MSc Global Health

With a special focus on the analytic functions of public health practice, our master of science (MSc) program is designed to equip graduates to work effectively as public health practitioners and researchers. These include applied research and evaluation of public health programs across a range of technical areas:

• infectious disease control (malaria, HIV/AIDS, immunization-preventable illnesses)
• maternal, child and reproductive health
• nutrition
• non-communicable diseases
• trauma
• mental health
• migration
• environmental health

A thesis is one of the requirements of this program. This entails research activity, with a focus on a research question relevant to, low- or middle-income country settings, and a publishable paper. As well as a preparation for public health practice, our MSc program may be a good choice for those who are thinking about carrying on with a PhD degree program.
 

Working in Global Health

Global health researchers and practitioners find employment in various organizations:

• government agencies (e.g. ministries of health, local health authorities, and government donor agencies like Global Affairs Canada)
• academic institutions
• other funding agencies (e.g. Global Fund, World Bank, major foundations)
• global technical agencies (e.g. UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA)
• international and local non-governmental civil society organizations
• consultancy groups
• private-sector organizations
  

Core Courses

These courses are required in order to complete this program.

SPH 555 – Foundations of Public Health Research (*3)
SPH 596 – Epidemiology Methods I (*3)
 

Specialization Courses

These courses are required for this specialization.

SPH 542 – Case Studies in International Primary Health Care (*3)
SPH 640 – Introduction to Global Health (*3)
 

Elective Courses

Students are required to complete *12 of graduate level coursework as approved by their supervisor from the following:

SPH 519 – Biostatistics I (*3), and
SPH 619 – Biostatistics II (*3), and
SPH 696 – Epidemiology Methods II (*3), and
(*3) graduate-level courses as approved by the student’s supervisor.

or

(*6) of graduate-level qualitative methods courses and two (*6) of graduate-level courses as approved by the student’s supervisor.

Thesis

Students will successfully complete and defend a thesis on a research topic in the program area, defined in consultation with the student’s supervisory committee. The scope and quality of the thesis should normally be appropriate to form the basis for a refereed journal publication.

As you prepare to defend your thesis, in the Final Oral Examination, you will want to become familiar with the Master’s Final Oral Examinations Procedures.

Students are required to present the results of their thesis at a student seminar prior to the Final Oral Examination.

Residency Requirement

The minimum period of residence is one academic year of full-time registration at the University of Alberta.

Length of Program

The time required to complete the program will vary according to the previous training of the applicant and the nature of the research undertaken. The maximum time permitted or completion of the program is four years (full or part time) from the date of first registration.

Program Overview

Master of Science in Global Health

An award-winning program that prepares the next generation of global health professionals for a changing world.

Learn together. Work together.

Recipient of the 2015 Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) Panorama Award for Outstanding International Education, and recently recognized as a ‘standout program’ in Toronto Star Magazine, the MSc Global Health prepares graduates for careers in a globalized world. The program – a joint offering with Maastricht University in the Netherlands – brings together faculties of social sciences, health sciences, business and humanities, and links with institutions across multiple continents. 

Together with our growing network of global partners, we are working in support of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Learn more about our network of partners

View the MSc Global Health program brochure

A Global Skillset

Over 12 months, students gain the skills and experience required for leadership careers within key international health organizations, government and non-government agencies, and the private sector.

• Self-management in a virtual work culture — A global skill set demands an entrepreneurial mindset. Online learning reflects the challenges of today’s virtual work environments, where accountability and self-motivation are paramount.
• ​Cross-cultural intuition in diverse group settings — You will develop strategies to ‘read’ diverse group situations and overcome communication and cultural barriers – interpersonal skills that can only be acquired through practical experience.
• ​Incisive decision-making in complex working environments — The program culminates in a simulated international symposium in India and work-integrated learning for most of you in practicums in global health workplaces in Canada and around the world.
• ​Analysis and evaluation of policies — Investigating public policies, you will learn how to structure policy briefs, short commentaries and longer papers – essential written communication skills for global projects and complex negotiations.

Transcontinental Teams

The program follows the ‘McMaster Model’ – student-centred, problem-based learning (PBL) – which has been adopted by universities around the world. But what makes it unique is its transcontinental approach. The program combines face-to-face classroom experiences with online collaboration in virtual teams, and exchanges to the Netherlands and Norway in the winter term for eligible students.

Using Blackboard Collaborate, Google+ Hangouts and Avenue to Learn, lectures are delivered to students in the classroom at McMaster while broadcasting it to students in the Netherlands, Norway, India, Thailand, Colombia, and Sudan. This immersive learning environment fosters career skills for a globalized world.

Specialization

You will have the opportunity to specialize in one of the program’s six Fields of Study offered at McMaster or via exchange:

Globalization and Equity (McMaster)

Global Health Management (McMaster)

Global Health: Disease Burden, Challenges and Changes (McMaster)

Implementing Innovations on a Global Scale (Maastricht)

Global Health Leadership and Organization (Maastricht)

Global transitions within local communities. Small places, big changes. (Norway)

Community Health in Moving Populations (Colombia)

Global Health Symposium/Field Orientation

The culmination of the program is the Global Health Symposium/Field Orientation in India, where students from partner universities present their research, receiving critical feedback from health policy-makers, activists, and expert researchers in the global health field. At the symposium, students:

• Experience international work environments — This symposium mirrors the complex international work situations you will face in the real world.
• Network and gather feedback — You will join over 250 students and faculty members from McMaster, Maastricht, and Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) for a two week course in Manipal, India. You will present an abstract of your research, gathering feedback on your research from experts as well as the peers who will become your future professional colleagues. As a part of the larger research projects ongoing at Manipal University, you will work collaboratively in groups to observe in primary health care facilities, government agencies, or other stakeholder settings. The output of your observations will be a systems map, which will be used to inform future research at Manipal AHE.
• Apply cross-cultural intuition — The ability to observe and adapt to different cultural contexts is essential for success in the global workforce. You will learn to draw on this insight to operate effectively in a diverse group setting.

Following the symposium, course-based students branch off to complete global health practicums while thesis students continue their thesis research and begin preparing for defense.

Field Practicum

 During the summer term, course-based students will complete a global health practicum that is approved both by your advisor and the program. The practicum requires you to work in an approved public or private organization related to your identified area. Internship facilitates an understanding of the many facets of real-life implementation of global health and fosters development of innovative ideas, which you can expand upon in your scholarly paper. Students gain valuable experience within organizations that put into practice the theory, concepts, and methods taught in the Master’s program, with activities targeted to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.  Note: Students participating in a field placement/internship outside of Canada will complete a Risk Management Form (available on our internal platform). Students participating in a field placement/internship within Canada will complete a letter of declaration to let the placement know they have coverage via WSIB or Chubb Insurance (formally ACE).

Global Health Advisory Board

Stewardship is provided by the program’s Global Health Advisory Board — with Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands as Honorary Chair. Made up of leaders from the business world, international NGOs and healthcare consultancies as far-spread as Japan, Africa and Switzerland, the board oversees the partnership between McMaster and Maastricht and provides the program’s strategic direction.