Public and Global Health/Health Economics 2023-2024

All courses are full-time courses at Master's level and require at least 40 hours of work per week. You can only attend one course at a time, and you can only follow courses that belong to the same programme and semester. One study week is equivalent to 1.5 ECTS credits. The performance will be graded in accordance to the course's grading scale and on the basis of the student's fulfillment of the learning outcomes stated in the course syllabus.

General requirements 

Specific requirements

• At least 120 ECTS credits (2 years) of studies in the field of Public Health Sciences and/or Global Health. In order to follow courses in semester 2 or 3, prior knowledge corresponding to earlier courses is required.
• For studies in Health Economics, Policy and Management; a Bachelor's degree or a professional degree equivalent to a Swedish Bachelor's degree of at least 180 ECTS credits in Public Health Science, Healthcare, or other relevant social sciences subject area.
• In addition, other specific requirements may apply.

Public Health Epidemiology and Health Promotion and Prevention

If you apply for the courses below, please make sure you check the dates since some of them run in parallel and cannot be taken at the same time.

Semester 1 (Aug-Jan)

• 4FH081 Public Health - concepts and theories, 7.5 ECT credits 
• 4FH082 Methods for studying the distribution of health, 7.5 ECTS credits 
• 4FH083 Biostatistics 1 7.5 ECTS credits 
• 4FH084 Collecting and organizing data, 7.5 ECTS credits

Semester 2 (Jan-Jun)

• 4FH090 Theory of science 2.5 ECTS credits 
• 4FH089 Applied epidemiology 1 - distribution of health, 5 ECTS credits 
• 4FH091 Introduction to planning and program development, 5 ECTS credits 
• 4FH087 Biostatistics 2 7.5 ECTS credits 
• 4FH088 Qualitative methods, 7.5 ECTS credits
• 4FH086 Epidemiological methods for studying determinants of health, 7.5 ECTS credits 

Semester 3 (Aug-Jan)

• 4FH092 Project management, 3 ECTS credits 
• 4FH099 Systematic review and meta-analysis, 3 ECTS credits 
• 4FH096 Theories and methods for implementation and evaluation, 7 ECTS credits 
• 4FH094 Epidemiological methods for outcome evaluation of public health interventions, 10 ECTS credits 
• 4FH095 Applied epidemiology 2 – determinants of health, 14 ECTS credits 
• 4FH097 Applied health promotion and prevention, 10 ECTS credits

Global Health

Semester 1 (Aug-Dec)

3GB000 Global Health, 7.5 ECTS credits
3GB001 Research Methodology, 7.5 ECTS credits
3GB016 Infectious diseases - a challenge to global health, 4.5 ECTS credits
3GB014 Health policy, management and economics, 4,5 ECTS credits

Semester 2 (January)

3GB013 Maternal and child health in a global perspective, 3 ECTS credits
3GB015 NCD, Non-communicable diseases, injuries, natural emergencies and conflicts in a global health perspective, 3 ECTS credits

Health Economics, Policy and Management

Semester 1 (Aug-Jan)

• 4HM000 Introduction course, 7.5 ECTS credits
• 4HM001 Health Economics-Financing Health and Medical Care, 10 ECTS credits
• 4HM002 Health Systems and Policy, 10 ECTS credits
• 4HM003 Planning for Health, 2.5 ECTS credits

Semester 2 (Jan-Jun) - only possible to apply for IF you have followed the Semester 1 courses

• 4HM004 Basic Epidemiology and Statistics 1, 5 ECTS credits
• 4HM005 Health Outcomes Measurement, 7.5 ECTS credits
• 4HM006 Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programmes, 7.5 ECTS credits
• 4HM007 Health and Medical Care Management, 10 ECTS credits

Interprofessional courses

Public Health Response in Disasters (Jan-Apr)

What are health consequences of different disaster? How does one go about to meet the most urgent needs in disaster situations? These are focal questions in the course Public Health Response in Disasters. The course has two modules: Pre-disaster context and global health (8 ECTS) and Disaster response (12 ECTS). The first module starts out with a focus on the pre-disaster context and global health, as well as indirect and direct effects of disasters on health and health systems. The second module focuses on disaster response related to public health. The course is part of the Erasmus Mundus Master Programme Public Health in Disasters, and runs from January - April.

Community- and Home-based Rehabilitation (May-Jun)

The overall aim of this interprofessional course in Community- and Home-based Rehabilitation is to provide the students with knowledge about theoretical frameworks as well as practical tools in how to design, implement and assess the effects of intervention and technology in the home- and community-care in different cultures. Skills to identify, present and discuss ethical dilemmas in relation to culture, home- and community-care and how they impact the whole family will also be developed in the course. The course is worth 7.5 ECTS, and runs in May-June.

Research-oriented projects for exchange students

The Department of Public Health Science can offer research-oriented projects at Master's level during both autumn and spring semester. You need to make your own initial arrangements. The most successful approach is to participate in an ongoing research project and to find a supervisor interested in coaching students. The subject area and a supervisor from Karolinska Institutet should be stated in the application form.

Research groups in Epidemiology and Public Health Sciences
Research groups within the Centre for Global Health

Application deadline- courses

• 1 May (for the autumn semester 2023, end of August to mid-January)

• 1 October (for the spring semester 2024, mid-January to the beginning of June)

Application deadline - research oriented projects

• As far in advance as possible, but no later than six months before the required start of the study period

Abbreviations in the application form

All courses open for applications for exchange students appears in the application form. All courses in the application form start with an abbreviation. Please note that you cannot apply for different tracks/specializations and levels - all your courses must be within the same track. Contact the international coordinator, if you need help with choosing courses.

• PHS for Public Health Epidemiology and Health Promotion and Prevention
• HEPM for Health Economics, Policy and Management
• GH for Global Health

Programme presentations

The Master's programme in Public Health Sciences provides a global perspective to the public health field and has a multidisciplinary approach. The programme has two tracks, Public Health Epidemiology and Health Promotion and Prevention. It provides advanced studies in epidemiology and its application within public health. The student will acquire in-depth knowledge of epidemiological and statistical methods, data acquisition and management, and methods for outcome assessment of public health interventions and policy. The focus is on applied epidemiology in order to develop the skills to describe, analyse and reflect upon a variety of public health issues and to critically review epidemiological studies.

The Master's programme in Health Economics, Policy and Management provides an opportunity for students to develop theoretical and practical skills for analysing health and healthcare issues at the organisational and policy level. The objectives of this programme are to give students a base for a career in the healthcare and pharmaceutical fields, enhance their existing set of health economics, management and policy skills, and help them gain theoretical and conceptual understanding of the function of the health sector.

The Master's programme in Global Health integrates expertise and perspectives from the fields of public health, medicine, epidemiology, health economics, political science, environmental sciences and anthropology, among others. It provides a new platform for research, education and information on health challenges faced by the world population.

Career opportunities

Graduates in Public Health Sciences are well prepared for important positions in the private and public sectors, particularly authorities responsible for environmental and health issues, international work, or to proceed with further research and education.

As a graduate from the Global Health programme, you have a potential field of work in national or international organisations that work with low or middle income countries around issues related to poverty and health. Upon completion of the programme you are also eligible to apply for PhD training.