This course aims to bridge the disciplines of epidemiology, laboratory sciences and public health and policy for training and retraining of students who wish to work directly on a multidisciplinary practical approach to the control of infectious diseases, and to equip students with specialised skills that will facilitate a career in the control of infectious diseases as staff of health ministries, health departments, national or international disease control agencies, aid organisations or universities.
Course Duration
Full-time for one year or split study over two years. Students taking the course by split study over two years attend full-time for part of Year 1, and then undertake the remainder of the course in Year 2. The split can occur anytime between the Christmas break and the end of the formal teaching in May, by prior arrangement with the Course Director. Paper 1 may be taken at the end of Year 1 or at the end of Year 2. Paper 2 must be taken at the end of Year 2. Interested applicants should indicate their choice on the application form.
" I feel the quality of tuition and level of support available are far beyond anything I have experienced in my previous education. Hamish Innes from Scotland studied the MSc in Control of Infectious Diseases. - Full profile
Objectives
At the end of this course students should be able to: investigate the transmission of endemic and epidemic infections; select appropriate methods of control; design, implement and evaluate co-ordinated control methods; assess constraints of local public health delivery systems; manage available resources in the context of the control of infectious diseases, and focus their efforts on particular geographical regions or specific diseases.
Programme specifications - showing which of the various elements of the Course support and achieve each of these specific Objectives.
Term 1
After orientation, students attend a core module which focuses on: (i) the life cycle and characteristics of infectious disease agents according to their principal transmission routes; (ii) the principal intervention strategies used to combat infectious diseases; (iii) examples of successes, partial successes and failures in intervention programmes against infectious diseases. This module is integrated with a compulsory module on basic statistics, and either with a) study modules on basic epidemiology; health economics, and health policy, process and power, or with b) study modules on extended epidemiology and health economics or health policy, process and power. An interdisciplinary approach is emphasised which takes account of the social, political and economic context in which health systems operate.
Terms 2 and 3
Students take a total of five study modules, one from each timetable slot. A typical selection is given here:
C1: : Health Care Evaluation; Primary Health Care in Developing Countries; Vector Sampling, Identification & Incrimination.
C2: Conflict & Health; Clinical & Public Health Bacteriology; Economic Analysis for Management and Policy.
D1: Communicable Disease Control in Developed & Middle Income Countries; Designing Disease Control Programmes in Developing Countries.
D2: Epidemiology & Control of Communicable Diseases
E: AIDS; Methods of Vector Control; Mycology; Modelling and The Dynamics of Infectious Diseases; Population and Development; Control of Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Epidemiology and Control of Malaria; Antimicrobial Chemotherapy; Tropical Environmental Health.
Further details for the course modules can be found here.
Project Report
Students complete a research project studying aspects of an intervention programme. If appropriate, this may take the form of an optional period in a relevant overseas location. Most students on this course undertake projects overseas. Students undertaking projects overseas will require additional funding of up to £1,500 to cover costs involved.
Titles of some of the recent summer projects completed by students on this MSc.
Entrance Requirements
Either a Second-class Honours degree from a recognised university in a scientific, social sciences or humanities field, or a degree in medicine. Applicants with an appropriate technical qualification and work experience, or equivalent qualifications, are also welcomed.
Application for London-based Study
Application for Masters degrees in London must be made using the School's MSc Application Forms.
Application for Research degrees (MPhil/PhD or DrPH) and for occasional research study in London must be made using the School's Research Application Forms
Instructions on how to complete these forms and an outline of the application process are available with the relevant Application Forms.
The MSc and Research Application Packs are also available from: The Registry, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7299 4646 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7299 4656 E-mail: registry@lshtm.ac.uk).
Masters Courses
Applicants wishing to be considered for School scholarships are advised to apply by 1 March 2012. Please note that this is not a closing date. Although we accept applications all year round, other applicants are also advised to apply before this date as courses can become full rapidly. While early application is encouraged, late applications are always considered until all places on the course have been filled. All applicants should be able to start the course on the first day of the academic year, 24 September 2012.
All Masters courses are offered on a part-time basis over two years. Students interested in part-time study should contact the appropriate Course Organiser, via the Registry, to discuss course requirements and likely timetables, and should read the Masters degree information.
There are two ways of undertaking part-time study:
1) attending part-time throughout the two years: Students need to be available for up to four or five half days every week for 27 weeks per year. Evidence may be required to prove that applicants are able to commit this minimum period of time to their study
2) attending full-time for modules in the first two terms in Year 1 (September-March), and undertaking third term modules, exams and project in Year 2 (April - September). Such an option may be attractive to applicants who are unable to be released from employment for a continuous twelve-month period. This option is called split study.
All courses commence on 24 September 2012 and last one year for full-time study or two years for part-time study.
