Master of Public Health (Online)
Research the world’s most pressing public health issues through a flexible online degree.
Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health (Online)
Research the world’s most pressing public health issues through a flexible online degree.
Research the world’s most pressing public health issues through a flexible online degree
Tailor your studies via electives to match your career needs exploring critical areas of public health work
Design, develop and undertake your own public health research project
Course key facts
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Qualification
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MPH
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Duration
2 years, 3 years
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Start date
September 2025
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Study mode
Part-time
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Fees
2 years: £7,750 per year 3 years: Varies per year Home
2 years: £12,800 per year 3 years: Varies per year Overseas
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Delivered by
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Location
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Online
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Minimum entry standard
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2:1 in any subject or MBBS degree. Science background is not mandatory. Applicants with relevant academic or professional experience will also be considered.
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Qualification
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PG Cert
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Duration
1 year
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Start date
September 2025
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Study mode
Part-time
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Fees
£7,750 Home
£12,800 Overseas
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Delivered by
-
Location
-
Online
-
Minimum entry standard
-
2:1 in any subject or MBBS degree. Science background is not mandatory. Applicants with relevant academic or professional experience will also be considered.
Course overview
Gain an understanding of the basic foundations of public health on this part-time Master's course, taken over two or three years.
You'll acquire the cutting-edge knowledge and skills required to pursue a career in public health practice, management or research at various levels.
This fully online programme will help you develop quantitative analytical skills for public health, epidemiology and health services research.
You'll also become familiar with interpreting a range of statistical methods and epidemiological data as you explore the most pressing issues in global public health.
Through this work, you'll learn how to make informed judgements on policy and gain an appreciation for key public health principles and ethical standards.
The Master's will also see you take a research portfolio through to completion, where you'll employ a variety of epidemiological and public health methods explored across the course.
This course was formerly called "Global Master of Public Health (Online)".
Subject to university approval.
Gain an understanding of the basic foundations of public health on this part-time course, which leads to a Postgraduate Certificate.
You'll acquire the cutting-edge knowledge and skills required to pursue a career in public health practice, management or research at various levels.
This fully online programme will help you develop quantitative analytical skills for public health, epidemiology and health services research.
You'll choose specialisations to suit your interests and receive guidance on how to identify the appropriate interventions needed to design effective public health programmes.
You'll also become familiar with interpreting a range of statistical methods and epidemiological data as you explore the most pressing issues in global public health.
This course was formerly called "Global Postgraduate Certificate of Public Health (Online)".
Subject to university approval.
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 must take all of the following modules to qualify for the MPH qualification.
Core modules
Become familiar with the core concepts of 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.
Advance your statistical expertise across four courses, exploring statistical thinking, linear regression, logistic regression and survival analysis.
Learn about the principles, frameworks and practice of health protection and how to apply this knowledge in real-world settings.
Analyse contrasting concepts that explain health systems and draw upon multiple disciplinary lenses,including organisational behaviour and health policy.
Examine the theoretical basis and practical applications of health promotion, including methods for evaluating health promotion interventions.
Learn how to develop your own original research idea and identify a suitable research area.
Discover how to write a research protocol to address your research question and explore the philosophy of research inquiry.
Engage in the more practical side of research and build your understanding of the principles of ethical research, consent and confidentiality, and responsible research and innovation.
Complete your research project portfolio by going out in the field and conducting your research and evaluating the results.
You’ll take a further six optional modules to qualify for the MPH qualification.
Optional modules
Understand key concepts in advanced statistics and data science and advance your skills using realistic data sets.
Examine the portfolio of digital health technologies, and the opportunities to apply these technologies to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare.
Examine the global burden of disease and identify which diseases have the biggest impact on health worldwide.
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.
Study the basic principles of microeconomics and their application to healthcare.
Review the basic methods used in mathematical models and learn how to construct a mathematical model for a given infectious disease.
Assess key global health challenges by exploring the lifecycle from birth to adulthood and examine policy and research that aims to improve outcomes across important population groups.
Scrutinise the process of designing an appropriate participatory approach to a given public health challenge, and examine the history, theory and practice of these approaches.
Recognise and utilise different approaches to quality improvement and critically evaluate these approaches.
Reviews the fundamental foundations of machine learning, unsupervised Learning, supervised learning, and advanced topics such as ensemble learning and deep learning.
You’ll take all of these core modules.
Core modules
Become familiar with the core concepts of 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.
Advance your statistical expertise across four courses, exploring statistical thinking, linear regression, logistic regression and survival analysis.
You’ll choose a further three optional modules.
Please note, some selected modules are prerequisites for onward progression to the three-year Master's pathway.
Optional modules
Learn about the principles, frameworks and practice of health protection and how to apply this knowledge in real-world settings.
This is a prerequisite for progression to the three-year Master's pathway.
Analyse contrasting concepts that explain health systems and draw upon multiple disciplinary lenses, including organisational behaviour and health policy.
This is a prerequisite for progression to the three-year Master's pathway.
Recognise and utilise different approaches to quality improvement and critically evaluate these approaches.
Examine the portfolio of digital health technologies, and the opportunities to apply these technologies to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare.
Understand the roles and processes of innovation in global health, including simple, low-cost technologies and more complex models used in resource-constrained settings.
Study the basic principles of microeconomics and their application to healthcare.
Review the basic methods used in mathematical models and learn how to construct a mathematical model for a given infectious disease.
Review the fundamental foundations of machine learning, unsupervised learning, supervised learning, and advanced topics such as ensemble learning and deep learning.
Scrutinise the process of designing an appropriate participatory approach to a given public health challenge, and examine the history, theory and practice of these approaches.
Examine the theoretical basis and practical applications of health promotion, including methods for evaluating health promotion interventions.
This is a prerequisite for progression to the three-year Master's pathway.
Teaching and assessment
Teaching and learning methods
- Virtual learning environment
- Lectures (online)
- Seminars and tutorials (online)
- Presentations (online)
- Research skills and research project
Balance of assessment
Key
- Lab and quiz
- Presentations
- Written pieces
- 30% Lab and quiz
- 12% Presentations
- 58% Written pieces
Assessment methods
- Articles and case study reviews
- Essays
- Individual and group presentations
- MCQs and online quizzes
- Reports and paper reviews
- Research plan
- Research project portfolio
- Video blogs
- Short answer examinations
Teaching and learning methods
- Virtual learning environment
- Lectures (online)
- Seminars and tutorials (online)
- Presentations (online)
- Research skills and research project
Balance of assessment
Key
- Lab and quiz
- Presentations
- Written pieces
- 30% Lab and quiz
- 12% Presentations
- 58% Written pieces
Assessment methods
- Articles and case study reviews
- Essays
- Individual and group presentations
- MCQs and online quizzes
- Reports and paper reviews
- Research plan
- Research project portfolio
- Video blogs
- Short answer examinations
Imperial’s online learning environment
This course is delivered as a fully online degree and has comparable learning outcomes and results to the on-campus on-campus MPH course.
Teaching and learning on the programme is delivered through a virtual learning platform which uses innovative learning features to provide high quality degree learning experiences. A range of methods are used including pre-recorded lectures and video capture, slide-decks with audio commentary, discussions forums and prompts, and practical exercises in coding and analysis.
The assessment methods include: online quizzes, video blogs, case study review discussions and coding exercises.
Students learn as a cohort through discussion boards and peer-assessed exercises.
These features, ranging from live classroom sessions to group peer sessions, allow each student to participate in a seamless, flexible, and engaging learning experience and ensure the highest quality online learning environment.
Is this degree accredited?
The core aims and outcomes of this degree adhere to the European standards laid out by the Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation.
Whilst this degree is not formally accredited by an agency or professional body, you'll benefit from an innovative and comprehensive public health curriculum, which responds to the most recent developments in public health, including our own research discoveries.
This sets us apart from courses in other countries such as the US and Canada, where accreditation requirements are not suitable for a UK-based programme.
Entry requirements
We consider all applicants on an individual basis, welcoming students from all over the world.
How to apply
Apply online
You can submit one application form per year of entry. You can choose up to two courses.
You can choose between different pathways of part-time study:
- PG Certificate (over one year)
- Master's (over two years)
- Master's (over three years)
You may be granted a PG Certificate or PG Diploma if you leave your studies part-way through either of the Master's programmes, depending on the successful completion of modules.
You can progress to the PG Diploma or Master's after successful completion of the PG Certificate.
There is no application fee for MRes courses, Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas, or courses such as PhDs and EngDs.
If you are applying for a taught Master’s course, you will need to pay an application fee before submitting your application.
The fee applies per application and not per course.
- £80 for all taught Master's applications, excluding those to the Imperial College Business School.
- £100 for all MSc applications to the Imperial College Business School.
- £150 for all MBA applications to the Imperial College Business School.
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.
You may be invited to an interview with members of our staff. These will be arranged online.
You cannot register/enrol for more than one award at the same time. This includes awards at Imperial and other universities or institutions. You would need to de-register from your current course before starting. Read more about this in the Imperial College General Academic Regulations (Section 5.5).
An ATAS certificate is not required for students applying for this course.
Tuition fees
PG Cert
PG Cert
£7,750 total fee
MPH (2 years, part-time)
MPH (2 years, part-time)
£7,750 per year
MPH (3 years, part-time)
Year 1 – PG Cert
£7,750 total fee
Year 2 – PG Dip
£12,400total fee
Top-up fee from PG Cert: £4,650
Year 3 – MPH
£15,500total fee
Top-up fee from PG Dip: £3,100
If you have already completed one of the above qualifications and are moving on to the next level of study, e.g. you've already completed the PG Cert and want to study the PG Dip, you will only need to pay the top-up fee for the course you’re applying for.
Except where otherwise indicated, the fees for students on courses lasting more than one year will increase annually by an amount linked to inflation, including for part-time students on modular programmes.
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.
For courses starting on or after 1 August 2024, the maximum amount is £12,471. The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
If you live in a country that imposes a GST for online courses, you may incur an additional tax charge on your tuition fees.
Currently, the countries that charge a GST are:
- Singapore
Find out more how to pay GST and how much it is.
PG Cert
PG Cert
£12,800 total fee
MPH (2 years, part-time)
MPH (2 years, part-time)
£12,800 per year
MPH (3 years, part-time)
Year 1 – PG Cert
£12,800 total fee
Year 2 – PG Dip
£20,480total fee
Top-up fee from PG Cert: £7,680
Year 3 – MPH
£25,600total fee
Top-up fee from PG Dip: £5,120
If you have already completed one of the above qualifications and are moving on to the next level of study, e.g. you've already completed the PG Cert and want to study the PG Dip, you will only need to pay the top-up fee for the course you’re applying for.
Except where otherwise indicated, the fees for students on courses lasting more than one year will increase annually by an amount linked to inflation, including for part-time students on modular programmes.
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.
For courses starting on or after 1 August 2024, the maximum amount is £12,471. The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
If you live in a country that imposes a GST for online courses, you may incur an additional tax charge on your tuition fees.
Currently, the countries that charge a GST are:
- Singapore
Find out more how to pay GST and how much it is.
Scholarships
SPH Masters Scholarship
Who it's for
- All students who make an application to the School of Public Health.
The Dean’s Master’s Scholarships
Value per award
- £10,000
Who it's for
- All students applying to study a Faculty of Medicine Master’s programme
The Dean’s Master’s Scholarships
Value per award
- £10,000
Who it's for
- All students applying to study a Faculty of Medicine Master’s programme
How will studying at Imperial help my career?
Gain a comprehensive understanding of pressing global health issues by developing a wide range of research skills.
Develop your leadership skills as a public health professional.
Alumni have progressed into leadership roles in academia, government, industry, and non-governmental organisations.
Further links
Contact the department
Email: mph-online@imperial.ac.uk
Course Director: Dr Bethan Davies
Course Director: Dr Thomas Hone
Visit the School of Public Health website.
Register your interest
Stay up to date on news, events, scholarship opportunities and information related to this course.
Events, tasters and talks
Meet us and find out more about studying at Imperial.
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