Public Health - 2012 entry

Course content

Our students are drawn from a variety of health and social care professions locally, from across the UK and internationally. These include those working in health care, social services, environmental health, local government and the voluntary sector.

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.

There is both a January and September entry point for the MSc Public Health programme. For full time students starting in September the modules follow a specific sequence starting with: P44611 Foundations in Public Health , P44616 Statistics for Health and Social Care, followed by January compulsory modules, P44614 Advanced Health Promotion, P44612 Epidemiology.

Students who enter the programme in January will be commencing the programme with P44612 Epidemiology and P44614 Advanced Health Promotion modules, and studying P44611 Foundations in Public Health and P44616 Statistics for Health and Social Care in September.

Plans are underway to develop the hugely successful public health course portfolio to extend the area of prevention science. This pathway will enable students to study a particular focus on theory, evidence and methods for prevention and behavioural health in a public health context.

The compulsory modules for the PGCert are as follows:

P44611 Foundations in Public Health
20 credits at M Level
Semester 1
Taught sessions on alternate Thursday afternoons, 14:00 to 17:30

This module examines historic and current trends in public health, with an emphasis on the key determinants of health. Environmental, behavioural, socioeconomic and disease factors will be explored. Inequalities across groups, populations and countries will be considered, as well as links between health inequalities and ethnicity, gender, employment status and class.

P44612 Epidemiology
20 credits at M Level
Semester 2
Taught sessions on Thursday mornings, 9:30 to 13:00
This module provides you with an introduction to the concepts and methods of epidemiology and its application in primary and community health. It includes an introduction to epidemiological research and critical appraisal of the research evidence.

P44614 Advanced Health Promotion
20 credits at M Level
Semester 2
Taught sessions on alternate Thursday afternoons, 14:00 to 17:30

This module explores practical aspects of health promotion, including how to develop strategic and action plans for health. You will be introduced to behavioural theory as it relates to changes in health behaviour and lifestyle, as well as looking at the larger social dimensions related to lifecycle. The module will also provide tools for assessing community health needs, planning health promotion activities, using participatory methodologies that engage communities in developing their own healthy lifestyles, while also examining the pitfalls of participatory processes.

Additional compulsory modules for the PGDip and MSc:

P44616 Statistics for Health and Social Care
20 credits at M Level
Semester 1
Taught sessions on Thursday mornings, 09:30 to 13:00

This module provides you with an introduction to the basic concepts and methods of statistics and its application in health and social care. It includes an introduction to different methods of statistical measurements used in health and social care. You will be introduced to and use SPSS software.

P49210 Advanced Research Design
20 credits at M Level
Semester 1 or 2, Taught or Distance Learning
Taught sessions on Wednesday afternoons,13.00-16.00
This module is designed to help you to develop greater independence in your ability to engage in your own investigative work. It aims to develop decision making skills related to research design. You will also explore the theoretical and philosophical context relevant to a study of research methodology and consider its implications for research design. A broad and eclectic approach is taken to the study and choice of research paradigms and designs and their use in the investigation of contemporary health care problems. Learning will take place from a wide range of perspectives.

The acceptable modules are:

P44615 Communicable Diseases and Public Health
20 credits at M Level
Semester 2
One week course, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:30

This practice-focused module will examine the history, causes and epidemiology of communicable diseases from a broad public health perspective. Associated morbidity and mortality, both nationally and globally, will be considered together with trends in established and emerging infections. Methods to prevent and control infection will be discussed, including surveillance, screening and vaccination strategies. Practitioners will have the opportunity to increase their knowledge and understanding of microbiology, immunology and the legal and ethical aspect of infection control to underpin this material.

P49213 Work Based Learning in Public Health
20 credits at M Level
Semester negotiable, no timetable hours. Students will be linked with a facilitator.

A single module designed to develop a range of work-based learning skills. It enables you to build on your professional knowledge and experience by studying in depth an aspect of health care pertinent to your own areas of practice. Assessment is by a portfolio of evidence of learning. You may carry out individual or group projects and must negotiate an overall plan that includes the evidence and method of assessment with an appointed supervisor. This option provides useful, practical public health work experience.

P49214 Independent Study in Public Health
20 credits at M Level
Semester negotiable, no timetable hours. Students will be linked with a facilitator

This module allows you to undertake a negotiated individual study, focused on a public health topic that is pertinent to your area of practice. You are able to enhance your reflective and analytical abilities and build on existing knowledge and experience. An interdisciplinary/professional project would be particularly encouraged.

P45003 Substance Misuse
20 credits at M Level
Distance learning

This module will explore how substance misuse can be conceived and understood in an historical and societal context, including the extent of substance misuse. It will examine and critically assess evidence on what works in preventing and intervening with young people and families in the context of substance misuse.

P45004 Vulnerable Children and Young People
20 credits at M Level
Distance learning

Adopting a risk and resiliency framework, this module will seek to explore children and young people caught in situations of vulnerability and challenge for which they and/or parents and/or communities may have very little experience, or mechanisms for coping (i.e. children in conflicted families, children as carers, children in war zones, children in modern society, children in cultural crossfire, children with challenges, children who are exploited).

P45000 Risk and the Protection of Children
20 credits at M Level
Distance learning

This module will critically examine contemporary childhood from an international perspective including children’s rights, child welfare and wellbeing, and children’s experiences of harm in society. The module will examine current evidence on the signs and symptoms of child maltreatment, including incidence and prevalence rates and the risk factors associated with child abuse and neglect. Child protection interventions and responses to child maltreatment will be debated in relation to social and cultural contexts.

The additional compulsory modules for the MSc in Public Health:

P49215 Dissertation for Public Health
60 credits at M Level
Semester 1 or 2
10 hours of negotiated supervisor-student contact

This module provides you with the opportunity to engage in a piece of investigative research which allows you to demonstrate the development of your skills in scholarship and your ability to focus on a specific research question(s). In addition, it provides sufficient scope to display a wide appreciation of the context of your chosen topic within the public health field. The research questions posed by students are expected to vary considerably; however, you will be required to justify an appropriate methodology. Support will be given to you through the allocation of an academic supervisor for the duration of the dissertation. The investigation undertaken will encompass a systematic collection and analysis of data and reflect awareness of the implications of the research for practice, theory, education, management and future research within the public health field. The module is organised in such a way as to ensure that opportunities are available, at regular intervals, for you to communicate and discuss their work in progress with peers and other health/social care/support professionals.

Please note: as courses are reviewed regularly, the list of modules may vary from that shown here.

Faculty

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences

Department

Department of Social Work and Public Health

Course length

Full-time: MSc: 12 months
Part-time: MSc: up to 3 years. For PGDip and PGCert, please contact the Programme Administrator

Teaching location

Headington Campus, Marston Road

Start date

September 2012
January 2013

UKPASS code

P016865

Entry requirements

Entry requirements include an undergraduate degree or equivalent professional experience, demonstrable work experience in public health (normally six months), 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).

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.

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

Why Oxford is a great place to study Public Health

As a student in Oxford you'll be at the heart of the UK's most successful economic region and in a centre for leading industries which provides you with a host of learning opportunities.

Because Oxford is one of the world's great academic cities, it is a key centre of debate, with conferences, seminars and forums taking place across education, science, the arts and many other subjects.

In addition to our own excellent libraries and resource centres, our postgraduate students have access to the world-renowned Bodleian Library, the Bodleian Law Library and the Radcliffe Science Library.

Support for students studying Public Health

All our courses adopt a student-centred approach to teaching and learning and are strongly focused on encouraging you to attain your full potential as lifelong learners.

There is a range of support mechanisms for students, such as academic advisers, who will facilitate your academic development, and student support co-ordinators, who provide a drop-in service for queries about any aspect of student life, covering both academic and personal welfare.

The university’s support services include Upgrade, which provides advice on study skills such as planning and writing essays, assignments and dissertations, research, or preparing for an exam. They also give advice on statistics and maths. There is a dedicated Student Disability and Dyslexia Service, which provides support for students with disabilities including sensory and mobility impairments, dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties, mental health problems and medical conditions. Here, staff offer advice and support on a range of issues, including physical access, funding, alternative assessment arrangements and liaison with teaching staff to ensure that they are aware of your requirements.

EU/International students

As a new EU or international student you will join the Academic and Cultural Orientation Programme, which has been set up to enable you to make a smooth transition into study at the university. Within the sessions, you will explore the culture of the university, which will assist you in developing the appropriate academic skills required for your programme of study. The university also provides a comprehensive range of support networks and services to EU/international students. For more information, go to www.brookes.ac.uk/international/support

How Brookes supports postgraduate students

Supporting your learning

From academic advisers and support co-ordinators to specialist subject librarians and other learning support staff, we want to ensure that you get the best out of your studies.

Personal support services

We want your time at Brookes to be as enjoyable and successful as possible. That's why we provide all the facilities you need to be relaxed, happy and healthy throughout your studies.

Research excellence

We have a number of both promising and experienced researchers working in established areas including cancer care, children and families, drugs and alcohol, physical rehabilitation and enablement, and interprofessional education and collaborative practice. Over the past few years, these researchers have won external research and consultancy contracts including grants, fellowships and studentships for NHS staff. Our research staff collaborate with researchers from across Oxford Brookes University and from the Institute of Health Sciences at Oxford University, along with research teams from many other UK and international centres.

Our academic staff have extensive experience of NHS and general management at both senior and director level. They also have a significant record of research and publications on the topics of management and leadership. The currency of the course is also assured by the lecturers' close involvement in the health and social care sector and their movement between that sector and education.

We are 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, of which 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.