Master of Public Health

To meet the increasing demand for highly trained public health specialists, we are offering a Master of Public Health designed to prepare you to investigate, evaluate and address public health challenges, whatever your professional background. Our Master of Public Health program will equip you with the core knowledge and specialized skills necessary to make a real difference in public health. This is a full-time and structured program, delivered over 12 months.

• Please note this is the campus-based Masters of Public Health. If you wish to apply for the online programme please click here.

Pathways

The Masters of Public Health (MPH) is a full-time program delivered over 12 months. Lectures take place on Thursdays (3 pm to 9 pm) and on Fridays (9 am to 5 pm). The program allows students to specialize in a specific pathway as follows:

• Health promotion
• Health protection
• Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Why Choose This Course

The MPH is a multi-disciplinary course where you can specialize in health promotion, health protection or epidemiology, and biostatistics. The course offers both quantitative and qualitative research methods, and you can apply this knowledge to your dissertation. Our modules are developed and taught by a dedicated team of staff, who are experts in a variety of public health areas. Students will experience a wide range of teaching styles: classroom-based, limited fieldwork, and lab sessions.

Connected Curriculum

Our learning approach reflects our commitment to the Connected Curriculum where we emphasise the connection between students, learning, research and leadership through our vision for a Connected University. Our staff are at the forefront of this integrative approach to learning and will support you in making meaningful connections within and between topics such as healthcare, science, the environment, management, and leadership.

Research Projects

At the School of Public Health, we are involved in major national research projects, including focusing on nutritional epidemiology, looking at causes and prevention of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease, tobacco control, and health services research. Most recently we were awarded significant funding to research the impact Covid-19 public health measures have had on the people of Ireland.

Available Scholarships

At UCC we support our student community by offering scholarships and prizes to prospective and current students. Please see the Scholarships & Prizes page for more information.

MPH Pathways

The Masters of Public Health (MPH) course is full-time and delivered over 12 months. Lectures take place on Thursdays (3pm to 9pm) and on Fridays (9am to 5pm). The programme allows students to specialise in one of three specific pathways as follows:

• Health promotion
• Health protection
• Epidemiology & Biostatistics

In Part I students take core modules to the value of 45 credits and modules to the value of 25 credits from their chosen pathway.

In Part II students undertake research and write a dissertation to the value of 20 credits. In total students take 90 credits comprised from Part I and Part II.

Part I

Core Modules - All Pathways

Students take 45 credits as follows:

• EH6025 Principles and Practice of Public Health (10 credits)
• EH6026 Applied Research for Public Health (10 credits
• EH6027 Public Health Informatics (5 credits)
• EH6028 Leadership in Public Health (5 credits)
• EH6091 Graduate Information Literacy Skills (5 credits)
• EH6132 Health Economics for Public Health (5 credits)
• EH6154 International Perspectives on Global Health (5 credits)

Pathways

Pathway 1: Health Promotion

Students take 25 credits as follows:

• EH6029　Health Promotion: Concepts, Principles and Practice (10 credits)
• EH6039　Public Health and Behavioural Change (5 credits)
• EH6044　Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (5 credits)

plus 5 credits from either of the following:

• EH6046　Global and Environmental Health (5 credits)
• SS6017　Critical Public Health (5 credits)

Pathway 2: Health Protection

Students take 25 credits as follows:

• EH6019 The Principles and Practice of Multi-disciplinary Health Protection (10 credits)
• EH6046 Global and Environmental Health (5 credits)
• MB6009 Principles of Microbiology (online)
• EH6044 Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (5 credits)

Pathway 3: Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Students take 25 credits as follows:

• EH6031 Advanced Epidemiology (10 credits)
• EH6044 Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (5 credits)
• ST6011 Advanced Biostatistics (5 credits)
• ST6012 Survival Analysis (5 credits)

Students move to Part II (dissertation) on successful completion of Part I (taught modules).

Part II

All Pathways

• EH6143 Minor Dissertation in Public Health (20 credits)

Exemptions at point of entry

Applicants may be eligible for exemptions. If eligible, the relevant exemption paperwork must be completed immediately upon entering the programme. This application will be reviewed by the School of Public Health's Executive Committee. Please request an application form from the programme administrator.

• Holders of UCC's Postgraduate Certificate in Health Protection or UCC's Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health will be exempt from certain modules on the programme if he/she undertakes the MPH within five years from the date of award of UCC's Postgraduate Certificate in Health Protection or UCC's Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health.
• Holders of UCC's BSc in Public Health or UCC's BSc in Public Health Sciences will be exempt from EH6025 (Principles and Practice of Public Health) if he/she undertakes the MPH within five years from the date of award of one of the above-mentioned courses.

Please see our University Calendar (MPH) page for detailed information on this programme.

On successful completion of this program, students should be able to:

• Critically analyze theories and issues related to public health;
• Construct arguments around the social, political, and economic factors determining the health of populations;
• Demonstrate competence in the key underpinning disciplines and theories of public health including epidemiology, communicable diseases including healthcare-associated infections, biostatistics, social and behavioral sciences, and social policy;
• Analyze and synthesize evidence and apply it to public health;
• Demonstrate enhanced knowledge in the chosen specialist pathway (health protection, health promotion, epidemiology and biostatistics);
• Demonstrate logical reasoning in written work and discussion;
• Employ a range of appropriate research and analysis methods with confidence and correct interpretation;
• Critically reflect on their own and others' learning and practice.
• Demonstrate their culminating experience in the form of a minor Dissertation.

There is an increasing awareness of the need for highly-trained public health specialists in Ireland and abroad to tackle issues such as health inequalities and their causes and solutions, communicable diseases, international health development, obesity, and smoking. The MPH is an innovative course designed to offer multi-disciplinary academic and experiential development for students from a range of professional backgrounds.

Our graduates are currently employed in a range of careers in Ireland, Europe, and other developed and developing countries in diverse public health roles including health services, public health research, surveillance, environmental health, and public health agencies.