MSc Global Health and Infectious Diseases at University of Edinburgh

Programme overview

The MSc in Global Health and Infectious Diseases is a fully online, part-time interdisciplinary programme for professionals in medicine, veterinary science, public health, research and development. It examines how infectious diseases affect health systems, societies and global development, and has exit awards at PgCert (year 1) and PgDip (year 2) level.

Faculty: College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine | Department: Edinburgh Medical School | Duration: 3 years part-time (intermittent study route: up to 6 years) | Intake: September 2027 | Study mode: online | Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

What you will study

Year 1 courses include Global Health: Fundamentals, Understanding Infectious Diseases and Applied Epidemiology and Public Health. In year 2 you choose 60 credits of five-week options such as vaccinology, neglected tropical diseases, emerging infectious diseases, GIS and spatial data analysis, and zoonotic disease. Year 3 is a dissertation of 10,000 to 15,000 words.

Career pathways

Graduates move into leadership roles in international and national organisations managing health and disease issues, and many use the programme to strengthen their ability to influence public policy. Some publish their dissertation research, and PhD study is a further option.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent. A biomedical, medical, public health, veterinary or relevant bioscience subject is particularly suitable but entry is not restricted to these; applicants with an unrelated degree and relevant work experience may be considered and may be admitted to certificate level first. International applicants (and all applicants including UK nationals must evidence English): IELTS Academic overall 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component; TOEFL-iBT (from 21 January 2026) 4.5 overall with at least 4.5 in each component, or 92 overall with 23 in each component before that date; C1 Advanced/C2 Proficiency 176 overall with at least 169 in each component. Applicants should apply by the stated deadline (13 September 2027 or 20 August 2027 depending on applicant category).

GBP 6,370 a year (2027/28). Part-time online MSc, charged annually; estimated total for the 180-credit award GBP 19,100. The online fee table does not separate home and international applicants. Source

Intake: September 2027

Duration: up to 6 years part-time (intermittent study) / 3 years part-time

Explore more study programmes

Health Sciences