Public Health

Public health is the discipline concerned with protecting and improving the health of entire populations rather than treating individuals one at a time. It draws on epidemiology, social science, health policy, environmental science and behavioural theory to understand how disease is distributed across communities, what social and economic factors determine health outcomes, and how organised efforts by governments, public agencies and communities can prevent illness and promote wellbeing. The Covid-19 pandemic and the growing recognition of climate change as a health threat have reinforced public health's central importance to modern societies.

At the University of Westminster, this three-year full-time programme includes a sandwich year in professional placement, a year abroad and a work placement, giving you substantial practical and international experience alongside your academic study. You will develop a wide range of transferable skills and knowledge applicable to careers that aim to improve and protect the health of individuals, communities and populations. The programme engages with the full breadth of public health, from epidemiology and health inequalities to health promotion, environmental health and the policy frameworks that shape how public health is practised.

The year abroad gives you insight into how public health is approached in different national contexts.

Graduates from public health programmes work in NHS public health departments, local authorities, Public Health England and its successor bodies, international health organisations, NGOs, the civil service, research institutions and health charities. Many go on to postgraduate study in public health, epidemiology, health policy or global health, which provides the specialist qualifications typically required for more senior public health roles. The analytical and policy skills developed through public health are also valued in social care, health technology assessment and the voluntary sector.