| The September 2026 intake starts on 16th September 2026 and ends on 3rd March 2027. The course comprises 19 online taught days (delivered on Wednesdays), followed by a four-week assessment period. The first taught day will commence on 16th September, with the last taught day 3rd February. Final essay submission and the last day will be 3rd March. |
Leading the way in global public health nursing: expert-led, 100% online
The Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing (PTDN) is one of the UK’s leading course in global public health nursing. It equips nurses and other health professionals to address inequalities, deliver care in under-resourced systems, and strengthen practice in diverse communities.
This fully online course is designed to be highly flexible, so you can study from anywhere in the world alongside your professional and personal commitments. Experts in their field lead high quality teaching. The insights and connections you gain will not only enhance your practice locally but also open doors to careers and collaborations across the globe.
An internationally recognised qualification
Held up as the industry standard, the PTDN is an established professional qualification and a requirement for many international agencies including Médecins Sans Frontières. By joining this course, you will gain an academic qualification, enhance your professional development, and become part of a dedicated international alumni community.
From March, the PDTN becomes a credit-bearing qualification, with students awarded 45 UK postgraduate-level credits. Many universities in the UK and around the world may recognise these credits towards a master’s degree through a process known as accreditation of prior learning (APL). This could give you a valuable head start in further study - particularly in advanced practice and public health programmes. However, as each institution sets its own rules, you will need to check with your university about transfer options.
A lasting legacy in global nursing
First established at LSHTM in 1996, the PDTN was a pioneering programme as the first course of its kind designed specifically with nurses in mind, recognising their vital role in health system strengthening and global health. Thousands of graduates now contribute to health improvement and leadership worldwide.
Student Nursing Times Awards 2026 Winner
LSHTM was announced as the winner in the Student Nursing Times Awards 2026 for ‘Nurse Education Provider of the Year (post-registration)’ in recognition of the Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing (PDTN) course along with Course Organiser, Katie Beck, who was shortlisted for ‘University Educator of the Year’.
What you will learn
Tackling inequalities and infectious disease
Wherever you are in the world, as a nurse you will have seen inequalities in healthcare. This course gives you the tools and perspectives to recognise, understand, and address barriers to equitable care, with a particular focus on diseases of poverty and health issues that disproportionately affect marginalised communities. You will explore topics such as women’s and children’s health and reflect on how unconscious bias shapes healthcare delivery. The course also places strong emphasis on infectious diseases, reinforced through innovative online laboratory training. This ensures you gain both the theoretical insight and practical skills needed to make a real difference.
Navigating low-resource settings
The majority of nurses around the globe work in underfunded systems and challenging conditions, where demand often outstrips supply. From providing “corridor care” in an overstretched UK hospital to triaging community health visits in rural Tanzania, the ability to prioritise and make the best use of what is available is essential. By studying on the PTDN you will develop the knowledge and skills to deliver safe, effective care in any setting where resources are limited and need to be optimised.
A distinctive feature of this course is the highly popular virtual laboratory, which allows you to practise core laboratory techniques from anywhere in the world. Guided videos and lectures bring microscopy directly to your screen, while demonstrations cover practical skills such as blood grouping, cross-matching, and haemoglobin estimation. Alongside this, you will explore approaches to operational management in low-resource contexts, including systems for mass triage and needs assessment, preparing you to manage health challenges at scale.
Collaborating across borders
Around the world, most nursing education is designed to prepare graduates for practice within their own country’s health system. As a result, many nurses feel underprepared for cross-cultural, international, or cross-border roles. This course helps bridge that gap, equipping you with the confidence, skills, and perspectives to work effectively across diverse contexts. And whether or not you plan to work internationally, the knowledge and skills you will gain are highly relevant; nurses everywhere increasingly work with diverse populations and within interconnected health systems. You will explore approaches such as effective partnership working, decolonisation, and cultural humility, building the insight needed to collaborate ethically and deliver equitable care.
Accreditation
The course is Level 7 within the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ). Successful candidates will be awarded the 'Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing'.
From September 2026, the PDTN becomes a credit-bearing qualification, with students awarded 45 UK postgraduate-level credits. Many universities in the UK and around the world may recognise these credits towards a master’s degree through a process known as accreditation of prior learning (APL). This could give you a valuable head start in further study - particularly in advanced practice and public health programmes. However, as each institution sets its own rules, you will need to check with your university about transfer options.
Who should apply?
This course will benefit:
- Nurses and other health professionals in any setting who want to address health inequalities and remove barriers to equitable care in their workplace.
- Nurses working with vulnerable groups- such as refugee populations, homeless people, or survivors of armed conflict -in any country.
- Those working with or interested in diseases of poverty (for example, infectious diseases) and their disproportionate impact on marginalised communities.
- Those interested in humanitarian or disaster response, preparing for or already engaged in emergency and crisis settings.
- Those seeking global nursing partnerships, mutual learning, and engagement with an international nursing community.
- Professionals working or learning across borders, whether through clinical practice, education, or research.
The PDTN is available to candidates with a degree who are currently registered as nurses, midwives, paramedics or allied health professionals.
We recommend you have two years of post-registration experience by the start of the course applied for. Any student who does not meet the above minimum entry requirements but who has relevant professional experience may still be eligible for admission.
The PDTN scholarship fund helps train, encourage and support the next generation of nurses from low- and middle-income countries.
How you will learn?
The September 2026 intake starts on 16 September 2026 and ends on 24 March 2027. The course comprises 19 online taught days (delivered on Wednesdays), followed by a four-week assessment period. The final taught day takes place on 3rd February 2027. The MCQ exam will be on 10th February with the final essay submission being on 3rd March 2027 which will also be the last day.
This programme comprises 450 learning hours over the course of 23 weeks.
This is an intensive and rewarding course, and you will get the most benefit by engaging with the live online lectures. These run between 09:00 and 17:00 UK time, and are also recorded and made available on our e-learning platform, Moodle. Wherever possible, we encourage you to attend live sessions so you can take part in academic exercises, interact with fellow students, ask questions, and receive immediate feedback.
Assessment
Assessment for the Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing for the September 2026 intake takes place on the following dates. Please note: some of the assessments take place after scheduled teaching has concluded.
| Course assessment summary | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lab exam | January 2027 | TBC |
| Online exam | 10 February 2027 | TBC |
| Essay Submission (and last day) | 03 March 2027 | TBC |
Additional information
Aims & Objectives
The overarching aim of this course is to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to tackle inequalities, collaborate across borders, and optimise care in challenging environments. It facilitates the development of practical skills, clinical knowledge, academic proficiency, and ethical awareness to enhance healthcare and address disparities.
Learning outcomes
- Apply and interpret laboratory methods available at local and district-level clinics in low-resource settings, for the diagnosis of infectious diseases and other medical conditions.
- Critically discuss the epidemiology, clinical presentation, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and nursing management of the major communicable and non-communicable diseases endemic in low-resource settings.
- Critically analyse the determinants of health, and how these are significant in the planning and delivery of health services
- Critically evaluate the ethical and professional responsibilities of healthcare workers in diverse socio-economic and cultural settings, and assess their role in improving health and diminishing health inequities.
Learning, teaching and assessment methods
The programme is taught through live online workshops, self-paced online learning, and online ‘virtual’ laboratory sessions. Students are expected to learn through both directed and self-directed study.
The course is formally assessed through an online laboratory exam (33.33%), an online multiple-choice exam (33.33%), and the submission of a 2500-word essay (33.33%). These assessments are designed to enable students to demonstrate their learning in relation to the course's learning outcomes.
Candidates must pass all three-course components.
Computer requirements
Students will require regular access to a computer with an internet connection, speakers and a microphone to access the LSHTM’s online learning site, where many of the programme’s study resources are located.
Internet connection and web access are essential. If you can stream videos, your connection and device should be sufficient. The main applications used during the programme are LSHTM’s online learning platform Moodle, Collaborate, Zoom, and videos.
It is recommended that users run the latest version of Google Chrome.
Fees for September 2026 entry
£2,310
Funding
A limited number of full tuition fee waivers are available for applicants joining the Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing (PDTN).
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for a fee waiver, you must:
- Hold an offer of admission to the PDTN for the next intake.
- Be a resident in, and a national of, a Low-Income Country (LIC) or Lower-Middle Income Country (LMIC) as defined by the World Bank.
How to apply for a fee waiver
To be considered for a fee waiver, you must first hold an offer of admission to the Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing (September 2026 intake).
Step 1: Apply for the course
Submit your application for the PDTN using the LSHTM Applicant Portal.
Step 2: Wait for your offer
You must wait until you receive an offer of admission before applying for a fee waiver.
Step 3: Submit your fee waiver application
Once you hold an offer, email the following documents to [email protected] with the subject line: PDTN Fee Waiver Application
Your application must include:
- An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- A 400-word statement addressing:
- Your eligibility for the fee waiver (including LIC/LMIC status - World Bank Country and Lending Groups).
- Relevant clinical and/or academic experience.
- How you will engage with and apply your learning on the course.
- The potential impact of the course and award on your work and the wider community.
Selection Process
All fee waiver applications will be reviewed through a competitive process. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a virtual interview (date to be confirmed).
Applications will be assessed by an independent panel of PDTN alumni and global nursing experts against the following criteria:
- Eligibility and relevance of experience.
- Commitment to learning and course engagement.
- Potential impact on practice and community.
Expectations of successful applicants
In addition to the standard expectations for all PDTN students, recipients of a fee waiver are required to:
- Attend all live sessions and participate fully in group work and course discussions.
- Join a group meeting with the Course Lead and other successful applicants within the first five weeks to discuss your learning goals.
- Engage actively in the course community and peer learning opportunities.
- Deliver a short presentation about your work or workplace to your cohort.
- Submit a short written reflection within two weeks of course completion, to be shared with the funder.
Key deadline
The deadline to apply for a September 2026 fee waiver is Monday 10 August 2026.
Decisions will be confirmed within approximately two weeks of the deadline date.
Entry Criteria
The programme is open to candidates with a degree who are currently registered as nurses, midwives, paramedics or allied medical professionals.
Any prospective student who does not meet the above minimum entry requirements but who has relevant professional experience may still be eligible for admission.
Candidates must be computer literate and have a good standard of written and spoken English and of English comprehension.
Priority may be given to applicants with experience of working in low- and middle-income countries and to those with at least two years of post-qualification experience.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language, you will need to meet these requirements: Band B.
Some applicants may be exempt if they have previously studied in English or meet other specified criteria. Please see our English language requirements for details.
Please note that applicants for the Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing will not be required to take an English language test if they have 18 months experience working in the UK or Republic of Ireland within the last five years.
It is possible to apply without English language test results however the results of a test may be listed as a condition of an offer of admission.
Applying for this course
Applications for 2026 are now open and can be made via our online application form.
The application deadline for this course is 19 August 2026, 23:59 UK time. We strongly advise that you apply early as courses may close earlier than the stated deadline if they become full.
Please read LSHTM's Admissions policies prior to submitting your application.
Professional Diploma of Tropical Nursing - Virtual Journal Club
Open to everyone - Professional Diploma of Tropical Nursing Virtual Journal Club. Join nurses from across the world at our monthly journal club.
The club provides a platform for global nursing professionals (and other interested individuals) to engage with recent research. Here you can explore findings from relevant peer-reviewed papers, led by PDTN students and graduates, LSHTM staff, and external experts.
Expand your knowledge and network with the global nursing community!
Dates for 2026 coming soon.
Alumnus Aebhric O'Kelly
Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing (PDTN) alumnus Aebhric O'Kelly reflects on his experience studying the course online and how it has enhanced his career.
