Master of Public Health
Develop key quantitative analytical skills for a career in public health, epidemiology and health services research.
Course key facts
Qualification
MPH
Duration
1 year
Start date
October 2027
Study mode
Full-time
Delivered by
Location
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Hammersmith
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White City
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Course overview
Our full-time MPH course equips you with a deep understanding of epidemiology, biostatistics and advanced research methods, providing the analytical, quantitative and critical thinking skills needed to succeed across the public health landscape.
You’ll learn from leading academics and experienced practitioners, alongside guest speakers who bring first-hand insights from experiences of shaping public health policy and delivering interventions at local, national and global levels. This real-world perspective helps you understand how evidence drives decision-making and translates into meaningful change.
With the option to choose specialist streams, you can tailor your learning to your interests, building expertise in areas such as global health, environmental health, health policy, advanced statistical methods, and infectious diseases . This ensures you graduate with the skills and focus needed for a wide range of career pathways.
Your studies culminate in a substantial individual research project, giving you the opportunity to apply your knowledge to pressing public health questions. Projects are developed with Imperial academics and often involve collaboration with the NHS, government bodies, international organisations and leading policy institutions.
Through these experiences, you’ll gain valuable professional exposure, build networks across the sector, and develop the confidence to take the next step as a future leader in public health.
This course will prepare you for a rewarding career in public health, developing the analytical, research and policy skills you’ll need to pursue roles such as epidemiologist, data analyst, public health specialist, policy advisor or researcher, or progress to doctoral study.
You’ll benefit from tailored careers support, an active alumni network and opportunities to engage in real-world research, while building valuable connections and experience for a career in public health leadership and research in the UK and globally.
Structure
This page is updated regularly to reflect the latest version of the curriculum. However, this information is subject to change.
Find out more about potential course changes.
Please note: it may not always be possible to take specific combinations of modules due to timetabling conflicts. For confirmation, please check with the relevant department.
You’ll take all of these core modules.
Core modules
Become familiar with core concepts in epidemiology, and acquire the skills necessary to describe, analyse, interpret, and appraise epidemiological studies.
Build your appreciation of a range of core public health principles and skills, and develop your expertise in problem solving and consulting.
Understand the importance of statistical thinking in epidemiology, randomised trials and public health, and carry out a range of statistical analyses.
Explore core concepts related to the research cycle, and acquire key skills involved in designing, planning, and conducting research.
Study the basic principles of microeconomics and their application to healthcare. This module is delivered by the Imperial Business School.
You’ll choose a further five optional modules from a range of specialist streams.
For the general MPH award, you can choose any five modules.
To achieve a specific stream designation, you must choose at least three modules applicable to your chosen stream.
Health Promotion and Service Improvement
Developed by the NIHR ARC-NWL team (National Institute for Health and Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration Northwest London), this module draws on academic literature and research in quality improvement and applies it to real life practical examples.
You may also carry out an external visit to meet quality improvement teams working in healthcare.
Examine the theoretical basis and practical applications of health promotion, including methods for evaluating health promotion interventions.
Examine the portfolio of digital health technologies, and the opportunities to apply these technologies to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare.
Global Health
Appreciate the complexity of tackling health determinants, inequity, and health outcomes within a globalising world.
Understand the roles and processes of innovation in global health, including simple, low-cost technologies and more complex models used in resource-constrained settings.
Analyse contrasting concepts that explain health systems and draw upon multiple disciplinary lenses, including organisational behaviour and health policy.
Develop skills to appraise public health strategies, control programmes, and surveillance systems for both emerging and neglected tropical diseases.
Environmental Health
Realise the importance of exposure assessment in epidemiology, risk assessment, and public health protection, and critically evaluate different approaches to these assessments.
Advance your knowledge of how to design, implement and analyse data in the framework of an environmental epidemiological study.
Build knowledge and skills around how to formulate, design, implement, and interpret health impact assessments, and their importance in influencing health policy.
Explore the intricate connections between the health of our planet and public health.
Through a ‘One Health’ approach, you'll explore global environmental challenges and examine their impacts on human health, animals and environmental justice issues.
Explain the use of environmental data to tackle significant global public health challenges and explore the impacts of the use of waste plastic as a fuel.
You'll address issues related to wastewater management, understand the impact of wildfires, and assess the environmental implications of electric vehicles.
Quantitative Method
Understand key concepts in advanced statistics and data science and advance your skills using realistic data sets.
Review the basic methods used in mathematical models and learn how to construct a mathematical model for a given infectious disease.
Become familiar with the underlying principles of public health nutrition, and nutritional epidemiology in the context of public health.
Advance your knowledge of how to design, implement and analyse data in the framework of an environmental epidemiological study.
Infectious Disease
Develop skills to appraise public health strategies, control programmes, and surveillance systems for both emerging and neglected tropical diseases.
Appreciate the complexity of tackling health determinants, inequity, and health outcomes within a globalising world.
Review the basic methods used in mathematical models and learn how to construct a mathematical model for a given infectious disease.
Health Policy and Systems
Analyse contrasting concepts that explain health systems and draw upon multiple disciplinary lenses,including organisational behaviour and health policy.
Deepen your understanding of how health systems are organised and financed, and the advantages and disadvantages of different health financing models and delivery systems.
This module is delivered by the Imperial Business School.
Utilise key health policy analysis models to explore the complexity of policy making and policy change, in the realm of the increasingly important issue of the commercial determinants of health.
You'll carry out an individual research project under close supervision from experienced academics.
Projects can be drawn from ongoing research within Imperial or in collaboration with NHS organisations, international agencies, non-governmental organisations or government agencies.
Projects typically last around four months and are assessed by a written dissertation and oral examination.
Testimonials
Teaching and assessment
Balance of teaching and learning
This is a general guide to how teaching and learning are usually balanced across this course. The methods used may change based on the modules you take.
Key
- Live sessions
- Independent study
- 30% Title 1 goes here
- 70% Title 2 goes here
Teaching and learning methods
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Tutorials
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Computing-based practicals
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Research project
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Virtual learning environment
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Group work
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Lectures
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Seminars and practicals
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Case-based teaching and role play
Balance of assessment
This is an example of how assessments are usually divided, based on a typical pathway through the course. The actual breakdown may vary depending on the modules you choose.
Key
- Coursework
- Exam
- Practical
Term 1
- 45% Title 1 goes here
- 34% Title 2 goes here
- 21% Title 3 goes here
Term 2
- 54% Title 1 goes here
- 15% Title 2 goes here
- 31% Title 3 goes here
Term 3 (Research Project)
- 0% Title 1 goes here
- 100% Title 3 goes here
Assessment methods
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Video blogs
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Articles and case study reviews
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Individual and group presentations
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MCQs and online quizzes
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Mini research project
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Reports and paper reviews
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Written examinations
Entry requirements
We consider all applicants on an individual basis, welcoming students from all over the world.
How to apply
Applications open on Wednesday 30 September 2026.
We operate a staged admissions process with several application rounds throughout the year.
Apply by 23.59 (UK time) on the closing date of an application round, to ensure you receive a response on your application by the relevant decision date.
Round 1
Business School courses only.
Round 2
- Applications open on Wednesday 30 September 2026
- Applications close on Wednesday 6 January 2027
- Decision by Wednesday 3 March 2027
Round 3
- Applications open on Thursday 7 January 2027
- Applications close on Wednesday 10 March 2027
- Decision by Wednesday 5 May 2027
Round 4
- Applications open on Thursday 11 March 2027
- Applications close on Wednesday 28 April 2027
- Decision by Thursday 1 July 2027
We recommend applying as early as you can – we cannot guarantee that places will be available, or that courses will remain open, in later rounds.
If you are applying for a Master’s course, you will need to pay an application fee before submitting your application.
The fee applies per application and not per course.
The application fees for postgraduate courses are:
- £90 for all Master's applications, excluding those to Imperial Business School
- £125 for MSc applications to Imperial Business School
- £150 for MBA applications to Imperial Business School
There is no application fee for Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas, or courses such as PhDs and EngDs. This includes MRes and PhD combined (1+3) courses with the Centre for Doctoral Training.
If you are facing financial hardship and are unable to pay the application fee, we encourage you to apply for our application fee waiver.
Find out more about how to apply for a Master's course, including references and personal statements.
An ATAS certificate is not required for students applying for this course.
Fees and funding
Home fee - Standard SPH courses (Epidem, Public Health MPH, Health Data)
2027 entry
Not set
As a guide, the fee for 2026-27 was £16,300
You should expect and budget for your fees to increase each year.
Your fee is based on the year you enter the university, not your year of study. This means that if you repeat a year or resume your studies after an interruption, your fees will only increase by the amount linked to inflation.
Find out more about our tuition fees payment terms, including how inflationary increases are applied to your tuition fees in subsequent years of study.
Whether you pay the Home or Overseas fee depends on your fee status. This is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status. Find out how we assess your fee status.
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
The maximum value of the loan is £13,206 if your course starts on or after 1 August 2026.
The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Please note that the loan is only available if you’re studying a full Master’s course from the start. If you start on a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) or Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) and later move on to the Master’s, you won’t be eligible for this loan.
Overseas fee - Standard SPH courses (Epidem, Public Health MPH, Health Data)
2027 entry
Not set
As a guide, the fee for 2026-27 was £47,300
You should expect and budget for your fees to increase each year.
Your fee is based on the year you enter the university, not your year of study. This means that if you repeat a year or resume your studies after an interruption, your fees will only increase by the amount linked to inflation.
Find out more about our tuition fees payment terms, including how inflationary increases are applied to your tuition fees in subsequent years of study.
Whether you pay the Home or Overseas fee depends on your fee status. This is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status. Find out how we assess your fee status.
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
The maximum value of the loan is £13,206 if your course starts on or after 1 August 2026.
The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Please note that the loan is only available if you’re studying a full Master’s course from the start. If you start on a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) or Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) and later move on to the Master’s, you won’t be eligible for this loan.
Scholarships
View all scholarshipsHow will studying at Imperial help my career?
Gain transferable skills relevant to a career in public health or similar fields.
Pursue careers in research, with public or government services, or with voluntary organisations and non-governmental organisations.
Common career paths include roles as public health analysts, health services researchers, and communicable disease control consultants.
Other career paths include environmental epidemiologists, health policy advisors, or directors of public health.
Further links
Contact the department
- Email: mph-queries@imperial.ac.uk
Course Chair: Professor Azeem Majeed
Course Directors: Dr Anthony Laverty and Dr Henock Taddese
Course Organiser: Dr Zeinab Mulla
Visit the School of Public Health website.
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Register your interest
Stay up to date on news, events, scholarship opportunities and information related to this course.
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Events, tasters and talks
Meet us and find out more about studying at Imperial.
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Terms and conditions
There are some important pieces of information you should be aware of when applying to Imperial. These include key information about your tuition fees, funding, visas, accommodation and more.
You can find further information about your course, including degree classifications, regulations, progression and awards in the programme specification for your course.
Programme specifications