Health Sciences
The M.Sc. in Health Sciences is a four-semester, research-oriented Master's degree course. The Department of Health Sciences collaborates with local, national and international partners alike.
Participants will be trained for research as well as managerial positions in the growing field of public health and health care, in both public and private settings. Students will acquire knowledge and skills for future responsibilities in diverse areas, such as health systems and policy, surveillance, evaluation and quality management. Graduates typically assume roles in a wide range of institutions, such as public health organisations, public administration, insurance companies, industry, consulting or NGOs.
Good reasons to study Health Sciences at HAW Hamburg
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Demand for highly competent health professionals is rising within today’s rapidly changing healthcare field. This Master’s degree course seeks to meet that need.
- Taught in English
- 25 places
- Interdisciplinary and modular set-up
- Individual research project in third semester
- Real-world-centred course
- Application-oriented research in centres of excellence
- The Department of Health Sciences cooperates with more than 15 higher education institutions worldwide
The right course for you?
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This course is primarily aimed at:
- Graduates (BSc/BA or Diplom, or equivalent) in subjects from the health, social or human sciences
- Other graduates in health/healthcare with a strong interest in public health, healthcare research and policymaking
Course content and structure
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This Master of Science in Health Sciences is a two-year consecutive degree course (4 semesters, 120 CP in total) which builds directly on a first degree. It provides participants with the scientific and practical skills to undertake research in the field of health sciences. As an interdisciplinary programme, the course trains students to interact with healthcare practitioners, policymakers, public administrators, healthcare funders, NGO staff, industry managers and diverse population groups in order to drive informed and evidence-based decision-making and promote equity in health and healthcare. Students gain a comprehensive understanding of research methods and their use in the fields of healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion, as well as experience in empirical, data-based research.
The first two semesters (60 CP) consist of modules conveying skills in qualitative and quantitative research methods: Concepts and Dimensions of Health Sciences and Public Health, Basic Statistics and Basic Epidemiology, Research Methods, Ethics and Epistemology, Digitalisation and Communication in Health Sciences, Diversity in Health, Family and Community Health Research, Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Research Interests, Research and Project Management, Advanced Biostatistics, Health Policy and Health Economics Research, Occupational and Environmental Health Research, Health Promotion and Health Behaviour Research, Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Pandemic Control.
The course’s third semester, devoted entirely to research and training, allows you to apply and practice the competencies acquired. You will be part of a research project conducted either at HAW Hamburg or at another relevant institution and focusing on public health and healthcare. In this way, you will gain practical skills and experience working in a team and will learn how to generate evidence in a real-life research project, which will be supervised by a professor and accompanied by meetings for scientific exchange.
The course culminates in your Master’s thesis, which gives you the opportunity to formulate a meaningful research hypothesis and research question, choose a study design suitable for addressing the problem at hand, run the appropriate analyses in accordance with rigorous scientific standards, and draw upon the findings to make recommendations for practice.
Admission requirements
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The admission requirements are as follows:
- A first university degree in the field of health sciences providing qualification for professional practice with at least 180 ECTS or an equivalent university degree
- Diploma supplement/Transcript of records
- Proof of advanced English language skills - Level C1 (see Zugangs- und Auswahlordnung)
- For students without a German university entrance qualification, proof of sufficient German language skills Level C1 (valid certificates)
Lectures are held in English (only in exceptional cases in German). The research semester (third semester) will be undertaken in Germany and therefore requires very good German skills. The Master's thesis will be written in English. In exceptional cases, it can be written in German.
Further documents to be submitted:
- Letter of motivation
- Curriculum vitae
Optional:
- Proof of specialised knowledge in line with the academic objectives of the Master's degree course
Proof of advanced knowledge of English, as demonstrated by one of the following:
- University of applied sciences entrance qualification with the grade of at least 'good' in the advanced course (at least 11 points in the final year of school) or the general higher education entrance qualification with the grade of at least 'good' in the advanced course (at least 11 points in the final year of school)
- A certificate proving that the applicant has passed an internationally recognised English language test (TOEFL, IELTS, CAE, TOEIC, BEC, Linguaskill General, PTE, telc English) (see Zugangs- und Auswahlordnung, point 2)
- A certificate of accomplishments achieved abroad which are equivalent to the accomplishments stated under letters (see attachment, point 3)
Selection criteria
Places on the course are awarded according to a ranking list. The rankings are determined via the awarding of points in accordance with the following criteria:
- Final grade for the first university degree (0 to 10 points)
- Specialised knowledge in line with the academic objectives of the Master’s course (0 to 10 points)
- A written explanation of why the applicant wishes to attend the course (letter of motivation) (0 to 5 points)
The ranking list is based on the total number of points. If several applicants have the same number of points, the successful applicants will be drawn at random.
Application process
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The degree course admits students for the winter semester only. The application period is 1 June to 15 July.
Applications for all Master's courses must be submitted online. The online application system is only activated during the application period. It is not possible to apply outside of this time. You can find more information at Applying for a Master's degree course.
Alternatively, you can contact master-application( (@) )haw-hamburg.de.
Obtaining your VPD (international students):
On behalf of HAW Hamburg, the organisation uni assist will assess whether your school and university certificates qualify you to study at HAW Hamburg. They will issue a document called a VPD (Vorprüfungsdokumentation) with the result and a grade converted to the German system.
Please take the following steps to receive a VPD document from uni assist before you apply to HAW Hamburg:
- Register and create an account.
- Search ‘Study Offers – Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, Hamburg – Master – alle Fächer’.
- Complete your uni assist application, following the procedure outlined.
- Within 4 to 6 weeks, you will receive the result. If it is positive, uni assist will issue you a VPD, which you then include with your application to HAW Hamburg.
Submitting Your Application:
- Complete the application form and upload all the necessary documents to the HAW Hamburg application portal to apply for the degree course.
- If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact master-application( (@) )haw-hamburg.de
Questions about applications, admissions and degree courses
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Applications and admissions:
HAW Master's Degree Course Admissions Office
Stiftstrasse 69, 20099 Hamburg (Berliner Tor Campus)
Tel.: + 49.40.428 75-9898
master-application(@)haw-hamburg.de
Office hours:
Drop-in office hours: Monday/Tuesday: 11:00 am–1:00 pm; Thursday: 2:00–5:00 pm
Infothek opening hours: Monday–Thursday: 10:00 am–4:00 pm; Friday: 10:00 am–1:00 pm
Telephone office hours: Moday/Tuesday, 9:00–10:00 am; Thursday: 9:00–11:00 am
Due to the restrictions resulting from the corona pandemic, drop-in office hours are not being offered at the moment. You can reach us by telephone during these times. The Infothek is closed until further notice.
For general queries about degree courses:
Student Counselling Team (Zentrale Studienberatung)
Stiftstrasse 69, 1st floor, room 122
20099 Hamburg
T +49 151 21254893
studienberatung(@)haw-hamburg.de
Advice and information by phone: Monday/Tuesday: 11:00 am–1:00 pm; Thursday: 4:00–5:00 pm
Drop-in office hours: Thursday: 2:00–4:00 pm
Contact person for applicants with disabilities or chronic health conditions:
Meike Butenob
Alexanderstrasse 1, 20099 Hamburg, room 4.10
Tel. +49.40.428 75-7220
meike.butenob(@)haw-hamburg.de
Current office hours:www.haw-hamburg.de/inklusion
Contact the department
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For questions about degree course content:
Student advisor (in the department)
TBD
MSc_HS_Info(@)haw-hamburg.de
At a glance
Degree
No. of semesters
Applications accepted
Language of instruction
Fees/charges
Full-/part-time
Location
Study organisation
Contact information
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Function | Name | Room | |
Student advisor | Prof. Amena Ahmad | N3.25 | amenaalmes.ahmad (@) haw-hamburg.de |
Course coordinator | Dr. Claudia Terschüren | N5.28 | |
Chair of Examination Board | Prof. Dr. Joachim Westenhöfer | N3.28 | |
Internship officer | Prof. Amena Ahmad | N3.25 | amenaalmes.ahmad (@) haw-hamburg.de |
Course timetable
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Course timetable for summer semester 2022 page 6, update 20th February 2022
Please note!!! Short-term changes to lecture times can be found on our Infoboard.
Examination schedule
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Online registration via myHAW is required for all exams.
Exam schedule – Department of Health Sciences (Updated: 10.06.2022)
Module compendium
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Course and examination regulations
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Part-time study
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The part-time course at the HAW Hamburg represents an individual extension of the original specialist course. It is not a separate offer with its own curriculum. This enables students to reduce the amount of time they study by up to half per semester. more information
For an individual part-time course, the course-specific examination and study regulations of the respective full-time courses apply. Two part-time study semesters are counted as one subject semester and two university semesters. The contact persons for individual study planning are the respective student advisors.
Ordnung zur Regelung des Teilzeitstudiums 20.06.2013, only in german
Erste Änderung des Teilzeitstudiums 25.06.2015, only in german
Zweite Änderung des Teilzeitstudiums 14.01.2021, only in german
Anlage zum Teilzeitstudiums 10.06.2021, only in german
Admissions and selection criteria
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Application period
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Winter semester: 1 June–15 July
Dates and deadlines
Lecture and semester dates
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Summer semester 2022: 1 March 2022–31 August 2022
Lecture period: 21 March 2022–23 July 2022
First day of lectures: 21 March 2022
Last day of lectures: 23 July 2022
Winter semester 2022/23: 1 September 2022–28 February 2023
Lecture period: 19 September 2022–4 February 2023
First day of lectures: 19 September 2022
Last day of lectures: 4 February 2023
Christmas holidays (no lectures): 26 December 2022–6 January 2023
Summer semester 2023: 1 March 2023-31 August 2023
Lecture period: 13 March 2023-15 July 2023
First day of lecture: 13March 2023
Last day of lecture: 15 July 2023
Semester date details for summer semester 2022
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Departments Bt, Mt, Ut, Vt
Semester period 1 March 2022 - 31 August 2022
Lecture period 21 March 2022 - 2 July 2022
1st half of the semester (E) 21 March 2022 - 14 May 2022
2nd half of the semester (Z) 16 May 2022 - 2 July 2022
Examination period 4 July 2022 - 22 July 2022
Department Öt und Gw
Semester period 1 March 2022 - 31 August 2022
Lecture period 21 March 2022 - 8 July 2022
1st half of the semester (E) 21 March 2022 - 13 May 2022
2nd half of the semester (Z) 16 May 2022 - 8 July 2022
Examination period 11 July 2022 - 22 July 2022
Variations from the above schedules are listed in the plans of the individual courses. The times from the Department of HWI apply to teacher training.
Department HWI
Semester period 1 April 2022 - 30 September 2022
Lecture period 4 April 2022 - 16 July 2022
Pentecost holydays 22 May 2022 - 29 May 2022
Semester date details for winter semester 2022/2023
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Departments: Bt, Mt, Ut, Vt, Ot, Gw
Semester period: 1 September 2022–28 February 2023
Christmas holidays (no lectures): 26 December 2022–6 January 2023
Lecture period: 19 September 2022–14 January 2023
1st half of the semester (E): 19 September 2022–11 November 2022
2nd half of the semester (Z): 14 November 2022–14 January 2023
Examination period: 16 January 2023–2 February 2023
Departments: Ot, Gw
Semester period: 1 September 2022–28 February 2023
Christmas holidays (no lectures): 26 December 2022–6 January 2023
Lecture period: 19 September 2022–21 January 2023
1st half of the semester (E): 26 September 2022–12 November 2022
2nd half of the semester (Z): 14 November 2022–21 January 2023
Examination period: 21 January 2023-4 February 2023
Department of HWI
Semester period: 1 October 2022–31 March 2023
Christmas holidays (no lectures): 24 December 2022–8 January 2023
Lecture period: 17 October 2022–4 February 2023
Variations from the above schedules are listed in the plans of the individual courses. The times from the Department of HWI apply to teacher training.
Course times
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1st quarter: 8:30 am–10:00 am
2nd quarter: 10:15 am–11:45 am
3rd quarter: 12:30 pm–2:00 pm
4th quarter: 2:30 pm–4:00 pm
5th quarter: 4:15 pm–5:45 pm
6th quarter: 6:00 pm–7:30 pm
7th quarter: 7:45 pm–9:15 pm
Re-registration
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To re-register for the new semester, please pay the semester contribution by bank transfer within the re-registration period. Please do not pay before the start of the re-registration period as the final amount will not be determined before this period begins.
Re-registration deadlines
Winter semester: 1 June–15 August
Summer semester: 1 December–15 February
The semester contribution must be in the HAW Hamburg account by the last day of the re-registration period at the latest!
Important: Late re-registration can result in involuntary deregistration from the university. Subsequent re-registration is only possible within the appeals period. Regardless of whether or not deregistration takes place, an additional administrative fee will be charged for late re-registration.
If you are financially unable to pay the semester contribution, you may contact the Students' Union (AStA). In warranted cases it can provide you with a loan.
As soon as the semester contribution is credited to the HAW Hamburg account you can update your chip card, and with it your semester ticket for the public transport system. To do so, you must insert the chip card in a validation station.
Your future career
Career fields
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Well-trained health professionals are needed to meet the growing demand within the changing field of healthcare. Students in this degree course will be trained for positions in health research, public administration, quality management and evaluation in the different institutions within the healthcare market – for example, health insurance providers, universities, hospitals, or health consulting agencies.
Student advisor

Department Gesundheitswissenschaften
Ulmenliet 20, Room N3.25
21033 Hamburg
T +49 40 428 75-6106
amenaalmes.ahmad@haw-hamburg.de