Degree Requirements

Degree Requirements

Students are required to complete at least 6 core modules, 16 elective modules, 2 case studies, 1 practicum and a dissertation in order to graduate.  

Core modules

As part of the degree requirements for the MPH students, students must complete at least 6 core modules. Exemptions may be given where students can demonstrate credits gained from another institution or where there is evidence of having completed the content of the module which has been formally assessed by another university.  Click here for the list of core modules.   

Elective modules 

In addition to the core modules, students are required to complete 800 hours of elective modules i.e. 16 modules. Currently there are 40 elective modules that are offered by the program.  An elective course which is valued at 50 hours constitutes 1 module, 100 hrs is equivalent to 2 modules and 200 hrs is equivalent to 4 modules.  Each student is permitted to take 1,000 hours of elective modules ONLY as part of the course.  Modules over this limit can be taken but at an additional charge. Click here for the list of elective modules.

Case studies

The students are required to complete 2 integrated case studies, which make up 5% of the course. Each case study is supposed to take 50 hours (1 module). The objective of the case studies is to ensure that students can identify and solve health and health system problems in a comprehensive manner using the strengths of a multi-disciplinary team.  The case studies are based on given or real health or health system problems.

Practical Assignment

The goal of the MPH mentored practicum is to have a practical public health experience that provides mentoring, contact with public health professionals, and the opportunity to participate in a meaningful way.  Each candidate will undertake a practical assignment at the place of work or in a nearby health facility in the second year of the course. The practical assignment is expected to take 100 hours – (equivalent to 2 case studies).  The practical assignment must be:-

• a task required by employer or local health institution
• demonstrating a mixture of at least three of the following competencies
  • Health needs assessment
  • Promoting and protecting the population’s health and well-being
  • Developing quality and risk management within an evaluative culture
  • Collaborative working for health
  • Developing health programmes and services and reducing inequalities
  • Policy and strategy development and implementation
  • Working with and for communities

 Dissertation

 Students are expected to complete a dissertation, making up 18% of the course.  The dissertation takes place following completion of all core and elective modules and all case studies.  Because the MPH is aimed primarily at practitioners in the field of health systems and public health, the objective of the dissertation is to show that students can identify and investigate health and health system problems in a comprehensive manner, and that they can begin to formulate appropriate interventions. Students are supposed to select a project or topic in consultation with their supervisor.  The dissertation can take three main formats:

Research project:        Students will be able to decide whether to focus more intensely on the quantitative or qualitative methodology rather than the intervention, and this constitutes a research project. 

Intervention project:  Alternatively students can identify a problem, formulate a workable solution, implement an intervention of some sort, and evaluate the changes that result from it. In this case, the emphasis is more on action than on methods, and this constitutes an intervention project.

Policy report:              Students focus on the provision of scientifically well-founded advice to policy makers to help decide on an appropriate course of action.  This dissertation focuses on identification of the problem, a review of the evidence, synthesis and recommendations. It may or may not include primary or secondary data collection.