Global Health

Introduction

A one-year innovative intercalated degree to understand and shape health beyond the clinic.

As a student on the BSc in Medical Sciences with Global Health, you will spend a year at Imperial’s School of Public Health, which is one of the world’s leading institutions in population health science field. The Global Health programme equips students with the knowledge, methods and critical thinking to become transformative leaders and address pressing health-related challenges in today’s world – whether at the local, national or international level.

Global Health is currently one of the most dynamic fields bringing together international relations, medicine and public policy. New global challenges are driven by major socioeconomic, environmental, political and technological changes, contributing to emergent disease dynamics – such as the continued rise in non-communicable diseases, the emergence of novel infectious diseases and growing threats posed by climate change and conflict. At the same time, scientific and medical advances offer real opportunities to address these challenges both globally and locally in the UK via effective and critical leadership, innovation and evidence.

Course Director: Dr Mariam Sbaiti (m.sbaiti@imperial.ac.uk).

Module 1 lead: Ambar Qavi

Module 2 lead (Community Group Placements): Dr Shyam Sundar Budhathoki

Module 3 Lead (BSc Project): Dr Atsumi Hirose 

Course Administrator: Ms Beatrix Rozsa

Aims and Objectives

What you will get from this course

The Global Health BSc is designed for medical, dental and veterinary students who are driven to develop the knowledge and skills to become future leaders in global health research, policy or practice.

By the end of the programme, students are able to analyse and critically interpret global public health, quantitative, qualitative and epidemiological evidence in global health and critically interrogate the assumptions behind these types of evidence. The course places an emphasis on learning by doing, and our students practice key skills e.g. scientific writing (e.g. writing a letter to the editor on a key issue in the field), analyses of real-time humanitarian data within the sociopolitical context of armed conflict, co-design of an intervention as part of a placement within a voluntary sector organisation in West London or leading a scientific research project within one of our research teams. our graduates go on to publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals and present their work at national and international conferences. The programme trains students to apply an interdisciplinary lens to complex global challenges, by drawing on a range of disciplines to enhance their scientific approach namely anthropology, sociology, ethics, economics, history and international development.

Our graduates engage confidently with the ethical and political dimensions of global health, not just their technical content. Students are supported to develop a reflexive, evidence-based approach to advocacy and leadership, the ability to identify a challenge, assess the evidence for solutions, and communicate their case effectively to different audiences, from policymakers to communities.

Above all, the course aims to cultivate curiosity, creativity and originality when engaging in global public health i.e. the disposition to ask better questions, and the skills to pursue the answers rigorously.

The programme centres innovative learning methods to foster a sense of belonging and mattering for all students in the classroom. Students are invited to practise the tenets of “principled spaces” and acknowledge and learn from difference whilst taking responsibility for how we show up in the classroom. This is especially important as global public health touches on sensitive issues such as inequality. We, as faculty, acknowledge that not all spaces can be safe for all students, but that collectively, we can strive to build a space that enriches our learning by engaging reflexively in our exchanges. This aspect of the course is praised by students and feedback data show that students on our programme feel well supported by the course team throughout their studies.

You can learn more about some of our innovative approaches to learning in our student videos (forthcoming) and in this BMJ Global Health paper.

• An awareness of the major issues in Global Health scholarship from a global public health perspective, including their theoretical foundations
• The ability to integrate contributions from multiple academic disciplines that includes anthropology, sociology, ethics, international development, history and economics, to the study of global health
• Competence in applying specific scientific methods relevant to global health, or critically interpreting their use
• The ability to engage analytically with the ethical and political dimensions of global health
• The skills to identify challenges in global health and advocate for evidence-based solutions across a range of audiences
• A reflexive approach to practice and the ability to communicate ideas effectively to diverse audiences
• Curiosity, creativity and originality in approaching global health questions, applicable to future careers in research, policy or practice

Our taught module (Module 1, running September to December) is delivered through a range of innovative methods. Many sessions are designed to encourage debate, discussion and critical reflection on complex and contemporary global health issues. In the recent years teaching methods have included flipped classrooms, group presentations, analyses of humanitarian data, film screenings and Q&A sessions with humanitarian experts, and student-led sessions that feature regularly throughout the module. The module also draws on content developed in collaboration with experts, including those with lived experience of armed conflict. Module 2 includes a longitudinal experiential placement with a local civil society organisation in London. In recent years this has culminated in a public-facing  Impact Afternoon event showcasing students’ work.

Course structure

The course runs from September to May and is structured across three modules. Teaching is active and student-centred throughout: seminars, flipped classrooms, team-based learning and experiential placements.

The course is assessed entirely by coursework — there are no traditional written examinations.

Module Descriptions

Module 1 — Global Health in a Dynamic World (September to December)

This core taught module combines teaching from world-leading academics and practitioners with innovative teaching methods designed to build skills from the outset. Teaching is led by the core team and draws on experts from Imperial’s School of Public Health and a range of external organisations including international agencies, civil society and global health practitioners.

Teaching is organised across three weekly themes:

• Causes of Disease, Morbidity and Mortality — the epidemiology of communicable and non-communicable disease globally, and the evidence base for interventions
• Skills and Methods for Global Health — quantitative and qualitative methods, data analysis, and critical appraisal of evidence generated for global health
• Global Health Governance — global health frameworks and institutions, health systems, financing, and the politics of global health

Assessments in Module 1 are designed for authenticity: students develop skills in scientific writing, conference-style presentations, and the analysis of real global health data. These have been assessed through assessed through commentaries, poster presentations, data interpretation tasks and policy briefs which are all directly transferable to careers in academia and public health.

Module 2 —  Group and Independent Analyses: Evidence Synthesis and Science in Context (January to February)

Module 2a: Literature Review

Working in small groups, students conduct a critical summary of the evidence on a global health question, going through a structured peer review process. This module builds skills in evidence synthesis — one of the most transferable capabilities in academic public health and global health practice.

Module 2b: Community Group Placement (CGP)

Each student is placed with a community-based organisation (CBO) working with local communities across London. Using London as a microcosm for understanding global health challenges, students work with their placement organisation on a real issue, typically producing a report or evaluation that draws on evidence to recommend a course of action .

London’s diversity and its challenges that includes poverty, inequality, access to care, migration make it an exceptionally rich setting for experiential learning in global health alongside teaching module in autumn term. Students develop practical skills in consulting, evaluating evidence and communicating with communities that are directly transferable to public health environments anywhere in the world.

Alumni viewpoint published as Journal Commentary can be read here.

Module 3 — BSc Research Project (February to May)

The research project is a 13-15-week full-time block in which students are embedded within active research teams at Imperial’s School of Public Health or partner institutions. This is a unique part of the course that distinguishes it from other courses nationally as our students work under close supervision, completing a scientific investigation of a current global health question. Many of our graduates present at scientific conferences and publish their work in the years after their BSc. You can see some examples of their work here, including general media articles that discuss the impact that some of our graduates have had in the field.

Projects span a wide range of global health research methods including for example, epidemiological analysis, systematic reviews, qualitative research, health policy analysis, and disease modelling and economic analysis. The range of projects available varies from year to year. Students are typically offered a list of available projects towards the end of autumn term and invited to submit short statements of interest for their top six choices. Students may also propose their own project, subject to securing an Imperial supervisor and course approval.

Eligibility

This is a one-year intercalated BSc. To be eligible to apply you must:

• Be registered on a recognised Medical, Dental or Veterinary course at a UK or Irish university or at one of our recognised International Partner institutions.
• Have completed at least one year of that course before you apply to Imperial. i.e. you must be at least in Year 2 in 2025/26.
• Have at least one year of your degree left when you return to your home institution after completing your intercalated BSc.

• Academic transcript covering your marks (from university) up to and including the 2026-27 academic year. There is no official cut-off for academic performance but students who are accepted onto our courses are generally on track to achieve a 2.1 or higher.

Application Process

The application process for the 2026–27 academic year is now closed and will reopen in early October 2026.

Selection is based on your application form and the supporting documents you will upload with your application. Please find further information about the application process in the  Imperial Intercalated BSc Guide for 2026-27 Entry (PDF).

If you have any queries about the application process, please email the Faculty Education Office (BSc Team) at feo.bsc@imperial.ac.uk.

Second Round of Applications

Term Dates

BSc Global Health will run from Monday 21 September 2026 until Friday 21 May 2027. The term dates can be found in the BSc Term dates (PDF).