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Why choose the School of Society, Community and Health
92% of our health studies students were satisfied with how well their course developed knowledge and skills for the future (NSS, 2024).
Learning is mapped against the UK Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework as well as other UK and global competencies.
On successful course completion, you will achieve fellowship recognition with the UK Royal Society for Public Health.
About the course
This course provides a broad base of scientific knowledge and skills that can be applied across a range of health-related careers in the UK and internationally. You explore the differing health needs of populations; the influences on health; and how to prevent ill health and promote health and wellbeing. Using a blended learning approach, we prepare you to work in the field of public health, with theory applied to real-life situations through volunteering and placement opportunities.
Course accreditation
Graduates of this course achieve fellowship recognition with the UK Royal Society for Public Health, opening the way to a career in the field across public and private sectors.
Facilities and specialist equipment
- Fully immersive simulation suites with settings that prepare students for real-life scenarios in a safe and supportive environmentÌýÌý
- Relevant data-analysis software that develops your research skills and prepares you for careers in epidemiology and public health intelligence and statisticsÌý
Industry links
We have strong links with Luton Borough Council Public Health department, Keech Hospice Care, other local charities, and the ÑÇÉ«ÊÓƵ’s Institute for Health Research. These collaborations support our students’ learning and prepare them for future careers in public health.
Student experience
Learn from a dedicated team made up of practitioners, experts and researchers in the field of public health, whose expertise, experience and world-leading research feeds back into your learning.
The course is mapped against the UK Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework; UK Public Health Registry; ASPHER core competencies for public health professionals; and Global Health Education competencies.
Undertake internships in areas such as health inequalities; homelessness; addiction and substance abuse; public health policies and planning; and public health epidemiology and data analysis.
The course’s flexible approach is designed to develop your capacity to respond quickly and confidently to emerging health challenges such as a pandemic, humanitarian needs or disruptions caused by climate change.
Benefit from the course’s strong focus on public health’s responsibility to protect and improve the health of all people, and to reduce health and social care inequalities.
Take the opportunity to learn from visiting guest speakers, researchers and experts in different public health areas.
Our courses attract students from around the world, bringing a wide range of talents and experience to your learning as well as contributing to a lively, engaging learning environment.
with Professional Practice Year
This course has the option to be taken over four years which includes a year placement in industry. Undertaking a year in industry has many benefits. You gain practical experience and build your CV, as well as being a great opportunity to sample a profession and network with potential future employers.
There is no tuition fee for the placement year enabling you to gain an extra year of experience for free.
*Only available to UK/EU students.
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with Foundation Year
A Degree with a Foundation Year gives you guaranteed entry to an Undergraduate course.
Whether you’re returning to learning and require additional help and support to up-skill, or if you didn’t quite meet the grades to pursue an Undergraduate course, our Degrees with Foundation Year provide a fantastic entry route for you to work towards a degree level qualification.
With our guidance and support you’ll get up to speed within one year, and will be ready to seamlessly progress on to undergraduate study at Bedfordshire.
The Foundation Year provides an opportunity to build up your academic writing skills and numeracy, and will also cover a range of subject specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree.
This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will need to successfully complete the Foundation Year to progress on to the first year of your bachelor’s degree.
Why study a degree with a Foundation Year?
- Broad-based yet enough depth to give you credible vocational skills
- Coverage of a variety of areas typically delivered by an expert in this area
- Gain an understanding of a subject before choosing which route you wish to specialise in
- Great introduction to further study, and guaranteed progression on to one of our Undergraduate degrees
The degrees offering a Foundation Year provide excellent preparation for your future studies.
During your Foundation Year you will get the opportunity to talk to tutors about your degree study and future career aspirations, and receive guidance on the most appropriate Undergraduate course to help you achieve this; providing you meet the entry requirements and pass the Foundation Year.
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What will you study?
Studying our Public Health BSc (Hons) course will equip you with the specialist knowledge and skills to prevent ill health and promote wellbeing. In areas of theory, you will be given an introduction to public health and the key strategies for public health promotion in our Foundation of Public Health unit. Paired with our unit in Key Concepts in Health Promotion and Behaviour Change, you will explore the concepts of health promotion and behaviour change in relation to health promotion strategies. In an Introduction to Community Health Assessment, you will explore the methodologies and approaches for conducting health needs assessments as well as examine the key interventions used to address health inequalities. More specifically, you will look at Primary Health Care: Theory and Practice to understand its principles, importance and how it can be applied to practice. As a healthcare provider, it is important that you recognise your responsibility to promote health equity and social justice in areas of your work. This is where our unit in Inclusivity and Diversity in Health will develop your understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion in public healthcare to address systemic barriers that impact health outcomes for marginalised communities.Ìý
In your second year, you will delve into more complex discussions such as in our Global Public Health unit that will allow you to analyse principles and approaches to issues in healthcare development and research. Drawing from your own experiences and practice, you will also engage in debates around Public Health Policy and Strategy to analyse how policies are developed, how decisions are made and how resources are allocated. Similarly, you will be introduced to the key concepts and principles of public health protection, monitoring and emergency preparedness to examine the impact of infectious diseases and environmental hazards on public health in our Public Health Monitoring, Protection and Disease Prevention unit. In particular, you will also look at the public health issues affecting Maternal, Infant and Child Public Health such as malnutrition and breastfeeding as well as diseases such as HIV and malaria that affect the health and wellbeing of mothers, babies and children. Aside from physical health, you will also be introduced to mental health concepts that can be used to support the mental health needs of patients, their families or carers that you may encounter in the workplace alongside dealing with their physical conditions in our Mental Health Matters unit.ÌýÌý
In your final year, you will study more advanced topics such as in our Understanding Epidemiology and Biostatistics unit to understand epidemiological methods and to learn of the statistical principles and techniques used to assess risk and disease impact. You will also consider the social aspects of health, illness and healthcare in our Determinants of Health and Health Inequalities unit. This may include factors such as social class, gender, ethnicity or age and you will explore concepts, methods and policies that can be used to tackle health inequalities in practice. As an essential skill in the field of public health, Leadership and Management in Public Health will allow you to examine and develop the self-management and leadership skills you need in practice. Finally, you will complete a Public Health Project where you will lead and manage your own health-related project into an area of your interest and create a report on your findings. To help you with this, our unit in Research Methods will equip you with the knowledge and skills to conduct research in the fields of health protection, health improvement and health services using a range of quantitative and qualitative research designs. To prepare you for employment, Working in Public Health: Context and Practice will equip you with the knowledge of public health roles and functions for you to consider pursuing a career in.ÌýThis unit is led by public health practitioners and experts, also successful public health researchers with global reputations.Ìý
How will you be assessed?
A range of teaching and learning approaches are used to deliver a varied curriculum while supporting the development of your professional knowledge and academic skills. Within each unit there are face-to-face taught sessions seminars and collaborative group work. Your learning will also be underpinned by the University's Virtual Learning Environment (BREO). This is used to provide access to additional guided learning materials and other e-learning resources. You will be actively engaged in the learning process throughout and encouraged to take responsibility for identifying and addressing your own learning needs.
Throughout the course you are also encouraged to identify and reflect on prior-professional and personal experience in relation to the course curriculum. The curriculum content has been chosen to be challenging and meaningful to your role as a qualified public health practitioner or manager. You will be encouraged to reflect upon new perspectives and your previous public health or health and social care experiences in order to develop new insights and to identify scope for enhancing your future practice. You have the opportunity to influence the content of sessions and the way in which they are taught by providing structured feedback through informal discussions. Transferable and enterprise skills are promoted together with an emphasis on developing the skills to support lifelong learning.
The University s comprehensive student support service includes: Student Information Desk a one-stop shop for any initial enquiries; Student Support team advising and supporting those with physical or learning needs or more general student wellbeing; Study Hub team providing academic skills guidance; Personal Academic Tutoring system; a student managed Peer-Assisted Learning scheme; support from your lecturers.
Careers
This course is designed for those seeking a career in the public health and/or healthcare sectors in the UK and internationally. Its broad focus is on public health education with an emphasis on leadership management and global health explored from national and international perspectives.
It is relevant to a wide spectrum of roles within public health – public private or voluntary as well as national or international. Your skills enable you to take on roles in public health; epidemiology; policy research; and multi-disciplinary teams to name a few.
Graduates of the course are well equipped to take on roles such as:
- public health practitioner
- health protection practitioner
- health improvement practitioner
- public health intelligence officer
- healthy lifestyles coordinator
- tobacco control lead
- workplace health advisor
- immunisation programme coordinator
- community development worker
- public health project manager
- health and wellbeing coordinator
- public health intelligence analyst
- information analyst
- information scientist
- business intelligence analyst (often used for NHS roles)
- health service manager or administrator
The course also prepares students for the more specialised education and training offered by the ÑÇÉ«ÊÓƵ’s MSc Public Health.
Entry Requirements
- 112 UCAS tariff points including 96 from at least 3 A-levels or equivalent
- GCSE grade 4/Functional Skills Level 2 Maths
- GCSE grade 4/Functional Skills Level 2 English
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
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International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
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