MSc in Global Health, Social Justice and Public Policy
London, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline *
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 31,600 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* first application deadline
** International students | UK students: £14,500 per year
Key Summary
Introduction
Studying at King’s College London, you’ll unpick the most pressing global health challenges. You’ll examine their diverse political, economic, social and cultural contexts, focusing on social justice, equity and public policy.
Covering topics such as inequalities in preventable mortality, disability, climate change, reproductive rights, pandemic preparedness and access to health care across countries, it will help you to develop advanced skills in the critical analysis and possible solutions for the most pressing global health inequalities.
Key benefits
- Learn to think critically and independently about fundamental issues in global health, social justice and public policy, and the interaction between them
- Carry out an in-depth research project with support from a supervisor who specialises in your area of interest. We support you with bespoke training sessions which will leave you feeling confident to do this
- Shape your learning with opportunities to study health measurement, global institutions and governance, social determinants of health, philanthrocapitalism, evidence-based medicine, and more
- Add hands-on experience to your CV with our internship module and opportunities to work as a research assistant within this department. (Subject to availability)
- Learn from our latest research in a range of areas, from global health ethics to international law, ageing and health, biological weapons to pandemic preparedness
- Broaden your horizons with interdisciplinary study. Choose from modules from other schools and departments including the Centre for Global Health and Health Partnerships, geography, and Law
Course essentials
The Global Health & Social Justice course will provide you with a demanding study pathway covering dynamic topics within global health. You will explore major issues and debates, as well as develop the capacity for critically assessing the scientific research and practices aiming to address global health inequalities. You with also cover the fundamental aspects relating to philosophical debates about social justice and health equity.
The course offers you flexibility with the choice to study either full or part-time.
Duration: One year full-time, September to September, two years part-time
Admissions
Curriculum
Structure
Courses are divided into modules, and students on this course normally take modules totalling 180- 200 credits.
Required modules
Courses are divided into modules, and students on this course normally take modules totalling 180- 200 credits.
You are required to take the following modules:
- Dissertation in Global Health, Social Justice and Public Policy (60 credits)
- Critical Global Health (30 credits)
- Global Health Ethics (15 credits)
You are also required to take one of the following modules:
- The Politics of Health and Medicine (30 credits)
- Critical Bioethics (30 credits)
You are also required to take two of the following methods modules:
- Designing Quantitative Research for Social Science and Health (15 credits)
- Designing Qualitative Research for Social Science and Health (15 credits)
- Critical Policy Research for Health and Medicine (15 credits)
Optional modules
In addition, you are required to take 15-35 credits from a range of optional modules that may typically include:
- Critical Policy Research for Health and Medicine (15 credits)
- Pharmaceuticals & Society (15 credits)
- Quantitative Data Analysis (15 credits)
- Data Manipulation and Management (15 credits)
- Researching Vulnerable Populations (15 credits)
- Social and Ethical implications of AI, Big Data and Algorithms (15 credits)
- Internship (15 credits)
- Decolonising Research Methods for Global Health (15 credits)
Any Level 7 module offered by King’s, is subject to approvals.
You may opt to take an additional Internship module which will increase your total credit to 200 for the degree.
Part-time students will be expected to take Critical Global Health, Global Health Ethics and one research methods module in Year 1, with the remaining required and optional modules taken in Year 2. Part-time students attend the dissertation workshops and submit a dissertation proposal in Year 1 with the dissertation being submitted at the end of Year 2.
King’s College London reviews the modules offered regularly to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, the modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.
Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place for all students who elect to study this module.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Graduates from this course have gone on to the following destinations:
- National and international NGOs (community outreach and engagement officer (e.g. MSF, Peace Corps Senior health support agent, country director)
- Policy work (public health policy analyst World Health Organization, national Ministries of health, charity sector)
- Academia (doctoral researcher, editorial work for journals such as the Lancet)
- Private sector and public-private partnerships (e.g., Gates Foundation, Pharmaceutical Research and Development)
- Health Care (general practitioner, psychiatrist, hospital administration)