3 Careers Open To Global Public Health Students And How The MSc Will Prepare You

Worthwhile, challenging but rewarding work, a career in global public health is an opportunity to make a real difference. So what kind of roles can a masters at Queen Mary University lead to and how do the competencies learned on the 2-year part-time masters course prepare you for such roles?  

Policy analyst

Governments play a key role in global public health however, the health and wellbeing of billions of people around the world cannot be managed uniquely by politicians. The impacts of hunger, disease and natural disasters have a longer duration than the average election cycle and the effects of public health crises linger and evolve for generations. Policy analysts help to make the public health system function on a global level by studying programs and the difference they make to communities and standing between health organisations and the government to make sure policies are helping rather than hindering the work of global public health. Keeping the bigger picture in mind at all times, policy analysts report findings to their government and interpret legal information for organisations.

How can the masters course help me into this role?

A part-time masters in Global Public Health enables those wishing to become a policy analyst the credentials to have great influence and authority in their role. Combined with international work experience across a diversity of communities, your masters degree will set you apart with employers, demonstrating that you can think laterally and have impeccable hunger for detail.

Queen Mary Online's MSc in Global Public Health will help you become an astute health professional with a global perspective:

Epidemiologist/Research analyst

Epidemiologists have the ever-growingly important role of monitoring the spread of diseases, understanding their causes and developing solutions and potential treatments. They are tasked with exploring and researching patterns of disease using biostatistics, observations and investigating past pandemics and epidemics to find out how disease filters through a community. Exposing themselves to a high level of risk, those who work in this role require real dedication and a passion for their work. The research studies that an epidemiologist proposes are reported back to the public health system, public and government.

How can the masters course help me into this role?

If you wish to pursue a career in epidemiology, a masters is absolutely vital and should you wish to climb to a leadership role a PhD is highly recommended. A masters programme will allow students to nurture their investigative instincts and play a key part in preparing them for the analytical side of such a role as an epidemiologist.

Medical officer

The complex and omnipresent red tape and bureaucracy of global health means it’s easy to forget that health is the foundation beneath; indeed, there would be no global public health without the doctors and nurses who treat the patients. Medical officers and workers range from doctors, nurses and midwives to medical technicians and PAs. At the highest level, medical officers will manage programs and staff in healthcare establishments and in the field as well as offer useful medical consulting to the administrators and policymakers who do not possess medical training.

How can a masters help me into this role?

If your ambition is to reach leadership roles and/or have a high level of responsibility, a masters is the next step after an undergraduate degree and before a PhD. Leadership roles involve overseeing training programmes, offering medical advice and ensuring organisations are operating ethically. If you are not looking for a leadership role or are unsure which avenue of work to follow as of yet, an MSc in Global Public Health will nonetheless contribute to setting you apart from the competition when applying for a role. 

Lecturer on the part-time MSc in Global Public Health Dr Janakan Ratnarajan has described the course by saying ‘If you believe health is a right, then this is a great course for you’. 

If you’re interested in a career that makes a tangible difference, find out more about our MSc: