Public Health

• Acquire an internationally recognised degree (90 ECTS credits)
• Engage with an international group of students from different cultural and professional backgrounds
• Learn from experienced professors and researchers with international acumen
• Experience interactive teaching methods
• Combine your professional career with part-time studies

There is growing national and international demand for highly trained professionals within the changing field of public health. This Master of Public Health degree course is ideally suited to professionals aiming to attain academic knowledge and skills in evidence-based practice, empirical research and the implementation of research findings as well as in designing and improving public health policies and practices at the regional, national and global levels.

As a public health professional, you will be qualified to take up positions in the following areas:

• International health organisations and NGOs
• Health promotion organisations
• Health management in hospitals and public administration
• Health research and surveillance institutions
• Health insurers and pharmaceutical businesses

Covering a standard duration of three semesters, this Master of Public Health course can be divided into two parts. The first entails the study of 10 modules over two semesters (60 CP in total), exploring the determinants of health and major health problems from a global and interdisciplinary perspective. The second part, comprising the third and final semester, is worth 30 CP. Students work on their Master's thesis, examining a relevant public health topic of individual interest to them.

The admission requirements are as follows:

• Applicants must hold a first degree either in health sciences/public health or a similar degree relevant to health sciences, such as, for example, medicine, social sciences or nursing, or a degree in a healthcare profession or a discipline that is closely related to health sciences, such as, for example, economics, with a minimum of 210 ECTS credit points
• Diploma supplement/Transcript of records
• Proof of one year of professional experience in public health or qualified scientific work with convincing substantial and methodological relevance to health sciences/public health (letter of reference from employer)
• Internationally recognised certificate of English-language knowledge (CEFR Level C1), such as TOEFL (min. 110/ 270/637), IELTS (min. 6,5), CAE (min. C), TOEIC (945), PTE Academic
• International students require a VPD – preliminary review documentation – from uni assist  

International applicants should inform themselves about the admission requirements, course of studies, and acceptance of foreign documents and certificates well in advance of coming to Germany, ideally as early as eight months to one year before the intended start of the degree course.

Additional papers you must submit:

• Curriculum vitae
• Letter of motivation (This should be a personal statement outlining your understanding of public health and your commitment to pursuing a career in public health. It should explain the relevance of your education and/or experience for pursuing a career in public health.)

Documents you may submit (optional):

• Proof of professional experience/qualification/work in a comparable field
• Letter of recommendation from a university professor from your first degree course

Application period

• 1 December–31 March for the following winter semester starting in September
• 1 June–30 September for the following summer semester starting in March

The application portal is only open during the application period; applications submitted outside this period cannot be accepted.

Obtaining your VPD (for international students):
On behalf of HAW Hamburg, the organisation uni assist checks whether your school and university certificates qualify you to study at HAW Hamburg. It then issues a document called a VPD (Vorprüfungsdokumentation) with the result and a grade converted to the German system.

Please follow these steps to obtain your VPD from uni assist well before the deadline for applying to HAW Hamburg: 

• Register and create an account.
• Search Study Offers – Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, Hamburg – Master – alle Fächer.
• Complete the uni assist application, following the procedure outlined.
• You will receive the result within four to six weeks. If your qualification is accepted, uni assist will issue you a VPD.
• Upload this document together with the other requested documents to the HAW Hamburg application portal.

Submitting your application:

• Please complete the online application form and upload all the necessary documents as PDF files to complete your application to HAW Hamburg. You DO NOT have to print off the application and send the documents by post.
• If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact master-application( (@) )haw-hamburg.de.

The study fees for the Master of Public Health are €2,400 per full-time semester (total cost of €7,200). In addition, all students must pay a general semester contribution (€345) which includes a semester ticket allowing unlimited travel on Hamburg's public transport system.

Master's degree courses that explicitly require professional experience as a prerequisite are not eligible for scholarships offered for international students at HAW Hamburg, as these kinds of courses are considered further education. However, under certain conditions international MPH students may be eligible for funding programmes from other scholarship providers, such as the German Academic Exchange Service or international non-governmental organisations providing development-oriented scholarship programmes.