This is a four-year, full-time undergraduate programme, leading to the award of a BSc (Hons) Public Health Sciences. The programme includes a work placement module and the option of studying abroad in the Third Year.
NOTE: This programme is being revised with changes being implemented on a phased basis (commenced in 2016/17).
Applicants who are under 23 years of age must satisfy the minimum entry requirements of the College of Medicine and Health as set out here.
Entry on the Grounds of Mature Years
Applicants who have not satisfied the minimum entry requirements may,
on the recommendation of College, be considered for admission on the
grounds of mature years (see under "Mature Students" in the Admission
to Undergraduate Programmes section of the University Calendar).
Garda Vetting
Students, or applicants in receipt of an offer, on this programme will be subject
to Garda Vetting as relevant. Students will be prohibited from engaging in a relevant
work placement unless the vetting process has been cleared. Click here to view UCC's
Student Garda Vetting Policy.
Three Year Rule
Students must pass/progress within three academic years of first
registration for each year of the programme. Students are permitted to
repeat any academic year once only and may not repeat any more than
two academic years in any one programme.
To be admitted to the First University Examination in Public Health Sciences a student must have satisfactorily attended modules to the value of 60 credits as follows:
Core Modules
Students take 50 credits as follows:
EH1004 Epidemiology I (10 credits)
EH1006 Perspectives on Public Health (5 credits)
EH1007 Introduction to Health Information Systems (HIS) (5 credits)
EH1009 Determinants of Health (5 credits)
EH1010 Introduction to Public Health (5 credits)
EV2002 The Environment and Human Health (5 credits)
MB1003 Microbiology in Society (5 credits)
SC1011 Sociology of Health, Public Health and Health Promotion (5 credits)
ST1002 Introduction to Health Statistics (5 credits)
and modules to the value of 10 credits from the following:
Elective Modules
BC1001 Introduction to Biochemistry and the Biological Basis of Disease
(5 credits)**
FE1013 Introduction to Development Studies I (5 credits)*
FE1018 Introduction to Development Studies II (5 credits)*
FR1105 Threshold French (5 credits)***
FR1107 French for Reading Purposes I (5 credits)***
GE0005 German Language (CEFR-Level A2.1) (5 credits)#
GE0008 German Language (CEFR-Level A2.2) (5 credits)#
GV1218 International Politics (5 credits)
HS0028 Spanish Language (Beginner Level) (10 credits)##
HS1009 Spanish Language (Post Leaving Cert) (10 credits)###
MX1004 Introducing Medical Students to Irish as a Spoken Language (5 credits)
MX1007 Special Study Module – Advanced Irish Language (5 credits)####
PL1012 Fundamentals of Physiology (5 credits)
*Students may choose to take either FE1013 and FE1018 or both.
**BC1001 must be taken if planning to take BC modules in Second Year
*** Both FR1105 and FR1107 must be taken together if planning to take FR modules in Second Year. Otherwise either FR1105 or FR1107 can be taken.
#GE0005 and GE0008 must be taken together
##HS0028 must be taken if planning to take HS0128 in Second Year
###HS1009 must be taken if planning to take HS2101 in Second Year
####MX1007 must be taken if planning to take MX2009 in Second Year
Note
The following conditions apply to Language modules:
Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here.
Examinations
Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be
contained in the Marks and Standards 2020/2021 Book and for each module in the
Book of Modules, 2020/2021.
No student may register for the Second Year programme of study until
the First University Examination has been passed. To be admitted to
the Second University Examination in Public Health Sciences a student must have
satisfactorily attended modules to the value of 60 credits as
follows:
Core Modules
Students take 50 credits as follows:
EH2003 Principles of Social Research (5 credits)
EH2006 Epidemiology II (5 credits)
EH2007 Public Health Research Report (5 credits)
EH2008 Introduction to Theories and Practices of Health Promotion (5 credits)
EH2009 Public Health Issues (5 credits)
MB1901 Introduction to Food and Industrial Microbiology (5 credits)
MG2004 Management and Planning of Public Health Systems (5 credits)
NT2013 Fundamentals of Nutrition Part 1 (5 credits)
SS2021 Critical Perspectives on Irish Health Policy (5 credits)
ST2005 Social Research and Survey Methods (5 credits)
and modules to the value of 10 credits from the following:
Elective Modules
BC2001 Biomolecules (5 credits)[pre-requisite BC1001]*
BC2002 Principles of Metabolic Pathways (5 credits) [pre-requisite BC1001]*
FE2003 Introduction to Sustainable Livelihoods Analysis (5 credits)
FR2105 Towards Vantage French (5 credits) [pre-requisite FR1105] **
FR2107 French for Reading Purposes II (5 credits)[pre-requisite CEF B1 + reading skills]**
GE2101 Integrated German Language Course (10 credits)
GG2010 Cities of Diversity (5 credits)
HI2022 The History of the Media in Ireland (5 credits)
HS0128 Spanish Language Course (Improver [01] Level) (10 credits) [pre-requisite HS0028]
HS2101 Second Year Spanish Language Course (Ex beginners) (10 credits) [pre-requisite HS1009]
LW2202 Introduction to Human Rights Law (10 credits)
ML2901 Introductory Molecular Biology (5 credits)
MX2009 Advanced Irish Language II (5 credits) [pre-requisite MX1007]
PH2019 Philosophy of Science (5 credits)
*BC2001 and BC2002 must be taken if planning to take BC3008 modules in Fourth Year.
**FR2105 and FR2107 must be taken together.
Study Abroad Option (Third Year)
A limited number of students may be allowed to study at an approved university in another country for one single semester, or the whole year, of the Third Year of the BSc Public Health Sciences programme. Second Year students must submit an application to study
abroad to the Dean, School of Public Health by the end of the last teaching week in Semester 1. Permission to
undertake any study abroad will be conditional on the student achieving at least an Upper Second Class Honours
(2H1) in the Second University Examination in Public Health Sciences in the Summer examination.
Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here.
Examinations
Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be
contained in the Marks and Standards 2020/2021 Book and for each module in the
Book of Modules, 2020/2021.
No student may register for the Third Year programme of study until the Second University Examination has been passed. With the exception of students availing of the year abroad option the Third Year Public Health Sciences programme consists of core taught modules to the value of 40 credits, a Work Placement module to the value of 10 credits and elective modules to the value of 10 credits.
Core Modules
EH3000 Epidemiology III (5 credits)
EH3014 Data Analysis for Public Health Research (5 credits)
EH3015 Behaviour Change for Healthy Populations (5 credits)
EH3016 Public Health in Practice (5 credits)
MB3012 Transmission and Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (5 credits)
NT2008 Nutrition in Growth, Development and Ageing (5 credits)
PH3042 Professional Ethics (5 credits)
SC3025 Health and Scientific Deviance (5 credits)
EH3004 - Work Placement (10 credits)
Following the Third University Examinations in spring of the Third Year programme, all students
not availing of the year-abroad option must undertake a compulsory 12 week work placement
(EH3004). Students will be placed in an environment in which they can apply
public health theory in practice. This will be with an appropriate organisation - a Health Services
Executive area, a local authority, a development authority, or a national agency, such as the Food
Safety Authority. The Placement module shall be assessed on a Pass/Fail basis, and must be passed in
order to graduate (Full details of the placement are available on request from the School of Public Health).
Students who are studying abroad in the Third Year are not required to complete a Work Placement.
and modules to the value of 10 credits from the following:
Elective Modules
FE3010 Gender and Development (5 credits)
GV3212 Global Political Economy - Trade (5 credits)
MB3901 Medical Microbiology (5 credits)
SS3024 Social Movements and Health (5 credits)
Note: The Third University Examination in Public Health Sciences will be undertaken in March/April to accommodate the Work Placement (EH3004).
Third Year Study Abroad Students
A limited number of students may be permitted to undertake one semester or the whole of the Third Year of their BSc Public Health Sciences
studies at an approved institution abroad. This option is only available to students who obtain at least a
Second Class Honours (2H1) in the Second University Examination in Public Health Sciences, at the Summer
examinations. Applications, including the proposed workload at the host institution, should be submitted to
the Dean, School of Public Health before the end of the last teaching week in Semester 1 in the Second Year.
Please note that the number of students who can avail of study-abroad options will be limited in any given
year. Where the demand exceeds the number of available places, the School will adjudicate on the applications.
The adjudication will be based on the following criteria (a) the student's performance in the Second University
Examination in Public Health Sciences; (b) the quality of the application; and (c) an interview may be required.
Students spending one Semester abroad
Students studying for one Semester abroad in Third Year should follow a study programme broadly equivalent to
30 credits of the BSc Public Health Sciences. The detailed programme of study shall be proposed
by the student in consultation with the approved host institution and the Director of the BSc Public Health
Sciences Programme, and shall require the approval of the Dean of the School of Public Health.
The student shall be examined by the approved host institution. Honours will not be awarded at the Third Public
Health Sciences Examination Boards to those students who study abroad for one Semester. Instead, academic
transcripts and/or other certified documentation from the approved host institution will be appended to the
academic transcript issued by UCC.
Students studying in UCC for the duration of Semester One will take modules to the value of 30 credits as follows: 25 credits of core modules (excluding EH3000) and 5 credits of elective modules.
Students studying in UCC for the duration of Semester Two will take modules to the value of 30 credits as follows: 20 credits of core modules (excluding EH3000) and 10 credits of elective modules.
NOTE:Students spending Third Year abroad
Students studying abroad for Third Year should follow a study programme broadly equivalent to 60
credits of the BSc Public Health Sciences. Where a language other than English is the language of
instruction at the approved institution, up to 10 credits in one Semester of the programme may be
dedicated to formal study of the language of instruction. The detailed programme of study shall be proposed by the
student in consultation with the approved host institution and the Director of the BSc Public Health Sciences Programme,
and shall require the approval of the Dean of the School of Public Health.
The student shall be examined by the approved host institution. Marks shall be submitted to the Autumn Examination Board UCC. Honours will not be awarded at the Third Public Health Sciences Examination Boards to those students who take their year abroad. Instead, academic transcripts and/or other certified documentation from the approved host institution will be appended to the academic transcript issued by UCC. Students studying abroad for the whole of Third Year will not be required to complete the Work Placement module (EH3004) to graduate.
NOTE: A student who takes but fails the Third University Examination in Public Health Sciences abroad will be eligible to repeat the 3rd year of the programme at University College Cork, which will include the Work Placement Module (EH3004). There is no option to repeat the Third Year abroad.
Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here.
Examinations
Full details of regulations governing Examinations for each programme
will be contained in the Marks and Standards 2020/2021 Book, and for
each module in the Book of Modules, 2020/2021.
Students may not register for the Fourth Year programme of study until the Third University Examination has been passed and the Work Placement module (EH3004) has been undertaken. No student may graduate until the Work Placement module has been passed.
Students who undertake the Study Abroad option in Third Year, must pass the Third University Examination in the approved host institution to register for the Fourth Year programme. In the case of a student failing the Third University Examination in the host institution the Third Year is repeated in University College Cork and the student may not register for the Fourth Year programme of study until the Third University Examination has been passed and the Work Placement module (EH3004) has been undertaken.
To be admitted to the Fourth Year BSc (Hons) Public Health SciencesDegree Examination, a student musthave satisfactorily attended modules to the value of 60 credits as follows:
Core Modules
Students take 40 credits as follows:
EC4302 Health Economics (5 credits)
EH4003 Health Protection (5 credits)
EH4005 Health Services (5 credits)
EH4008 Public Health Advocacy (5 credits)
EH4010 Final Year project (10 credits)
GP4000 Primary Health Care (5 credits)
SS4000 Science, Technology and Public Controversy (5 credits)
and modules to the value of 20 credits from the following:
Elective Modules
BC3008 Biochemistry of the Central Nervous System (5 credits)
[pre-requisite BC2001 or BC2002]
EH4000 Advanced Applied Epidemiology (5 credits)
EH4004 Promoting Health with Communities (5 credits)
EH4009 Global Health Issues and Perspectives (5 credits)
FE3010 Gender and Development (5 credits)*
FE4005 Advanced Programme Planning and Policy Processes (5 credits)
FE4012 Humanitarian Action in Development (5 credits)
GG3010 Global Urbanism (5 credits)*
NT4011 Public Health Nutrition (5 credits)
[pre-requisite NT2008]
NT4013 Nutritional Epidemiology (5 credits)
PH3110 Human Nature and Free Will (5 credits)
* This module is only available to students who have not taken it in Third Year.
Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here
Examinations
Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be
contained in the Marks and Standards 2020/2021 Book and for each module in the
Book of Modules, 2020/2021.
Programme Learning Outcomes for BSc (Hons) Public Health Sciences
(NFQ Level 8, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to: