Health Promotion and Public Health – (M.Sc.)

Contents

The course provides an advanced academic learning experience in a supportive environment that aims to produce reflective practitioners. A range of subject disciplines informs the curriculum. A key focus is the development of a theoretical, conceptual, historical and critical understanding of health and health promotion. This understanding will be applied to an analysis of ethical, political and policy debates informing health promotion practice. A major thrust of the course will be the development of skills in analysing evidence, assessing need, planning, implementation and evaluation of health promotion in a range of contexts.

The programme is modular and you may also register as an associate student on any module. Associate enrolment is very appropriate for continuing professional development and some modules lend themselves particularly well to this purpose.

You will need to complete six modules and a 15,000 - 20,000 word dissertation to achieve a master's degree. On successful completion of eight modules you will be eligible for a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Health Promotion if you terminate your course at this point.

You develop a theoretical, conceptual, historical and critical understanding of public health and health promotion. This understanding is applied to an analysis of sociological, psychological, ethical, political and policy debates informing health promotion practice. Skills in analysing evidence, assessing need and planning, implementing and evaluating health promotion are also developed.

You are offered a multidisciplinary range of modules. These cover a number of important themes including research methods, independent research, health promotion, public health, health policy, epidemiology, sociology of health, psychological perspectives and evidence based practice.

Modules (all core)

• Research Methods

Main topics of study include: philosophical underpinnings of research methodology; proposal design; searching and reviewing the literature; ethical issues in research and research governance; surveys and longitudinal studies; questionnaire design; experimental and quasi-experimental designs; N of 1 studies; statistical analysis and using SPSS; depth interviews; focus groups; observation; use of documentary sources; qualitative analysis.

• Public Health: Social Context, Exploration and Action

Main topics include: paradigms and concepts of health, illness and disease;
public health and the new public health; equity and equality in health and agendas for action; chronic illness, impairment and disability including reflexivity, the body and health; ageing; gender, age, ethnicity and health; employment, unemployment, health and the workplace; social networks of support including family stability and change; the politics of the built environment; mass media, advertising and health; diet and the politics of food production, drugs and medicines.

• Evidence Based Public Health and Epidemiology

Main topics include: concepts, definitions and dimensions of evidence based practice; selection of search strategies for finding evidence; techniques for critically appraising different kinds of evidence; interpreting, evaluating, reflecting on and assessing the implications to practice of health information; the nature and methods of demographic enquiry; a critical assessment of epidemiological evidence; ways in which qualitative evidence complements and challenges quantitative evidence in relation to heath behaviour and effective behavioural change; the role of models of behavioural change in determining the nature of research evidence; challenges of gaining evidence about health needs and preferred strategies of improving health from minority groups and socially excluded individuals; debates about the compatibility of evidence based practice with individual, small group and client centred interventions.

• Social Policy and Public Health

Main topics include: principles, concepts, perspectives and subject-matter of social policy and administration; policy analysis and administrative theory; political economy of welfare; the public health specialist in the policy and administration processes; resource allocation, public expenditure and the determination of health and social priorities; demographic factors and their impact on health and social needs, and on the demand for and supply of health and social services; current and recent developments and issues in health policy, health services structure, management and administration; public health policy and health promotion; social problems, social policies and their implications for health promotion and public health.

• Promoting Health: Professional Practice

The focus of this module is professional practice in health promotion within the context of the new public health agenda. The module offers students the opportunity to plan, design, implement and evaluate a health promotion activity in practice, either by a) working alongside professional practitioners or b) by developing a health promotion initiative within their own workplace setting. Students will be expected to read extensively and apply theoretical principles, planning and evaluative models and EBP to the practice situation.

• Global Perspectives in Public Health and Health Promotion

Increases critical awareness of a range of issues and perspectives relating to public health and health promotion at an international level, including those surrounding the topic of globalization.

• Principles and Perspectives in Promoting Public Health

Main topics include: concepts, constructs and determinants of health and their implications for health promotion; what is health promotion and what are its links to public health and health education?; a consideration of the history and development of health promotion: competing models, explanations, disciplinary influences and socio/political critiques; identifying health promoters: roles, remits and functions within the public health workforce; socio/political and philosophical issues in health promotion, including an assessment of ethical consideration; identifying health promotion needs and priorities: current approaches, includingassessing the evidence base of health promotion; planning for and evaluating health promotion interventions: a critical examination of planning and evaluation model; health promotion policies: international, national and local. The impact of policies on public health and health promotion practice in a range of settings; health promotion and public health: Debates and dilemmas for the 21st Century.

• Dissertation

Recent examples of dissertations by students taking this course include:

• Health beliefs and their influence on nurses´ smoking-related behaviours;
• What is the role of health promotion in nursing?
• Knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of a group of young Jordanian university students on HIV/AIDS;
• An investigation into the knowledge of breast cancer and breast awareness in women aged 18 to 49 years.

You undertake course work assessment that is highly relevant to professional practice issues. You will be assessed in each module, with coursework varying according to the nature of the content to include essays, reports, mini projects and presentations. All modules set a maximum of 4,000 words. The master's dissertation is 15,000 - 20,000 words.

Funding details

The Brunel International Scholarship

The Brunel International Scholarship is an annual award scheme designed to promote talent and encourage excellence in scholars coming to Brunel from around the globe. For 2010/11, 35 awards of either £3,000 or £2,000 are available to both undergraduate and postgraduate students who have been offered a place on a full-time course at Brunel.

All applications must be submitted online before 26 May 2010.

Bursaries

Bursaries may be available from your School, and your course director once you have secured and accepted a place on a course for information on any funding opportunities.

• A limited number of part-scholarships of £1,500 are available for the MA programmes in Music and Drama. Details will be sent to candidates who have confirmed their intention to study at Brunel in the 2010/11 academic year.
• The Leaders of Tomorrow PhD Bursary in Human Centred Design is supported by a donation from Brunel graduate and philanthropist Peter Ilori. The bursary provides £5,000 of financial support towards the study fees of high-achieving graduates who wish to pursue a PhD in Human Centred Design. Selection is based on the quality of applicants´ PhD study proposal.

Extra-curricular scholarships

Extra-curricular scholarships do not cover living costs or tuition fees. They are available to both taught and research students.

A number of Music Awards to help cover music tuition costs are made each year to students who are not studying music performance as part of their academic course.

The Brunel Sports Scholarship helps elite performance athletes by supporting their academic study and sporting needs simultaneously.