Public Health and Health Promotion PhD
MPhil option available
This course has an MPhil option
Overview
PhD student loans
The UK Government has recently introduced PhD loans of up to £25000 to UK and EU nationals, residing in England, for postgraduate research programmes starting in the academic year 2018-19. Read more here.
About the course
Research students are welcomed to Brunel as valued members of our thriving, research-intensive community. A research degree provides the opportunity to investigate a topic in depth, and contribute new knowledge to your discipline. A PhD involves demonstrating through original research or other advanced scholarship the creation and interpretation of new knowledge, a systematic acquisition and understanding of a substantial body of knowledge at the forefront of an academic discipline or professional practice, the ability to conceptualise, design and implement a project for the general of new knowledge, applications or understanding at the forefront of the discipline. Both full-time (3 years) and part-time (6 years) study routes are available.
MPhil degree option
An MPhil involves the exploration of a research topic and is typically studied over a shorter period of 1 year for a full-time student and 2 years for a part-time student. MPhil students are required to demonstrate a systematic understanding of knowledge and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights informed by the forefront of their discipline, field of study or professional practice.
Research profile
Public Health and Health Promotion is a dynamic and cutting edge programme of study within the Department of Clinical Sciences. Our academics are research active and internationally renowned in their own specialist fields of public health, health promotion, health and social care and the social context of health and wellbeing. We explore the ethical, political, societal and cultural dilemmas that arise in public health and health promotion and into health and social care.
PhD students can draw upon and focus on a wide range of research methods – that includes quantitative, qualitative, visual methods, arts based and digital methods.
Applicants are welcome to contact us about their own specialist topics and projects. However we particularly welcome proposals on :
- Health promotion for sexual minority groups.
- Creative methods for researching health and everyday life.
- Sexual health promotion for young people.
- Loneliness and well-being across the life-span.
- Violence and the sociology of health’s contribution to tackling it.
- Interprofessional interventions around FGM or other forms of gendered violence.
Applicants are invited to consider how their study might build on the research of a staff member or team, and to discuss their proposal with staff members informally before submitting.
Find out more
Enquiries
Contact our Enquiries team.
Course Enquiries: +44 (0)1895 265599 (before you submit an application)
Admissions Office: +44 (0)1895 265265 (after you submit an application)
Course content
Research degrees evolve in different ways according to discipline. Find out about what progress might look like at each stage of study here: Research degree progress structure
Employability
Careers and your future
Paid work available to research students
Undertaking teaching and learning support duties represents an important professional and career development opportunity for postgraduate research students. Brunel offers two levels of paid work available to Postgraduate Research students. The first level post is as a Demonstrator and the second level post is as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA). Teaching and learning support duties will vary between Departments and research students should not rely on such opportunities being available. Find out more here.
Following the completion of the course students may follow several career paths:
- Career path within academia starting as a University Lecturer
- Career progression within research institutes commencing as a post-doc researcher and progressing to senior researcher
- Careers in consultancies for Public Health and Health Promotion; Health and Social Care; Ageing
- Careers in government departments (e.g. Department of Health) and agencies (e.g. National Health Service)
At Brunel we provide many opportunities and experiences within your degree programme and beyond – work-based learning, professional support services, volunteering, mentoring, sports, arts, clubs, societies, and much, much more – and we encourage you to make the most of them, so that you can make the most of yourself.
» More about EmployabilityEntry criteria 2019/20
The general University entrance requirement for registration for a research degree is normally a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree. All international students must show evidence that they meet the English requirement for their course of study. The Senate reserves the right to assess the eligibility of applicants on an individual basis.
Research statement
As part of our application process for entry on our research degree (MPhil and PhD) programmes, we ask you to provide a 500-1,000 word research statement, excluding any references/bibliography you may include, setting out your research motivation, ideas and aspirations. Learn how to prepare a research statement here.
Entry criteria are subject to review and change each academic year.
International and EU entry requirements
If your country or institution is not listed or if you are not sure whether your institution is eligible, please contact Admissions
This information is for guidance only by Brunel University London and by meeting the academic requirements does not guarantee entry for our courses as applications are assessed on case-by-case basis.
English language requirements
- IELTS: 7 (min 6 in all areas)
- Pearson: 64 (51 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 70% (min 60% in all areas)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason.
We offer our own BrunELT English Test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options at the Brunel Language Centre.
Teaching and learning
Each student will be allocated a supervisory team consisting of the principal supervisor, second supervisor and a Research Development Advisor. The supervisory team will set teaching and learning targets and advise the student how to achieve them. The progress of each student will be assessed by the supervisory team at regular meetings and by a formal Progress Review Panel at 9 months for full-time students (18 months for part-time students) and then annually. All academic supervisors receive university supported training in the supervision of PhD students.
Some of the potential supervisors are listed below:
- Prof Mary Gilhooly
- Dr Pamela Griffiths
- Dr Wendy Martin
- Prof Christina Victor
- Dr Jitka Pikhartova
Find out more about working with the Supervisory Team here.
Special features
- A training programme will be provided by the College to assist students with achieving targets. The programme will include the underpinning principles such as philosophy of science, research integrity, ethics and specialist methodology. Sessions in core, specialist and advanced research methods will prepare students for an independent research career. The College research methods programme includes sessions from specialists with research expertise in qualitative, quantitative, reflexive, practitioner and insider research, and is aligned with the ESRC research methods expectations. Students will also enrol in the Graduate School Researcher Development Programme that ensures all students are equipped with generic research skills including presentational skills and impact activities.
- Staff in the Division are experienced researchers and grant holders, with particular strengths in the sociology of health, violence, sexuality and reproductive health.
- Particular fields of interest include Youth Studies and Gerontology
- Staff are members of the Welsh and Irish Health research grants committees, the ESRC and the National Institute of Health Research.
- Staff are regularly invited to advise health and wellbeing policy and projects, such as regarding children’s health, young people’s sexual health, the use of social media in health promotion
- Professor Christina Victor is Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences.
- Professor Christina Victor is Editor in Chief of Ageing and Society, the leading social gerontology journal in the UK.
Facts and figures
Study environment for research students
Find out more: Study environment for research students
Specialist equipment and facilities
Students have access to our state of the art research facilities, where we perform molecular biological and toxicological research, as well as chemical analyses and separation chromatography. We have specialist laboratories to house fish and invertebrate species.
Excellent research support and training
Extensive training and support is offered to all research students by the Graduate School, with regular Masterclasses and individual advice on academic issues as part of the Researcher Development Programme. Read more about the available Research Support and Training.
Library services
Brunel's library is open 24 hours a day, has 400,000 books and 250,000 e-books, and an annual budget of almost £2m. Subject Information Specialists train students in the latest technology, digital literacy, and digital dissemination of scholarly outputs.
- state-of-the-art research information management tools including a research publication and grant database
- one of the largest UK’s full text repository
- an integrated data management system
- analytical tools such as Altmertic and InCites
- Open Access centrally managed fund
Fees and funding
Fees for 2019/20 entry
Home/EU students
Full time - £4327
Part Time - £2163
International students
Full time: £18720
Part time: £9360
2018/19 Fees:
Home/EU students
Full time: £4,260/ Part time: £2,130
International students
Full time: £18,000
Research projects undertaken within the Department of Life Sciences in the areas of Biosciences; Environmental Sciences; Psychology and Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences may require an annual bench fee. Research projects undertaken within the Department of Clinical Sciences in the areas of Physiotherapy; Occupational Therapy; Health Sciences and Social Work may also require an annual bench fee. The amount is variable dependent on the requirements of the project and will be discussed and agreed between the applicant and the supervisor at interview stage. This amount will be additional to tuition fees and will be stated in the offer letter from Admissions
Research funding
We offer a range of PhD studentships, partial scholarships, and academic prizes, to help with your research fees. Explore external funding, particularly the Research Councils, as well as other support.
Some courses incur additional course related costs. You can also check our on-campus accommodation costs for more information on living expenses.
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.