MSc Environment and Human Health - 2024 entry

Entry requirements

Normally a minimum 2.2 Honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline.  A personal statement, detailing your reasons for seeking to undertake this subject, will be required. Relevant clinical or professional experience may be taken into consideration as evidence of equivalency.

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Course content

This exciting programme, delivered primarily online, is ideal for graduates who are planning or already undertaking a career within public health, health promotion, environmental health and protection, occupational health and related diverse research and practice fields.

Our students come from a variety of backgrounds and so the programme has been designed to enable you to enact meaningful change in any setting. The course connects strongly to the world-leading research of the European Centre for Environment and Human Health, covering key theories, concepts and evidence on issues such as:

• The health impacts of global environmental change
• The social determinants of health and health inequalities
• The complex relationships that exist between human health and the environment
• The potential of using natural environments to improve human health and wellbeing

Specialisms

At MSc level, the core award is the MSc in Environment and Human Health. Depending on the specific modules taken, and dissertation topic selected, students may opt to receive one of the following named awards:

•           MSc Environment and Human Health (Global Health)

•           MSc Environment and Human Health (Antimicrobial Resistance)

•           MSc Environment and Human Health (Pandemics)

These specialisms are only available at the MSc level, and are subject to the availability of option modules delivered by other University of Exeter programmes.

Your eligibility for the particular award will be confirmed by the final Assessment Progression and Awarding Committee (APAC) on the basis of the modules that have been completed. In order to graduate with a particular named award in parentheses, you will need to select the appropriate specified option modules detailed below, and notify the programme support team accordingly. Otherwise the award name will be MSc in Environment and Human Health. 

Programme Structure

The programme is divided into units of study called ‘modules’ which are assigned a number of ‘credits’. The credit rating of a module is proportional to the total workload, with one credit being nominally equivalent to 10 hours of work, a 15 credit module being equivalent to 150 hours of work and a full Masters degree being equivalent to approximately 1,800 hours of work. Therefore, for applicants who are working full time (or close to full-time), we recommend applying to complete the Masters degree over 2 or 3 years rather than 1 year.

To gain a Masters qualification, you will need to complete 180 credits at level 7.

It is also possible to exit with a PGCert after completing 60 credits of taught modules or a PGDip after completing 120 credits of taught modules. The list of modules below shows which are compulsory.

V‌iew the draft timetable of contact days for 2022-2023

View the draft timetable of contact days for 2023-2024

Please note: these timetables are draft and subject to change. If you would like further information please contact the programme leads: Professor Ben Wheeler  or Dr Conny Guell 

The last contact day and assessment deadline for the programme will be earlier than the actual end date of your registration with the University, to allow a period of time at the end of your active studies for further support and mitigation, if needed

Modules

The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.

Specialisms

MSc Environment & Human Health (Global Health)

Specialising in Global Health gives you the opportunity to focus on the environment and human health topics affecting the world today. The optional module Planetary Health (HPDM122) will introduce you to medical sociology, environment and human health, social epidemiology and global health. You will learn how health in its widest sense and health and environmental inequalities are created, and the potential strategies for addressing them more effectively. Using an interdisciplinary approach you will study a range of topics which may include global obesity rates, corporate and economic determinants of health, healthy diets and planetary boundaries, nature-connectedness and wellbeing.

Your dissertation project provides the opportunity to complete detailed research into an area of global health according to your own interests or career ambitions.

MSc Environment & Human Health (Antimicrobial Resistance)

Specialising in Antimicrobial Resistance will give you the opportunity to focus on related environment and human health topics. You will look at a One Health approach to understanding AMR considering the role of humans, animals and the environment in the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance. You will engage critically with the latest knowledge and debates from a wide range of disciplines, and consider what the future may hold. You will also use integrated molecular and evolutionary microbiology concepts to understand the problem of AMR and the need for new antimicrobial therapies. You’ll discuss and critically evaluate the relevant literature and the latest developments in antimicrobial research; and critically evaluate existing antimicrobial therapies and those currently under development, by studying their scientific basis and their potential to be ‘evolution-proof’.

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Fees

2023/24 entry

UK fees per year:

• MSc (1 year): £10,500
• MSc (2 years): £5,250
• MSc (3 years): £3,500
• PG Dip (2 years part time): £3,500
• PG Cert (1 year): £3,500
• Standalone module per 15-credit module: £1000

International fees per year:

• MSc (1 year): £25,000
• MSc (2 years): £12,500
• MSc (3 years): £8,500
• PG Dip (2 years): £8,500
• PG Cert (1 year): £8,500
• Standalone module per 15-credit module: £2,300

Fee information 

Fees can normally be paid by two termly instalments and may be paid online. You will also be required to pay a tuition fee deposit to secure your offer of a place, unless you qualify for exemption. 

Scholarships

We invest heavily in scholarships for talented prospective Masters students and have over £2.5 million in scholarships available, including our Global Excellence Scholarships* for international fee paying students.

For information on how you can fund your postgraduate degree at the University of Exeter, please visit our dedicated funding page.

^{*Selected programmes only. Please see the Terms and Conditions for each scheme for further details.}

Funding and Scholarships

UK government postgraduate loan scheme

Postgraduate loans of up to £10,609 are now available for Masters degrees. Find out more about eligibility and how to apply.

Funding

There are various funding opportunities available including the Medical School's Global excellence scholarships.
For more information visit our  Masters funding page.

Scholarships 

The University of Exeter is offering scholarships to the value of over £4 million for students starting with us in September 2021. Details of scholarships, including our Global Excellence scholarships for international fee paying students, can be found on our dedicated funding page.

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Teaching and research

Our purpose is to deliver transformative education that will help tackle health challenges of national and global importance.

Learning and teaching

The taught modules of this programme are delivered in the Autumn and Spring terms (option modules taken from other programmes may be taught in Summer term). During this time you will also be helped to develop a dissertation project to be completed in the Summer term and through to the end of August. We encourage students to develop their project alongside existing European Centre activities and/or in conjunction with partner organisations. Part time students may be able to develop dissertation projects within their workplace settings if appropriate.

Taught modules are primarily delivered online using a mixture of synchronous (‘live’) and asynchronous online sessions and materials. These will use standard platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and the University of Exeter Electronic Learning Environment (ELE). You will therefore need to have sufficient computing and internet access to be able to engage with the programme using these technologies, with the support of the programme team, the Exeter Digital Hub and related support services.

There are also two in-person intensive weeks:

- Foundation Week in Autumn term (September/October, dates to be timetabled) is an opportunity to meet other students and teaching staff to get to know each other in-person, and to lay some groundwork for the remainder of the programme. The initial sections of two foundational modules are also delivered in-person during this week (HPDM027 and HPDM028). Foundation Week takes place on the beautiful Penryn Campus of the University of Exeter in Cornwall.

- Dissertation Week is the second in-person intensive week (April/May, dates to be timetabled), also delivered at the Penryn Campus. It will support you to progress your plans for your dissertation research project and provide opportunities to engage again in-person with other students, teaching staff and the wider University of Exeter community.

Teaching and learning methods

All material is designed for Masters level and will involve a mix of live and pre-recorded online lectures, seminars, small group work and guided independent study. Within modules there is considerable scope for you to direct your learning towards fields of particular interest, especially through your choice of dissertation project and in your studies to develop assessed pieces of work.

Locally based students are eligible to undertake in-person option modules where this is feasible. Meetings with academic tutors and/or other students can also occur in-person on campus where students are based in the local area.

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Careers

Graduates of the programme are well placed to move into a range of rapidly developing professions in environment and human health. Some examples include:

• Public Health
• Health Promotion
• Environmental Health and Protection
• Occupational Health and workplace wellbeing
• Social enterprises and SME businesses innovating in environment and human health

The programme also prepares you for further research and some graduates may want to go on to PhD study with the European Centre or elsewhere.

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