Program Overview

Rural Health Program

The Master of Public Health in the field of Rural Health is a part-time programme.

Overview

Students are required to take a combination of MPH and field-specific modules. The coursework in Part 1 of the MPH/DPH includes five core courses and Rural Health Care Context. The core courses are aimed to reflect core competencies that every MPH/DPH candidate should be equipped with; both as foundational content in preparation for their field of specialisation as well as for their general role as public health practitioners.

The field-specific content enables graduates to be effective leaders in the health service, manage their resources, develop appropriate programmes, work with communities, and advocate on behalf of rural people. The research component will enable MPH in Rural Health graduates to monitor the effectiveness of their interventions and provide evidence for other rural health care practitioners. This field of study is coordinated by the Centre for Rural Health.

Curriculum

Part I

• COMH7100A: Orientation to Public Health
• COMH7047A: Health Measurement I
• COMH7221A: Health and Society
• COMH7222A: Approaches to Population Health
• COMH7223A: Designing Effective Public Health Programs
• COMH7048A: Health Measurement II
• FAMH7031A: The Rural Health Care Context

Part II

• FAMH7030A: Community Oriented Primary Care
• FAMH7032A: Development of Rural Health Services: Strategies and Approaches
• FAMH7033A: Quality Improvement in Rural Health Care
• FAMH7034A: The Health of Rural People Epidemiology and Burden of Disease
• COMH7101A: Management in Health and Health Services
• COMH7046A: Research Methods

Part III

The following prescribed course extends over not less than one academic year of full-time study or two academic years of part-time study:

• COMH7175A: Research Report

Entry Requirements

• A bachelor's degree of at least four years duration from Wits or another university or a bachelor's degree followed by an honours degree with a minimum of a 65% average.
• Working experience or other valid experience may be required. Admission to clinical degrees is not included.
• Application documents:
  • Written motivation by the applicant detailing reason for applying for the degree and how the program fits with their overall career goals.
  • Comprehensive Curriculum Vitae including a description of relevant research and work experience.
  • Two referee reports.
  • Certified copies of prior qualification(s).
  • Original transcripts of qualifications.
  • For foreign qualifications:
    • Evaluation from SAQA for applicants who graduated from non-South African universities.
    • English competency certificate or evidence of prior undergraduate training in English.
• A bachelors degree of at least four years duration in dental science, medicine, surgery, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, Bachelor of Science Honours.
• A Bachelor of Arts or Sciences with Honours in psychology or sociology, social work, or other field of relevance to public health.
• Entry into the programme is not automatic. Application is subject to review by a selection panel.

University Application Process

Applications are handled centrally by the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC). Once the application is complete in terms of requested documentation, the application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment.

• Applications can be monitored via the Self Service Portal.
• Selections for programmes that have a limited intake but attract a large number of applications may only finalise the application at the end of the application cycle.
• Please note that meeting the entry requirements does not guarantee a place. Final selection is made subject to the availability of places, academic results, and other entry requirements where applicable.

University Fees and Funding

The current average tuition fees can be found on the university's fees website, which also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once applied, students can access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

• For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, refer to the University's Postgraduate Funding portal.
• The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies.
• External bursaries can be found on the Bursaries South Africa website, which provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.

Programme Details

• Programme Code: MCA17
• Faculty: Health Sciences
• School: Public Health
• Qualification: MPH
• Duration: 2-3 years
• Study Mode: Full-time; Part-time
• Closing Date: 31 July
• Course Coordinator: Tumisho Mashasha