Public Health

Course Outline
To meet the increasing demand for highly trained public health specialists, we are offering a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Health designed to prepare you to investigate, evaluate and address public health challenges, whatever your professional background. Our Post Graduate Diploma in Public Health programme will equip you with the core knowledge and specialized skills necessary to make a real difference in public health.

This Postgraduate Diploma runs over 10 months, and lectures are delivered on Thursdays (3pm to 9pm) and Fridays (9am to 5pm).

Programme Learning Outcomes

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

· Critically analyse 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 health care associated infections, biostatistics, social and behavioural sciences and social policy;

· Analyse and synthesise evidence and apply it to public health;

· Demonstrate enhanced knowledge in the chosen specialist pathway (health promotion, health protection, epidemiology and biostatistics).

Pathways

Pathway preferences are chosen in consultation with the Programme Director. The Postgraduate Diploma has three pathways:

Pathway 1: Health Promotion
Pathway 2: Health Protection
Pathway 3: Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Why Choose This Course
The Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health is a multi-disciplinary course that allows you to specialise in health promotion, health protection or advanced epidemiology. The course offers both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health is an innovative course designed to offer multi-disciplinary academic and experiential development for students from a range of professional backgrounds. 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 field work, and lab sessions.

Students take 60 credits in total: In Semester 1, you will take core modules to the value of 30 credits. In Semester 2, you can choose one of the pathways and undertake modules to the value of 30 credits (25 credits from the chosen pathway and a 5-credit core module).

Semester 1:
Core Modules - All pathways (30 Credits)
EH6025 Principles and Practice of Public Health (10 credits)
EH6026 Applied Research for Public Health (10 credits)
EH6027 Public Health Informatics (5 credits)
EH6091 Graduate Information Literacy Skills (5 credits)

Semester 2:
Core Module - All pathways
EH6028 Leadership in Public Health (5 credits)

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)
EH6044 Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (5 credits
EH6046 Global and Environmental Health (5 credits)
MB6000 Microbiology for Health Protection (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)

See the University Calendar (Diploma in Public Health) for further course and module content information.

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.

Requirements
All applicants will be required to write a 500-word statement demonstrating their suitability to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health.

Candidates must also meet one of the following requirements:

- Hold a Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) in a relevant subject area

OR

- Hold a Second Class Honours Grade I in a Postgraduate Certificate (NFQ level 9) in a relevant subject area

OR

- Completion of three years (180 credits) of a medical degree programme from a recognised University on the Island of Ireland. No student may register for the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health programme of study until the Third University Examination in Medicine has been passed to an Upper Second Class honours Standard.

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 approval of the School of Public Health's Executive Committee.

English Language Requirements
Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university approved English language requirements.

For applicants with qualifications completed outside of Ireland
Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements, please find our grades comparison by country here.

International/non-EU applicants
For full details of the non-EU application procedure please 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.

Not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above.

For more information please contact the International Office.

How Do I Apply

1. Choose Course
Firstly choose your course. Applicants can apply for up to two courses under one application. Details of taught courses are available on our online prospectus.

2. Apply Online
Once you have chosen your course you can apply online at the online application portal. Applicants will need to apply before the course closing date. There is a non-refundable €50 application fee for all courses apart from the Education - Professional Master of Education - (Secondary School/Post-Primary Teacher Training) which has a €100 application fee.

Applicants for the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health Nursing must apply on the PAC website when the programme opens for applications.

3. Gather Supporting Documents
Scanned copies of the following documents will need to be uploaded to the online application portal in support of your application. Applicants may need to produce the original documents if you are accepted onto a course and register at UCC.

- Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC

- Any supplementary items requested for your course.

Please log into the online application portal for more details.

4. Application processing timeline
Our online application portal opens for applications for most courses in early November of each year. Check specific course details.

5. Rounds
For courses that are in the rounds system (Irish and EU applicants), please check the rounds closing dates.

Questions on how to apply?
Please use our web enquiry form to contact us.

Additional Requirements
Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following questions:

You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.

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.

The closing date for non-EU applications is 15 June.

1 year Full-time;

Teaching takes place on Thursdays (3pm to 9pm) and on Fridays (9am to 5pm). Teaching will include SPSS (all students) and STATA labs (Advanced Epidemiology students) and occasional field trips. For two of the pathways (Health Promotion and Health Protection) you are expected to complete a ten-day placement.

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.