Public Health - Online

Course Outline
To meet the increasing demand for highly trained public health specialists, we are offering this online version of our Master of Public Health programme. It is designed to prepare you to investigate, evaluate and address public health challenges, whatever your professional background. The programme will equip you with the core knowledge and specialised skills necessary to make a real difference in public health.

The online MPH is a fully asynchronous, 22-month part-time programme and students can self-pace within the structure of a given 4- or 8-week module.

Course Outline
To meet the increasing demand for highly trained public health specialists, we are offering this online version of our Master of Public Health programme. It is designed to prepare you to investigate, evaluate and address public health challenges, whatever your professional background. The programme will equip you with the core knowledge and specialised skills necessary to make a real difference in public health.

The online MPH is a fully asynchronous, 22-month part-time programme and students can self-pace within the structure of a given 4- or 8-week module.

Learning Outcomes for Master of Public Health (Online):
Both the campus-based version and the online version have similar learning outcomes on successful completion of the programme. These include:

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 healthcare-associated infections, biostatistics, global health, screening, social and behavioural sciences, and social policy;

Analyse and synthesise evidence and apply it to public health;

Demonstrate enhanced knowledge in specific Public Health areas, e.g. health promotion, health protection, global health, epidemiology, and biostatistics in public health;

Demonstrate logical reasoning in written work and discussion;

Employ a range of appropriate research and analysis methods with confidence and expertise;

Critically reflect on their own and others' learning and practice.

Why Choose This Course
The Master of Public Health is a multi-disciplinary programme that will provide students with skills in health promotion, health protection, epidemiology, biostatistics and global health - in preparation for a career in public health practice or research.

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 using the most up-to-date technology-enhanced learning methods.

Our online MPH builds on the success of our campus-based MPH programme, the largest programme of its kind in Ireland. Studying for an MPH online with UCC offers a dynamic, innovative and structured learning experience. Our online programme allows students to continue their professional careers while interacting and connecting with the curriculum that includes:

Real-life case studies
Video lectures
Interactive assignments
Digital tools and resources
Research Projects

At the School of Public Health we are involved in major national research projects, including focusing on nutritional epidemiology, looking at causes and prevention of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease, tobacco control and health services research. Most recently we were awarded significant funding to research the impact Covid-19 public health measures have had on the people of Ireland.

Available Scholarships
At UCC we support our student community by offering scholarships and prizes to prospective and current students. Please see the Scholarships & Prizes page for more information.

In total students take modules to the value of 90 credits as follows:

Part I - Year 1
Students take 50 credits of core modules and may select up to 5 credits of electives.

Core Modules
EH6088 Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (5 credits)
EH6094 Public Health Core Principles and Overview (10 credits)
EH6132 Health Economics for Public Health (5 credits)
EH6150 Introduction to Health Protection (5 credits)
EH6153 Quantitative Research and Epidemiology (10 credits)
EH6154 International Perspectives on Global Health (5 credits)
EH6157 Qualitative Research in Public Health (5 credits)
EH6158 Health Promotion I (5 credits)

Elective Modules
EH6063 Tobacco Control: National and International Approaches (5 credits)

Part I - Year 2
Students choose modules to the value of 20 credits (or 15 credits if EH6063 was taken in Year 1) from the following groups. A maximum of one module per group can be chosen.

Group A: EH6141 Psychosocial Epidemiology (5 credits) or EH6155 Migration and Public Health (5 credits)
Group B: EH6152 Principles and Practices of Screening (5 credits) or EH6156 Public Health in Humanitarian Crises (5 credits)
Group C: EH6000 Implementation Science in Health (5 credits) or EH6130 Critical Appraisal of Publications for Research and Practice (5 credits)
Group D: EH6140 Environmental Health: Principal Aspects and Burden of Disease (5 credits) or EH6151 Advanced Health Protection (5 credits) or EH6159 Health Promotion II (5 credits)
Group E: EH6101 Microbiology, the Environment and Infectious Diseases (10 credits) or EH6133 Advanced Quantitative Research (10 credits)

Part II - Year 2
EH6115 Master of Public Health Dissertation (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.

1. Holders of UCC's Postgraduate Certificate in Health Protection or UCC's Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health will be exempt from certain modules if the MPH is undertaken within five years from the date of award of UCC's Postgraduate Certificate in Health Protection or UCC's Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health.

2. Holders of UCC's BSc in Public Health/Promotion or UCC's BSc in Public Health Sciences will be exempt from EH6094 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 degrees.

Full details may be found in the University College Calendar (MPH-Online).

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

2. All candidates 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.

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

You will need access to a laptop or desktop (either Mac OS or Windows) running a relatively recent operating system (Windows 8, 8.1, 10 or Mac OSX 10.8, 10.9, 10.10). UCC supports access to the Canvas Virtual Learning Environment through IOS and Android apps, which are available from the respective App stores.

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.

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.

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.

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 (All Applicants)
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.

22 months Part-Time online.

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.