Public Health, BSc (Hons)

Public health is about helping to prevent disease, improve health and prolong life. This, the first and only undergraduate degree in public health on offer in Scotland, will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need for a career in the diverse field of public health. It opens up opportunities in health promotion and in health policy, in government, in community health organisations, and in health-focused charities.Why QMU?

• This new course developed and delivered by public health academics with extensive academic and practical experience, who are able to link theory to practice and excellent professional links.

• The course is mapped against professional competency frameworks, namely the UK Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework, the UK Public Health Register’s (UKPHR) amended practitioner registration standards, and the IUHPE Health Promotion Competency Framework. This mapping provides quality assurance that the course is informed by current public health knowledge and practice and prepares students for professional registration.

On this course you will:

• Gain skills and knowledge to develop the competent practice you need to protect and promote the health of people at individual and population level, opening up a wide range of career options.

• Learn about the political and social influences on health, inequalities of health, and the role of public health in reducing inequities and improving health outcomes.

• Participate in work-based learning in each year of the course, enabling you to gain practical hand-on experience that boosts your employability.

Public Health Scotland defines public health as follows: Public health is about improving and protecting the health and wellbeing of entire populations. These populations can be as small as a local neighbourhood, or as big as an entire country or region of the world. To do this, public health seeks to engage everyone to play their part. It is through the organised efforts of our society that we can give everyone the best chance to live long, healthy and fulfilling lives. Whereas traditional healthcare systems focus on treating individuals, public health plays a key role in preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health and wellbeing.The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vital role of public health practice locally, national and globally and the need for effective public health practitioners. Would you like to work raising awareness of the issues that affect health and wellbeing across the lifespan and to protect future generations? Or would you like to help people make better health and lifestyle choices? Or would you like to influence society to address the underlying factors that cause ill-health and disease? If so, this course could be your route to a satisfying career positively impacting people's lives in our communities and contributing to the overall health and wellbeing of society. What could be more rewarding than that?You can opt to study full-time for an honours degree over four years or an ordinary degree over three years. You will complete a range of modules each year as outlined in the following modules section. You can also opt to study part-time for an honours degree over eight years and an ordinary degree over six years.You will complete a range of modules each year. The module pattern outlined below is that for the full-time route. For more information on the module pattern for the part-time route, please contact Karen Hicks, Programme Leader at: khicks@qmu.ac.uk.