Public Health

Course Outline
We designed this Master of Public Health (MPH) programme in order to meet the increasing demand for highly trained public health specialists in Ireland and abroad. This highly regarded programme will prepare you to investigate, evaluate and address public health challenges, whatever your professional background.

On graduation you will be equipped with the core knowledge and specialised skills necessary to make a real difference in public health. This is a full-time and structured programme, delivered over 12 months.

Please note this is the campus-based Master of Public Health. If you wish to apply for the online version of the MPH programme please see our Online MPH page.

Course Practicalities
Teaching takes place Thursdays (3pm to 9pm) and Fridays (9am to 5pm). Teaching will include SPSS (all students) and STATA labs (Epidemiology & Biostatistics students) and occasional field trips.

MPH Pathways

The Master 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 (45 credits)

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)
EH6157 Qualitative Research in Public Health (Online) (5 Credits)
EH6132 Health Economics for Public Health (5 credits)
EH6154 Contemporary Perspectives of Global Health (5 credits)
Pathway 1: Health Promotion (25 credits)

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)
EH6046?Global and Environmental Health (5 credits)
Pathway 2: Health Protection (25 credits)

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 (25 credits)

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 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.

Modules

Further details on the modules listed above can be found in our Book of Modules. Any modules listed above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course but are subject to change from year to year.

University Calendar

You can find the full academic content for the current year of any given course in our University Calendar.

All applicants will be required to write a 500-word statement demonstrating suitability to undertake a Master of Public Health.

All applicants are required to meet one of the following:

Possess a minimum Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ Level 8) in a relevant subject area Or
Possess a minimum Second Class Honours Grade I in a postgraduate diploma (NFQ Level 9) 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 an interview, and their admission will be subject to the School of Public Health's Executive Committee's approval.

International Master's Pathway – Higher Diploma in Academic Discourse and Skills

There is an alternative entry route for international applicants via the International Master's Pathway (IMP) – Higher Diploma in Academic Discourse and Skills (NFQ, Level 8). See the IMP page for more information.

For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland
Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.

International/Non-EU Applicants
For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.

In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.

English Language Requirements
Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Please visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.

The closing date for non-EU applications is 30 June 2023

How Do I Apply
1. Check Dates: Check the opening and closing dates for the application process in the fact file boxes at the top of the page.

For Irish and EU applicants we operate a rounds system and you can check the rounds closing dates here.
Note that not all our programmes are subject to the rounds system so check the opening and closing dates for your specific programme in the fact file boxes above.

2. Gather Documents: Scanned copies of supporting documents have to be uploaded to the UCC online application portal and include:

Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC.
Any supplementary items requested for your course if required.

3. Apply Online: Apply online via the UCC online application portal. Note the majority of our courses have a non-refundable €50 application fee.

Any questions? Use our web enquiry form to contact us.

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)
Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. We strongly encourage you to complete these sections with all relevant information to support your application. This will include the following requests for additional information:

You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held.

In addition to your previously declared qualifications, please outline any additional academic courses, self-learning, and professional training relevant to this programme.

Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.

Deposit

Please note that successful EU applicants will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of €500 on acceptance of their place.

1 year full-time.

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