Program Overview

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MA in Health & Society

The MA in Health & Society is an innovative joint programme led by the Department of Philosophy, the School of Public Health, and the Department of Economics. This programme examines health and its social and policy determinants from a rich interdisciplinary perspective.

Course Outline

This programme is aimed at graduates from a broad range of disciplines in the medical sciences, economics, and humanities. It provides a unique and critical analysis of contemporary discourses on health from an individual, societal, and global perspective. The course explores health from various angles, bringing together health experts from multiple disciplines and colleges, including medicine, epidemiology, philosophy, economics, sociology, social policy, and law.

Course Structure

The programme is full-time, running for 12 months, or part-time over 24 months from the date of first registration. Students choose 90 credits comprising core modules and modules from their chosen pathway: Philosophy, Public Health, or Economics. All students take 30 credits of core modules and 10 credits of mandatory modules from their chosen pathway, along with elective postgraduate or undergraduate modules.

Core Modules

• EH6025 Principles and Practice of Public Health (10 credits)
• PH6047 Philosophy and Health (10 credits)
• EC6049 Healthcare Economics (10 credits)

Pathway Modules

Philosophy Pathway

• With a background in philosophy: PH6053 Professional Ethics: Advanced (10 credits) or PH6054 Measuring Society: Growth, Poverty, Inequality, and Human Capital (10 credits), PH6057 Philosophy and the Biological Health Sciences (10 credits)
• With no background in philosophy: PH2002 Reasoning and Argument (5 credits) and PH2019 Philosophy of Science (5 credits), PH2028 Applied Ethics (5 credits)

Public Health Pathway

• EH6026 Applied Research for Public Health (10 credits)

Economics Pathway

• With a background in econometrics: EC2100 Microeconomics: Behaviour and Organisations (5 credits), EC6062 Applied Econometrics (5 credits)
• With no background in econometrics: EC2100 Microeconomics: Behaviour and Organisations (5 credits), EC3143 Quantitative Methods for Economic Investigation: Empirical Econometrics (5 credits)

Elective Modules

• Postgraduate:
  • AP6129 Health Psychology (5 credits)
  • EH6026 Applied Research for Public Health (10 credits)
  • LW6546 Juvenile Justice (10 credits)
  • LW6549 International Children's Rights (10 credits)
  • LW6592 Mental Capacity Law (5 credits)
  • PH6012 Human Rights I (10 credits)
  • PH6048 The Philosophy of Death and Dying (10 credits)
  • PH6052 Advanced Moral Psychology (10 credits)
  • PH6053 Professional Ethics: Advanced (10 credits)
  • PH6054 Measuring Society: Growth, Poverty, Inequality, and Human Capital (10 credits)
  • PH6057 Philosophy and the Biological Health Sciences (10 credits)
  • SS6019 Critical Public Health (10 credits)
  • EC6073 Economic Decision Making in Healthcare (5 credits)
  • EC6619 Scenario Planning for Strategic Decision Making (5 credits)
• Undergraduate:
  • AP3126 Health Psychology: Models and Applications (5 credits)
  • EH4005 Health Services (5 credits)
  • PH2002 Reasoning and Argument (5 credits)
  • PH2019 Philosophy of Science (5 credits)
  • PH2028 Applied Ethics (5 credits)
  • PH3046 Philosophy of Biology (5 credits)
  • PH3047 Evidence (5 credits)
  • SC1011 Sociology of Health, Public Health and Health Promotion (5 credits)
  • SC3025 Health and Scientific Deviance (5 credits)
  • SS3016 Social Perspectives in Mental Health (5 credits)
  • SS3024 Social Movements and Health (5 credits)
  • SS4000 Science, Technology and Public Controversy (5 credits)
  • EC3157 Public Finance Projects (5 credits)
  • EC2018 Economics Journey Through Life Decisions (5 credits)

Dissertation Modules

• Philosophy Pathway: PH6050 Dissertation in Philosophy and Health (30 credits) or PH6059 Work-Based Dissertation in Philosophy and Health (30 credits)
• Public Health Pathway: EH6040 Dissertation in Public Health and Epidemiology (30 credits)
• Economics Pathway: EC6074 Dissertation in Economics and Health (30 credits)

Academic Programme Catalogue

For the complete and up-to-date content for this course, see the Academic Programme Catalogue.

Course Practicalities

• The programme involves approximately 9 hours of lectures/seminars per week.
• Students are expected to conduct on average 20 hours of reading per week, on top of the time spent in class.
• Assessment: Each module is assessed by continuous assessment, end-of-semester examination, or a combination of both.

Why Choose This Course

This interdisciplinary course overcomes the boundaries between disciplines in medicine, economics, and humanities. Students learn how to approach health from various methodologies: medical, economic, philosophical, sociological, psychological, and legal.

Skills and Careers Information

Students acquire a variety of analytical skills, allowing them to analyze health from many different perspectives. By the end of the course, students demonstrate in-depth expertise in relation to epidemiological, economic, and philosophical factors contributing to health and well-being. The MA in Health & Society enhances opportunities for working in the health sector, at all levels, and opens research opportunities in public health, health economics, and the medical humanities.

Requirements

Applicants must hold a Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ Level 8) in relevant disciplines. Candidates with less than a Second Class Honours Grade I may be considered under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

Fees and Costs

• EU fee: Full-time 8,100, Part-time 4,700
• Non-EU fee: 18,500

How to Apply

1. Check dates: The UCC online application portal usually opens around mid-October.
2. Gather documents: Scanned copies of supporting documents, including original qualification documents and transcripts.
3. Apply online: Apply through the UCC online application portal, noting the non-refundable 50 application fee.
4. Additional requirements: Provide supplementary information as part of the online application process, including details of professional or voluntary positions, motivation for the programme, and names of referees.