Programme Specification and Regulations 2011-2012 - Public Health Regulations

Table of Contents

1. University of London International Programmes Programme Specification and Regulations for the MSc, Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate and for the provision of Individual Modules in Public Health
2. Important information regarding the Programme Specification and Regulations
3. Programme Specification
   1. Title and name of awards
   2. Level of the programmes
   3. Relevant QAA subject benchmarks group(s)
   4. Awarding body
   5. Registering body
   6. Lead College
   7. Accreditation by professional or statutory body
   8. Language of study and assessment
   9. Mode of study
   10. Programme structures and requirements
   11. Credit value of modules
   12. Entrance requirements
   13. Educational aims and learning outcomes of the programmes
   14. Teaching, learning and assessment strategies
   15. Assessment methods
   16. Student support and guidance
   17. Quality evaluation and enhancement
4. Detailed Regulations
5. Individual module Programme Summary
6. Detailed Regulations for the provision of individual modules
7. Annex A - Course Structures
8. Annex A1 - Course Structures
9. Annex B - Module specifications
10. Annex C -Assessment and Award Scheme
11. Glossary of terms
12. Related documents and other sources of information
13. Corrections

Educational aims and learning outcomes of the programmes

The main educational aims of the LSHTM distance learning Public Health courses are to offer a challenging, flexible scheme of study to provide students with the knowledge and skills to improve the health of populations, communities and particular groups within them. Students will acquire knowledge and skills a range of public health subjects, including: the promotion of health and the prevention of diseases; the provision and evaluation of treatment and care; and the investigation and control of environmental threats to health. Students are encouraged to develop transferable and subject-specific skills to address multi-faceted and current health problems in their local setting, as well as internationally.

These programmes are primarily aimed at professionals who may already be involved in public health at a community, hospital or district level, in research, in ministries of health or other health- or development-related organizations. LSHTM's Public Health course is a rigorous educational programme for practitioners, policy-makers or researchers who wish to use academic study to deepen their understanding and increase their potential for career development in public health. Successful completion of the MSc will enable students to address local health problems and, at the same time, to progress to a higher research degree in public health or medicine.

The Public Health programmes aim to:

• develop knowledge and understanding of the core disciplines in public health;
• enable students to understand key issues of public health;
• encourage independent critical and evaluative skills that can be used to apply well- founded scientific, social and economic judgements;
• provide students with a broad understanding of methodologies in public health research.

The learning outcomes of the Public Health courses include:

Knowledge, intellectual and cognitive understanding of public health issues and methods;

By the completion of the course, a student will be able to:

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the fundamental concepts and methods of epidemiology, and their application in public health;
• understand the use of basic statistical methods and how to interpret research results, including use of statistical computer packages;
• recognize and evaluate the main concepts, principles, and practices of public health;
• display sufficient knowledge to explain the main contribution of health economics;
• demonstrate the critical skills needed in order to be able to read, appraise or commission social research for public health;
• apply knowledge of the core disciplines of public health to real world health problems;
• carry out a project, evaluate critically their own work and produce a well-structured and well-written report (MSc students only)

Transferable knowledge and skills in public health

A student will be able to:

• use problem solving skills in a range of situations;
• use fluent and effective communication and discussion skills in a written context;
• have a capacity to handle ideas and scrutinize information in critical, evaluative and analytical ways;
• manage their own learning, including working effectively to deadlines.

A student who passes the core PHM1 modules will have the essential introduction to a variety of methods, approaches and concepts concerning public health. MSc students and those registered for the Postgraduate Diploma (credit framework structure) will study the elective modules that build on these foundations. These students will choose from options that advance their knowledge in specific areas. MSc students may also apply the skills they have learnt to a particular problem if they are approved to undertake the PHM305 Project Report Module.