M.Sc. Tropical Medicine and International Health
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
| Application deadline: | Early application is encouraged |
| Tuition fee: |
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| Start date: | September 2013 |
| Duration full-time: | 12 months |
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| Location: |
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| Delivery mode: | On Campus |
| Educational variant: | Part-time, Full-time |
| Intensity: | Flexible |
Description
This course aims to develop the careers of doctors whose interest is the practice of medicine in tropical and developing countries and global health. The course provides training in clinical tropical medicine at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases (a small but unique component), and a broad choice of study modules to enable students to develop or extend interests in a wide variety of subjects relevant to the practice of medicine in tropical and developing country environments.
Graduates from this course have taken a wide variety of career paths including further research in epidemiology, parasite immunology, or joined field research programmes; international organisations concerned with health care delivery or disaster relief; or returned to academic or medical positions in developing country institutions.
The Frederick Murgatroyd Award is awarded each year for the best student of the year. Donated by Mrs Murgatroyd in memory of her husband, who held the Wellcome Chair of Clinical Tropical Medicine in 1950 and 1951.
Course Duration
Full-time for one year or split study over two years. Students taking the course by split study over two years attend full-time for part of Year 1, and then undertake the remainder of their course in Year 2. The split can occur anytime between the Christmas break and the end of the formal teaching in May, by prior arrangement with the Course Director. Paper 1 may be taken at the end of Year 1 or at the end of Year 2. Paper 2 must be taken at the end of Year 2. Interested applicants should indicate their choice on the application form.
Most students also take the Diploma of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, an accredited clinical qualification in tropical medicine during the year, which provides a comprehensive review of the major infectious diseases and related public health issues. This course builds on previous medical training and experience to develop relevant transferable skills. Students wishing to take the Diploma examination may do so at an additional cost of £209.
* Split study fees are calculated pro rata for the periods of attendance only. For example, students who've chosen a Term 1 split date will be charged approximately 12 weeks fees (at the Year 1 fee rate) for their first year of study, and approximately 38 weeks fees (at the Year 2 full-time fee rate) for their second year of studies.
Contents
Term 1
There is an initial two-week orientation period, which includes an introduction to studying at the School, sessions on key computing and study skills and an update on major pathogen groups. During the remaining ten weeks students take the modules Analysis & Design of Research Studies; Clinical Trials; Critical Skills for Tropical Medicine and Parasitology & Entomology. A further optional module is Molecular Biology. In addition in 'Friday Forum', students develop presentation skills by presenting their own experience to colleagues.
Terms 2 and 3
Students take a total of six study modules, one from each timetable slot. Available modules are shown below. Not all modules will be available in any one year, and some modules can be taken only after consultation with the Course Director. Recognising that students have diverse backgrounds and experience, the Course Director is willing to consider requests to take any module within the School's portfolio, provided that this is appropriate for the student, and is acceptable to the Module Organiser. Students who wish to take the Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene exam are required to take C1 and D1 modules in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
C1: Clinical Infectious Diseases 1: Bacterial & Viral Diseases & Community Health in Developing Countries; Epidemiology & Control of Malaria; Advanced Immunology 1; Childhood Eye Diseases and Ocular Infections; Designing Disease Control Programmes in Developing Countries; Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco; Generalised Linear Models; Health Care Evaluation; Health Promotion Approaches and Methods; Maternal & Child Nutrition; Molecular Biology & Recombinant DNA Techniques; Research Design & Analysis; Study Design: Writing a Study Proposal.
C2: Clinical Infectious Diseases 2: Parasitic Diseases & Clinical Medicine; Conflict & Health; Design & Analysis of Epidemiological Studies; Advanced Diagnostic Parasitology; Advanced Immunology; Analytical Models for Decision Making; Clinical Bacteriology 1; Family Planning Programmes; Health Systems; History & Health; Population, Poverty & Environment; Qualitative Methodologies; Statistical Methods in Epidemiology.
D1: Clinical Infectious Diseases 3: Bacterial & Viral Diseases & Community Health in Developing Countries; Clinical Virology; Advanced Training in Molecular Biology; Clinical Immunology; Communicable Disease Control in Developed & Middle Income Countries; Current Issues in Safe Motherhood & Perinatal Health; Economic Evaluation; Epidemiology of Non-Communicable Diseases; How to Plan & Implement a Vision 2020 Project; Medical Anthropology in Public Health; Modelling & the Dynamics of Infectious Diseases; Nutrition in Emergencies; Packages of Care for Mental Disorders; Social Epidemiology; Sociological Approaches to Health; Spatial Epidemiology in Public Health; Tropical Environmental Health; Vector Sampling, Identification & Incrimination.
D2: Clinical Infectious Diseases 4: Parasitic Diseases & Clinical Medicine; Epidemiology & Control of Communicable Diseases; Ethics, Public Health & Human Rights; Immunology of Parasitic Infection: Principles; Clinical Bacteriology 2; Environmental Epidemiology; Genetic Epidemiology; Globalisation & Health; Molecular Biology Research Progress & Applications; Nutrition Related Chronic Disease; Organisational Management; Population Dynamics & Projections; Reviewing the Literature; Sexual Health; Skills, Resources & Technology for Vision 2020; Survival Analysis & Bayesian Statistics; Vector Biology & Vector Parasite Interaction.
E: AIDS; Antimicrobial Chemotherapy; Control of Reproductive Tract Infections/Sexually Transmitted Infections; Global Disability & Health; Immunology of Parasitic Infection: Practice; Mycology; Advanced Statistical Methods in Epidemiology; Analysing Survey & Population Data; Applying Public Health Principles in Developing Countries; Environmental Health Policy; Integrated Vector Management; Integrating Module: Health Promotion; Molecular Cell Biology & Infection; Nutrition Programme Planning; Pathogen Genomics; Principles and Practice of Public Health.
Project Report
Students complete a research project in a subject of their choice, for example, writing up and analysing work carried out before coming to the School, a literature review, or a research study proposal. Some students gather data overseas or in the UK for analysis within the project. Such projects require early planning. Students undertaking projects overseas will require additional funding of up to £1,500 to cover costs involved.
The majority of students who undertake projects abroad receive financial support for flights from the School's trust funds set up for this purpose.
Objectives
By the end of this course, students should be able to: understand and describe the causation, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, management, and control of the major parasitic, bacterial, and viral diseases of developing countries; demonstrate knowledge and skills in diagnostic parasitology and other simple laboratory methods; understand and apply basic epidemiological principles, including selecting appropriate study designs; apply and interpret basic statistical tests for the analysis of quantitative data; critically evaluate published literature in order to make appropriate clinical decisions; communicate relevant medical knowledge to patients, health care professionals, colleagues and other groups; and understand the basic sciences underlying clinical and public health practice.
Requirements
Applicants must normally satisfy LSHTMs general entrance requirements and additional programme-specific entrance requirements to be considered for admission. Applications must be submitted in accordance with the procedures and deadlines given in the web-based or printed prospectus.
The normal minimum entrance qualification for registration is at least a second-class Honours degree of a UK university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, or a registerable qualification in medicine, dentistry or veterinary studies appropriate to the programme.
Applications with an appropriate technical qualification, or equivalent qualification and experience from overseas, are also welcomed.
Additional preferred requirements for the MSc Tropical Medicine & International Health are:
- students are normally practising doctors; they must have a degree in medicine and be registered medical practitioners
- candidates who have a minimum of two years of experience working in clinical medicine (in any country) with recent professional experience in a relevant discipline will be given preference
Any prospective student who does not meet the above minimum entry requirement, but who has relevant professional experience, may still be eligible for admission. The Registry can advise on eligibility to apply in such cases.
Funding
To find out the latest funding opportunities for this course, please visit http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/funding/index.html
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