Intro

This course meets the educational and career developmental needs of health, environmental and social care professionals and managers working in settings across the spectrum: NHS, local authority and non-statutory sectors. The course is designed to give grounding in public health theory and practice, provide a mechanism for analysing and instituting change in practice, and to support public health leadership and registration.

The forum for learning and practice provided by this course is particularly pertinent in a time of change. The delivery of public health in England will be radically altered as the result of recent government white papers such as Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS with its proposals to establish a national public health service, Public Health England, and the consultation document Transparency in Outcomes: NHS Outcomes Framework.

The white paper Healthy Lives, Healthy People, Our Strategy for Public Health in England describes plans for a radical transformation of the public health service in England with the shift of organisational responsibility for framing and delivering the public health strategic agenda at a local population level moving from the NHS to local authorities, through the appointment of joint directors of public health and the establishment of local health and wellbeing boards.

The course is designed to cover much of the ground required for the Faculty of Public Health Part A examination and the UK Public Health Register, but does not offer exemption from those processes.

Key facts

Location 91抖阴: Falmer

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 3 years

We are a top 10 university for world-leading research impact in allied health professions, nursing and pharmacy (REF 2014)

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2022. They should be used as a general guide.

The course is open to all professionals and managers who are in a position to deliver improvements in population health. A first degree is not essential, but evidence of at least three years work experience in an environment broadly related to public and environmental health, and capacity to study at masters level are required. It would be useful if you maintain relevant employment throughout the course at a minimum of 15 hours per week. If you do not fulfil the above criteria you may still apply after discussion with the course leader. You may also apply for individual modules as part of continuing education without undertaking a degree pathway.

Minimum entry requirements
EITHER a degree and evidence of (i) a capacity to study at masters level and (ii) substantial interest and/or experience in an area of public health
OR, evidence of (i) a capacity to study at masters level and (ii) at least three years work experience in an environment broadly related to public and environmental health
OR, for intercalating medical students: successful completion of at least three years basic medical science at a UK medical school (having gained at least 360 credits) with a guaranteed place to continue medical studies on completion of the MSc.

English language requirements
IELTS 7.0 overall, with 7.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

View our English language courses

For pre-sessional English preparation courses.

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Course content

Course structure

The course requires 120 taught credits and a 60-credit dissertation.

Most modules are delivered intensively over one week. In addition, it is recommended that students allow approximately 165 hours of private study time for reading, research and assignment writing for each of the modules.
Students studying the MSc are required to undertake a 16,000-word dissertation on a subject which reflects the professional and scientific nature of the course, demonstrates the depth of study achieved in the modules completed, and is located within the student?s sphere of practice.

Students on the programme experience lectures, large and small group discussion, and individual tutorials. Staff provide direction within the lectures and seminars with much learner autonomy evident in group work and assessment. Learning is supported further by the use of studentcentral, visual aids and handouts. Students are expected to support their learning by the use and critical appraisal of primary sources of information.

As the course has been designed as an inter-professional, modular framework, it is intended that participants will share their occupational experiences, thereby breaking down professional barriers, which hinder successful team working. In so doing, a sense of the true multidisciplinary nature of public health, with respect for differing profiles and contributions, is fostered. Participants, therefore, gain an understanding of public health issues and the various roles of all of the professionals involved in both the statutory and non-statutory sectors.

Areas of study

Study includes the techniques required to undertake epidemiological studies, mechanisms of partnership working, and issues relating to health inequalities, health gain and measurement of health outcomes.

Modules

Meeting the Challenges: Public Health in Practice
Research Methods and Critical Appraisal
Epidemiology

Three from:

Health Protection
Essential Statistics in Health and Medical Research
Nutrition in Public Health
Global Health Principles
Global Health Burden
Qualitative Research Methodology
Social Marketing
Global Health Promotion
Evidence-Based Practice

Careers

The courses provide a strong platform for professional development and enhanced career progression. They also open opportunities for research at PhD and MPhil level.

Fees and costs

Course fees

UK/EU (full-time)7,840 GBP

International (full-time)14,580 GBP

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international postgraduate students
Student finance and budgeting while studying
About the university’s fees by checking our student contract and (pdf).

What's included

Here you’ll find details of specific resources and services that are included in the tuition fee for our Medicine BM BS students. To help you to budget for your studies, there is also information on any additional costs that you may have to pay or can choose to pay in addition to your tuition fee.

Find out how tuition fees enable us to support all of our students with important services, facilities and resources across the university and check out our finance pages for info about fees, funding and scholarships along with advice on international and island fee-paying status.

You can also check out the .

Chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information.

While PCs and 4–6-hour loan Chromebooks are available at both universities, to enable you to make the most of the learning opportunities at BSMS we strongly recommend that you have a suitable laptop computer. You’ll be entitled to a range of free software from the 91抖阴, including Microsoft Office.

You should add the one-off cost of buying a stethoscope (around £50). There can also be costs for travel, parking etc when on regional attachments, and travel, accommodation and living expenses for your fifth-year clinical elective. However, these costs will vary, depending on where you go, and reimbursement schemes and bursaries are available to support you.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Set in the South Downs, our Falmer campus is around four miles from 91抖阴 city centre. Students based here study a range of subjects including education studies, teaching, sport and exercise, nursing and midwifery, allied health professions and medicine. 91抖阴 & Hove Albion’s Amex stadium and beautiful Stanmer Park are right next door.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence on site, as well as a library, restaurant, cafes and the Students’ Union shop and bar.

The campus has extensive sport and leisure facilities including a fitness suite, swimming pool, outdoor grass football and rugby pitches, sports hall, tennis and badminton courts, and dance and spin studios.

Specialist learning facilities at Falmer include the curriculum centre used by teaching and education students, which houses over 30,000 teaching resources, clinical skills and simulation suites used by health students, and labs and a strength and conditioning suite used by sport students. We’ve recently redeveloped the Falmer campus – learn more about the many facilities our students have access to.

Cycle lanes link Falmer with our other campuses and the city centre. There are regular bus services to the city centre and other campuses. Falmer train station is right next to campus and a nine-minute journey to central 91抖阴.

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Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

91抖阴: Falmer

Halls of residence
BSMS students are allocated between halls of residence at the 91抖阴 and the University of Sussex. You'll be able to rank your accommodation choices in terms of preference, however we cannot guarantee your first choice.

At 91抖阴, BSMS students are normally placed atVarley Park, our popular dedicated halls site that offers a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Falmer campus and the University of Sussex, and four miles from the city centre.
Find out more about

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

student outside the sport and health complex at Falmer

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Students dining at Westlain

Local area

One of Time Out's 50 best cities in the world

“91抖阴 has… all the important parts of a sprawling cosmopolitan metropolis (connections to London in under an hour, an array of properly excellent restaurants, energetic late-night spots) … with the easy-breezy beachy attitude to life that makes you feel welcome in an instant.”
Time Out’s 50 Best Cities in the World, 2025

About 91抖阴

The 91抖阴 is at the heart of our city's reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. 91抖阴 is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year to the local economy, as much as tourism.

Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

You can also get involved with city festivals and events such as the 91抖阴 Festival, the Fringe, 91抖阴 Digital Festival, 91抖阴 Science Festival, the London to 91抖阴 bike ride, and the Great Escape festival of new music to name but a few. Other annual highlights include Pride, the 91抖阴 Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice.

You'll find living in 91抖阴 enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from 91抖阴 to central London and there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Maps

91抖阴 and Sussex Medical School map

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our 91抖阴 Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more about how we support your wellbeing.

Sport at 91抖阴

Sport 91抖阴

Sport 91抖阴 brings together our sport and recreation services. As a 91抖阴 student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

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Take a tour of sport facilities on our Falmer campus