University of Brighton
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Health Promotion
MA (PGCert PGDip)

  • Course summary and entry requirements

    Course duration Help

    Full-time: 1 year

    Part-time: 2 years (max 6 years)

    Professional accreditation

    The course has been designed to equip participants with skills to meet the internationally recognised core competencies in health promotion (Galway Consensus statement of 2011 http://www.iuhpe.org.) and relevant components of the UK National Occupational Standards for the Practice of Public Health.

    Masters graduates with appropriate work experience would be entitled to apply for membership of the voluntary UK Public Health Register.

    All of our courses are regularly reviewed to keep them up to date and relevant.

    About the course

    Our Health Promotion MA is one pathway of study from our suite of four related health promotion masters courses (Health Promotion and Management, Health Promotion and Education, International Health Promotion) which share core modules.

    All of the courses enable students to develop and extend their knowledge and skills in relation to internationally recognised core competencies in health promotion and public health. On completion of the course, students can operate effectively in local, national and international contexts.

    Students are encouraged to reflect and evaluate their own values and practices, and are supported to better understand the complex and dynamic nature of health promotion processes and public health policy, and their relationship with underlying themes of social and health inequalities. During the course we will expect you to question, innovate, evaluate, advocate, experiment and put into play your critical and problem-solving skills within the supportive student environment.

    Our health promotion courses attract students from a wide variety of professional and voluntary backgrounds ranging from those who are already working in health (eg nurses, midwives, health visitors and other professions allied to health) who want to improve their existing health promotion practice; people working in non-health settings who want to develop a health promotion aspect in their role (eg teachers, social workers, environmental health and probation staff); through to recent graduates from a variety of disciplines who want to broaden their undergraduate education by taking a health-related course. International students tend to take the courses full-time, many UK-based students study part-time and continue to work and take time off for study leave. For those who are working, the dissertation provides an opportunity to conduct a work-based learning project (if you wish), for example, evaluating or developing a particular aspect of your organisation's work from a health promotion perspective.

    The multidisciplinary and international student mix provides a lively and stimulating classroom experience with plenty of interactive learning and sharing of experience. Contributors include local public health and health promotion practitioners, international health promotion academics and researchers and staff from the university's School of Nursing and Midwifery, Institute of Postgraduate Medicine (IPGM) and Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS). The course benefits from educational exchanges with health promotion specialists at the University of Toronto and Hong Kong University.

    Global health issues are considered throughout the teaching making the course relevant to participants from all types of economies. UK students value gaining a better understanding of international health for working with diverse communities in Britain, preparing them for working internationally and raising awareness of the challenges to public health in our globalised world. International students appreciate studying on a programme where their experiences were embraced in the classroom and further explored in private study assignments.

    Formal teaching is supported by a series of extracurricular seminars both within the school, and through the Global Health Network which operates across University of Brighton, Brighton and Susses Medical School and University of Sussex.

    The course has long-standing links with the International Union of Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) and previous students have volunteered at IUHPE international conferences.

    Typical entry requirements Help

    The entry requirements listed here are for students starting their course in 2013. Individual offers may vary

    For non-native speakers of English:
    students whose first language is other than English must provide evidence of relevant levels of proficiency as recommended by the university for postgraduate study, ie IELTS 6.5 overall and 6.0 in writing. Students with lower scores can enter through our extended masters programme (usually on the same visa), or register for pre-sessional English tuition. Further information at http://www.brighton.ac.uk/international.

    Other:
    applications are accepted throughout the year and prospective candidates are usually interviewed by telephone or Skype. Early application is recommended, particularly for international students, as time needs to be allowed for the IELTS and visa requirements. Offers will be made depending on the following criteria: academic qualifications, professional experience, personal profile, and academic writing skills. Claims for the Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning will be considered up to a maximum of 30 level 7 credits.

    Degree and/or experience:
    normally a good UK honours degree or equivalent recognised award from an overseas institution. Candidates with professional qualifications (eg nursing certificate) and/or directly relevant experience, and/or record of active involvement in civil society organisations will also be considered, although they will need to demonstrate ability to study and write at Level 7. English-speaking students from overseas are particularly welcome.

  • Course content

    Course structure

    After the induction day at the end of September, students usually begin their study programme at the start of October with the Foundations of Health Promotion module. Students on the Health Promotion pathway take two optional modules from university's Graduate Programme in Health and Social Science (GPHSS) shared with other healthcare and health professional masters-level students, and with the medical and business schools, providing valuable cross-disciplinary experience.

    After completing a research methods module, you will undertake a dissertation examining an aspect of health promotion of your choice through a literature review, small-scale prime research or a work-based learning project. The dissertation is supported through monthly optional discussion groups in addition to formal dissertation supervision.

    Teaching and assessment strategies vary across different modules but most allow at least six weeks after the taught component before submission of written assignments. The pattern of delivering the taught component also varies; some modules run intensively for five consecutive days, others are spread out with attendance for five days over a couple of months. Dates are arranged well in advance so that you can plan ahead.

    Areas of study

    We use a health promotion approach in our teaching, seeking to stimulate and encourage independent learning and enquiry by creating a reflective and mutually supportive learning environment for each student group. We begin by exploring the interface between health promotion and the new public health considering topics such as health inequalities, ethics, evidenced-based practice, behaviour change communication and salutogenesis, and the application of health promotion theory to practice. We draw on the unique background and experience of each student cohort, challenging you to consider how what we discuss in the classroom is relevant to your particular area of work or interest.

    Modules on Global Health Promotion and/or Community, Culture and Wellbeing develop these themes in more depth, in preparation for the Health Promotion Practice module which involves problem-based learning. Each module assessment gives you the chance to apply the formal learning to particular topics that interest you, eg prevention of HIV, obesity, diabetes Type 2, smoking cessation, mental health. We take the broadest definitions of public health, so that our discourse on policy embraces subjects such as climate change and health, international trade, UN organisations, conflicts of interest. We ask you to think local-to-global, and back again.

    Throughout the course special emphasis is given to transferable skills such as critical analysis, information processing, communication, leadership, teambuilding and collaborative work. You will explore the effectiveness of interventions, and how we frame judgements on what works.

    Syllabus

    Students take a total of 180 credits for the masters award, comprising six 20-credit taught modules and a 60-credit dissertation. Twenty-credit modules have approximately 30 hours classroom-based lecturer contact or group work and we expect this to be backed up by approximately 170 hours of individual study and work on assignments.

    Core modules
    Foundations of Health Promotion
    Community, Culture and Wellbeing OR Global Health Promotion
    Health Promotion Practice
    A research methods module from the GPHSSDissertation

    Two options chosen from the GPHSS. The course leader can advise you about which modules would be suitable based on your background, experience and interests. Typically, students take:
    - Nutrition in Public Health
    - Epidemiology
    - Meeting the Challenges of Public Health in Practice
    - Social Marketing
    - Community Psychology Theory and Practice
    - Health Protection
    - Personal and Social Transformations.

  • Fees and costs

    The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2012-13. Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

    The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

    What's included in the fee?

    When costs such as health or criminal record checks, field trips or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

    You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply please check with the school that provides your course using the contact details on the left of this page for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

    Our website www.brighton.ac.uk/money provides advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee paying status.

    Health Promotion (MA) (Full time)  [L3BD031]
    UK/EU (Full Time)4,320 GBP
    Island Students (Full Time)7,700 GBP
    International (Full Time)11,000 GBP

  • Location

    Location Help Falmer

    Our Falmer campus is located on the edge of the South Downs National Park on the outskirts of Brighton. Approximately 7,000 students are based here.

    View campus maps and directions

    Living in Brighton

    Brighton’s rich mix of historic architecture, lively arts scene, varied shopping and cosmopolitan community make it a vibrant, enjoyable place to live. It is no wonder that many Brighton graduates choose to stay here.

    Social scene

    Alongside the traditional seaside attractions, Brighton is famed for its exciting social scene with a wide choice of pubs, clubs and restaurants.

    Music event on the beach

    Arts

    The highlight of the city’s cultural year is the Brighton Festival. The event is held each May and is England’s biggest arts festival, which showcases arts and performance from around the world. Brighton is also home to the UK’s oldest working cinema, the Duke of York’s, which shows alternative and mainstream films. The city is also well known for its exciting music scene and hosts The Great Escape music festival.

    Burning the Clocks winter solstice festival

    Sports

    Whether you take your sport seriously or just want to keep fit, Brighton offers all kinds of sports opportunities and facilities, on and off campus. You can also make the most of the location, and play volleyball, basketball and windsurfing down by the beach. The seafront is also the finishing point for the famous London – Brighton bicycle ride and the quirky veteran car run.

    Playing volleyball on the seafront

  • Career opportunities

    Participants are prepared for a career as a health promotion specialist in the NHS or other statutory, voluntary or commercial organisation.

    Visit the careers service website.

Apply now for your place
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Find out more

01273 644076
Email nam.pg@brighton.ac.uk

 

Graduate Programme in Health and Social Sciences
This course is part of our Graduate Programme in Health and Social Sciences. The programme allows you to sign up for one module at a time and build your qualification as you go. It also gives you access to a range of interdisciplinary modules across a broad selection of health and social science subjects. Find out more

 

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