Public Health - 2010 entry

MSc / PGDip / PGCert

This highly successful and innovative MSc in Public Health welcomes UK, EU and international applicants from a wide range of professions. The principles underlying this course are that the health of communities is the concern of a wide group of professionals, that health is related to a variety of factors, including individual biology and genetics, socio-economic factors, environmental factors and behavioural factors, and that good health is a right, not a privilege.

Society is made up of people of different races, nationalities, abilities, ages, sexual identities, religions, beliefs and lifestyles. Inequalities in health status within and between communities is unjust and different professions and agencies must and can work together to overcome this injustice.

Our strength and reputation is built on our student-centred approach, our teaching, our research excellence, our innovation and service to the community and professional organisations, and our educational philosophy, which seeks to embrace public health education in its widest sense.

Our students are drawn from a variety of health and social care professions locally, from across the UK and internationally.

This course is designed to prepare you to become a leader in public health and to provide you with flexible opportunities to enable you to pursue a coherent programme of study which meets your individual needs.

We aim to:

• bring the theories and principles of public health to bear on your work
• increase your ability to work effectively across professional and agency boundaries to improve the health of populations.

On completion of this course, you will be in a strong position to undertake the UK Part I exam of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine and to work in the growing number of positions that require a good understanding and analysis of public health. You will also gain a greater appreciation of the importance of working collaboratively and the confidence to pursue inter-agency collaboration on health and social issues.

Course content

The course is offered at three levels: PGCert, PGDip and MSc.

The PGCert in Public Health is based on the completion of the following modules:

• Foundations of Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Promotion.

The PGDip in Public Health is based on the completion of the above modules, plus:

• Statistics for Health and Social Care Research
• Advanced Research Design
• One module from the acceptable modules list.

The MSc in Public Health is based on the completion of all the above modules plus:

• Dissertation in Public Health.

Acceptable modules from the school include:

• Substance Misuse
  
• Vulnerable Children and Young People
• Risk and the Protection of Children
• Communicable Diseases and Public Health
• Operational Management in Health and Social Care
• Human Resource Management in Health and Social Care
• Leadership in Health and Social Care
• Work-Based Learning
• Independent Study.

Acceptable modules from other schools within the university also include:

• Pollution Measurement and Analysis
• World of Refugees
• Development and Urbanisation
• Environmental Assessment.

Teaching, learning and assessment

Teaching and learning methods include lectures, directed reading, workshops, seminars and project work. Some modules include group presentations, and you will complete an examination paper for the Epidemiology module.

Teaching is organised on a module-credit basis, each module involving approximately 200 hours of student input and approximately 36 hours of staff contact, normally delivered through a three-hour teaching block over a 12-week period.

Each module is assessed individually, generally on the quality of written or design work, and to some extent on verbal presentations. Assessment methods may include essays, seminar papers, formal written examinations, verbal presentations, workshop and practical exercises.

Student support

All our courses adopt a student-centred approach to teaching and learning and are strongly focused on encouraging each individual to attain their full potential as lifelong learners. You will be supported throughout the course by academic skills sessions and an allocated personal tutor, and you will receive module and dissertation support. In addition to support from the course team, Oxford Brookes also offers a range of other student services such as Upgrade (academic skills development support). There is also a dedicated Student Disability Service, which provides help for students with disabilities including sensory and mobility impairments, dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties. For more information, go to www.brookes.ac.uk/studying/brookeslife/support/index_html

EU/international students

As a new EU or international student you will join the school’s bridging programme, to enable you to make a smooth transition into study in the school. Within the sessions, you will explore the culture of the university and the school, which will assist you in developing the appropriate academic skills for your programme of study.

The university also provides a comprehensive range of support networks and services to international students. For more information, go to www.brookes.ac.uk/international/support

View our school's international webpages for more information.

Scholarships and funding

A limited number of scholarships are offered by Oxford Brookes University. Applicants who have been offered a full-time place on this master’s course are eligible to apply for the following scholarships: -

John Henry Brookes Scholarship

The John Henry Brookes Scholarship is awarded to home/EU and international applicants for academic excellence. Each scholarship will be paid towards the tuition fee for a taught master's degree. The awards do not include a maintenance grant. For further details, visit our school website or email shscspgscholarship@brookes.ac.uk for more details.

Abbey Santander Scholarships

Abbey, part of the Santander Group, will be awarding scholarships to new master's students wishing to study at Oxford Brookes University. The scholarships are awarded to applicants from 11 specific countries. For more information on eligibility and how to apply, see the university website.

Funding

Please contact the Programme Administrator to find out whether funding is available to assist with costs. Self-funding applicants are also welcome to apply.

General sources of information about finance and financial support for international applicants can be found at: www.brookes.ac.uk/international/finance

All applicants (UK, EU and international) will be required to provide details of their funding arrangements prior to enrolment on the course.

For general sources of financial support, see:

• funding for students from the UK and EU
• funding for students from outside the EU

Quality

The report of the QAA Major Review 1 (Health Visiting, Nursing, Midwifery and Operating Department Practice programmes) in 2006 was overwhelmingly positive and revealed high levels of confidence in all the areas reviewed.

Teaching staff are drawn primarily from the School of Health and Social Care, together with guest lecturers from the Health Protection Association, the Public Health Resource Unit, public health care consultancies, and the NHS.

See the section below for our ratings from the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

Research development

The school has a number of both promising and senior, experienced researchers working in established areas including Substance Misuse, Rehabilitation and Movement Science and Supportive Cancer Care. Over the past few years, these researchers have won external research and consultancy contracts worth over £1.5 million, including grants, fellowships and studentships for NHS staff. Our research staff collaborate with researchers from other schools in Oxford Brookes University, with researchers from the Institute of Health Sciences at Oxford University, and with research teams from many other UK and international centres.

The school is very pleased with the results received in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). 70% of our research in Allied Health Professions and Studies was rated as being of international significance in the assessment of research, and of this, 10% was rated as world-leading. The university has been careful to nurture emerging research strengths, and the international standing achieved by subjects Allied to Health demonstrates significant progress since 2001.

For more details about our research portfolio, go to our website

Why choose the School of Health and Social Care at Oxford Brookes University?

• Oxford Brookes University has been rated best new university again (The Times Good University Guide 2009).
• We have a large and dedicated building in Oxford (Marston Road) and a campus in Swindon (Ferndale), Wiltshire, equipped with state-of-the-art classroom and clinical skills simulation suites and resources.
• We have our own osteopathic clinics: Mill Court in Headington, Oxford, and at Ferndale Campus in Swindon, offering a full range of osteopathic treatments to university students, staff, NHS staff and the general public.
• Our courses are open to a wide range of health and social care professionals providing highly flexible continuing professional development (CPD) study opportunities with part-time, full-time and mixed mode options (including increasing opportunities for e-learning, blended and distance learning).
• The school supports multi- and interprofessional learning and teaching, and many of our courses are either fully multiprofessional or offer excellent opportunities for shared learning.
• Our lecturers are experienced in their specialist practice area and maintain excellent practice links with those areas locally or across the region.
• Many of our lecturers have reputations for excellence and have established links with colleagues, organisations and institutions at national and international levels.
• The school has a strong research profile, with experienced researchers working in established areas including Children, Young People and Families; Substance Misuse; Rehabilitation and Enablement; Supportive Cancer Care.
• Oxford Brookes is rated internationally excellent across a broad range of subjects in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). 70% of our research in Allied Health Professions and Studies was rated as being of international significance in the 2008 assessment of research, and of this, 10% was rated as world-leading.
• Oxford Brookes is a student-centred institution that is fully committed to each individual achieving their potential. To support this, both the school and the university offer a broad range of student support schemes to facilitate learning and development. 
• The school has been awarded the highest commendation possible, for all its programmes and courses, by the Quality Assurance Agency, following their Major Review of the school’s educational provision in 2006.
• We have an excellent track record of high levels of student satisfaction, low student attrition rates and high employability.

Credit transfer

Oxford Brookes operates the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). All postgraduate single modules are equivalent to 10 ECTS credits, double modules to 20 ECTS credits, and treble modules to 30 ECTS credits. A full master's course will carry 90 ECTS credits. More about ECTS credits.

Admission

The course attracts applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities. If your background is in nursing, medicine, social services, environmental health, the voluntary sector, planning or housing, we encourage you to apply.

Entry requirements include a first degree or equivalent experience, plus fluent writing skills and evidence that you are numerate and have undertaken work/study involving basic statistics (eg you have measured information using standard deviation).

If your first language is not English you must demonstrate that your level of English is appropriate for study at postgraduate level. This level is outlined in the Oxford Brookes University postgraduate regulations at www.brookes.ac.uk/international/courses/postgraduate/apply

Note:

The university offers a pre-master's programme which has been designed to fully prepare you for your future master's course if

• your undergraduate qualifications do not meet the level required for postgraduate study
• you wish to take a master's in a subject that is different from your undergraduate degree
• you need to improve your study skills and use of academic English.

Go to the main Oxford Brookes website for more information.

How to apply

See the section titled Admission for details of specific entry requirements.

If you meet the criteria detailed in the Admission section, and you are ready to apply, your next step is to request an application pack from the Programme Administrator or download it from our website. Within the pack you will find a ‘Checklist of Required Documents.’

You will need to submit an application form with all the necessary documents, such as references. You may be asked to provide evidence of written work.

Applications are dealt with on a first come, first served basis, so please act early to avoid disappointment.

International applicants will:

• be asked to pay a deposit of £1,000 to secure a place on the course
• need to apply early to allow enough time for obtaining visas if you are offered a place.

International applications

See the above section titled Admission for more details.

Conditions of acceptance

When you accept our offer you agree to the conditions of acceptance. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.