Program Overview

MSc Public Health

About this course

LJMU's well-established Public Health MSc offers a research-informed learning environment reflecting latest sector developments.

• Develop knowledge and skills aligned to the Public Health Training Curriculum and The Public Health Skills and Career Framework
• Benefit from the research-led content of this longstanding programme
• Enjoy a flexible approach to study and network with full and part-time students from differing backgrounds
• Look forward to career opportunities in local authorities, the health sector, voluntary sector, private sector or research
• Benefit from support and guidance for placement learning

This well-established programme, underpinned by the Public Health Skills and Career Framework (2010), is the ideal choice if you want to develop or enhance your public health knowledge and competencies.

We provide a shared learning environment where those already working in the public health sector can bring prior knowledge and experience to share with their peers, some who will be sharing similar work experiences and others who will be at the beginning of their public health career. What makes us different is that you will be learning and developing your research skills based in a world class research centre.

The programme has been developed by and is supported by the senior research staff in the Institute and provides the opportunity for you to learn and work on real world research projects. It attracts students from a variety of backgrounds and prides itself on its inclusive approach.

You will explore population health from a number of perspectives, enhancing your understanding of the people and processes involved in promoting public health and reducing health inequalities. You will also learn how the social determinants of health underpin our theoretical understanding of health and health inequalities.

Course modules

Core modules

• Public Health: Policy and Practice (20 credits)
  • This module introduces concepts and theories within the field of public health.
  • It enhances your knowledge and understanding of population-based health issues and public health response in light of policy and practice.
  • It enables you to examine health inequalities and identify local, national and international health-related strategies.
• Research Methods (20 credits)
  • This module encourages you to develop your skills as a potential producer of research, as well as your ability to systematically evaluate research outcomes from a variety of sources.
  • It provides a critical knowledge base of the philosophical foundations of public health research.
  • It enables you to develop expertise in qualitative and quantitative data analysis and prepares you to carry out empirical and literature-based research.
• Dissertation (60 credits)
  • The dissertation module offers you an opportunity to explore in-depth an area of personal or professional interest that relates to your programme of study.
  • In doing this, you will expand your research skills and apply what you have learned in the earlier modules to your research project.
  • It enables you to develop your skills necessary to plan and execute a research project that is relevant to your area of study.
  • You can choose your own topic and methodology, though this should be relevant to public health and ideally to your route specialism.
• Health Improvement (20 credits)
  • This module encourages you to develop knowledge and competence in the area of health improvement.
  • It aims to provide the theoretical and practical knowledge and skills to effectively plan, implement and evaluate health improvement projects and programmes to improve the health and well-being of populations.
• Public Health Epidemiology, Intelligence and Health Protection (20 credits)
  • Epidemiology, Health Intelligence and Health Protection are core public health disciplines that share some key approaches and methods.
  • Epidemiological and health surveillance methods provide essential data which are used to determine suitable health protection strategies.
  • This module will explore these three key areas and the relationships between them and apply them to a number of key issues from a global context.

Optional modules

• Global Health (10 credits)
  • This module examines public health risk in the context of globalisation.
  • It explores the key processes of globalisation and how they impact the health of populations and their environments.
  • Public health risks are identified and their global level strategic responses are evaluated.
• Violence (10 credits)
  • This module critically examines a range of key issues relating to violence and health from international, national and local perspectives.
  • It demonstrates the need for an interdisciplinary public health approach when addressing the causes of violence, building prevention control strategies, and promoting safety.
  • It enables you to understand and develop strategies to control violence.
• Independent Study (10 credits)
  • This module aims to develop your knowledge of public health topic that is suited to your own needs but which fulfils the learning outcomes for the module, it focuses on literature review rather than an empirical study related to the field.
  • It provides you with an opportunity to develop your own learning and knowledge base in a public health topic of your own choice.
• Understanding Addictions (20 credits)
  • This module enhances your knowledge and understanding of addiction as a public health issue and also its risk factors.
  • It assesses different models of addiction e.g. drug addiction, alcohol addiction, gambling etc as well as its associations and mediators/moderators.
• Addictions: Policy and Interventions (20 credits)
  • This module enhances your knowledge and understanding of addictions policy objectives, enabling you to critically assess the effectiveness of the interventions.
  • It enables you to identify core addiction policies and strategies from a UK and international perspective and assess how these are developed and put into operation.
  • It enables you to examine how personal and structural forces impact on addiction and assess if these are related to policy objectives.
• Work Related Learning (20 credits)
  • This module aims to enable you to work practically and develop public health knowledge and skills pertinent to practical settings.
• Independent Study (20 credits)
  • You will work with your tutor to select and agree an area of public health to investigate.
  • The topic will need to be different and not linked to any other module you are taking, but must sit within the broad public health discipline/subject area.
  • In the past, topics have addressed issues such as: Working in partnership to improve mental health; Smoke Free initiatives; and reviewing research governance procedures.

Your Learning Experience

• Teaching Assessment
• Study hours: Full-time students attend university for teaching on two full days (Tuesday and Wednesday).
• Teaching methods: You will learn via lectures, tutorials and workshop related activity. The programme requires a significant amount of independent learning through the library, off campus and the virtual learning environment.
• Applied learning: This programme enables you to gain work related experience in an applied health setting including the Public Health Institute, Local NGOs/charity sector and local authority. Research can also be undertaken in collaboration with these sectors through negotiated agreement.
• Work-based learning is another key feature of this programme. You will be supported to lead and develop an aspect of change in your workplace. We have seen many innovative and sustainable projects developed over the years.

Career paths

• Further your career prospects
• LJMU has an excellent employability record with 94% (HESA 2022) of our postgraduates in work or further study fifteen months after graduation.
• Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
• With students coming from such varied backgrounds, career opportunities for course graduates are widespread. You may go on to work in local authorities or for the NHS. You could work in the voluntary or private sectors or undertake further research or study at PhD level.
• What unites all of our students is their dedication to improving the health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and populations. Their career choices usually reflect this passion.

Tuition fees and funding

• Home: £8,390
• International: £17,750
• Fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as library membership and student IT support with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources including programme-appropriate software and on campus wifi.
• Financial Support: There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages.
• Additional Costs: In addition to fees, students should also keep in mind the cost of accommodation, travel costs and field trips unless paid for by LJMU, stationery, IT equipment, professional body membership and graduation gown hire.

Entry requirements

• Home: Standard entry Applicants are normally required to possess a good honours degree (normally a minimum grade 2.2) in any related health or social science discipline. Non-standard entry For applicants not in possession of a good honours degree, the programme leader will take into account relevant professional qualifications (e.g. Nursing Registration, Qualification in Social Work, Environmental Health qualification) and experience.
• International: Standard entry Applicants are normally required to possess a good honours degree (minimum grade 2.2) in any related health or social science discipline. Work experience will also be considered where relevant. English language will be required and normally based on IELTS 6.5 (Minimum of 5.5 in each component) Pearson 58-64 (Min. 51 in each component for UKVI Purposes)
• Alternative qualifications considered: The programme welcomes students with both prior certificated learning and or application for experiential learning credits. Students with the PG Dip Specialist Community Public Health Nurse Qualification from LJMU post 2013 Curriculum has been mapped to the programme and can enter the programme with 120 PG credits. Students with the PG Dip Specialist Community Public Health Nurse Qualification from LJMU pre 2013 Curriculum and with ongoing relevant work experience in public health will have up to 100 PG credits recognised as advanced standing and be required to take the Research Methods module 7002PUBHEA prior to taking the Dissertation module. Students who have previously studied on either the PG Dip Applied Public Health, Public Health (Applied), or Public Health (Analysis)/Public Health Intelligence at Liverpool JMU and have continued to practice within a substantial public health role since can apply for up to 120 PG credits on the MSc Public Health programme. Students who have completed a more recent PG Dip Public Health or Public Health (Addictions) at Liverpool JMU can apply for up to 120 PG credits.

How to apply

• To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU online application form.
• You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.
• You must satisfy the programme team of your ability to study at Masters level by demonstrating appropriate, equivalent skills in the workplace, e.g. responsibility for report writing. Individual assessments of suitability for postgraduate level study will be conducted by the programme team. You may need to submit evidence, e.g. a portfolio of written and other work.