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Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health MA

London, Bloomsbury

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2022/23)

£12,900

£6,450

Overseas tuition fees (2022/23)

£26,600

£13,300

Duration

1 calendar year

2 calendar years

5 calendar years

Programme starts

September 2022

Applications accepted

All applicants: 18 Oct 2021 – 31 Mar 2022

Applications closed

Notification

Application closes at 17:00 GMT.

We recommend that you submit your application as soon as possible. The programme may remain open if places are still available after 31 March 2022 and will be closed as soon as it is full or by 30 June 2022.

Entry requirements

Normally a minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard; however, relevant employment/volunteering will be taken into consideration.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Advanced

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level. International Preparation Courses

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The programme covers relevant areas of moral and political theory, comparative policy analysis, and health economics, to allow students to come to a wide understanding of background issues, history and constraints, in order to be able to make a positive contribution to current debates in this field.

Who this course is for

The programme is particularly suitable for graduates with a background in medicine, social science or philosophy who wish to specialise in this area. It will also be of interest to those already working in the health service, whether in a managerial, policy or medical role.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

This MA is the only Master's programme in the world of its type. The compulsory modules provide necessary core skills, while the wide range of options enables students to further their own particular interests.

UCL is at the forefront of interdisciplinary research and teaching in philosophy, health humanities and global health. The programme draws on highly regarded researchers in a range of UCL departments, and students benefit by instruction from some of the leaders in their fields.

The degree is based in UCL's Health Humanities Centre which draws together world-leading researchers from different disciplines including medicine and health in history, philosophy, law, sociology, anthropology, and cultural and film studies. UCL Health Humanities Centre forms part of the UCL Institute of Advanced Studies, which showcases and fosters multidisciplinary research within the humanities and the social sciences, with an active programme of events and visiting international scholars.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

The programme equips students with an ability to think precisely and rigorously about complex problems in health systems and beyond; to work with others to explore solutions; and to write cogently and concisely. Public and private sector health employers and NGOs particularly prize these skills in graduates. The skills that the programme teaches also provide an ideal springboard to further academic study.

Employability

Graduates have gone on to funded research in bioethics and in health policy, and to jobs in the health service, law, journalism, as well as medical education.

Teaching and learning

The programme is taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials. Student performance is assessed through examinations, presentations and coursework (depending on the options chosen), and the dissertation.

A Postgraduate Diploma of 120 credits is available, consisting of three core modules (45 credits), and 75 credits of elective modules.

Modules

Full-time

The Health Humanities Route comprises two core modules on Illness and Madness, optional modules and a dissertation.

The Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health Route comprises core modules on Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health; Health Policy and Reform and Key Principles of Health Economics, optional modules and a dissertation.

All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 10-12,000 words.

Compulsory modules

Dissertation

Key Principles of Health Economics

Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health

Health Policy and Reform

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Introduction to MA Health Humanities

We seek novel ways of understanding health and illness in society, and how methods from the humanities and social studies may be brought to bear on biomedicine, clinical practice, and the politics of healthcare.

Watch on demand event

Online - Open day

Introduction to MA Philosophy, Politics & Economics of Health

We explore the central ethical, economic and political problems facing health policy in the UK and globally, especially in relation to social justice.

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2022/23)	£12,900	£6,450
Tuition fees (2022/23)	£26,600	£13,300

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

All full time students are required to pay a fee deposit of £1,000 for this programme. All part-time students are required to pay a fee deposit of £500.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

Applicants for this programme may be eligible for a number of funding opportunities including UCL graduate scholarships.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/european-languages-culture/programmes-courses/postgraduate-taught/funding-scholarships-and-prizes-masters

Home and some EU students on a Master's programme can apply for a government postgraduate loan.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

why you want to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health at graduate level
why you want to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Health at UCL
what particularly attracts you to this programme
how your academic and/or professional background meets the demands of a challenging academic environment
where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme offers.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes in any application cycle.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.