Course summary

Programme Overview This programme prepares students for leadership and equips them to assume an active role in and responsibilities for improving population health in a range of settings. It covers a wide breadth of contemporary issues in international public health and explores approaches to reducing health inequities by enhancing policy and practice based upon sound, evidence-based principles. The programme gives graduates key transferable knowledge and skills in epidemiology, research methods and social science. The Managing Health Services stream provides additional knowledge and skills in leadership and management of health services. It has a specialist focus on the theories and methods for improving and managing health systems and human resources. It aims to provide students with the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to enable them to enhance the effectiveness of health care organisations using quality and human resource management initiatives. Following the taught component, students on this stream complete a research dissertation project on a topic relevant to the healthcare services leadership, planning and management, either overseas or locally, and could be desk based or field work. The programme is underpinned by LSTM’s mission to reduce the burden of sickness and mortality in disease endemic countries through the delivery of effective interventions which improve human health and are relevant to the poorest communities. The programme has been developed around a series of Public Health competencies derived from the international reference points and mapped to these competencies (see Programme Specification). This stream has been developed using the Leadership Competencies for Healthcare Services Managers (2015) Programme Structure The MPH (Managing Health Services) programme is modular in structure with each taught module worth 20 credits and the dissertation project 60 credits. Each module (20 credits) represents 200 hours of student learning including assessments and self-directed study. The MPH (Managing Health Services) is offered within a dynamic research-led environment and its content is informed by the cutting-edge research activities of the academic staff. It is designed to enable the professional development of the student, to be relevant to students from both the UK and overseas and to promote approaches to study that will enable graduates to continue their learning into the future. Students can carry out a fieldwork-based dissertation project overseas, in a local setting or can conduct a literature-based project that does not involve travelling abroad. All types of project have the key aims of developing the students’ skills in formulating a research question, designing and implementing a research project and critically interpreting and presenting the findings. The timing of modules across the academic year recognises the financial and time constraints faced by LSTM students, many of whom are from outside UK. The modules available to students following the programme are shown in the programme specification. Required modules are necessary to achieve the programme learning outcomes and must be taken by all students following the programme. The optional modules have been identified as most suitable for contributing to the attainment of the programme learning outcomes.