MSc In Health Sciences

Institution St George's University of London
Method At the institution
Location London
Type Masters
Course fee By request

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MSc In Health Sciences

Objectives By the end of the course participants will be able to: discuss health care issues within a multi-disciplinary group, valuing the contributions made by different professional groups to the totality of health care; appreciate the limitations of existing knowledge and accept a responsibility for continued learning and dissemination of knowledge; argue with confidence from an identified evidence base; pursue the study of any contributory discipline or health care topic independently, seeking appropriate academic advice where necessary; analyse the contributions of biological, social and psychological sciences to an integrated understanding of the human life cycle; use appropriate epidemiological terms to describe the distribution of health and ill health within populations and to analyse the epidemiology of diseases; examine the scope of sociology as applied to health and illness and use sociological theory to explore health care issues; examine models and theories of communication and apply these to situations encountered in health care; conduct literature searches using a variety of print and electronic media and reference academic work appropriately; use a range of computer packages including word-processing, graphics, spreadsheets and statistical analysis applications and search the Internet; understand and evaluate a range of approaches to research, including quantitative and qualitative methods, and critically appraise published research; use appropriate research techniques to investigate problems in health care; formulate a research question; carry out and write up a research project under supervision; write review papers on health care topics drawing on appropriate scientific and clinical literature.
Entry requirements Entry requirements Applicants should have either a first degree in an appropriate subject plus a minimum of two years' health service experience or a health professional qualification and a minimum of three years' health service experience. Non-graduates will be asked to write a qualifying essay as part of the admissions process. Applicants who meet the minimum criteria will be interviewed by members of the course team.
Academic title MSc In Health Sciences
Course description This course is a two-year part-time day-release course, appropriate for all health professionals, which leads to an MSc qualification of the University of London. It is located at St George's, University of London which received the highest rating of any London medical school (23/24) in the last Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency subject review of medicine and has excellent research ratings.

About the course

This course has been running successfully for fifteen years and has built up a reputation for itself. Many current students are now sponsored by managers who are former students. The course has a number of unique elements.

It is very multi-disciplinary with staff and students taken from a range of professions. Students have come from all branches of nursing and midwifery, all allied health professions, medicine, pharmacy, health promotion, management, audit, counselling, residential and social care. Surveys of graduates show that participants value this mixing of professions very highly.

It is designed to be applied to specific health care environments with a large number of assignments related to issues raised in students' places of work. Many students complete research projects that are of direct relevance to their work and some lead to publication in professional journals.

It admits both graduates and non-graduates who demonstrate potential to work at this level. Experience has shown that there is no difference in the achievement of the two groups, with a number of non-graduates obtaining distinctions.

It encourages an integrated approach to the subjects covered. Students are expected to become familiar with quantitative and qualitative research methods and with biological, psychological, social and population perspectives on health care.

Health Sciences

For the purposes of the course health sciences concern the avoidance of illness, the prevention of disease, the promotion, maintenance and restoration of health, and the limitation of disability. A number of different disciplines are involved including biological, social, psychological and population sciences. Students will develop skill in evaluating and critically appraising a wide range of evidence which underpins health care. The course content focuses on understanding of principles and methods and can be applied to a wide range of health care environments.

By the end of the course

Former participants on the course have found the course helpful in improving understanding of their work, managing their work more effectively, and contributing to improvements in policy and practice. Many have moved on to more senior positions in their various specialties or have been successful in moving into jobs in research, management or teaching. Some have continued on to study for doctoral degrees. Most report an increase in confidence associated with greater understanding of the research basis relevant to their work.

Structure of the course

The course is divided into a number of modules and you may be studying more than one module at a time. Most core modules are taught in the first year while elective modules are taught in the second year.

Core modules are compulsory and are taken by all students. These are:

The Life Cycle

Population Health

Sociology of Health and Illness

Communication and Interpersonal Issues in Health Care

Research Methods

Statistics

Critical Appraisal

Research Project Planning and Management

There are currently seven elective modules and you will be asked to choose at least one to complete during the course. The programme of electives changes from time to time but those likely to be available for 2008 entry are:

Critical Perspectives on Health and Illness

Ethics and Law

Evidence-informed Decision Making in Health Care

Interprofessional Work in Health and Social Care

Management and Decision Making

Methods of Behaviour Change

Health Care Informatics

(If you have successfully completed a relevant 15 credit module at level M within the last five years, you may offer this as APL instead of an elective. Alternatively you may take any other M level module from those available at SGUL or Kingston University instead of an elective if you wish.)

Teaching

Teaching staff are drawn from a number of departments and include those with clinical (medical, nursing and midwifery) backgrounds, bioscientists, sociologists, psychologists, epidemiologists, and statisticians. Clinical and management staff from a number of trusts also take part, as do outside experts on a range of subjects.

Teaching methods include a focus on small group work with group facilitators allocated to support each group. Students are expected to undertake a wide range of reading and private study in addition to the taught sessions and to contribute to the latter by sharing their expertise. Supervisors are allocated for the research project element during the first year and additional staff are available for general support with project work. A number of students have subsequently published their research projects while others have undertaken collaborative work with their supervisors.