Begin your studies by gaining an overview of public health and understanding how it aligns itself to the medical and social sciences. You’ll jump right into understanding how community life might affect the health of the people living there. Drawing on current public health issues you’ll develop an understanding of the types of factors that can impact individual health such as social inequalities (access to education, resources and support). You’ll analyse your data using different software programmes and understand different sections of society and health differences. You’ll begin developing your skills as a public health practitioner, recording your journey via an e-portfolio to prepare you for your future career, and possible registration with the UK Public Health Registry.
View the full module definitionIn order to affect change as a future Public Health practitioner, it is essential to understand how the human body works. We’ll give you the basics in cardiovascular, neurological, musculoskeletal systems and mental health. You’ll investigate how lifestyle choices can impact health, and how public health prevention programmes can reduce ill health. On completion, you’ll be able to connect anatomy and physiology with current public health challenges.
View the full module definitionYou’ll think about inequalities and risky and dangerous lifestyle factors, both in the UK and globally, which impact different sections of the population. As you begin to link the way behaviour, lifestyle and even policies and legislation can affect health, you’ll consider the public health efforts in addressing these though health promotion and programmes. You’ll learn about common behaviour change theories that are used to shape health promotion programmes and explore past and present health promotion approaches including mass media, social marketing and community development.
View the full module definitionConsider how common measures of disease morbidity and mortality (such as prevalence and incidence rates) are used to monitor the health of populations. You’ll take this one step further by analysing the way in which this information, combined with basic demographic data, is used by local, national and international governments to identify public health priorities. This process will enable you to understand some of the challenges of using epidemiological data in a real life setting. You’ll investigate epidemiological concepts, such as determinants of disease, disease dynamics and prevention. You’ll be introduced to epidemiological study designs and download data from the World Health Organisation data repository on a specific health issue in a country of your choice. Using this data you’ll learn basic data analysis skills using Excel and SPSS.
View the full module definitionEntering higher education is exciting; but it can also be a daunting experience. At ARU, we want all our students to make the most of the opportunities higher education provides, reach your potential, become lifelong learners and find fulfilling careers. However, we appreciate that the shift from secondary education, or a return to formal education is, in itself, quite a journey. This module is designed to ease that transition. You'll be enrolled on it as soon as you receive an offer from ARU so you can begin to learn about university life before your course starts. Through Into ARU, you'll explore a virtual land modelled around ARU values: Courage, Innovation, Community, Integrity, Responsibility, and Ambition. This innovative module is designed as a game, where you collect knowledge and complete mini tasks. You'll proceed at your own pace, though we you to have completed your Into ARU exploration by week 6. If for any reason you're unable to complete by that date, we'll signpost to existing services so that we can be confident that you are supported.
Explore highlights from the most recent Global Burden of Disease study report to understand current global disease patterns. Learn about effective disease control measures by examining past and current global disease eradication efforts. You’ll examine current drivers of disease worldwide, which include issues such as vaccine hesitancy. You’ll learn about sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals, which form the basis of International Public Health Practice. You’ll be introduced to public health policy and learn what a sustainable public health policy should include. Finally, you’ll work in a group to produce a policy paper and recommendations based on the World Health Organisation, government and local authority recommendations for a given public health problem. Each group will generate a portion of the policy paper and these will be combined to produce a class policy. Working in a group will give you an opportunity to explore group dynamics and reflect on team dynamics. As these issues are complex and many aspects are intertwined, you’ll be encouraged to form your own opinions and reflect upon the complexity of these issues in debates, negotiations and formal written work.
View the full module definitionYou’ll expand on key concepts allowing you to explore how data collection occurs in research. Having first-hand experience of designing questions for quantitative and qualitative data will allow you to have a greater understanding of the challenges of primary research, and also help with your critical thinking and review of secondary sources. For those interested in working in international public health contexts, monitoring and evaluation are key skills and requirements of agencies; the skills developed here link closely to employment opportunities in the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) sector.
View the full module definitionEducating people about their health has never been so important to influence change. You'll explore behavioural models commonly used to evaluate susceptibility to change. Using examples of campaigns from the UK and internationally, you'll learn about approaches used for health communication such as digital approaches alongside more traditional methods of communication such as posters, video and radio. You'll develop skills through analysing past and present health promotion campaigns to influence your own campaign designs.
View the full module definitionYou’ll learn about different healthcare systems and how to identify trends and review changes that represent population health status. You’ll explore different global locations to investigate how public health is funded, and some of the challenges faced in different parts of the world. You’ll also investigate how spending decisions are made for local, national, and international health priorities and targets, and how funding is allocated across these priorities.
View the full module definitionRuskin Modules are designed to prepare our students for a complex, challenging and changing future. These interdisciplinary modules provide the opportunity to further broaden your perspectives, develop your intellectual flexibility and creativity. You will work with others from different disciplines to enable you to reflect critically on the limitations of a single discipline to solve wider societal concerns. You will be supported to create meaningful connections across disciplines to apply new knowledge to tackle complex problems and key challenges. Ruskin Modules are designed to grow your confidence, seek and maximise opportunities to realise your potential to give you a distinctive edge and enhance your success in the workplace.
You’ll investigate how public health is funded in different parts of the world, and some of the challenges faced in health and social care prioritisation. You’ll explore strategic assessment of community health needs in different populations, and how trends are monitored for health care improvements. You’ll investigate examples of public health problems within the community as well as how to drive change toward a long-term health improvement status. You’ll also examine how public health is financed, and how this informs decision making for public health.
View the full module definitionAs you near then end of your course, we'll help you consolidate the skills and knowledge you've gained, such as holistic and evidence-based practice, report writing, leadership and collaborative/joint working. You'll explore strategies employed by public health practitioners to develop, recruit and evaluate programmes for health improvement. Furthermore, we'll support you as you prepare for your volunteer experience by raising awareness of the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) competencies and development of a career portfolio.
View the full module definitionPut theory into practice, and gain workplace experience, as you undertake a placement to build on your knowledge of the social, cultural, historical, ethical, political and economic issues that influence the health and wellbeing of people receiving public health interventions in different settings. You’ll choose your placement by thinking about what interests you the most and linking it into the area you’d like to enter once you graduate. Your Module Leader and allocated supervisor will provide training and support to prepare you for this venture. You’ll then reflect on your experience by creating a placement conference presentation and sharing your experiences to both assessors and students across the faculty.
View the full module definitionBy identifying a community or population and demonstrating what their needs might be you’ll demonstrate your understanding of the interplay of social, psychological, environmental, policy and ethical issues that operate in each population. Start thinking about how ideas transform into reality, as you present your project idea in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ format. Building on this, you’ll create a presentation to impress a mock investment panel and complete a grant application. Develop leadership and collaborative skills, working to a budget, and working in low resource, reactive or emergency settings.
View the full module definition