Master of Public Health (MPH)

Hours for taught courses

If you plan to study part-time, we recommend you take no more than 30 credits per term. Students typically take one or two 15-credit short courses per term.

15 credits

• Around 150 hours of study and assessment time to complete.
• You’ll study 10 – 15 hours per week per term.

30 credits

• Around 300 hours of study and assessment time to complete.
• You’ll study 20 – 30 hours per week per term.

This is an indicative guide to the time required for a typical student at this level to achieve the learning outcomes.

You can largely set your own study hours each week to cover the materials. MyAberdeen is available 24/7, so you can log in and study when it suits you.

Activities at fixed times

There may be some activities scheduled at a fixed time, such as online meetings with your tutor or assessments with deadlines. But otherwise, you can access and work through each course at your convenience.

Hours for 60-credit projects

A 60-credit project is around 600 hours of study time.

This is around one term of full-time study.

You can dedicate a full term to your project and work on it full-time. Or you can complete it part-time, spreading the hours you dedicate to it over two terms.

Hours for 30-credit projects and case studies

A 30-credit project or case study is around 300 hours of study time. That’s around 20 – 30 hours per week per term.

You will dedicate a full term to your project or case study.

When you study with us, you can expect a first-class support structure so that you’re never alone in your studies.

But learning online does mean you have to motivate yourself and manage your own time.

Your most important commitment to your course will be time – the time to work through, reflect on and understand your teaching materials.

Before you start a course that involves a high degree of independent study, we recommend looking at the time you will be able to devote to your course each week:

• Be realistic
• Create a weekly schedule as a guide

If you have any questions about studying online, get in touch with our friendly team. We’re here to help.

Our first-class support structure will ensure that you aren’t alone in your studies. You’ll have contact with your tutors via MyAberdeen and email. You can use social media and discussion boards to chat with your fellow students too.

We provide a wide range of services to support you in your studies and beyond:

• Careers and Employability Service – including one-to-one advice sessions
• Disability support
• IT support
• Library support
• Student Support Service – help with finances, stress, wellbeing and non-academic issues
• Student Learning Service – study support, with advice sessions available via phone or Skype
• Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) – run by students for students
• Toolkit – clever apps and free training that can make your study life easier

Wherever you are in the world, you’ll feel part of our very special Aberdeen learning community.

Pay as you go allows you to spread payments over several terms.

When you pay

You make a payment before the start of each term.

How much you pay

You only pay for the credits you want to study in the upcoming term.

It’s up to you how many credits you take each term. This gives you control over your costs and your workload.

• Taking fewer credits will increase the length of your studies.

We break down the total cost of this qualification into cost per 15 credits.

Cost per 15 credits for this degree, starting in academic year 2022/23

• £1,170 in academic year 2022/23.
• £1,230 in academic year 2023/24.
• £1,290 in academic year 2024/25 (provisional).

Tuition fees typically rise a little each academic year and a fee rise of 5% is confirmed for 2023/24. The fees quoted for 2024/25 are provisional and subject to change.

This is an example payment schedule for tuition fees. It’s based on the typical route through the degree, taking a 60-credit project.

You can take a different route, as described in the ‘What will I study?’ section. You can take more or fewer credits per term than is shown in this example.

Term 1) January – April 2023 | Academic year 2022/23

• Take two 15-credit courses @£1,170 each.
• Fee for term = £2,340.
• Payment due in January.

Term 2) May – August 2023

• Summer break. There is no teaching in the first summer of your degree.
• No payment due.

Term 3) September – December 2023 | Academic year 2023/24

• Take two 15-credit courses @£1,230 each.
• Fee for term = £2,460.
• Payment due in September.

Term 4) January – April 2024

• Take two 15-credit courses @£1,230 each.
• Fee for term = £2,460.
• Payment due in January.

Term 5) May – August 2024

• Undertake a 60-credit project.
• Fee for project = £4,920.
• Payment due in May.

Term 6) September – December 2024 | Academic year 2024/25

• Take two 15-credit courses @£1,290 each (provisional).
• Fee for term = £2,580 (provisional).
• Payment due in September.

Masters complete

On earning 180 credits you will be awarded a Masters degree.

Total fee for this route to your Masters = £14,760.

Note: Fees for academic year 2024/25 are provisional and subject to change.

Learning resources

Access to all the books and resources you need are included in your tuition fee. They’ll be made available to you online and you do not have to buy your own copies.

Printing

You may wish to set aside a small budget for printing, depending on how you like to work.

There are several ways you may be able to get help funding your studies:

• Employer sponsorship – we accept full and partial fee payments from sponsors
• Student loans
• Scholarships – search our funding database for scholarships
• Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)

Find out more about funding options.

Student card

All our students are entitled to a University of Aberdeen student card. This gives you access to a range of student discounts around the city and online.

20% Alumni discount

You’re entitled to 20% off our postgraduate taught degrees and short courses if you have a degree from the University of Aberdeen. View Alumni discount details and eligibility criteria.

10% NHS discount

NHS staff receive 10% off online postgraduate degrees and short courses offered by our School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition; and our School of Psychology.

20% University of Aberdeen Community Discount

We’ve introduced our Community Discount to help local people and businesses retrain or upskill in light of the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on the local economy and people’s livelihoods.

The discount applies to all our online postgraduate taught degrees, but not our short courses.

You’re eligible for this 20% discount if you:

• plan to apply or have already applied for one of our online Masters degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas or Postgraduate Certificates starting in September 2022 or January 2023, and
• are a resident of north-east Scotland, including Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray.

View full Community Discount details and apply.

How discounts work

Discounts are applied during your application process. Only one discount can be used per application. If you are eligible for more than one discount, we will apply the largest discount for you.

Entry requirements

We welcome students from all over the world. You do not need a visa to study online with us.

See the minimum entry requirements above. If you do not have qualifications from the UK, check equivalent qualifications from your country.

English language requirements

Teaching is delivered in English.

We accept the following English language qualifications. These are the minimum scores required. You need to provide proof of your qualifications when you apply:

Duolingo English Test (taken from July 2019)

• 115 overall
• 90 in the sub-scores for literacy, conversation, comprehension and production

LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator, Written and Spoken – Level 1

• 33 for listening, reading, speaking and writing

IELTS Academic and IELTS Online

• 6.5 overall
• 5.5 for listening, reading and speaking
• 6.0 for writing

TOEFL iBT and TOEFL iBT Home Edition

• 90 overall
• 17 for listening
• 18 for reading
• 20 for speaking
• 21 for writing
• TOEFL DI code is 0818

PTE Academic

• 62 overall
• 59 for listening, reading, speaking and writing

Cambridge English: B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency

• 176 overall
• 162 for listening, reading and speaking
• 169 for writing

If you hold a degree from a UK university then evidence of proficiency in English may not be required.

For full information about language requirements, see our English Language Requirements page.

You apply through our online Applicant Portal. It allows you to upload relevant qualifications and documents.

Applying to the University of Aberdeen is always free.

What you need to apply for this degree

• Degree transcript
• Personal statement
• Degree certificate
• CV / Resume
• References x2

References

You will need two reference letters. One should be from your university discussing your academic ability. If you have been out of education for a long time, you can use your current or most recent employers or other professional individuals.

You also need to apply on time

Apply as early as you can. Please apply at least two weeks before the degree start date. This is because we need time to review your application and get a decision to you. If you’re successful, we also want to enrol you before teaching starts.

Apply now

Start with our step-by-step guide. It explains degree transcripts, what to write in your personal statement and how to use our Applicant Portal.

You can apply to start in either January or September.

Apply as early as you can. This is so we have time to review your application and get a decision to you. We also want to ensure you have time to enrol before teaching starts.

January 2023 intake

For our January 2023 intake, the application deadline is 5 December 2022.

You will need to accept your offer and provide any outstanding documents to meet the conditions of your offer by 19 December 2022.

Teaching starts on 23 January 2023.

September 2023 intake

Term dates and application deadlines will be announced in due course.

You will need access to:

A computer (PC, laptop or Mac) operating on either:

• Windows 10 or later
• macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later.

Most teaching materials are smartphone- and tablet-friendly. But we recommend a proper laptop or desktop for completing assignments comfortably.

Reliable internet access

We recommend:

• a wired connection
• a minimum download speed of 2 Mbps so you can take part fully in live sessions.

Speakers or headphones

• We recommend a headset with built-in microphone and earphones if you’re likely to study in an environment with background noise.
• A webcam is optional, but you may like to use one from some interactive sessions.

Software

We’ll give you access to Office365 applications. This means you can use online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and install these programs on up to five personal devices.

If your course requires specialist software, we’ll provide you with access to this and a licence that lasts throughout your studies.

See our detailed IT requirements for more information.