Global Health Equity

MSc

  • Entry year 2025
  • Duration Part time 2 years
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Overview

Why Lancaster?

  • Learn from Lancaster University’s internationally renowned, research-active academics.
  • Gain a global perspective on health equity from our international contributors.
  • Benefit from our academic’s extensive experience of delivering high-quality online postgraduate courses.

Why Study Global Health Equity?

In our increasingly interconnected world, many people suffer from illness and poor quality of life due to systemic social, economic, political, and commercial inequalities.

The Covid-19 pandemic reinforced how many people are dying from preventable diseases simply because of where they live or who they are.

This part-time MSc in Global Health Equity addresses the urgent need to prioritise equality in global health policy and practices.

Through it, you will gain an understanding of global health systems, public health approaches and how the wider determinants of health can influence the spread and impact of chronic and infectious diseases.

Developed by leading experts at Lancaster University, this innovative, distance-learning program offers a comprehensive educational experience that equips you with the tools to confront contemporary health challenges and bring about change in global health systems to reduce health inequalities.

By the end of the program, you will have gained the knowledge and the skills to design research programmes and implement strategies that drive us towards a world where everyone has access to high-quality healthcare.

Whether you’re already in work and looking to take your career to the next level, or are looking to start out, this flexible, part-time, distance-learning programme can fit around your existing commitments.

What will I study?

With a strong focus on research-based policy and practice, the course covers the approaches and best practices for designing and implementing equity-sensitive monitoring and evaluation systems and processes. It enables students to draw from their own organisations and experiences to inform methods and data collection.

You will explore the following key areas:

  • Principles of Global Health Equity: Gain insight into foundational concepts and frameworks related to health equity including the key global health ideas and actors.
  • Intersectionality: Understand how various interlocking inequalities affect different social groups and learn to address these complex, multidimensional global health issues.
  • Connecting research and practice: Build the skills to link research findings with practical applications and policy, enabling you to envision new approaches for reducing health inequalities.
  • Influences on inequality: Examine how factors like philanthrocapitalism, marketing, and grassroots movements impact health inequalities, as well as the roles played by key actors and organizations.
  • Critical health issues in Global Health Equity: Investigate pressing topics such as sexual and reproductive health and rights, ageing, conflict, mental health, and migration.

You’ll also design and carry out a dissertation on a topic of your choice that will inform and guide your future practice.

Who will I learn from?

You’ll learn from respected, Lancaster University academics from the fields of health inequalities, public health, adolescent health inequalities and ageing to name just a few.

Researchers, activists and policymakers from around the globe will also contribute to the course - all of whom work on global equity issues within their own country contexts

As this is a highly interactive course, you will also learn from your peers’ experience and expertise.

Careers

With a full understanding of the issues and a nuanced awareness of the sensitivities surrounding global health, following completion of our Global Health Equity MSc, you’ll be ready to work with a range of different stakeholders and capable of leading programmes and initiatives that will change lives for the better.

With plenty of opportunity to travel and a real chance to make a difference, you could work anywhere in the world as an adviser, analyst, researcher or auditor for a diverse range of organisations including:

  • Health and care agencies
  • Disaster, international aid and development bodies
  • NGOs and charities
  • The Civil Service
  • International think tanks

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in any subject, or 2:2 with professional experience relevant to the programme (please give further detail of your experience in your personal statement).

The personal statement should include a short summary setting out your main areas of interest and / or experience in Global Health issues.

The department plans to interview all eligible applicants.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Pre-master’s programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master’s pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master’s degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

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Core

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Fees and funding

Location Full Time (per year) Part Time (per year)
Home n/a £7,070
International n/a £15,155

General fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

Studying by blended learning

This MSc in Global Health Equity is offered part-time over two years through blended learning.

This hybrid approach means you can learn online and balance your studies with your existing work or personal commitments.

The majority of your learning and research will take place remotely, via online discussion forums, collaborative digital spaces and video conferencing.

Once a year you'll be invited to attend our Autumn academy on our Lancaster campus. It will be an opportunity to build relationships face-to-face with academics and your global network of peers.

Blended Learning
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Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

Why Lancaster?