Health Studies
About Health Studies
The field of health studies is concerned with the education and research development for students studying on the Public Health, Health Services Management, Health Promotion and Combined Health Studies programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Our original BA (Hons) undergraduate programmes were re-validated and re-approved in 2005 to create the new BSc (Hons) programmes in the health studies area in response to local and national employer consultation.
There is increasing demand for workers in the health care field in the areas of heath promotion, public health and health services management and our programmes aim to equip students with the knowledge and skills to be able to pursue a career in these areas.
Programme information
Undergraduate
Our undergraduate programmes include:-
- Health Services Management examines issues relating to policy and management in health systems including finance, organisation, planning, information technology, commissioning and human resource management.
- Health Promotion is the process of enabling and empowering people and groups to increase control over their own health. This includes strategies and actions to prevent disease and promote health. This degree encompasses perspectives from sociology, social policy, cultural studies, environmental studies and psychology.
- Public Health is the prevention of disease and the promotion of health through societies, organisations and communities. Public Health at UEL takes a non-clinical approach and areas of study include social, political, economic, environmental and epidemiological influences on public health.
These can be combined with other subject areas (i.e. education, law etc), or ‘Health Studies’. These programmes include a wide range of modules which allow students to develop their knowledge and experience in a range of topic areas there include evidence based health and health care, principles and values of health, research methods, information management in health care and managing resources in healthcare alongside other modules specific to each pathway.
Postgraduate
Our MSc Programmes in Health Promotion and Public Health are designed to support existing practitioners working in the fields of health promotion and public health.
The programmes aim to explore theory supported by practitioners own practical experiences to encourage critical thinking and analytical skills. We welcome students from a range of areas in health promotion and public health, at local, national and international level. The programme can be undertaken both full time and part time and includes modules such as ‘research methods’, ‘epidemiology’, ‘action orientated health promotion’, ‘public health theory and practice’, and ‘global contexts of public health’.
Previous graduates from the Health studies field have gone on to gain employment in a variety of areas. Our most recent graduates are currently working in posts including; Choose and Book Manager, Oral Health Promotion Officer, Dental Health Manager, Health Trainer, Smoking Cessation Officer and Healthy Eating Advisor, Social Marketing Policy Officer and Cancer Care Manager alongside a number of students working locally in London based PCTs and NHS trusts and London based public and private organisations. Other students prefer to continue their studies to include a PGCE, MSc or PhD.
Health Study Partnerships
We work closely with local PCTs and NHS Trusts throughout London. Students at level 3 have the opportunity to apply for the ‘earn and learn’ programme which enables a small number of students to gain paid work experience in a local PCT whilst studying at the same time. Within the university we also run a small series of health events that students are encouraged to become involved in promoting.
Facilities
The health studies field is located on the Stratford campus, where students have access to a range of facilities to help them with their studies including the learning resource centre and computing laboratories >> More information
Learning and teaching
- Strategies/Policies - The health studies programmes incorporate key transferable skills including lifelong learning and employability skills. These skills are embedded into the curriculum throughout student’s studies to enable students to develop their own transferable skills and prepare them for continuing learning and employment >> More information
- Teaching methods/Learning environment - Students on the health students programmes are taught and assessed through a variety of different methods. The focus is on student centred learning and the health studies team is committed to a student centred approach that promotes active learning and the development of attitudes and skills that promote lifelong learning and continuing professional development. We value individualism in our students and recognise that our diverse student population requires a range of learning and teaching strategies that accommodates students individual needs >> More information
Contact details
- General inquiries for the undergraduate programme can be made to the Field Leader Dr Philip Kemp
- General inquiries for the postgraduate programme can be made to the MSc programme leader Carmen Aceijas c.aceijas@uel.ac.uk ext 6388
