- Masters of Public Health (MPH) -

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

It has been noted that more than 60% of the burden of disease in Uganda and elsewhere is preventable. This means strategic effort must be focused towards public health prevention, promotion and communication to avert this burden and reduce the cost and health care expenditure. Additionally, the need to ensure global health security, means that emerging pandemics and disease outbreaks must be detected and contained early enough before they can spread across the world given the high level of global connectivity.

Makerere University through the School of Public Health (MakSPH), in collaboration with a number of districts, and the Ministry of Health (MOH) started implementing a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree programme, popularly referred to as the Public Health Schools Without Walls (PHSWOW) since October 1994. This is a competency-based training programme that uses high quality and sustainable training strategies meant to produce public health leaders and workers who are able to address public health challenges at the national, programme, district and community levels in Uganda and beyond. This was particularly meant to produce public health leaders and managers to support the Uganda decentralization policy.

Mission: To produce public health practitioners with competencies to provide leadership to meet current and future public health challenges locally, regionally, and globally.

Goal: To prepare public health leaders who can contribute to an accelerated movement towards Universal Health Coverage with essential health and related services needed for promotion of a healthy and productive life

To strengthen capacity for implementation and delivery of quality health services at all levels
To train leaders and managers with the capacity and skills to meet the demands arising from the decentralisation policy as a model of health service planning and delivery
To strengthen the capacity of trainees to carry out public health research
To prepare public health practitioners to work within and a strengthened integrated multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral health system
To enhance capacity to contribute to reduction of morbidity and mortality from current and emerging health challenges
To promote linkages between Makerere University and the Ministries providing health services in line with the concept of “one health”
To increase awareness and appreciation of the importance of public health as a means to enhance the attractiveness of careers in public health
To promote linkages between institutions providing public health training, locally, regionally and globally

Year 1: Semester I
- MPH7134: Public Health, its Determinants and Health Promotion (4 CU)
- MPH7102: Applied Epidemiology I (3CU)
- MPH7103: Applied Biostatistics I (3CU)
- MPH 7135: Health System Leadership and Management (3CU)
- MPH 7136: Sexual and Reproductive Health (3CU
Year 1: Semester II
- MPH7235: Disease Control (4CU)
- MPH7236: Public Health Surveillance (2CU)
- SPH 7201: Environmental and Occupational Health (3CU)
- MPH 7203: Research Methods (4CU)
- MPH7237: Public Health Ethics and law (3CU)
Year 1: Recess term – Field Placement (10 weeks)
- MPH 7104: Field Study I (3CU)
- MPH 7205: Field Study II (3CU)
Year 2: Semester I
Core Courses
- MPH 8201: Applied Epidemiology II (3 CU)
- MPH 8202: Applied Biostatistics II (3CU)
- SPH 8101: Seminar Series 1(2 CU)
The Electives (Choose at least 2 electives)
- SPH 8104 Interventional Epidemiology (3CU)
- HSR 8201: Health Database Organization and Analysis (4CU)
- SPH 8106: Monitoring and Evaluation (3CU)
- MPH 8134: Health Economics (3CU)
- MPH 8135: Health Policy, Implementation and Analysis (3CU)
- MPH 8136: Maternal, New-born and Child Health (3CU)
- MPH 8137: Adolescent Health (3CU)
- SPH 8117: Chronic Consequences of Trauma, Injury and Disability (3CU)
- SPH 8119: Interventions for Trauma Injury and Disability (3CU)
Year 2 Semester II
- SPH 8202: Dissertation (9CU)

The programme will be open to Ugandans and Non-Ugandans who fulfill the admission requirements. A candidate is eligible for admission if he/she satisfies the following:

A degree in the health sciences e.g. medicine (human and veterinary), nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and environmental health science; or
A degree in biological sciences e.g. environmental sciences, biology, laboratory sciences; or
A degree in social and population sciences e.g., social work, sociology, economics, statistics, demography.
All first degrees must be at least second class lower or its equivalent, in the event that the first degree is classified.
At least two years of relevant working experience in a health service or health research institution is an added advantage.

The MBIO programme is open to both Ugandan and international applicants with a background in a quantitative discipline or a health-related field that includes coursework in statistics or mathematics. Only graduates from universities recognised by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) will be considered for admission. All applicants must also meet Makerere University’s general admission requirements for graduate programmes. Applications should be submitted online according to the instructions provided below. Apply