Public Health

Course detail Description

The Master of Public Health (MPH) course is an intensive study programme that aims to provide you with the skills and knowledge informing the key domains of public health.

You will:

• explore the underpinning theoretical frameworks which draw upon a range of disciplines reflecting the wider determinants of health and ill-health.
• examine the effectiveness of public health interventions, services and policies.
• develop skills of critical appraisal through understanding different research designs and methods that are informing an emerging evidence based public health.
• be able to put public health principles into effect in a variety of settings and appreciate the complexities of evolving public health concerns and population health needs.
• study the breadth of public health or pursue a specialist pathway that better meets your specific career advancement needs.

All students are enrolled onto the Master of Public Health which addresses the key domains of public health practice.

Once accepted onto the course, you may wish to pursue a specialist pathway by selecting the additional required/compulsory modules.

If you are interested in the :

• Primary Care pathway, you will need to select the module Delivering Public Health in Primary Care: from Theory to Practice
• Environmental Health pathway will require either the Essentials of Environmental Public Health Science and/or Essentials of Toxicology for Public Health Protection modules
• Allied Health pathway will require you to study the Exercise as Medicine module

You will also explore a range of optional modules to bring your total credit value up to 180, allowing you to create a unique study plan that reflects your interests.

If you are studying full-time, you will complete the course in one year, from September to September. If you are studying part-time, your programme will take two years to complete.

In addition to the required modules (which total 90 credits), part-time students should plan to take 30-45 optional module credits in their first year and 45-60 optional module credits in their second year.

Further literature

Course format and assessment

Teaching

We use lectures, seminars and group tutorials to deliver most of the modules on the course. You will also be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study.

Lectures, seminars & feedback

Self-directed study

Per 15-credit taught module

The total contact time for each 15-credit taught module is approximately 30 hours. These sessions will include lectures, teacher-led and student-led group discussions based on the main areas of study.

Students are expected to do at least one hour of self-directed study for each taught hour of lectures. You may find that you need to study more or less than this for specific topics, depending on your background. In addition, a consolidation week primarily for self-directed study is scheduled during Week 6 of each module’s lecture schedule.

Additional self-directed study time will be required to complete module assignments and to revise for examinations.

Dissertation module

There is no formal limit to the number of hours of contact with dissertation project supervisors, this varies between projects and according to the needs of the student. Formal timetabled compulsory dissertation training sessions are provided.

The dissertation module requires a significant level of self-directed study, the bulk of which is done over the summer months after formal teaching has ended. Students should ensure they can allocate sufficient self-directed study time to their dissertation project over the summer months, in order to meet the deadline in early September.

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.

Assessment

The primary method of assessment for this course is a combination of unseen written examinations, coursework and presentations. The research project and dissertation will be assessed on an extended piece of writing.

Examinations are mainly held during Examination Period 1 (January) and Examination Period 2 (May / early June). The ‘Essentials of Toxicology for Public Health Protection’ examination is, however, normally held during Examination Period 3 (August).

Resit and replacement examinations are normally scheduled during Examination Period 3 (August). Resit and replacement examinations for the 'Essentials of Toxicology for Public Health Protection' module are normally held during the following Examination Period (January).

You’ll submit your first piece of summative coursework towards the end of Term 1, and coursework submissions continue into April. The coursework for the ‘Essentials of Toxicology for Public Health Protection’ module is submitted in August.

The dissertation is submitted in early September (part-time students submit their dissertation at the end of their second year).

The formal teaching, self-directed study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. They are however, subject to change.

Regulating body

King’s College is regulated by the Office for Students.

Extra information

Attendance requirements
The MPH runs from September to September, and all students start in September. Attendance at lectures is compulsory. Most lectures are held during Terms 1 and 2. Each term is normally 12 weeks long. Full-time students typically attend lectures for a total of two days per week and part-time students typically attend lectures for a total of one day per week. A student’s actual days of attendance will depend on which modules they are studying.

Modules are normally scheduled on a Monday, Wednesday or Thurday. Lectures are normally scheduled from 10am to 1pm, or from 2pm to 5pm. Each module normally has one three-hour lecture per week, over a 12-week term. Two of the optional modules are run over one full-time week (Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm).

Essentials of Environmental Public Health Science is normally held during one week in November, and Essentials of Toxicology for Public Health Protection is normally held during one week in late May / early June.

Study Leave
For an estimate of study leave requirements, an example for a full-time MPH student might be, as a minimum:

• Programme Induction – 1 day
• Attendance at lectures – 48 days
• Attendance at examinations (x 6) – 3 days (6 x ½ days)

Please note that this is only an example. Exact study leave requirements would depend on your optional module choices, attendance at optional sessions, etc., and individual students would need to calculate their total study leave requirements themselves when requesting study leave from their employer. Students might also need to factor in self-directed study time, if their employer allows for this. In addition, finalist students must ensure that they can be available on the date of the external examiners’ visit, as external examiners are entitled to interview a sample of finalist students as part of their moderating role.

Optional sessions:

There are other optional sessions (workshops, tutorials, pre-exam revision sessions, etc.) scheduled throughout the year. Some are occasional lunchtime sessions on lecture days, but students may need to book additional study leave time for some optional sessions (or take annual leave) if they are interested in attending. A few tutorials and events may take place after 5pm – these tutorials and events are also normally optional.

Management of your study time
The MPH is an intensive programme – and students will need to manage their study time carefully alongside their other commitments in order to complete the programme successfully.


We do not advise that students are employed in full-time work whilst undertaking the MPH.

Location

The majority of learning for this degree takes place at the King’s College London Guy’s Campus. Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the optional modules you select.

Other related courses:

• King’s College London also offer an online, distance-learning Public Health MSc, PG Dip, PG Cert.

Read more

Structure

Year 1 Courses are divided into modules. You will normally take modules totalling 180 credits. Required Modules

All students on this course are required to take:

• Prevention & Control of Communicable Disease (15 credits)
• Basic Epidemiology & Statistics for Public Health (15 credits)
• Public Health Dissertation (60 credits)

Students taking the Primary Care pathway are also required to undertake a Primary Care-focused dissertation topic, and are also required to take:

• Delivering Public Health in Primary Care: from Theory to Practice (15 credits)

Students taking the Environmental Health pathway are also required to undertake an Environmental Health-focused dissertation topic and are also required to take one of the following:

• Essentials of Environmental Public Health Science (15 credits)
• Essentials of Toxicology for Public Health Protection (15 credits)

Students taking the Allied Health pathway are also required to undertake an Allied Health-focused dissertation topic and are also required to take:

• Exercise as Medicine (15 credits)

Optional Modules

In addition, students take sufficient credits to bring their total for the course to 180 from a range of optional modules that may typically include:

• Further Epidemiology & Statistics for Public Health (15 credits)
• Health Economics (15 credits)
• Nutrition for Public Health, and the Principles & Practice of Health Promotion (15 credits)
• Sociology of Health & Illness (15 credits)
• Health Psychology Applied to Public Health (15 credits)
• Global Public Health (15 credits)
• Social Research Methods for Public Health (15 credits)
• Engaging Publics in Health Research: Theory, Politics and Practices (15 credits)
• Facilitating Learning in Primary Care (15 credits)
• Essentials of Environmental Public Health Science (15 credits)
• Essentials of Toxicology for Public Health Protection (15 credits)
• Healthcare Public Health (15 credits)
• Management in Organisations (15 credits)
• Delivering Public Health in Primary Care: from Theory to Practice (15 credits)

Please note that if you have opted for one of the specialist pathways, and if for any reason we are not able to run the additional required modules for that pathway, it may be necessary to transfer you to the mainstream Master of Public Health award.

Some modules may also have limited places. Please see the module lists for further information. If you have any concerns or questions about your proposed selection, please contact the Programme Director or the relevant module lead.

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant courses of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.