Public Health Management (MSc)

Award
Master of Science
Typical Offer
2:1 degree View full entry requirements
Duration
1 year
Course Type
Full-time
Campus
University Hospital Southampton and Highfield
Next course starts
September 2024

About this course

Become a leader in public health management with this specialist master's degree. You’ll learn how to assess the need for, and management of, public health programmes. Gain key management skills such as leadership, risk analysis and cost-effectiveness as you work in multi-disciplinary teams on real-world tasks.

This MSc Public Health Management degree will give you the skills for a management career that makes a difference. Graduates of this master's have gone on to work for the government and public bodies both in the UK and abroad. These include the UK Health Security Agency, local government and ministries of health.

An in-depth understanding of public health underpins this course. You’ll learn to develop and evaluate public health programmes and conduct epidemiological studies. The specialist management areas you’ll explore within a health context include:

  • systems thinking to tackle complex problems
  • making decisions to manage risk and uncertainty
  • cost-effectiveness of programmes

Through your dissertation, you can personalise this course to your interests. In previous years students have worked on projects related to health care systems, such as reducing the burden of treatment for people with long term conditions and multiple morbidity and social care needs. Public health is an interdisciplinary profession, and this is reflected in your learning. Your lecturers are academics who are actively involved in research or are working in the sector. They’re experts from across the University, in both Public Health, Health Economics and Management.

We also offer 4 other pathways on our Public Health Master's. If you decide that you’d like to change to a different public health specialism within the first 2 weeks of the semester you’ll be able to change your degree.

Your other Public Health MSc pathway options are:

  • Public Health - Discover our Public Health master's degree at the University of Southampton. Boost your career skills in global disease prevention & management.
  • Public Health Global Health - Discover our Public Health Global Health master's degree at the University of Southampton. Learn the links between health, climate change, urbanisation and conflict.
  • Public Health Intelligence - Discover our Public Health Intelligence master's degree at the University of Southampton. Learn how to collect and analyse public health intelligence research.

This course is also available as an intercalation degree for undergraduate medical students. Intercalation means that you'll take a year out of your undergraduate medicine degree to gain this extra award.

Flexible study

If you prefer, you can apply to study this course as:

  • a part-time master's - study the same course content over 2 or more years
  • a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) - you'll usually study for around 30 weeks and will not need to write a dissertation

You can also take a single module as part of continuing professional development (CPD). Explore modules that are available as CPD

Your modules and fees may vary if you choose a different study option.

We regularly review our courses to ensure and improve quality. This course may be revised as a result of this. Any revision will be balanced against the requirement that the student should receive the educational service expected. Find out why, when, and how we might make changes.

Our courses are regulated in England by the Office for Students (OfS).

Course lead

Dr Simon DS Fraser is a public health doctor. He qualified in medicine from Southampton in 1992. After ten years as a full time Principal in General Practice in Southampton, he joined the Wessex Public Health training programme while continuing as a part time GP.

His research aims to understand and address the determinants, burden, inequalities, and adverse outcomes associated with chronic disease. Particularly in kidney disease.

Simon is also interested in the use of routine data for research.

Accreditations

“The MSc Public Health equipped me with the skills I needed to successfully gain employment and flourish in roles with a local authority public health team, then delivering the Diabetes Prevention Programme in Hampshire, and now community involvement work.”
Rachel Brown, graduate

Course locations

This course is based at University Hospital Southampton and Highfield.

Awarding body

This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.

Download the Course Description Document

The Course Description Document details your course overview, your course structure and how your course is taught and assessed.