MA in Health and Society

Health and wellbeing are critical issues in society and our MA in Health and Society at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland, is an innovative interdisciplinary programme that addresses the impact of health across the breadth of society both local and global.

This MA Health & Society programme is aimed at graduates from a broad range of disciplines in the sciences and humanities and is designed to provide a unique and critical analysis of contemporary discourses and issues from an individual, societal and global perspective.

This course is about health, but not exclusively healthcare as health is both a medical and a social issue. We explore health from a variety of different angles and to this end bring together health experts from a vast range of disciplines and colleges, including medicine, epidemiology, philosophy, ethics, sociology, social policy, and law.

Our course is aimed at graduate students in Philosophy, Epidemiology and Public Health, Sociology, Geography, and related disciplines and at graduates with continuing education needs, for example, managerial staff working in the health sector. You can choose to follow one of three pathways along with core principles and elective modules.

MA Health & Society Pathways

• Philosophy
• Public Health
• Economics

Why Choose This Course

This is an interdisciplinary course that overcomes the boundaries between disciplines in medicine, social sciences, and humanities. While health is the focus, students will learn how to approach this complex issue from a variety of methodologies: medical, sociological, philosophical, psychological, and legal.

The MA in Health and Society is a full-time programme running for 12 months or part-time over 24 months from the date of first registration for the programme. The part-time option is taught during weekday working hours over 2 years. In total, you choose 90 credits comprising core modules and modules from your chosen pathway.

Pathways

• Philosophy
• Public Health
• Economics

All students take 30 credits of core modules and 10 credits of mandatory modules from their chosen pathway along with elective postgraduate or undergraduate modules. See below for the breadth of modules on offer.

• EH6025 Principles and Practice of Public Health (10 credits)
• PH6047 Philosophy and Health (10 credits)
• EC6049 Healthcare Economics (10 credits)

Philosophy Pathway

• Students with a background in philosophy: PH6053 Professional Ethics: Advanced (10 credits) or PH6054 Measuring Society: Growth, Poverty, Inequality, and Human Capital (10 credits) or PH6057 Philosophy and the Biological Health Sciences (10 credits)
• Students with no background in philosophy: PH2002 Reasoning and Argument (5 credits) and PH2019 Philosophy of Science (5 credits) or PH2028 Applied Ethics (5 credits)

Public Health Pathway

• EH6026 Applied Research for Public Health (10 credits)

Economics Pathway

• Students with a background in econometrics: EC2100 Microeconomics: Behaviour and Organisations (5 credits) and EC6062 Applied Econometrics (5 credits)
• Students with no background in econometrics: EC2100 Microeconomics: Behaviour and Organisations (5 credits) and EC3143 Quantitative Methods for Economic Investigation: Empirical Econometrics (5 credits)

Elective Modules (20 credits)

Postgraduate

• AP6129 Health Psychology (5 credits)
• EH6026 Applied Research for Public Health (10 credits)
• LW6546 Juvenile Justice (10 credits)
• LW6549 International Children's Rights (10 credits)
• LW6592 Mental Capacity Law (5 credits)
• PH6012 Human Rights I (10 credits)
• PH6048 The Philosophy of Death and Dying (10 credits)
• PH6052 Advanced Moral Psychology (10 credits)
• PH6053 Professional Ethics: Advanced (10 credits)
• PH6054 Measuring Society: Growth, Poverty, Inequality, and Human Capital (10 credits)
• PH6057 Philosophy and the Biological Health Sciences (10 credits)
• SS6019 Critical Public Health (10 credits)
• EC6073 Economic Decision Making in Healthcare (5 credits)
• EC6619 Scenario Planning for Strategic Decision Making (5 credits)

Undergraduate

• AP3126 Health Psychology: Models and Applications (5 credits)
• EH4005 Health Services (5 credits)
• PH2002 Reasoning and Argument (5 credits)
• PH2019 Philosophy of Science (5 credits)
• PH2028 Applied Ethics (5 credits)
• PH3046 Philosophy of Biology (5 credits)
• PH3047 Evidence (5 credits)
• SC1011 Sociology of Health, Public Health and Health Promotion (5 credits)
• SC3025 Health and Scientific Deviance (5 credits)
• SS3016 Social Perspectives in Mental Health (5 credits)
• SS3024 Social Movements and Health (5 credits)
• SS4000 Science, Technology and Public Controversy (5 credits)
• EC3157 Public Finance Projects (5 credits)
• EC2018 Economics Journey Through Life Decisions (5 credits)

Dissertation Modules (30 credits)

• Philosophy Pathway: PH6050 Dissertation in Philosophy and Health (30 credits) or PH6059 Work-Based Dissertation in Philosophy and Health (30 credits)
• Public Health Pathway: EH6040 Dissertation in Public Health and Epidemiology (30 credits)
• Economics Pathway: EC6074 Dissertation in Economics and Health (30 credits)

Consult the UCC University Calendar (MA Health & Society) for programme details.

• Postgraduate Certificate in Health and Society (NFQ Level 9, Minor Award)

Students who pass taught modules to the value of at least 30 credits (but less than 60 credits) may exit the programme and be conferred with a Postgraduate Certificate in Health and Society.

• Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Society (NFQ Level 9, Major Award)

Students who pass taught modules to the value of 60 credits may exit the programme and be conferred with a Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Society.

Course Practicalities

There are be approximately 9 hours of lectures/seminars per week. Students will be expected to conduct on average 20 hours of reading per week, on top of the time spent in class.

Assessment

Each module will be assessed by continuous assessment, end-of-semester examination, or a combination of both. The continuous assessment element will take the form of essays and assignments including class presentations. There will also be a final year dissertation of approximately 10,000 words.

Connected Curriculum

We encourage innovative teaching and learning practices at UCC. This learning approach reflects our commitment to the Connected Curriculum where we emphasise the connection between students, learning, research and leadership through our vision for a Connected University. Our staff are at the forefront of this integrative approach to learning and will support you in making meaningful connections within and between disciplines such as Health, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Sciences and across the breadth of the Arts programme.

Our staff are drawn from across the University and include academics from Health and Medicine, Arts, Social Sciences, Applied Social Studies, Philosophy, and beyond. Our current team includes:

• Professor John P Browne
• Professor Ivan Perry
• Dr Orla O’Donovan
• Dr Kian Mintz-Woo
• Dr Bengt Autzen

Students will acquire a variety of analytical skills, which will allow them to analyse health from many different perspectives. This MA will enhance opportunities to work in the health sector, at all levels. Careers in the private sector, especially pharmaceutical companies, will also be a possibility for graduates of this programme.

By the end of the course, students will be expected to demonstrate in-depth expertise in relation to philosophical, epidemiological sociological and psychological factors which contribute to health and well-being. This MA will open new career options in the health sector, as well as research opportunities in the humanities and social sciences. Read more about your Phd options here.