Masters Degrees

In accordance with the School's mission, the postgraduate teaching programme aims to contribute to an improvement in global health for individuals and populations and to the advancement of medical and health sciences, both in the UK and internationally, by:

(i) providing relevant and varied learning experiences that are informed by cutting edge research;
(ii) creating a stimulating and challenging interdisciplinary learning environment;
(iii) attracting students from different cultures and with different levels of experience who can benefit from the postgraduate teaching programme and contribute to the learning experience of others;
(iv) providing a supportive environment in which students from diverse backgrounds can be helped towards achieving their potential academically and professionally;
(v) providing appropriate learning resources to enhance the students' learning experience, and;
(vi) ensuring the range of courses, their mode of delivery and their curricula match the changing needs in public health and tropical medicine.

The portfolio of courses covers the major components of public health and tropical medicine, and offers challenge, choice and individual learning opportunities.

All courses aim to:

(i) provide students with access to appropriate knowledge and skills from which to form the basis of competence in their subject and to enable them to maintain expertise through lifelong professional development;

(ii) promote students' use of the conceptual and practical tools needed to contribute to initiating research, and understanding developments in their field;

(iii) provide a framework of critical and evaluative skills that can be used to apply independent scientific judgement, and

(iv) prepare students for a career in research or for further advancement in professional practice.

The School offers Masters courses taught in London and via distance learning. London-based MSc courses are offered full-time over one year or part-time over two years. Distance learning MSc courses may be studied over 2-5 years. Both types of course are comprised of teaching units which are taught by expert academic staff. The School is developing its programme so that students may take a mix of London-based and distance learning units by ‘blended learning’. This facility is available for some courses and details are on this website as they unfold.

In addition, for reasons of professional updating/refreshing, special interest, or to 'sample' the programme, individuals may wish to undertake study of a teaching unit, or group of units from the Masters Programme as a Short Course. Further information on this opportunity together with those for short courses in general, are given in the Short Study Programme section.

A strong management structure underpins this teaching programme to ensure that students' needs are met and that academic standards are maintained. The School has a Teaching Programme Director to help manage and develop the School's teaching programme. A Taught Course Director in each academic department is responsible for all aspects of MSc teaching, and there are named Organisers for each MSc and each teaching unit. London-based MSc courses are offered full-time over one year and many may be studied on a part-time basis. Distance learning MSc courses are also available, their structure and length differ from those based in London. The Distance Learning Co-ordinator is responsible for all aspects of the Distance Learning programme including on-going development.

Studying Masters degrees in London

For students studying in London, formal lectures are a basic part of teaching, but they are only the starting point. For many students it is the small group activities and practical sessions that are particularly significant - where often students work together to tackle a problem, a project or to acquire new skills with the class tutor acting more as a catalyst than as an instructor. The wealth of experience students bring with them and the use of these teaching methods encourage valuable peer exchange. Using the Library for private study is also a very important part of the work in following up ideas from a lecture or preparing for a seminar. Other skills are developed through giving presentations, writing essays or dissertations, undertaking projects, working in laboratories and using computers. Staff give students every assistance in adjusting to this style of learning, without trespassing on their independence. All students in London have a personal tutor who gives individual advice on academic work and on any problems that may affect studies. Students benefit from the expertise of the staff together with extensive programmes of seminars and lectures given by senior international academics, policy-makers, health service decision-makers and health care professionals who regularly visit the School.

The Structure of the Masters Degree in London

All courses offer an initial period of orientation followed by study of 'core' material (Term 1), a range of core and optional study units (Terms 2 & 3), and project work (Term 3), see diagram. Further details of units available are given in the sections on each specific MSc course. Assessment is by a combination of two formal written examinations in June, in-course assessment of various types and a project report. For some Masters courses there are also oral (vivas) and practical examinations.

For some courses, projects may be taken outside the School, if appropriate, including spending part or all of this time abroad. Students undertaking projects overseas will need to find up to £1,500 to cover the costs involved.

The School takes great pride in the collaborative nature of its teaching and research, and three Masters courses are offered jointly with other London colleges. These are MSc Health Policy, Planning & Financing, taught jointly with the London School of Economics and Political Science, MSc Sexually Transmitted Infections & HIV, taught jointly with University College London, and MSc Veterinary Epidemiology taught jointly with The Royal Veterinary College. The structure of these Masters courses differs from that described above because of the joint nature of the teaching, further details are given in the sections on specific MSc courses.

Term 1 (September-December) orientation core Term 2 (January-March) C1 C2 study units (chosen by students) D1 D2 Term 3 (April-September) E1 E2 study units (chosen by students) examination in June research project

Part-time Study

In addition to completing a degree full-time over one year, London-based MSc courses are offered on a part-time basis completed over two years. This is a stimulating way to undertake Masters training and is particularly relevant for those wishing to enhance their knowledge and skills to be better equipped to carry out their professional role, whilst working in their chosen field. Part-time students have the same privileges, access to facilities and expertise, as full-time students of the School. Nevertheless, to facilitate contact, access to a computer (at home or work) with e-mail capability is recommended. Part-time students are allocated personal tutors and a nominated member of staff is available for students to contact with issues related to their part-time study. Up to a third of students enrolled on a London-based Masters course participate on this basis.

There are two ways of undertaking part-time study:

(i) attending part-time throughout the two years.

Feedback from previous students shows that this can be a challenging but also very satisfying way to study. It is important for both the student and their employer to prepare fully for the time commitment involved. Such students complete the course module programme on a part-time basis from September to May over the first two years. The normal pattern of study for part-time students is to take six modules, three in Term 1 and three from Terms 2 and 3 in each year. Students need to be available to attend the School for up to four or five half days every week during the course module programme. As far as possible the timetable is scheduled so that each module takes place over two and a half consecutive days - Monday to Wednesday or Wednesday to Friday.
The June written examinations and the project report are normally taken in the second year of study.

(ii) attending full-time for modules in the first two Terms in Year 1, and then undertaking the remainder of the course modules, the exams and summer project in Year 2. This is called 'split study'.

Students taking this option would be at the School from the end of September - February or March in Year 1 and studying from March or April - September in Year 2. With formal teaching stopping at the end of May, attendance would only be required for two or three months of Year 2. Further time would then need to be committed to complete the exams and the summer project. It would be advisable to set aside a dedicated further three months for this.
Time would be required throughout the two years for private study. The School believes that this method of part-time study offers greater flexibility to those students who find it difficult to come to London for a full year but for whom two six-month periods are more feasible.

Not all MSc courses offer both of these part-time study approaches and details are given under the sections on each specific MSc course.

We strongly advise that students considering part-time study contact the appropriate MSc Course Organiser for further information on the attendance and course requirements. The School can, on request, provide a letter to inform a student's employer of the time commitment required.

Further Information

Information on specific MSc courses is available from the overview of Masters Degrees.

Information on how to apply is available in the How to Apply section.