Global Health and Infectious Diseases (MSc, PG Diploma, PG Certificate)

You will explore and address local and global health challenges related to infectious diseases and their impact upon public health. The programme explores the parallels that exist between infectious diseases such as malaria, influenza, TB, Covid-19, and neglected diseases such as leprosy and brucellosis. You will develop the skills to apply scientific research to help develop and implement strategies and programmes to help manage infectious diseases better. 

Year 1 of the programme aims to develop your knowledge of key issues in global health. During this year, you will build skills to critically evaluate research and develop your understanding of global health as it relates to infectious diseases.

You will be introduced to a wide range of resources that provide evidence and context for the influence of infectious diseases on every facet of our daily lives. We will work with you to develop your communication skills, critical analysis skills and build confidence in academic writing and discourse.

You will take courses, such as:

• Global Health: Fundamentals
• Understanding Infectious Diseases
• Applied Epidemiology and Public Health

Interaction between students, course organisers and tutors will build critical scientific analysis skills that provide a foundation for future work and study.

In Year 2, you can tailor your learning to specialise in your own areas of interest. We offer a range of 5-week option courses, providing you with the opportunity to specialise.

You will choose 60 credits from a range that may include:

• An introduction to vaccinology
• Climate change and infectious disease
• Emerging infectious diseases
• Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial data analysis
• Neglected tropical diseases
• Newborn and child health
• Project management of development aid
• Reproductive and maternal health
• Sexually transmitted infections
• Technological advances in diagnostics
• The nexus of food security and global health
• Travel medicine and infectious diseases
• Water and Sanitation
• Zoonotic disease
• Zoonotic diseases in a global setting

Option course availability is subject to annual academic review and demand.

Year 3 gives you the opportunity to research original and creative responses to a challenge of your choosing in the form of a dissertation project. You will conduct a written reflective element of 10,000 to 15,000 words.

Many students choose projects that are directly linked to their current professional work, and may go on to publish their findings or utilise these in their own career development.

Course information

This is a professional postgraduate qualification for biomedical, medical, public health, and veterinary personnel who want to develop their scientific knowledge of the spread and management of infectious diseases.  

You will develop an extensive knowledge of global health and infectious diseases informed by scientific research, and learn to apply this knowledge in a wide, and often unpredictable variety of global health contexts.  Throughout the programme you will learn to develop and evaluate creative solutions to better manage your response to the infectious disease challenges in global health. In addition to having more confidence in their role, and boosting career prospects, many of our graduates find that these skills have significantly enhanced their ability to communicate and influence public policy and decision makers.  

Our optional course in Project Management of Development Aid will enhance your leadership and management skills, while courses in GIS and spatial data analysis will significantly enhance your ability to analyse and present data – skills that are vital in addressing the challenges of infectious diseases and global health. 

Each year we recruit students from a wide range of professions from around the world, providing you with an insight into the challenges and solutions of health care systems in other countries. Our graduates find these insights invaluable in developing their understanding of global health, and identifying new ways to address common challenges.  

These entry requirements are for the 2026-27 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2027-28 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2026.

• A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent. A biomedical, medical, public health, veterinary or relevant bioscience topic is particularly suitable for this degree programme, but entry is not restricted to these topics.
• We may also consider your application if your degree is in an unrelated discipline but you have relevant work experience; please contact us to check before you apply. You may be admitted to Certificate level only in the first instance.

Full entry requirements, including international qualifications and English language requirements can be found on the University Programme Degree Finder. 

Fee status  

Tuition fees are standard for all students regardless of location or nationality. We offer a 10% scholarship in postgraduate degree tuition fees for all alumni who have graduated with an undergraduate degree from the University of Edinburgh.

A breakdown of fees can be found on the University Programme Degree Finder. 

Entry requirements and fees on degree finder

Programme Structure

Learning online

How to apply

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