Master's Programme in Public Health with a Specialization in Health Economics 120 credits

While studying

Multidisciplinary

Public Health is multidisciplinary, drawing on social sciences and medicine, using quantitative and qualitative methods to identify and assess specific health risks before designing and implementing effective population-based strategies.

Are you interested in

• How to promote health?
• Global Health?
• Resource use in relation to health consequences?
• How to best use resources to maximise health gains?
• The connection between social conditions and health?
• How to organize health systems that allocate resources effectively while at the same time promote equity?

... then this programme is for you.

Remember, citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland are exempt from tuition fees.

Scholarships

There are a number of scholarships available for non-European students. 

Description of the programme

This programme comprises of 120 credits (two years) and the first year includes courses on global health conditions, health systems analysis, health economy, the relations between social conditions and health and on the methods that you need to carry out public health work.

The second year builds on the first-year studies with courses on advanced research methods and possibilities to choose several courses related to economy. There is an opportunity to graduate after one year, i.e., after 60 credits within the main field of public health.

The programme provides public health practitioners and researchers with the skills required to  improve public health through health economic analysis and promote public health in the population. This is an international programme with students coming from many countries and all teaching is in English.

Active, collaborative, and reflective learning

Our Pedagogical Vision of the Educational Environment is based on core principles and didactic strategies including active, collaborative, and reflective learning. Studying on the programme means an active search for knowledge, problem solving, and critical analyses based on a scientific approach.

The working methods vary between individual study work, group work, seminars, lectures and practical sessions. Students have expressed great satisfaction with the cooperation between students from different educational and cultural background.

Pedagogical Vision of the Educational Environment

Master’s thesis

The master’s thesis work is an important part of the studies in this programme and gives you a possibility to apply the knowledge that you have gained to develop a deeper understanding and specialization within a chosen area. Our teachers are also researchers which means that you will have a supervisor who has experience in public health research and health economy.

The thesis work comprises 30 credits within the programme’s main field of study and takes the form of two separate theses that are examined during semester 2 and semester 4 respectively. At least one of the theses should be in the field of health economy.

Read more about the thesis work first year /LÄNK/

Read more about the thesis work second year /LÄNK/

Programme overview

Year 1 

• Global Public Health

• Biostatistics

• Epidemiology

• Qualitative methodology for public health

• Health Systems: Organization and Financing

• Health Economic Evaluation Methods

• Theory and Management in Health Promotion

• Master thesis, first year

Year 2 

• Health economic theory

• Advanced topics in health economic evaluation methods

• Health, Environment and Sustainability

• Leading change and development in welfare organizations

• Evaluation in public health

• Master thesis, second year

Eligible courses

• Evidence based public health

• Equity and health

• Advanced biostatistics and epidemiology

Given by Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics

• Tools and Methods for Economists

• Social and Environmental Entrepreneurship

• Project management /LÄNK/

• Environmental and Natural Resource Economics B100:4

Future and career opportunities

This programme gives knowledge that can be used in NGO’s, public organisations and private companies. Many graduates will work in the public sector in local and state institutions, from e.g. hospitals to the Ministry of Health. They may work with public health policies, health advocacy, legislation, management, evaluation of interventions or to analyse the effect of decisions on different levels.  

Graduates can find jobs in non-profit organizations such as Red Cross, Save the Children, Médecins Sans Frontièrs or Clinton Health Access initiative. Other graduates will go to the private sector working e.g., for pharmaceutical companies or for health insurance companies. Others will work for the health minister or at WHO.

A future university career in research is another path since the programme is designed for those already working as, or planning to become, public health practitioners. Further studies can lead to a PhD degree.

Read more about our research