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MPH - Master of Public Health

This Programme of study has been created to align with Public Health workforce development in the UK and overseas health systems. It supports staff progression in accordance with the standards developed by the UK Faculty of Public Health and Royal Society of Public Health in their professional skills and knowledge framework; we will also blend in equivalent requirements from overseas colleges and faculties where our international students are drawn from. Global standards endorsed by WHO and ICRC will also be addressed by studying their evolution from the UN’s declaration to provide health for all by the year 2000 to the ongoing Health Care in Danger programme managed by the ICRC and other significant milestones.

This programme will therefore advance your knowledge, skills and behaviours as proficient communicators, problem solvers, planners and decision makers across the domains of public health: Health Promotion, Health Education, Epidemiology, Resourcing are included as core.

Apply - January Register Interest

Download our Prospectus

Course Overview

Programme Aim

Our aim is to develop intelligent, self-motivated, knowledgeable leaders, planners and practitioners for employment across the public health professions and disciplines who will challenge the orthodox, are able to fail early and learn quickly in a congested, highly contested and often confused politico-socioeconomic environment.

Why Choose this Programme?

The impact of climate change and disrupting the environment through industrial levels of human activity including conflict have never been so evident as they are in the early C21st. Governments know that public health protects and improves the public's health; reducing health inequalities between individuals, groups and communities, through co-ordinated systems and a wide action base (UKGov, 2016: p16). But these historic and contemporary health challenges demand a truly transformative approach to effectively meet them which means adopting a paradigm shift from traditional downstream treatment of disease and injury to upstream interventions aimed at a balance that maintains communities’ health and wellbeing.
This innovative Programme places ‘planetary health’ theory (Lancet, 2016) at its core and will prepare you for a wide range of roles and responsibilities within the wider public health domain in the UK and globally.

Key Highlights of the Programme:

Stand out from standard UK MPHs with a distinctive salutanogenic and planetary focus. Planetary Health runs as a thread every module linking people, place, and planet.

Aligned with the UK Faculty of Public Health and Royal Society of Public Health Professional Standards Framework and informed by WHO/ICRC standards but you will be encouraged to incorporate your own federal or state’s standards where appropriate.

Transformative, applied learning from reactive fixes to upstream interventions included in our foundation for academic success and leadership modules.

Multiprofessional / Interdisciplinary and flexible fusing health, environment, security policy, and social sciences together.

Think globally, act locally using the UN SDGs as touchstones to design local solutions with global impact.

On this course you will...

Learn the ‘Planetary Health’ or ‘one health’ concept is at its core.
Become grounded in transformative learning.
Be encouraged to think globally but act locally.
Be provided a potential gateway to public health training.
Enhance your practise whatever your specialty including non-health and care professions that are community focused.

Apply - January

Download our Prospectus

Key Details

Recruiting toUK / RoI / Settled in UK
EU / EEA / International
Course LocationDistance Learning
Institute Institute of Health
Mode of DeliveryOnline Learning
Course DurationFull-time: 1 Year
Part-time: 2 Years
Course Start PointJanuary
AwardMPH
More informationProgramme Specification
Prospectus
Open DaysAll

Minimum entry requirements

2:2 or above in a heath related subject (public health, social care would be preferable) or evidence of professional experience in public health if not a healthcare provider or clinician.

UK Tuition fees

£8975

Entry in academic year 2025/26 (Full time)

£9,240

Entry in academic year 2026/27 (Full time)

International Tuition fees

£14,900

Entry in academic year 2025/26 (Full time)

£16,000

Entry in academic year 2026/27 (Full time)

Tuition Fees Policy

Course Structure

What you will learn

All modules are compulsory and must be taken and passed to achieve your selected award. It is not possible for modules to be compensated as a marginal fail if you are registered on the 60 credit award of PGCert Public Health as this is out with the limits set out in the Academic Regulations.

Modules

Foundations for Academic and Professional Success in Public Health
Understanding and Applying the Principles of Planetary Health in Your Community
Planning Remote Environmental and Community Health for Disaster Response
Field Epidemiology
Developing and Operating Intelligent Health Systems
Integrating Effective Actions and Interventions to Meet Community Health Requirements
Research Methods
Dissertation

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

Teaching and Learning Philosophy

We have developed a unique approach to professional and vocational learning based on Jack Mezirow’s (2014) transformative learning theory or disruptive pedagogy which will provide you with the tools to challenge your innate ability and experience, that of your peers and the fallacy of authority! This theory runs as a golden thread through our research, capability development and practise development programs that are firmly grounded in social reality and moral responsibility (after Desmond et al 1996).

How you will be assessed

The way we approach assessments at the University of Cumbria is focused on the learner and developing authentic skills that employers value in real world cutting edge Public Health roles. The broad range of assessment formats are designed to develop skills in critical thinking, systems based analyses, applied problem solving and creativity. Learners apply theoretical concepts and holistic approaches to problems focusing on their own areas of interest and develop methods of
communicating information and findings based on evidence from implementation science.

Examples of assessment formats listed below are steeped in real world Public Health work settings and thus enhance engagement and employability skills.

Oral assessment/presentation
Poster/infographic
Project work
Epidemiological report
Policy briefing
Problem solving exercises based on real life scenarios
Dissertation in a range of formats relevant to Public Health

Career outcomes

It has been estimated that globally there will be a shortfall of 10 million public health professionals by 2030, Public Health is an expanding and extremely important area – are you ready to make a real difference in the world?

The Master of Public Health (MPH) programme is the gateway to a huge range of exciting roles and opportunities; it is often an essential criterion in person specifications. One thing we can guarantee is that a career in Public Health will never be boring!

As a Public Health Practitioner, there are a number of different fields that you could specialise in including Health Protection, Health Improvement, Health Care and Health Systems Public Health and Academia. The range of possibilities is vast. The MPH can be a stepping stone to a PhD and it could be your pathway to a career in academia, establishing a body of research to make a difference globally. In the MPH at the University of Cumbria you will acquire skills in both qualitative and quantitative research methods, and thus you will be in demand from a wide range of employers. Another avenue is to work as a data analyst in Public Health Intelligence or an Epidemiologist or a Health Data Scientist. In the UK you could become a Consultant in Public Health through the Faculty of Public Health Speciality Training Scheme – this is the only Consultant pathway that does not require a Medical degree.

In Health Improvement there are many different roles including as a practitioner specialising in the social determinants of health such as poverty, education, housing or the built environment. Or you may specialise in a particular field such as physical activity, nutrition and lifestyle behaviours or a particular age group such as adolescence or older adults, or a set of conditions e.g. mental health. There are also many posts related to community engagement and Healthy Places Practitioners.

The range of settings is endless. In the UK you might be based in a Local Authority, in the UK Health Security Agency, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities or the NHS. Internationally there are a plethora of Public Health opportunities in every country and every community. You could work in an international organisation such as the United Nations or the World Health Organisation. There
are also many international opportunities in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Friends of the Earth, MSF, UNICEF, Save the Children and Action against Hunger.

You may not be sure about your next career steps, this will develop as your progress through the programme with support from our Careers and Employability sessions where you will take part in interactive sessions with practitioners in the field.

Overview

2:2 or above in a heath related subject (public health, social care would be preferable) or evidence of professional experience in public health if not a healthcare provider or clinician.
A satisfactory Professional/Academic Reference.
If English is not your first language please see the University English Language requirements: https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/study/international-students/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/

Fair Admissions

When you apply, our Admissions specialists will review your whole application. We are looking for your potential to succeed so will assess your qualifications, any relevant work experience, your personal statement, and references.

Where you have received a conditional offer subject to achieving particular grades/UCAS tariff scores, and do not quite meet these scores, please try not to worry, where vacancies exist our Admissions specialists will review your whole application again and take account of any mitigating circumstances and reassess your suitability for the course.

Selection Criteria

As part of the application and selection process, we are looking for your commitment to this programme. In your personal statement, you should demonstrate your motivation for choosing this course and reflect upon any practical experience you have gained.

Contextual Admissions

Going to higher education can transform a person’s life. We use contextual admissions to make sure that we are accessible to everyone who has the potential to succeed. Qualifications and grades are important, but they are considered alongside other information that helps universities to identify potential and widen access to university level study. For some individuals, the disadvantages they have experienced in their life mean that they have not been able to demonstrate their full academic potential. Where a person lives and their personal circumstances can all affect their educational attainment.

We take this context into account and look for an applicant’s potential when making admission decisions. The University of Cumbria will make offers at the bottom of any UCAS Tariff range to applicants that live in postal code regions with the lowest participation in Higher Education (Polar 4 quintile 1 – you can check your postcode here), applicants that are estranged from their parents, are care leavers or have caring responsibilities or are in receipt of or received free school meals during their secondary education. Attendance at our Masterclasses and Summer Schools will also allow applicants to receive an offer lower within the tariff range. (T&Cs apply).

Contact pgadmissions@cumbria.ac.uk for more information.

Returning to Education

If you are over 21 and returning to study after being in relevant employment for a minimum of 3 years and do not meet the published entry requirements for Year 1 of our degree courses, please do not assume you are not qualified to join us. Our experienced Admissions and Academic staff will review your prior qualifications and professional experience to support your application.

Language requirements

If English is not your first language please see the University English Language requirements: https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/study/international-students/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

UK Tuition fees

£8975
Entry in academic year 2025/26 (Full time)

£9,240
Entry in academic year 2026/27 (Full time)

International Tuition fees

£14,900
Entry in academic year 2025/26 (Full time)

£16,000
Entry in academic year 2026/27 (Full time)

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

International Finance

At the University of Cumbria, we offer affordable tuition fees for international and EU students looking to study at one of our main four campuses. No matter your choice of course or career path, our International Team is here to support you.

Funding

ELCAS funding may be used for this programme.

More Information

We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, grants and funds available to support you throughout your studies with us. This includes the Cumbria Bursary - a non-repayable bursary designed to support first year students with a household income of less than £25,000..

Student Finance

Additional Costs

Stationery, printing and digital storage

Approximately £30 to £40 per year

RequiredPer yearStationery

You should budget for stationery and consumables for personal use. These may include notebooks, pens and pencils, digital storage devices, printing and photocopying. The amount you spend will depend on your study preferences.

Books and journals

Approximately £50 to £300 over the course of your studies

OptionalThroughout the courseBooks and journals

Most core textbooks and journals are available through the University library. You may choose to purchase personal copies of books or other resources used to support your studies.

Some courses recommend particular books or provide an estimated annual budget for purchasing personal copies. Search for your course below for details.

Technology requirements

Cost depends on the equipment and internet service you choose

RequiredThroughout the courseDigital learning and IT

You will need regular access to a laptop or computer capable of accessing the internet and running software such as a word processor and Microsoft Teams. Microsoft 365 is provided as part of your studies. You will also need a reliable internet connection. The amount you spend will depend on the equipment and internet service you choose.

Information on borrowing university laptops

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Location
Distance Learning
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MPH - Master of Public Health