Health Protection - Online

Course Outline

The programme aims to provide students, from a range of different professional backgrounds, with core knowledge and skills related to the practice of Public Health and Health Protection. This course supplies the knowledge and skills necessary for health protection (infection control) and public health on a global scale. The emphasis is on the use of evidence-based healthcare and practice that will enable participants to work in infection prevention and control, putting patient safety and public health principles into effect in both research and professional contexts.

Modules

The programme consists of a total of 30-credit modules; two 10-credit modules and two 5-credit modules. This is a structured online programme that requires approximately 15 to 25 hours of study commitment for the duration of each module. After successful completion and passing of the postgraduate certificate in health protection students will have the option of progressing to a Diploma and Master of Public Health.



Students take the following modules:

• EH6094 Public Health: Principles and Practice (10 credits)

• EH6150 Introduction to Health Protection (5 credits)

• EH6151 Advanced Health Protection (5 credits)

• EH6101 Microbiology, Environmental Health and Infectious Diseases (10 credits)

Candidates must possess a Second Class Honours Grade II in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) in a relevant subject area. Relevant subject areas are biological sciences, medical and health sciences, public health and social sciences.



Note: In some circumstances, applicants without a primary degree or applicants without a relevant primary degree may be recommended for entry to the programme under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) following a review of their individual qualifications and experience by the course committee. Such applicants may be called for interview, and their admission will be subject to the approval of the School of Public Health's Executive Committee.



Technical Requirements

This programme will be delivered wholly online. As such, there are specific technical requirements that you need to meet.

1. You will need access to a laptop or desktop (either Mac OS or Windows) running a relatively recent operating system (Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 or Mac OSX 10.8, 10.9, 10.10 or later). Access to the Canvas Virtual Learning Environment is supported by

UCC through IOS and Android apps, which are available from the respective App stores.

2. You will need access to a reliable broadband connection with at least 2MB download speeds. You can test your broadband or 4G speeds by visiting http://www.speedtest.net.

3. You must have a modern web browser installed. The most reliable options for use with UCC online learning are Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Download and installation instructions will be provided. Safari is not suitable.

4. You must have Java and Flash Runtimes installed. Download and installation instructions will be provided.

5. You will require an Office suite of software (Microsoft Office 2003 or later or equivalent) and a PDF reader (preferably Adobe Acrobat Reader XI or later). Please note that registered UCC students have access to discounted software from Microsoft and Adobe.

To engage productively and successfully with the content, basic technical computer skills such as familiarity with word processing, web browsing and email is recommended.

Closing Date

Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.



Non-EU Closing Date

Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

6 months part-time.

This is a part-time course. This programme will be taught online over 7 months (September-March).

Start Date: 25 August 2025