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Intercalated Global Public Health
Key information
- Degree
- BSc (Intercal)
- Duration
- 1 years
- Start
- September 2027
- UCAS code
- B9MX
- Institution code
- Q50
- Entry Requirements
- Full entry requirements (including contextual admissions)
- Home fees
- £10,050
- Overseas fees
- £34,750
Funding information
Paying your fees
Overview
Beyond the clinic: understand the bigger forces shaping health
Why do some communities experience poorer health than others? How do poverty, inequality, politics, climate change, commercial entities and health systems shape people's health? And how can doctors contribute to improving health beyond treating individual patients?
The Intercalated Global Public Health and Policy programme at Queen Mary gives you the opportunity to explore these questions and develop a broader understanding of medicine and health.
You will examine the social, political, economic and environmental factors that influence health, explore how different healthcare systems operate, and develop the research skills needed to understand and address complex public health challenges.
Create change with us
Our teaching takes place in Whitechapel in the heart of London’s East End. As one of the most diverse parts of the UK, it is a fascinating microcosm for understanding global public health.
As leaders in the field, we influence policy developments. Our academics explore everything from the impact of climate change on the health of indigenous people to the drivers of vaccine hesitancy. And you’ll carry out your own research too. Many students even publish their dissertations in peer-reviewed journals.
Our intercalated students study alongside a diverse postgraduate community, typically representing more than 20 countries. You will learn alongside doctors, healthcare professionals, social workers, and students who bring experience of different health systems, cultures and public health challenges.
An important part of your intercalated year is the opportunity to undertake an independent research project. You will develop your ability to identify a research question, review existing evidence, select appropriate methods, analyse findings and communicate your conclusions. Where suitable projects are available, students may have opportunities to work with local authority public health teams and other research partners.
Some students have also developed their dissertation research into publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Join us on our mission to promote social justice and health equity on a global, national, and local level.
You may also be interested in our MSc Global Public Health and Policy, which is available to study as an intercalated degree after Year 3 of your MBBS Medicine or BDS Dentistry programme.
Further information
Informal approaches are welcome at any time, please contact: Dr Haleema Masud (h.masud@qmul.ac.uk) and Dr Jonathan Kennedy (j.kennedy@qmul.ac.uk).
Structure
You can start your one-year intercalated Global Public Health BSc after the second, third or fourth years of your MBBS, BDS or BVetMed.
Year 1
Semester 1: All students take four compulsory modules
- Epidemiology and Statistics
- Health Inequalities and Social Determinants of Health
- Health Systems, Policy, and Practice
- Research Methods
Semester 2: Students write an 8,000 word dissertation and choose two elective modules from
- Anthropology and Global Health
- Gender, Sexuality and Health
- Global Health, Governance and Law
- Globalisation and Contemporary Medical Ethics
- Health Systems Theory, Policy and Political Economy
- Planetary Health and International Health Policy
- Public Health Nutrition
- A Life-course Approach to Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Medicines and Pharmaceutical Markets
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Intercalated degrees
An intercalated degree will broaden your studies as you gain an additional qualification.
It will also:
- strengthen your application if you wish to take the highly competitive academic Foundation Year route into clinical research or education and teaching
- help you to progress into postgraduate training within your chosen speciality
- develop your scientific awareness, with an opportunity to carry out original research
- allow you to experience your chosen field and be sure it’s right for you.
Find out more about intercalated degrees
Student Testimonial
Spending time with students and experts during the Global Public Health iBSc was an incredibly eye opening experience. It encouraged me to spend time reading outside of academic medicine and consider the wider implications of clinical decisions we make on a daily basis. It encouraged me to explore topics within fields I had never thought I would enjoy and has opened up a multitude of career pathways for my future.
Teaching
Teaching and learning
Our intercalated students study alongside MSc students. Teaching is through small-group seminars, giving you the opportunity to develop debating and advocacy skills, and to share insights and experiences with students from around the world. The programme provides students with support in developing their academic writing skills.
Assessment
You will have one exam for the Epidemiology and Statistics module. The other modules will be assessed through a combination of written assignments and presentations. The programme places a strong emphasis on developing your writing skills.
Resources and facilities
The School offers excellent on-campus resources to aid your studies, including:
- lecture theatres, seminar rooms, cafés, computer labs, study and social spaces at Whitechapel and Mile End campuses
- extensive library facilities – the Queen Mary libraries at Mile End and Whitechapel campuses, large medical archives at The Royal London and Barts hospitals, and access to the University of London library at Senate House.
Entry requirements
Intercalated degrees are for undergraduate students currently enrolled in the MBBS or BDS programmes at Queen Mary, or at another medical, dental or veterinary school.
Medical students
You must have completed 2, 3 or 4 years of the MBBS course (1 or 2 years of a graduate entry programme) and passed all years to date.
Dental students
You must have completed 2, 3 or 4 years of the BDS course and passed all years to date. You must also have completed all continuous assessment and have satisfactory annual progress reviews.
Veterinary students
Veterinary students are welcome to apply.
All students
Satisfactory performance in, and completion of, all student-selected components (SSCs).
Selection
Students who meet the criteria will be asked to attend an interview.
Where there is competition for places, students will be ranked on their exam results to date and their interview performance.
How to apply
See full information on how to apply for intercalated degrees.
Non-UK students
Students from the UK and overseas are welcome to apply for our intercalated degrees.
English language
Find out more about our English language entry requirements, including the types of test we accept and the scores needed for entry to the programme.
You may also be able to meet the English language requirement for your programme by joining a summer pre-sessional programme before starting your degree.
Further information
Find out more about our intercalated degrees.
Funding
Loans and grants
UK students accepted onto this course are eligible to apply for from Student Finance England or other government bodies.
Bursaries
Medical and dental students from Barts and The London will be considered for various bursaries based on research interests, financial need or academic merit.
These bursaries are not available to students from other medical schools, or to Barts and The London students who choose to intercalate externally.
Support from Queen Mary
We offer specialist support on all financial and welfare issues through our Advice and Counselling Service, which you can access as soon as you have applied for a place at Queen Mary.
Take a look at our Student Advice Guides which cover ways to finance your degree, including:
- additional sources of funding
- planning your budget and cutting costs
- part-time and vacation work
- money for lone parents.
Careers
Your BSc will be an advantage if you later apply for postgraduate training in public health. Your understanding of the wider causes of ill health will be of benefit within all areas of medicine.
