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The Undergraduate Programme within the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health is the BSc in Public Health and Health Promotion and for students entering from September 2012 - BSc in Public Health. This undergraduate programme provides a broadly based training, reflecting the range of skills that are involved in keeping people healthy and preventing disease. 

In the course of this degree, you will study the cause of disease; the biological basis of disease; the social and political influences on patterns of health and healthcare; applied public health/health promotion and appropraite methods of of both quantitative and qualitative research.

The graduates from the BSc programme will be equipped to become effective Public Health and Health Promotion practitioners and this is reflected in their career choices.

To find out more about the course, please see below.

The BSc prides itself in embracing an interdisciplinary learning environment and includes a range of different subjects areas.

There are now over a hundred students across the four years of the BSc in Public Health & Health Promotion programme.  They come from a variety of backgrounds including school leavers, mature entrants as well as international students.  This adds a rich mix to the learning environment for the students as a whole.

There is ongoing development of the BSc Public Health and Health Promotion (BSc in Public Health) curriculum to prepare graduates for the public health challenges of the 21st Century. Obesity, smoking, heart disease and HIV/AIDS are some of the issues that highlight the need for a Public Health Policy aimed at preventing disease and helping individuals and communities to increse their control over their health.

A degree in Public Health& Health Promotion will develop writing and data analyses skill that are relevant to a wide range of careers in the 21st century

BSc in Public Health and Health Promotion. (63kB)

In the Third Year students go on a Work Placement for 3 months. This placement provides the opportunity for further learning by experiencing the working world and by applying theory to practice.

It also opens doors to future work opportunities!  

We have a large number of employers willing (and keen!) to take students some examples include:

In Ireland:

  • HSE departments of Public Health and Health Promotion

  • National organisations like the Irish Heart Foundation & the Environmental Protection Agency

  • Community based organisations like NICHE & Ballincollig Action Plan in Cork, and Pavee Point in Dublin

  • The National Disease Surveillance Centre, Dublin

Abroad:

  • Primary Care Trusts & the Bristol Observatory in the UK

  • The Malaria Foundation in Uganda

  • Public Health interns in India and other developing countries

  • The Factory Community Centre in Sydney, Australia

The BSc in Public Health and Health Promotion is a challenging degree that offers a wide range of potential career opportunities.

Health Services Executive

  • Public Health Information Officers

  • Public Health Research Officers

  • Public Health Surveillance Officers

  • Health Promotion Officers

  • Environmental Health Officers

Working with public health and related agencies

  • National Cancer Registry

  • Food Safety Promotion Board

  • National Disease Surveillance Centre

  • Office for Tobacco Control

  • National Breast Cancer Screening  Programme

  • Health information & Quality Authority

  • Hospital management

  • Environmental Protection Agency

Other areas & disciplines

  • Voluntary Sector

  • Community Development

  • International Aid Agencies

  • Irish Aid

  • Journalism

  • Private sector: Pharmaceutical industry, management consultancy etc..

  • Possibility of graduate entry to medicine, pharmacy etc

With many have gone on to postgraduate programmes leading to an accredited qualification:

  • Masters programmes in:

  • Occupational Therapy (UL)

  • Dietetics (Scotland)

  • Nursing (England)

  • Post graduate diploma in Radiotherapy & Oncology (Scotland)

  • Graduate Entry in Medicine programme (UL)

Many have been successful in obtaining places on competitive Master’s programmes which lead them on to a variety of career options, including:

  • Masters in Public Health (MPH) – at home & abroad

  • Masters in Planning (Mplan) – UCC

  • MSc Public Health Research – Edinburgh

  • MSc Health Informatics – TCD

  • MSc Electronic Business –UCC

At least 4 students are currently studying for PhDs, our graduates have secured employment in for example:

  • North Cork Rural Development Company

  • Foroige Dublin

  • Research Governance Co-ordinator , Imperial College , London

  • St John of Gods Dublin – Social/Recreational Instructor

  • Quinn Healthcare

  • Kilkenny Spring Water

  • Garda

 

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