MSc Public Health for Development
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
About this program
MSc Public Health for Development
This programme equips students with skills needed to appreciate and analyse the state of public health in low- and middle-income countries and to design and evaluate actions to address public health concerns. We consider public health and the provision of health services from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Students on the MSc Public Health for Development have substantial experience of planning or implementing public health programmes, of teaching or public-health-related research and wish to hone their critical professional skills. They have been based in low- or middle-income countries for one year or more, engaged in public health efforts in a range of contexts which may include Ministries of Health or NGOs in stable states, conflict areas or humanitarian relief. We complement formal teaching with peer learning that builds on this professional experience and frames knowledge of public health within a development context. Students participate in an award-winning seminar series in which they examine their public health experience in light of material studied on the programme.
Students develop public health research skills including statistics and epidemiology, and build on these to tailor a programme to suit their professional needs. In the summer, students undertake a supervised research project which focuses on a public health question in a low- or middle-income country.
Objectives
By the end of the program, students will able to:
- demonstrate knowledge, understanding and skills in core public health disciplines including epidemiology, statistics, social science research, health economics and health policy
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a range of current issues and topics related to public health in low- and middle-income settings
- apply public health knowledge and skills to identify and assess public health problems in low- and middle-income countries
- formulate appropriate public health strategies to control health problems and promote health in low- and middle-income countries
- evaluate actions designed to improve public health in low- and middle-income countries
- frame knowledge of public health within a development context
Admission requirements
A student must normally satisfy the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine general entrance requirements and the additional program specific entrance requirements as follows:
The normal minimum entrance qualification for registration at the School on a Master's program is at least one of the following:
- a second-class honours degree of a UK university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in a subject appropriate to that of the course of study to be followed
- a registrable qualification appropriate to the course of study to be followed, in medicine, dentistry or veterinary studies
Applications with an appropriate technical qualification, or equivalent qualification and experience from overseas, are also welcomed.
For more information about admission requirements, please visit the institute website.
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Structure
Term 1
Students take the following compulsory modules, which are assessed formatively during the term and form the basis of one of the final exam papers in the summer:
- Extended Epidemiology
- Health Policy, Process & Power
- Introduction to Health Economics
- Principles of Social Research
- Statistics for Epidemiology & Population Health
Terms 2 and 3
Students take a total of five study modules, one from each timetable slot (C1, C2, D1, D2, E), working with personal tutors to identify a pathway through the programme which best serves their career. Students may choose to develop research skills in statistics and epidemiology; qualitative methods; health policy; or health economics. They may also choose to develop a specialist public health focus such as vector control; maternal and newborn health; sexual and reproductive health; or water, sanitation and health.
Most students take the unifying module A pplying Public Health Principles in the E slot. This module builds on the learning from Terms 1 and 2 so students apply public health disciplines to review evidence, produce policy recommendations, develop strategic public health programme plans and conduct strategic reviews.
Slot 1
- Designing Disease Control Programmes
- Economic Evaluation
- Health Care Evaluation
- Health Promotion Approaches and Methods
- Malaria: From Science to Policy and Practice
- Maternal & Child Nutrition
- Research Design & Analysis
- Sociological Approaches to Health
- Study Design: Writing a Study Proposal
Slot 2
- Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs
- Conflict and Health
- Design & Analysis of Epidemiological Studies
- Family Planning Programmes
- Health Systems
- History & Health
- Population, Poverty and Environment
- Qualitative Methodologies
- Statistical Methods in Epidemiology
Slot 3
- Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Current Issues in Maternal & Perinatal Health
- Economic Analysis for Health Policy
- Epidemiology of Non-Communicable Diseases
- Evaluation of Public Health Interventions
- Medical Anthropology and Public Health
- Nutrition in Emergencies
- Organisational Management
- Social Epidemiology
- Spatial Epidemiology in Public Health
- Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, and Health
Slot 4
- Design & Evaluation of Mental Health Programmes
- Environmental Epidemiology
- Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases
- Ethics, Public Health & Human Rights
- Global Disability and Mental Health
- Globalisation & Health
- Reviewing the Literature
- Sexual Health
Slot 5
- Applying Public Health Principles
Scholarships & funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the institute website for more information.
Tuition
Up to date information on tuition fees can be found on the LSHTM website.
Career paths
Graduates from this programme work in global health, health service management, in health programmes in low-income countries, in NGOs, and in research.
Below you will find just a few of the positions and organisations that our graduates from this course have entered. Please note that this is a small, representative sample of the types of organisations and roles that graduates enter, and is not comprehensive.
Example job titles
- Clinical Director
- Consultant Technical Adviser
- Doctor
- Environmental Public Health Scientist
- Epidemiology Department Sub-Director
- Freelance Consultant
- Global Health Specialist
- Health and WASH Project Co-Ordinator
- Malaria Technical Adviser
- Nutrition Adviser
- Project Manager
- Research and Evaluation Specialist
- Research Associate
- Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Programme Manager
- TB/HIV Program Officer
- Neglected Tropical Diseases Medical Adviser
- Biological Scientist
- Women's Health Adviser
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About this institute
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Established in 1899, The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is dedicated to improving health worldwide through training the next generation of health leaders to address major public and global health challenges. LSHTM has a unique range and...
Why study at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
LSHTM is highly ranked in various university league tables, winning the Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2021 in recognition of its response to COVID-19 and pandemic preparedness, as well as being #1 in the UK and #3 in the world for Public Health in the ShanghaiRankings (2021).
Teaching staff are all experts in their respective fields and continue as active researchers, bringing their wealth of experience and up-to-date knowledge directly into the lecture halls and seminar rooms. Many of the staff are well renowned, so students may find themselves being taught by figures they have read about in previous studies.
Contact info
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
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