communicable conditions, as well as major and emerging and re-emerging infectious conditions in developed and developing societies.
• Analyse the dynamics of infectious disease outbreak and describe measures of control and surveillance
• Outline major emerging and re-emerging infectious conditions in the developed and developing world and describe the concept of migrant/refugee health concerning infectious disease.
• Analyse the principles of immunization and the basic methodologies involved in the design of such programmes, also highlighting the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy.
• Describe in detail the effects of climate change, global warming, air pollution, toxic hazards, water pollution, electromagnetic radiation, noise pollution, poor housing conditions, poor sanitation, as well as environmental emergencies and disasters in population health both in the developed and the developing world.
• Analyse the main factors affecting health and safety at the workplace and describe in detail the control of substances hazardous to health, including methods and systems for preventing workplace injuries, as well as risk management, incident investigation, and monitoring at the workplace.
• Analyse how the lack of resources during periods of economic crisis, recession, and austerity may affect population health and influence the prioritization and strategic planning as regards public health policies.
• Apply the major principles of health economics and analyse the different methods for pricing and reimbursing health care services, assessing health service needs and prioritizing in the context of justice and equity in health care provision
• Analyse methods for assessing utilization and performance of health services and healthcare, as well as economic appraisal (incl. cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, and cost-benefit analysis) and apply these for designing and evaluating cost-effective health services and systems, as well as clinical audits.
• Critically evaluate different healthcare systems around the world highlighting the main characteristics, strengths, and limitations of each and use this experience for designing effective and efficient health services and systems.

Intended learning outcomes

Graduates of the MPH programme will:

1. Apply measures of descriptive and analytic epidemiology used to assess the frequency, distribution and determinants of disease in human populations.
2. Apply the different study designs in epidemiological research and be able to design their own epidemiological studies for answering research questions relevant to Public Health.
3. Critically evaluate concepts pertaining to internal study validity (random error, bias, confounding) and external study validity (generalizability)
4. Explain the importance of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in Public Health and be able to interpret these for answering research questions relevant to Public Health.
5. Differentiate between association and causation, as well as critically evaluate the importance of their distinction in Public Health Policy
6. Apply the different levels of prevention and be able to design their own preventive measures for tackling current Public Health challenges.
7. Evaluate the aims, objectives, and responsibilities of the World Health Organization and its leadership priorities, as well as the health-related UN Sustainable Development Goals.
8. Manage the different types of data involved in epidemiological research and be able to appropriately choose the right statistical method for analysing these.
9. Apply the basic principles or probability, random error, statistical significance, study power, Type I and Type II errors
10. Use the statistical software programme STATA to load, clean, modify, manage and perform descriptive and inferential statistical analysis, with the appropriate results interpretation.
11. Analyse the principles and detailed methodologies of Health Protection, as well as describe and explain how they relate to protecting the public from infectious agents and environmental hazards.
12. Analyse the principles and detailed methodologies of Health Promotion, as well as describe and explain how they relate to preventing disease and improving health in populations through individualistic and wider environmental approaches.
13. Apply models of predicting and explaining health behaviour in groups of people and use these for developing and implementing health promotion programmes.
14. Describe current and emerging pandemics and the global network of organizations, agencies and initiatives aiming at tackling these.
15. Describe in detail the epidemiology of the major non-communicable and infectious conditions causing the biggest burden on developed and developing societies and critically evaluate national and international preventive initiatives aiming at tackling these.
16. Analyse the different epidemiological paradigms for the aetiology of non-communicable conditions, as well as major and emerging and re-emerging infectious conditions in developed and developing societies.
17. Analyse the dynamics of infectious disease outbreak and describe measures of control and surveillance
18. Outline major emerging and re-emerging infectious conditions in the developed and developing world and describe the concept of migrant/refugee health concerning infectious disease.
19. Analyse the principles of immunization and the basic methodologies involved in the design of such programmes, also highlighting the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy.
20. Describe in detail the effects of climate change, global warming, air pollution, toxic hazards, water pollution, electromagnetic radiation, noise pollution, poor housing conditions, poor sanitation, as well as environmental emergencies and disasters in population health both in the developed and the developing world.
21. Analyse the main factors affecting health and safety at the workplace and describe in detail the control of substances hazardous to health, including methods and systems for preventing workplace injuries, as well as risk management, incident investigation, and monitoring at the workplace.
22. Analyse how the lack of resources during periods of economic crisis, recession, and austerity may affect population health and influence the prioritization and strategic planning as regards public health policies.
23. Apply the major principles of health economics and analyse the different methods for pricing and reimbursing health care services, assessing health service needs and prioritizing in the context of justice and equity in health care provision
24. Analyse methods for assessing utilization and performance of health services and healthcare, as well as economic appraisal (incl. cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, and cost-benefit analysis) and apply these for designing and evaluating cost-effective health services and systems, as well as clinical audits.
25. Critically evaluate different healthcare systems around the world highlighting the main characteristics, strengths, and limitations of each and use this experience for designing effective and efficient health services and systems.

Curriculum

The programme is conducted completely online, with three to four courses delivered over 14 weeks each semester on an e-Learning Environment (Moodle), which includes multiple embedded synchronous and asynchronous learning activities, such as webinars, online chats, discussion fora and wikis. In addition, recorded lectures are designed to enhance student interactivity and active learning by including engaging slides with clickable tabs, interactive quizzes, drag-and-drop activities, matching activities and opinion polls.

Our programme follows standardised and validated pedagogical approaches, ensuring constant tutor-student interaction (webinars, online chats, discussion fora), student to student interaction (online chats, discussion fora, wikis), and student-material interaction (recorded lectures, additional resources).

Internationally Renowned Faculty

To realise our vision of serving as a centre of excellence in Public Health education, we have brought together experts from around the world. Our faculty have extensive experience teaching, working and conducting research in Public Health, and each course is taught by a leader in their field. This group of highly-acclaimed faculty, delivering the course, also bring their international field work at a global level to the forefront (e.g. Africa Ebola outbreak crisis management). In addition, this programme offers active collaborations with renowned academic institutions around the world and key Non-Governmental Organizations, working on global public health.

Online Education at UNIC

The First University in the EU to be awarded 5 QS Stars in Distance Education

Our University has been a pioneer in online/distance learning education in Europe, supporting both its own degree programmes, as well as those of its joint degree partners.

UNIC is the first university in the European Union to be awarded a 5-Star QS rating for Online/Distance Learning by the QS Intelligence Unit and the first university globally to receive triple accreditation for its online learning quality. This makes UNIC one of the 14 universities in the world to date that have been awarded a 5-Star rating.

An integral part of our approach to the learning design of these courses is our commitment to help our students develop higher-order skills of critical analysis, reflection, and problem-solving. We also support our learners in building knowledge collaboratively and engaging in social learning.

As a testament to the quality of our online programmes, our University has been awarded the highest accolades for e-learning and distance learning education excellence.

UNIC continues to strive for excellence globally. The 2021 Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings, ranked the University of Nicosia (UNIC) as the number 32 university in the world in the core area of Quality Education, and among the top 301-400 universities globally in terms of its overall social and economic impact.

Structure

The programme is divided into three semesters, comprising three or four courses each (5-10 ECTS per course). Core courses are taught in semesters 1 and 2 and are compulsory. After completing the core programme, students have the opportunity to choose one of two paths in semester 3. In the electives path, students have to take Research Methodology in Public Health (MPH-590) and choose two (out of six) elective courses. Alternatively, students can choose to follow a more research-oriented path by selecting Research Methodology in Public Health (MPH-590) and Research Project (MPH-596), where they will be expected to engage in research by performing their own study on a relevant public health topic.

Semester Breakdown

Semester 1 | (30 ECTS, all courses required)
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Course code/Title | Description
MPH-511 | Principles of Epidemiology and Public Health
MPH-514 | Health Protection: Safeguarding Wellbeing in Populations
MPH-515 | Health Promotion: Maintaining Wellbeing in Populations
MPH-521 | Epidemiology and Prevention of Non-communicable and Infectious Diseases in a Global Context

Semester 2 | (30 ECTS, all courses required)
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Course code/Title | Description
MPH-512 | Applied Statistics for Epidemiology and Public Health
MPH-522 | Health Policy, Management and Leadership
MPH-523 | Health Economics in the Context of Health Services and Systems: Global Perspectives

Semester 3 | (30 ECTS, Students are required to choose from the two options offered)
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Option 1 | Course code/Title | Description
MPH-590 | Research Methodology in Public Health (Required)
MPH-596 | Master’s Thesis (Research Project) (Required)
Option 2 | Course code/Title | Description
MPH-590 | Research Methodology in Public Health (Required)
| Plus two elective courses from the following:
MPH-531 | Environmental and Occupational Health
MPH-532 | Health Inequality within and between countries
MPH-533 | Population Ageing and Health
MPH-534 | Public Health Nutrition
MPH-535 | Social and Behavioural Dimensions of Health
MPH-536 | Ethical and Legal Dimensions of Public Health

Students should note that the availability of each of the elective courses offered in a given academic year will be based on student numbers

Admissions

Admission Requirements

1. A Bachelor’s degree from an institution recognised in the country where it operates. A degree in medicine, health sciences, biological sciences, social sciences or environmental sciences is an advantage.
2. One reference letter: Either academic or professional.
3. English Language Requirements:

• 6.5 overall in the IELTS (with 6.0 in all other elements),
• Or: 79 in TOEFL iBT
• Or: grade 5 in the GCSE (or B with the old grading system),
• Or: a score of 5 in English in the International Baccalaureate Standard Level (SL),
• Or: a score of 8 in English in the European Baccalaureate.

Students whose native language is English and who originate from the UK, Ireland, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada (provided that language of instruction at school/ undergraduate/ postgraduate level was English), are exempt from this requirement. Third country nationals who have completed a degree, taught in English, in any of the aforementioned countries, will be required to submit evidence of English language certification as submitted for admission to that degree, to be exempt from the above.

4. A personal statement describing (i) your past educational, professional, or other experience with a focus on that which is relevant to Public Health (if any); (ii) how this degree would support your personal or professional aspirations; and (iii) your experience and ability to work independently as well as in a team, to prioritise tasks, and to track the progress of your work in order to complete the educational requirements of this Distance Learning degree. (maximum 800 words)

Please check with the national authorities in your country about the recognition, under their jurisdiction, of accredited distance-learning programmes.

Graduation

Students must complete 90 ECTS and all programme requirements.

A minimum cumulative grade point average (CPA) of 2.0 is required. Thus, although a ‘D-’ is a Pass grade, in order to achieve a CPA of 2.0 an average grade of ‘C’ is required.

Tuition

The Master of Public Health programme aims to improve global health. For students applying for entry in Fall 2025, a 20% scholarship will be available, reducing tuition fees from €12,060 to €9,648. Additional scholarships, which may cover up to 30% of tuition fees, can be awarded based on demonstrated financial need through a scholarship application. Instalment plans are also offered.

Our Admissions Advisers can provide more details:

| LOCAL/EU(€) | INTERNATIONAL(€)
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Application fee (one-off
on refundable payment) | 60 | 60
Administrative fee (deducted from the first semester tuition upon completion) | 500 | 500

Scholarships available

One Health Scholars

Type: Need-based

Students with financial need are eligible to apply for this need-based scholarship award. In order to be considered for this scholarship, in addition to the scholarship application, students need to provide evidence of financial need.

Scholarship Terms

• Only students who have been accepted to the MPH programme are eligible to submit a scholarship application.
• Scholarships are awarded with consideration for a student’s country of residency according to the World Bank Index country income classification.
• Scholarships are applied on a pro-rata basis to each course in the MPH.
• The University of Nicosia reserves the right, at its sole discretion to award or not award any scholarship to any student and/or to change the number of scholarships awarded, their eligibility requirements or any other aspect of the financial aid program.
• Final tuition is subject to course load as there may be minimal variation in fees, pending the timeline of completion.