• Undergraduate

Public Health BSc (Hons)

Overview

Overview

With no two days ever alike, working in the public health industry can be an incredibly rewarding and satisfying experience as you will discover on this Public Health degree course.

Under our expert tuition, you will learn how to protect, promote, and improve the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities in the UK and abroad.

Why choose Ruskin College?

  • We put you first. Our teaching is designed for you: your ambitions and your needs. You will study in a supportive learning environment with a small learning group approach that really focuses on you.
  • Career-focused courses. Course content is designed to give you the skills that employers are looking for and are delivered by lecturers with industry experience and connections.
  • Part of a top 20% UK university. Ruskin College is part of the University of West London (UWL), ranked as 23 out of 121 UK universities in the UK in the Guardian Good University Guide 2023 and number 1 in the UK for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2022*. You will benefit from access to UWL student support services throughout your time at Ruskin College.

This course is also being offered at our partner institute, the University of West London. See BSc (Hons) Public Health at UWL. 

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Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:

Study options:
We may offer some of our courses via different study options. All currently available options are listed here.
With Foundation Year
Duration: 4 years

Start date:

If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.

Why study Public Health with us?

Why study Public Health with us?

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What our students say…

Three words to describe my university experience: Magical. Educating. Exciting. My favourite aspect of the course was the HIV topic that we studied. The friendliness at UWL as part of student life is amazing. I plan to go on and study a Masters next.

Fatima Massally*
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History
Course detail & modules

Course detail & modules

Empowering individuals, families and societies to make healthy lifestyle changes through effective verbal, written, audio-visual and social media presentations is at the heart of this Public Health degree.

Under the guidance of our expert tutelage, you will learn about the social, cultural, economic and political factors that affect health as well as identify patterns and trends in the health and wellness of individuals, neighbourhoods and populations.

You can also develop wider skills such as taking part in organising real-world health promotions such as a World AIDS day flash mob and a student-led health conference seminar.

In addition, you will enhance your leadership skills and ability to work as part of a team.

Your new skills will help you to:

  • work effectively with diverse groups involved in the promotion of public health
  • deliver and evaluate innovative health promotion campaigns
  • influence the development of policy for healthy communities

After completing the course you will be able to work within multi-agency teams delivering health promotion projects and programmes and will possess the interpersonal and community engagement skills to work in diverse communities.

Additional benefits

This course includes Making Every Contact Count (MECC) training (usually delivered in Year 2). MECC is about taking every opportunity to ask, assist and advise people about their lifestyles.

The University provides an excellent volunteering service with opportunities in public health-related charities and not-for-profit organisations.

Compulsory modules

  • Lifelong Learning for Public Health

    The aim of this module is to ensure you have the academic, IT, reading, writing and reflection skills, and the support you need to continue to improve. Key content:

    • Understand and apply information literacy skills and use the online and physical University library and the world wide web effectively.
    • Understand and use software such as Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel) in a professional way to create public health materials of various kinds.
    • Understand and use the virtual learning environment and assignment submission systems.
    • Access key public health associations, public health websites, blogs and social media and engage with the wider public health community outside the university.
    • Undertake a range of reading, writing and visual individual and group work activities on a range of public health topics.
    • Assess learning and support needs, and use the university and other resources to develop a network of people, skills and techniques to support own learning and development.
    • Use two main citation and referencing systems to accurately cite supporting material in in-class presentations/seminars and formative and summative assessments.

  • Finding, Understanding and using Evidence for Public Health

    This module is designed to help you recognise good quality scientific evidence (information and knowledge) and develop your ability to find and use scientific bibliographic databases and general search engines. It will also introduce you to the systematic appraisal of public health evidence critical thinking and writing skills.

    Key content:

    • Evidence-informed public health.
    • Recognising different types and sources of health information, statistics and evidence.
    • PICO and other frameworks for structuring searches for evidence.
    • Planning and executing high-quality search strategies.in bibliographic databases, university and other libraries and through online searches using Google and other search engines.
    • Appraising and summarising public health evidence.

  • Determinants of Health and Wellbeing

    The aim of this module is to develop your knowledge and understanding of the biological, social and environmental factors (determinants) that influence health and wellbeing at individual, group, community and population levels.

    You will consider the impact of health inequalities and health equity on health status and the determinants of health and wellbeing. You will also investigate the different types of interventions at individual, group, community and population levels – services, projects, programmes, regulations and policies – that can positively and negatively influence health and wellbeing. Key content:

    • Determinants, health inequalities and health equity and their effects on health and wellbeing.
    • Biological determinants of health: age, sex, ethnicity, disability (sensory, physical, cognitive)
    • Social determinants of health (social environment): lifestyle, gender, discrimination, housing, education, employment, income, wealth, economy, and healthcare.
    • Environmental determinants of health (physical and natural environment): air, water, soil, quality, noise, natural events (extreme weather), climate change, and neighbourhoods (space and place).
    • Introduction to different interventions that can be used to positively affect different determinants.
    • Introduction to behaviour change theory.

  • Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifecourse

    The aim of this module is to introduce the concept of the ‘lifecourse’, exploring key theories of human development from pre-conception to old age and how health issues change over time. You will reflect on the key influences on their own development and other members of their family. Key concepts and theories of health promotion and how an understanding of the lifecourse is useful in planning health promotion for different age groups will be explored.

    Key content:

    • Key life stages across the lifecourse: preconception and pregnancy, infancy and early years, childhood and adolescence, working age and adults older people.
    • Health determinants and health risks across the lifecourse.
    • Nature vs. nurture.
    • Medical, salutogenic, social and ecological models of health.
    • Health promotion interventions that can be undertaken as different stages of the lifecourse.

  • Measuring Individual Health and Wellbeing

    The aim of this module is to provide an introduction to how we measure the health of an individual and what it tells us about their current and future health and wellbeing (current health status and health risks). You will gain an understanding of the tools (questionnaires and measures-indicators of disease and health) that public health professionals use to work out and make judgements about an individual’s health and wellbeing.

    This module will also investigate the value of population-level screening, immunisation and health checks for improving individual, group and community health and wellbeing. Key content:

    • Importance of measuring individual health.
    • What is a risk and what is a risk factor?
    • Measuring physical health (diet, BMI, physical activity, self-perceived).
    • Measuring mental health and wellbeing (self-perceived wellbeing).
    • Measuring social health (place and environment e.g. deprivation, social support, social network).
    • Introduction to demography (age, sex, ethnicity and other individual-level characteristics).
    • Understanding and interpreting key health and wellbeing measures (indicators).
    • Introduction to population health screening, immunisation and health checks.
    • Ethical aspects of giving health promotion advice and signposting to screening, immunisation, health checks and other specialist services.

  • Politics and Advocacy in Public Health

    The aim of this module is to develop your knowledge of how politics, political institutions and political perspectives shape legislation and policies that influence individual, community and population health and wellbeing. You will examine the institutions and actors (people) that are involved in the process of legislation and policy development.

    You will explore the value of advocacy and lobbying in helping to change the views of politicians, communities and other key influencers. You will also look at key political dilemmas and how they affect population health and well-being.

    Key content:

    • Political perspectives (ideologies and beliefs).
    • Institutions and actors involved in legislation and policy-making (structures and governance frameworks and the people who work within them).
    • Advocacy and lobbying.
    • Political dilemmas and public health ethical frameworks

Compulsory modules

  • Assessing Population Health and Wellbeing

    The aim of this module is to help you understand the role of community needs assessment, community profiling and surveillance and monitoring in public health policy and practice. You will also learn to identify, interpret and analyse population-level demographic and epidemiological indicators (health outcomes and health determinant indicators) to develop summary community health profiles that inform community health needs assessment. You will also explore how population health theories help to explain patterns of health and disease in the past, present and future.

    Key content:

    • Community health needs assessment, community profiling and community health surveillance and monitoring.
    • Introduction to epidemiology: causation and association; hazard and risk; incidence and prevalence.
    • Health indicators and their strengths and weaknesses.
    • Identifying, interpreting and prioritising health indicators.
    • Theories of health deficits, needs and assets.
    • Theories of population health transition and change.

  • Health Protection, Systems and Emergencies

    The aim of this module is to enable you to understand and apply the principles and practices of health protection, emergency preparedness and healthcare public health to typical protection, emergency and healthcare scenarios that are experienced in the UK.

    You will develop knowledge about environmental hazards and emergencies, such as natural hazards (geophysical, hydrological, climatological, meteorological, biological) and technological or human-made hazards as well as learn how to develop appropriate responses for prevention, surveillance and management of environmental hazards and emergencies.

    Students will also examine the governance, structures, and roles within health protection, healthcare and social care systems and the role of public health in evaluating the quality (affordability, accessibility, availability) and cost-effectiveness of these services.

  • Health Promotion in Action

    The aim of the module is to enable you to develop knowledge, skills and understanding of the health promotion approaches that are used to achieve behaviour change in individuals and groups. The module will explore current theories and models of behaviour change and effective approaches to increase client knowledge, change attitudes and positively engage individuals, groups and communities in changing health behaviours.

    Opportunities to apply these skills and select appropriate health promotion interventions, for example, facilitating smoking cessation sessions or becoming a well-being champion, will be identified in discussion.

    You will be encouraged to bring your own experiences and knowledge of these issues to enrich the learning of the group and make the module an enjoyable and interactive experience.

    Key content:

    • Theories, models and approaches to health promotion.
    • Reflective practice.
    • Making Every Contact Count.
    • Health Champions.
    • Smoking Cessation.
    • Mental Health Awareness.
    • One student training option from E-learning for Health

  • Public Mental Health and Wellbeing

    The aim of this module is to provide you with the opportunity to explore and reflect on the concept of mental health and well-being, how it is measured and the factors that promote good mental health and wellbeing.

    You will assess national policies and consider how they inform local policy and action as well as learn about the types of interventions that can be undertaken to support mental health and wellbeing and how these can be designed, delivered, monitored and evaluated.

    Key content:

    • Definitions of mental health and wellbeing.
    • Perspectives (theories, models and frameworks) on mental health and wellbeing.
    • National mental health and wellbeing policy context for England.
    • Determinants (risk and protective factors) of mental health and wellbeing
    • Mental health and wellbeing and children and young people, adults (women and men) and older people.
    • Mental health and wellbeing in workplaces, prisons and universities.
    • Psychoactive substances and mental health and wellbeing (alcohol, cannabis, opioid medication).
    • Key mental health and wellbeing interventions.
    • Engaging communities in improving health and wellbeing through asset-based community development and community development activities.
    • The role of collaborations with other professionals and agencies at local level in helping to deliver mental health promotion and wellbeing interventions.

  • Mass Media Health Communication

    The aim of this module is to enable you to understand how mass media can be used to promote health within individuals, groups and communities. The module builds on learning in Semester 1 about theories and concepts of delivering health promotion interventions and explores the influence of media on perceptions of health and wellbeing.

    The module introduces concepts of multimedia exploring sociological, psychological and cultural theories.

  • Introduction to Research Methodologies and Methods in Public Health

    The aim of this module is to develop your knowledge of how politics, political institutions and political perspectives shape legislation and policies that influence individual, community and population health and wellbeing. You will examine the institutions and actors (people) that are involved in the process of legislation and policy development.

    You will explore the value of advocacy and lobbying in helping to change the views of politicians, communities and other key influencers. You will also look at key political dilemmas and how they affect population health and well-being.

    Key content:

    • Political perspectives (ideologies and beliefs).
    • Institutions and actors involved in legislation and policy-making (structures and governance frameworks and the people who work within them).
    • Advocacy and lobbying.
    • Political dilemmas and public health ethical frameworks

Compulsory modules

You will study all the compulsory modules and select ONE optional module.

  • Promoting and Developing Healthy Public Policy

    The aim of this module is to enable you to understand the importance of public policy and the policy and decision-making process and how it influences population health both through what is termed health policies (public, health, health and social care) and non-health policies (housing, transport, education, crime and safety).

    You will be able to develop the ability to analyse policies from a public health perspective and appreciate the importance of advocating for a ‘health in all policies’ approach to ensure that both health and non-health policies maximise individual, group, and community health and wellbeing.

  • Designing, Delivering, Monitoring and Evaluating Public Health Interventions

    The aim of this module is to introduce you to the process of developing public health interventions and enable you to understand, analyse and critique the business case, design, delivery, monitoring (quality assurance) and evaluation of new and existing public health interventions whether they are stand-alone projects, continuous services or programmes of activity.

    It explores the role and value of team-working, partnerships and collaborations, and engaging and involving communities in order to make interventions successful and cost-effective.

  • Professional Project: Public Health Intervention Project

    The aim of the module is to enable you to bring together the learning from the whole course and consolidate it into a practical assignment to create an outline business plan as you might do as an early career public health professional.

  • Developing Leadership for Health Improvement

    The aim of this module is to enable you to develop your knowledge and critical understanding of the role of leadership and organisational change at all levels of health promotion practice at all levels of public health practice. It focuses on the subjects of leadership in teams, in organisations and in the community.

    Good leadership skills are needed because it is likely to make interventions, project, programmes and services more effective. It is therefore an essential quality and every public health professional from the most junior public health practitioner to the Chief Executive of Public Health England needs to develop and enhance their leadership skills and competencies.

Optional modules

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

112 UCAS points required from level 3 qualifications

These can include:

  • A Levels at grade B, C and C, or above
  • BTEC Extended Diploma with Distinction, Merit, Merit
  • Access to HE Diploma

GCSE English and Maths (grade 9 – 4 / A* – C) or Level 2 equivalents are desirable but not essential.

Looking for BSc (Hons) Public Health with Foundation Year?

View Foundation Year course
Whether you are changing career or don't have the exact subjects and grades required for this course, you might want to choose this course with a foundation year. This will give you an extra year's study to prepare you for the standard degree programme, where you can go on to graduate with a full Honours degree. Follow the link to see full details of the course with foundation year.

Mature applicants (aged 21+)

If you do not hold the qualifications listed but have relevant work experience, you are welcome to apply. Your application will be considered on an individual basis.

Looking for BSc (Hons) Public Health with Foundation Year?

View Foundation Year course
Whether you are changing career or don't have the exact subjects and grades required for this course, you might want to choose this course with a foundation year. This will give you an extra year's study to prepare you for the standard degree programme, where you can go on to graduate with a full Honours degree. Follow the link to see full details of the course with foundation year.
Fees & funding

Fees & funding

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The fee above is the cost per year of your course.

You will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year.

Government regulation does affect tuition fees and the fees listed for courses starting in the 2024/25 academic year are subject to change.

 

Funding your studies

You may be eligible for a student loan to cover the cost of tuition fees, or a maintenance loan. Additional funding is available to some types of students, such as those with dependants and disabled students.

Bursaries and scholarships

If you've completed an access course at Ruskin and want to progress to study a degree course, we offer funding support through the Ruskin College Progression Bursary or Ruskin College Alumni Bursary.

We also offer the The Sanctuary Scholarship to support students who are seeking sanctuary in the UK to study for an undergraduate degree course at Ruskin College.

Information about fees and funding
Study & career progression

Study & career progression

5 notebooks stacked on top of each other

When you graduate you could progress onto a career in public health and health promotion in the public, private or voluntary sectors.

These include jobs in public health, social care, housing and leisure departments in local councils or national agencies; in human resources departments in medium to large companies focusing on staff wellbeing; in community projects, run by charities, supporting local people to improve their own health and wellbeing; working in fundraising, research, project management and directly with communities here and abroad.

  • Public Health England
  • Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) such as Hera or WaterAid
  • voluntary organisations
  • media relations or the World Health Organization (WHO)

Within these organisations, you could work as a:

  • health adviser
  • training facilitator
  • project manager
  • programme officer

You can also build on your BSc knowledge, skills and experiences by going directly to postgraduate study.

How to apply

How to apply

Important notes for applicants

*

National Student Survey 2022 - UWL was ranked as number 1 for student satisfaction based on the average of all scores in the survey.

Student quotes - Ruskin College is part of the University of West London group, student quotes are from students studying on the same or similar course within the group.