The course aims:

• to provide critical knowledge and understanding of public health from different disciplinary perspectives
• to equip students with the ability to critically analyse public health problems and develop practical solutions to protect and promote the public's health and tackle health inequalities
• to enable students to understand and undertake applied health research and to apply key findings into public health policy

All modules account for 15 credits unless stated otherwise. You require

• 60 credits (4 x 15 credit modules chosen from any listed below) for the PG Cert
• 120 Credits (8 x 15 credit modules including all 6 core modules below) for the PG Dip
• 180 credits ( 8 x 15-credit modules including all 6 core modules listed below, plus the 60 credit project module) for the MSc.
• You can also choose to study 1 or more individual modules as a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) student.

Please note that availability of optional modules is dependent on sufficient student numbers. Therefore, some optional modules (marked below with *) may not be available in some academic years.

Year 1 (all core modules - they must be studied)

Details below refer to the 2018/19 programme. 

The programme is informed by three key elements:

• Authentic learning
• Social learning
• Flexibility

Authentic learning

This is a key element that drives the content of all modules. It means that we use real-world, real-life, up-to-date case studies, examples and scenarios. Students can immediately see how their learning is "authentic" and applicable to their own working life, now and in the future. The focus is therefore not only to impart or communicate to students fundamental concepts, ideas and critical understandings of Public Health, but to contextualise this with real life examples. This way, students can see exactly how what they are learning can be applied in their own work.

Social learning

Learning is social. We learn from each other as much as from purely independent study. The sharing of ideas and the opportunity to debate and discuss has been demonstrated to enhance the learning process, and is a key means of developing, refining and challenging our own evolving ideas. This course uses multiple tools to deliver content and facilitate interaction with and between tutors and students, including screencasts, discussion tools, wikis, blogs, webinar software for live discussion and collaboration. The online tools used in the programme enable and support such reciprocal learning.

Variety and flexibility

The majority of the online reading materials are heavily supplemented, where appropriate, with videos, screencasts, internet-based materials, and the use of interactive online tools.

Materials are provided in blocks or "sessions" of usually 2-3 weeks duration. We have found that this approach enables flexible learning and encourages the student group to work collaboratively through each module.

The idea for delivering materials in this flexible manner, employing such diverse methods, is based on large part on published research conducted by core staff, which is described here. We want to ensure the development and delivery of the programme is evidence based

The core staff for this course are listed below:

• Course Director: Angie Rees
• Deputy Course Director: Fiona Campbell
• Course Administrator: Lynne Thompson
• Strategic Lead for Academic Studies: Prof. Elizabeth Goyder
• External Examiner: Nick de Viggiani, UWE Bristol
• Email: scharr-mph-online@sheffield.ac.uk

In addition to these core staff members, the course draws on the expertise of a wide range of internal and external staff, all of whom are actively engaged in Public Health teaching and research. This reflects the commitment of the School to ensuring the excellence of the programme and enhances the depth and breadth of the available learning for students by exposing them to a full range of experience, expertise and specialist knowledge, as well as different voices and perspectives.

The module leaders can be found on the course structure section.

Our students are an international body who live and work all over the world, from Jordan to Nigeria, Canada to Tanzania. They are seeking to develop key skills to begin or enhance their career in public health.

Internationally, students have found excellent opportunities in governments, health departments, universities, hospitals, as well as non-governmental organisations, undertaking leadership roles, public health programme interventions and evaluations, research, and policy-making.

Our public health masters graduates go on to work in very diverse areas, although many find work in a health or public health setting. Of particular note is that a significant percentage go on to undertake further doctoral/PhD study or to work in research or academic settings, which we feel reflects the quality of our research-led teaching in preparing and inspiring students.

Who will benefit from studying this course?

Students seeking the following roles will find the course highly appropriate: information analyst roles, senior public health management positions, health promotion activities, researching in universities, as public health specialists in the local authority and in the NHS and in a broad range of clinical public health roles

(3 years, all ScHARR courses, response rate 58.5%) data available in full at http://www.careers.dept.shef.ac.uk/studentgems/external/graduate.php
(choose MPH/... in the course dropdown menu)

*All students consented to the use of their comments in this publicity material.

Programme evaluations are run frequently to assess and improve the programme. We work constantly to develop and enhance the learning experience of our students.