MSc Health & Social Policy

Why This Course

This programme offers you the opportunity to develop and extend your knowledge and understanding of how key health and social policies and outcomes intersect, while also providing advanced training in research methods.

It aims to improve your knowledge and understanding of the factors which shape people’s health and wellbeing, and the ways in which different societies and governments have intervened to shape these relationships.

This integrative approach to health and social policy is inspired by recent policy efforts to develop whole-of-government and systems approaches that focus on understanding cross-policy links - efforts that are, in turn, informed by evidence demonstrating such approaches are more cost-effective.

There is strong focus on combining postgraduate level research methods training with study of research challenges from a policy perspective. The programme includes opportunities for students to undertake a placement-based dissertation module, examining advocacy and research challenges in partnership with non-governmental organisations (NGO), policy bodies, or academic research teams.

Study with us

Take a whole-systems, intersectional approach to exploring how societies are shaped and supported by health and social policies

Develop and extend your knowledge of contemporary health policy challenges such as growing health inequalities, declining healthy life expectancy, debates around health system financing, and work to prevent future pandemics.

Study how these policy areas interact, and how societies influence the development of health and social policies.

Develop knowledge, research and critical appraisal skills highly valued by public, third and private sector employers.

Acquire research training vital for research careers, including further study at PhD level.

Careers

The MSc Health & Social Policy is strongly informed by our partnerships with NGOs and policy organisations and is designed to support graduates to develop three potential career paths:

Careers within policy organisations concerned with addressing health and social challenges (e.g. local, devolved and national governments, health policy advisory bodies, and international policy organisations such as the World Health Organization and global health charities).

Careers in organisations using research to influence the policies that impact on people’s health (e.g. large charities/NGOs/non-profit organisations and health policy think tanks). Recent graduates from our social policy programmes have taken Policy Director and Policy Lead roles on in prominent health NGOs.

Research careers, within universities and research consultancies. Graduates can also use this qualification as a platform for undertaking PhD study. The research methods training on the MSc Health & Social Policy is approved by the ESRC via the Scottish Graduate School in Social Sciences.

First or upper second-class Honours degree, or overseas equivalent, in health or social policy or a related discipline.