2022/2023

MA (HEALTH AND SOCIETY) (from 2022/23 onwards)

NFQ Level 9, Major Award

The MA in Health and Society is a full-time programme running for 12 months or part-time over 24 months from the date of first registration for the programme.

Students take 90 credits as follows:

Core modules:
EC6049 Healthcare Economics (10 credits)
EH6025 Principles and Practice of Public Health (10 credits)
PH6047 Philosophy and Health (10 credits)

Students select one of the following research modules to the value of 30 credits:

Philosophy Pathway:
PH6050 Dissertation in Philosophy and Health (30 credits) OR
PH6059 Work-Based Dissertation in Philosophy and Health (30 credits)

Public Health Pathway:
EH6040 Dissertation in Public Health and Epidemiology (30 credits)

Economics Pathway:
EC6074 Dissertation in Economics and Health (30 credits)

Mandatory Pathway Modules (10 credits):

Philosophy Pathway:
Students with a background in philosophy:
PH6053 Professional Ethics: Advanced (10 credits) OR
PH6054 Measuring Society: Growth, Poverty, Inequality, and Human Capital (10 credits) OR
PH6057 Philosophy and the Biological Health Sciences (10 credits)

Students with no background in philosophy:
PH2002 Reasoning and Argument (5 credits) AND
(PH2019 Philosophy of Science (5 credits) OR PH2028 Applied Ethics (5 credits))

Public Health Pathway:
EH6026 Applied Research for Public Health (10 credits)

Economics Pathway:
Students with a background in econometrics:
EC2100 Microeconomics: Behaviour and Organisations (5 credits) AND
EC6062 Quantitative Finance I (5 credits)

Students with no background in econometrics:
EC2100 Microeconomics: Behaviour and Organisations (5 credits) AND
EC3143
Quantitative Methods for Economic Investigation: Empirical Econometrics (5 credits)


Elective Modules
Students select 20 credits from the following postgraduate and undergraduate modules (max. 10 credits for undergraduate modules are allowed, including the mandatory pathway modules):

Postgraduate Modules
AP6129 Health Psychology (5 credits)
EC6073 Economic Decision Making in Healthcare (5 credits)
EC6619 Advanced Quantitative Techniques for Business Research (5 credits)
EH6026 Applied Research for Public Health (10 credits)
LW6546 Juvenile Justice (10 credits)
LW6549 International Children's Rights (10 credits)
LW6592 Mental Capacity Law (5 credits)
LW6609 Mental Health Law (5 credits)
PH6012 Human Rights (10 credits)
PH6048 The Philosophy of Death and Dying (10 credits)
PH6052 Advanced Moral Psychology (10 credits)
PH6053 Professional Ethics: Advanced (10 credits)
PH6054 Measuring Society: Growth, Poverty, Inequality, and Human Capital (10 credits)
PH6057 Philosophy and the Biological Health Sciences (10 credits)

Undergraduate Modules
AP3126 Health Psychology: Models and Applications (5 credits)
EC2018
Microeconomics: Behavioural Economics (5 credits)
EC3157
Public Finance Projects (5 credits)
EH4005
Health Services (5 credits)
PH2002 Reasoning and Argument (5 credits)
PH2019 Philosophy of Science (5 credits)
PH2028 Applied Ethics (5 credits)
PH3046 Philosophy of Biology (5 credits)
PH3047 Evidence (5 credits)
SC1011 Sociology of Health, Public Health and Health Promotion (5 credits)
SC3025 Health and Scientific Deviance (5 credits)
SS3016 Social Perspectives in Mental Health (5 credits)
SS3024 Social Movements and Health (5 credits)
SS4000 Science, Technology and Public Controversy (5 credits)

Postgraduate Certificate in Health and Society (NFQ Level 9, Minor Award)
Students who pass taught modules to the value of at least 30 credits (but less than 60 credits) may exit the programme and be conferred with a Postgraduate Certificate in Health and Society.

Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Society (NFQ Level 9, Major Award)
Students who pass taught modules to the value of 60 credits may exit the programme and be conferred with a Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Society.

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 2022/2023 Book and for each module in the Book of Modules, 2022/2023.

Programme Learning Outcomes for MA in Health and Society (NFQ Level 9, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

  • Identify major philosophical theories and paradigms and define key concepts and ideas in the field of health and illness;
  • Describe and critically evaluate the major determinants of the health of population, including biological, behavioural, social, economic, political and environmental factors;
  • Demonstrate ability to design and conduct original research at the interface of health and society;
  • Understand how public health policy decisions and assessment are embedded in a disciplinary foundation (either Philosophy of Health Science and Ethics, or Public Health, or Health Economics);
  • Demonstrate ability to work independently, according to internationally approved standards of research, on an extended piece of written work;
  • Engage in systematic study of primary and secondary source material, provide an analysis of data using a statistical software package, articulate a thesis based on a synthesis of the research material, and deliver a dissertation that reflects the student's mature consideration of the research topic;
  • Demonstrate critical awareness of the nature and limitations of scientific research, modelling, and theorising;
  • Critically examine public health (including health services) particularly in respect of health equity, access to health care and Public Health Ethics;
  • Demonstrate the following cognitive competencies: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation;
  • Apply the concepts of logical validity and soundness;
  • Apply key elements of economic theory to health and society.

Programme Learning Outcomes for Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Society (NFQ Level 9, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

  • Identify major philosophical theories and paradigms and define key concepts and ideas in the field of health and illness;
  • Describe and critically evaluate the major determinants of the health of population, including biological, behavioural, social, economic, political and environmental factors;
  • Demonstrate critical awareness of the nature and limitations of scientific research, modelling, and theorising;
  • Understand how public health policy decisions and assessment are embedded in a disciplinary foundation (either Philosophy of Health Science and Ethics, or Public Health, or Health Economics);
  • Critically examine public health (including health services) particularly in respect of health equity, access to health care and Public Health Ethics;
  • Demonstrate the following cognitive competencies: Knowledge; Comprehension; Application; Analysis; Synthesis; Evaluation;
  • Apply the concepts of logical validity and soundness;
  • Apply key elements of economic theory to health and society.

Programme Learning Outcomes for Postgraduate Certificate in Health and Society (NFQ Level 9, Minor Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate some familiarity with major philosophical theories and paradigms and define key concepts and ideas in the field of health and illness;
  • Recognize the major determinants of the health of population, including biological, behavioural, social, economic, political and environmental factors;
  • Understand how public health policy decisions and assessment are embedded in a disciplinary foundation (either Philosophy of Health Science and Ethics, or Public Health, or Health Economics;
  • Interact and communicate with other students in an inter-disciplinary setting;
  • Write short critical essays to a professional standard;
  • Demonstrate critical awareness of the nature and limitations of scientific research, modelling, and theorising;
  • Critically examine public health (including health services) particularly in respect of health equity, access to health care and Public Health Ethics.
  • Apply key elements of economic theory to health and society.

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