The programme defines global health broadly as an area for study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving health equity for all people worldwide. It has a particular focus on health problems in low and middle income countries (LMIC) and aims to build capacity through research and post graduate training in partnership with academic institutions in collaborating countries. It promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and involves disciplines both within and beyond the health sciences in the training programmes.

The main objective of the programme is to raise awareness of current global/international health concerns and to equip students with research skills and tools to address poverty related health problems in a fair and equitable manner. Students are being qualified to identify and critically analyse key factors shaping the health and well-being of populations in low and middle-income countries and to formulate effective and appropriate responses to complex health related issues.

Content:

The programme covers 2 years of full-time study, and includes compulsory and elective coursework, research and thesis defence.

It focuses on major public health problems in LMIC affecting the most vulnerable population groups, appropriate responses to complex health related issues and health systems challenges to provide universal access to quality health care. The main thematic areas of research are: maternal and child health; nutrition; communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases and oral sciences. Through interdisciplinary collaboration it offers research training in epidemiology, clinical and community trials, qualitative research, medical ethics, health economics, medical anthropology and biomedical sciences.

The students will be assigned supervisors at different departments at The Faculty of Medicine according to the thematic area and research approach selected.

The type of master studies that can be performed include literature reviews, research using existing data sets and empirical studies. For the empirical studies field work should primarily be performed in a low- or middle income populations. As a rule, students from LMIC perform fieldwork/data collection in their home country in collaboration with partner institutions. An exception is laboratory work which may be performed at the University of Bergen in collaboration with partner institutions in home country.

On completion of the course the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

On completion of the Master´s programme in Global Health the candidate:

• Has advanced knowledge of major global health and poverty- related problems, and interventions in health promotion, disease prevention and control, and specialised insight into the complex interaction between poverty and marginalisation processes, health systems functioning and utilisation, and health- and nutrition outcomes.
• Has thorough knowledge of public health disciplines including epidemiology, demographics, ethics and priority setting, health economics, health policy, health anthropology, and medical- and clinical research.
• Has a clear conceptual understanding of the key determinants of health, development and quality of life of populations, with particular emphasis on low and middle countries

Skills:

On completion of the Master´s programme in Global Health the candidate :

• Can critically assess and analyse information from various sources and use this information to develop scholarly arguments within their specialised fields of global health research
• Can apply methods for research relevant to their specialised fields
• Can analyse and interpret data , using relevant theories and tools of analysis (see above), and work independently to address practical and theoretical problems in global health research
• Can carry out an independent limited research project on masters level under supervision and in accordance with norms of ethics in medical and health research
• Can utilise relevant and appropriate tools and frameworks for planning, developing, managing, and evaluating interventions to address health challenges in resource poor settings
• Can critically analyse and assess health service delivery in diverse settings and formulate
• Effective and appropriate responses to inform health policy and implementation.

General Competence

On completion of the Master´s programme in Global Health the candidate :

• Can apply knowledge and skills to new areas of research within global health
• Can communicate research results from their specialised fields of global health to a broader audience of non-experts utilising available and appropriate tools and media
• Understands the evidence base for research and the basic principles of research methodology, and be able to suggest relevant designs for research that is appropriate in diverse environmental, social and cultural settings in low income countries.
• Can design relevant health systems interventions to disease control and prevention that promote equity and fairness.

In addition, some of the students will gain knowledge, skills and competence within specific scientific areas; these are described in relation to the elective courses. Examples are oral sciences and occupational health.

Students are selected from graduates of schools of medicine or dentistry, and from graduates of related disciplines in health, natural and social sciences.

Students recruited through the prospective partnership programme will be selected in collaboration with partner institution.

Applicants who are not native speakers of English must document their proficiency in English by taking an internationally recognized test; this does not apply to Nordic applicants http://www.uib.no/education/admission/master/international-applicants-residing-abroad/english-language-requirementshttp://www.uib.no/education/admission/master/international-applicants-residing-abroad/english-language-requirements

More information regarding the admission process: http://www.uib.no/en/mofa/73356/admission-masters-degree-programmes-faculty-medicine-and-dentistry#how-to-apply http://www.uib.no/en/mofa/73356/admission-masters-degree-programmes-faculty-medicine-and-dentistry#how-to-applyhttp://www.uib.no/en/mofa/73356/admission-masters-degree-programmes-faculty-medicine-and-dentistry#how-to-apply

Name

Course code

ECTS

Statistical Methods in Health Science

HELSTA

5

Major health problems in low and middle income countries (LMIC)

INTH304

6

Epidemiology

INTH302

6

Health systems

INTH316

6

Basic course in research tools and theory

INTH301

6

Research proposal development

INTH330A

10

M.Phil. in Global Health - Thesis

INTH395A

60

Depending on the students' master project and recommendation from supervisor(s):

Elective course

ECTS

Course codes

Applied economic evaluation in health care

3

INTH314

Applied statistics (Statistics II)

3

ODO-STAT2/06

Chemical factors at the work place

15

INTH331A

Clinical pharmacology

2

ODO-FARM/06

Culture and psychopathology

3

INTH325A

Cultural theory and global perspectives

5

SYKVIT302

Experimental epidemiology

3

INTH321A

Global TB epidemiology and intervention

2

INTH328B

Introduction to occupational health

3

INTH310A

Observational epidemiology: survey, cohort and case-control studies

5

INTH356

Oral biology

4

ODBIO901

Physical factors at the work place

6

INTH334B

Qualitative methods for international public health

3

INTH323E

Qualitative methodology

6

INTH343

Radiology

2

ODO-RØNT1/06

Research methods

5

ODO-FORSK/06

The global HIV epidemic and research challenges to improve prevention, support and care

5

INTH329

War, violence, peace & health

3

INTH340

The student may also take other, relevant open courses at the Faculty of Medicine.

Semester

Components

ECTS credits

First

Compulsory courses

Second

Elective courses or individual studies

60

Third and fourth

Research and preparation of master¿s thesis*

60

* A monograph or 1 scientific paper with a mantle consisting of a general introduction and discussion.

Course level: Assessment methods vary between courses and include: home assignments, written examinations, oral presentations and continuous assessment with elements of peer- and self- assessment.

Programme level: Master thesis including oral examination.