Courses & curriculum 2024 - 2025

Year 1

First, you are introduced to public health itself: what do we mean by health, and what determines the health of populations? You also learn about the European Union (EU): the treaty that established it and the institutions in Brussels.

You then examine communicable and not communicable diseases by taking institutional, ethical, social, psychological, policy and legal dimensions into account.

In the second semester, you set to work with concrete topics in the field of European Public Health including environmental health issues (including climate change and health) and technological innovation for public health in the are of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Examples of courses: Health, Health Determinants, and the EU Treaty; Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases in the EU and WHO-EURO region; Sustainability and Health in the EU; Health Technological Innovation in the EU; Qualitative Research Methodology; Statistics 

Year 2

In year 2, you start with the topics of demography, ageing, and migration within the EU. You then move into the issue of lifestyle (smoking, diet, exercise), as well as work and health. During this course we take a week-long excursion to Krakow, Poland, to discuss EU healthcare systems. A final module deepens your research methodology skills. After that you take a semester on a subject of your choice (the minor period). You may choose to do that at a university in another country (abroad) if you wish--almost 70% of our students do so.

Examples of courses: Demographic, Epidemiology of Ageing, and Migration in the EU; Lifestyle, Work and Health in the EU; Week-Long Excursion to Krakow, Poland; Quantitative Research Methodology. 

Year 3

You start focusing on challenges of current health systems and discuss opportunities for their future development, including global health perspectives. And you will study EU and WHO policies and policy making more in detail.
In the last semester, you learn about public health advocacy and entrepreneurship. You can add practical experience to your study programme by going abroad for a placement, e.g. at a healthcare organisation, a public health associations, a unit at the WHO or EU.

Examples of courses: Health Systems in Europe, Health Policy at the European Level.