Entry requirements

University degree, minimum of 120 credit points, in medicine, nursing, nutrition or another area relevant to international health.

Aims

The overall goal of the course is to provide an understanding of how health programmes function and the necessary basic skills to establish and run such programmes.

The course focuses in particular on health programmes in middle- and low-income countries, humanitarian emergencies, and among marginalised and vulnerable populations.

Among the objectives are that the participants will:

- Know about planning cycles and their components;

- Be familiar with the logical framework method and other approaches to programme planning and evaluation;

- Have the skills to carry out the assessments necessary for programme planning;

- Be knowledgeable about alternative systems of programme financing and with budget requirements;

- Have competence in staff training;

- Be familiar with a variety of evaluation methods relevant to health programmes; and

- Have the skills necessary for implementing health programmes

Content

The course covers the following main topics:

- Needs assessment

- Planning and executing programmes

- Quality assurance

- Staff training

- Health education and promotion

- Programme evaluation

- Policymaking within the health sector

Each participant also does study in an area of specialisation, learning more about programme management issues and tools in that particular area. The specialisation areas are selected from fields in which the Department of Women's and Children's Health has research programmes under way or being developed. Alternatives for the specialisation study include public health in humanitarian assistance, international nutrition, and sexual and reproductive health. Other alternatives can be made available on the basis of student interest and the availability of qualified researchers to guide the study.

As in other courses within the Master's programme, participants not only acquire theoretical knowledge, but also learn and practice advanced academic skills. In particular, they develop their ability to find and store information from printed and electronic sources, become more competent at analysis, critique, and argumentation, and strengthen their capacity to write and communicate verbally.

Instruction

The course involves a total of five weeks of study in Uppsala. Instruction is based on lectures, literature studies, and seminars, as well as individual and group work, both written and verbal. Some of the instruction has a problem-based approach. All lectures, readings, assignments, and examinations are in English.

Assessment

Evaluation of participants is done through written examinations, as well as individual and group assignments. To complete the course, the student must pass all the written examinations and satisfactorily complete all the assignments. Participants who do not receive a passing grade have the right to redo their course work, including examinations and assignments.