Public Health (Online Programme)

Course details

In recognition of an ever-changing professional environment, UCC recognize the need for flexibility for study and ongoing professional development. With this in mind, the Department of Epidemiology & Public Health are putting their MPH programme online for those of you who need a more flexible option – study anywhere, anytime.  This course will provide inpiduals from a range of different professional backgrounds with academic and experiential development in the theory and practice of public health. It allows you to focus on key themes of public health:

• Epidemiology
• Biostatistics
• Health Promotion
• Health Protection
• Global Health

Course Details

• In Part 1: You will take Core Modules to the value of 30 credits
• In Part 2:  You will take Core Modules to the value of 10 credits and can choose from a selection of modules to the value of 20 credits
• In Part 3:  You will take 1 Core Module on Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis (5 Credits) – a key skill in 21st Century Public Health, select elective modules to the value of 10 credits  and you will complete a Dissertation in Public Health and Epidemiology (15 Credits)

In total you will be required to take a total of 90 Credits for your MPH degree.

If you wish to study part-time then you can choose to commence with a Post-Graduate Certificate in Public Health, proceed to a Diploma and finally to the MPH within a 5 year period. The key to this course is flexibility. You will study public health from a national and global perspective equipping you for the 21st Century Public Health workplace and environment.  Additionally and particularly for healthcare professionals a PG Certificate in Health Protection is also available online. Progression to the online MPH is as described above.

For the  Online MPH you will study from the following modules:

Part 1  - 30 credits in total

Core modules: 30 credits in total

• Principles and Practice of Public Health (Online) (10 credits)
• Applied Research for Public Health-I (Online) (5 credits)
• Applied Research for Public Health-II  (Online)  (5 credits)
• Public Health Intelligence (Online) (5 credits)
• Introduction to Social Research in Public Health (Online) (5 Credits)  

Part 2 – 30 credits in total

Core modules: 10 credits

• Introduction to Health Promotion Concepts, Principles and Practices (Online) (5 credits)
• Introduction to Health Protection (Online) (5 credits)

Optional Modules:20 credits

Having completed the core curriculum students must select electives from the optional modules listed. Selection of modules will be guided by the Course Coordinator in collaboration with each student.

Part 3 – 30 credits in total

Core modules: 20 credits

• Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analysis (Online) (5 Credits)
• Dissertation in Public Health and Epidemiology  

(Online) (15 Credits) 

Optional Modules:10 credits

Having completed the core curriculum students must select electives from the optional modules listed. Selection of modules will be guided by the Course Coordinator in collaboration with each student.

Optional Modules available to students

• Advanced Epidemiology (Online) (5 credits)
• Psychosocial Epidemiology in Public Health (Online) (5 credits)
• Public Health and Behavioral Change (Online) (5 credits)
• Global and Environment Health (Online) (5 credits)
• Advanced Biostatistics (Online) (5 credits)  
• International Perspectives on Global Health (Online) (5 credits)  
• Tobacco Control: National and International Approaches (Online) (5 `credits)
• Principles of Microbiology (Online) (5 credits)
• The BIG Four: HIV, TB, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (Online) (5 credits)
• Survival Analysis (Online) (5 credits)
• Public Health Advocacy (Online) (5 credits)

Detailed Entry Requirements

Prospective students must satisfy the following:

• Students accepted on the course would normally be expected to hold an Honours primary degree in a relevant subject (minimum Second Class Honours) or an Honours primary degree in any discipline (minimum Second Class Honours) and either possess a postgraduate qualification in a relevant field or show evidence of at least two years work experience in a relevant field;
• Decisions will be based on qualifications and quality of application.

Note: In exceptional circumstances, applicants without a primary degree may be recommended for entry to the programme following an interview and review of their inpidual qualifications and experience by the course committee. Admission of such applicants will be subject to the approval of the College of Medicine and Health Executive Committee.

Technical Entry Requirements (Online):

To access and interact with the course content, assignments and assessments etc. students  will require access to at least a PC/ Laptop running Windows 7 or later and Mac OSX 10.7.4. Common plug-ins such as Mircosoft Sliverlight, Java and Flash will also be required. Students must have access to MS Office or an equivalent suite of applications such as Libre Office. They must also have access to a modern standards compliant web browser. UCC recommends either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.