The University of Edinburgh – College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Public Health, Master of MPH
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
21 Aug 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
14 Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 32,000 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* round 5 | round 4: 19 June | round 3: 17 April | round 2: 20 February | round 1: 12 December 2025
** full-time international/EU | full-time Scotland and rest of UK: GBP 13,700
Key Summary
About: The Master of Public Health (MPH) at The University of Edinburgh trains you to lead public health practice, policy and research. You'll study epidemiology, global health, health promotion, health protection and health policy through a multidisciplinary curriculum. Learn from world-leading academics and practitioners and apply practical skills. Study options include full-time over one year.
Career Outcomes: Graduates can work across public sector, non-profit, academic/research and private sector settings as epidemiologists, policy analysts, project managers, programme managers, research officers, consultants and health impact assessors. You can support government agencies, NGOs, universities, healthcare providers and may pursue a PhD globally too.
Empower your career and master the skills necessary to innovate and lead in public health with a Master of Public Health from the University of Edinburgh.
This comprehensive programme will help you deepen your knowledge and engage with cutting-edge research and practical insights, learning from world-leading academics and practitioners across a spectrum of public health disciplines.
From epidemiology and global health to health promotion and policy, our programme equips you with the tools necessary to address pressing health issues and drive meaningful change in communities worldwide.
Study options
This programme can be studied full-time over one year.
Programme benefits
- Build essential strategic thinking and communication skills that empower you to take on senior roles in public health organisations, driving impactful health initiatives and influencing health outcomes globally.
- Interact with some of the world's leading public health experts, who have helped to shape public health guidelines and government policy.
- Gain access to a broad spectrum of public health knowledge through our multidisciplinary approach, learning from experts in areas such as epidemiology, sociology and health protection to develop versatile skills applicable in various sectors.
The Master of Public Health programme aims to equip you with evidence-based conceptual and practical tools to take a critical interdisciplinary approach to public health challenges.
You will:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the theories, concepts and principles underpinning public health practice, policy and research.
- Apply knowledge and skills and engage with relevant literature in qualitative and quantitative disciplines.
- Apply critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis to develop effective responses to contemporary public health challenges.
- Communicate complex public health concepts and issues to both public and professional audiences using a range of media and methods.
- Exercise autonomy, take responsibility for own work and work constructively with peers on complex public health issues.
Graduates of the Master of Public Health (MPH) programme at the University of Edinburgh will be well-equipped to pursue a variety of impactful careers in diverse sectors.
Sectors and roles
Each sector offers unique opportunities to apply the skills and knowledge gained through the MPH program to real-world challenges, enhancing health outcomes on a global scale.
Public sector
Graduates can influence public health policy and programme implementation as epidemiologists, project managers, policy analysts or in other roles within government agencies and international health organisations.
Non-profit organisations
Drive initiatives focused on disease prevention, health education and community health improvements as project coordinators, programme managers or research officers in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) dedicated to health promotion.
Academic and research institutions
Contribute to groundbreaking public health research and education as academic researchers and educators, shaping future public health strategies.
Private sector
Conduct health impact assessments, manage public health projects or consult on public health strategies for corporations, consultancy firms or healthcare providers.
Further study
After completing this programme, you may wish to consider applying for a PhD or other research programme.
You will study a number of compulsory and option courses and complete a dissertation to be awarded a Master of Public Health. The Masters degree programme (a total of 180 credits) is divided into two semesters with a dissertation following at the end of the year.
All students study the compulsory courses (80 credits) and undertake a dissertation (60 credits).
The remaining 40 credits, needed for an MPH award, are then accumulated by your choice from a wide range of option courses. You may also acquire up to 30 credits from other relevant schools within the University, subject to the approval of the course organiser within that school and the MPH Programme Co-Directors.
Dissertation
You will undertake a dissertation project between May and August. For your dissertation, you will be supervised by a member of staff with expertise in your area of interest.
The 60-credit dissertation course is designed to further develop your academic skills and ability to use scientific theory either in a research study or applied to public health practice.
It is also designed to further develop your understanding of the processes and planning involved in undertaking research on a particular public health issue. This will develop your scientific and reflective written communication skills.
Compulsory courses
Taught courses run over either five or ten weeks, in five-week blocks. There is a week between blocks for you to work on assignments.
Option courses
Although we endeavour to provide a wide range of option courses to choose from, these can be subject to change or cancellation at short notice. Places on option courses can be limited, due to course capacity and timetabling constraints. It may not be possible to guarantee every offer holder their top choice of option courses.
Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.
Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:
- Borrowing money
- Taking out a loan
- Family support
- Personal savings
- Income from work
- Employer sponsorship
- Scholarships
Darlington Scholarship
The Darlington Scholarship is a new scholarship programme established especially for University of Edinburgh graduates. Launching for 2025/26 entry, the scholarship aims to widen access to eligible full-time on-campus postgraduate taught programmes at the University of Edinburgh.
UK government postgraduate loans
If you live in the UK, you may be eligible for a postgraduate loan for study from one of the UK’s governments.
You should check that your chosen programme is eligible for the funding you want to apply for.
Teaching
You will learn through a combination of:
- online and in-person course content
- curated reading lists
- engaging interactive discussions with lecturers, tutors and peers
This approach fosters a comprehensive understanding while benefiting from diverse perspectives and insights shared in group discussions.
Assessment
The course assessments are based on assignments and group work. There are no examinations during the course of the programme.
Assessment is a two-stage process. The taught component is assessed at the end of each teaching block in which the course is held. Progression to the dissertation is conditional on a good performance in course assessments at the first attempt.
Instructions for each assessment and the assessment criteria will be available at the start of each course. The assessments are usually due 10 days after the end of the course, although this may vary from course to course.
Most courses will have a formative feedback or feed-forward event, and each course will have one or more summative assignments.