Gain a deeper understanding of the major public health threats faced by humanity. You’ll learn how to design, test and implement interventions to tackle them.

During this specialist master's course, you’ll study urgent and important public health challenges facing societies across the globe. By focusing on the root causes of disease, ill health and injury, you’ll explore how impactful policy can improve lives at community and population level.

You’ll develop your understanding of how geopolitical, social and natural factors may combine to result in situations that cause short and long-term threats to people’s health and wellbeing. These may include global climate change; war and conflict; health inequities; poverty, lifestyle, and access to amenities and services.

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Address the big public health challenges

Once you've gained the core knowledge needed, you'll critically assess the intersection of policymaking and epidemiology. You’ll evaluate how major policies can counteract the effects of key public health challenges, and how to improve and adapt policies and interventions to mitigate future risks. You’ll do this in the context of real-world case studies across topics like:

• managing infectious diseases and vaccine uptake
• contemporary and historic pandemics, including COVID-19
• obesity and nutrition
• tobacco and alcohol use and abuse

Upon successful completion of this course, you’ll have developed the required knowledge and skills to develop, critique and adapt evidence-based public health policy to suit different contexts, countries and regions of the world. You will also have acquired the practical, analytical and evaluative skills to enable you to take up careers in a wide range of public health settings.

This course is informed by the UK Faculty of Public Health Diplomate Examination (DFPH), so it will help to prepare you for these exams. 

Learn from experts in public health

“How we build and develop our towns and cities in ways that improve health rather than harm it; links between non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, and pandemics; and environmental degradation - these are the kinds of things that I do in my research, so these are the kinds of things that I bring to my teaching on this course."

Harry Rutter, Professor in Global Public Health: (co-chair of SAGE Environment and Modelling Group; and Chair, Faculty of Public Health Academic and Research Committee)

This course is taught by real-world public health experts, whose knowledge, expertise and industry connections span a range of public health and policy making areas.

Many are current practitioners in the field and have worked on significant projects like the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Complete your studies with a real-world project

The course culminates with either a dissertation or a consultancy project. Both give you the opportunity to apply your newly acquired knowledge to a specific area of public health that interests you or is relevant to your career aspirations.

Consultancy projects are a practical alternative to a dissertation. They give you the chance to work on a project with an external organisation, using the skills and knowledge you’ll gain during your studies. You’ll conduct appropriate research, analyse data and share your solution as a written report and presentation.

You'll work either alone or as part of a group with one of our external partners*. These span the public health industry, both in the UK and overseas. Previous students have completed projects with organisations like Healthwatch and Public Health Wales.

A dissertation gives you the opportunity to methodically explore an area of public health you're interested in and demonstrate your research skills. You will be assigned a supervisor from within our academic team to support you throughout your dissertation.

* Consultancy project numbers are limited each year. You'll receive support from us throughout your application. If you’re unable to secure a suitable project, you can instead complete a dissertation.

Study in a research-active environment

Throughout this course, you’ll have the chance to work with research-active academics, as well as representatives from Centres and Groups in our Department for Health and Department of Social & Policy Sciences. These include:

• Centre for 21st Century Public Health
• Centre for Motivation and Health Behaviour Change
• Centre for the Analysis of Social Policy
• Centre for Development Studies
• Tobacco Control Research Group

Each of these has strong links with public health experts and health organisations from across the world.

Overall, the course utilises Bath’s internationally renowned work in applied health research, behavioural psychology, social policy, governance and public policy, international development, health and social care. This ensures that you'll look at public health and policymaking from a holistic point of view, taking into consideration a range of perspectives.

Graduate prospects

With a strong grounding in public health and health policy, as well as practical research skills, you'll be well equipped to respond to public health challenges in a range of sectors and contexts.

You could go on to work as an epidemiologist, health scientist, public health advisor or practitioner, field consultant, global health educator, policy analyst, environmental health practitioner or NGO aid worker; or advance to doctoral study in a number of areas related to health and policy.

Previous students have gone on to pursue further training in medicine and secured roles within the NHS.

• IELTS: 6.5 overall with no less than 6.5 in the writing component and no less than 6.0 in the speaking, listening and reading components
• The Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic): 62 overall with no less than 62 in the writing element and no less than 59 in the speaking, listening and reading elements
• TOEFL iBT: 90 overall with a minimum of 24 in the writing component and a minimum of 21 in the speaking, listening and reading elements

You will need to get your English language qualification within 24 months prior to starting your course.

There is increasing demand for high-level quantitative and qualitative research skills from a wide range of private and public sector recruiters. Many firms and government departments are now committed to data-driven decision-making, making use of the increased availability of big data. This course will equip you with a hybrid skill set that combines quantitative, computing and analytical skills with an understanding of political and international development research and enquiry. This MRes also equips you to go into further study at PhD level.