Public Health
Master of Public Health – Leadership for a healthy future
Applications to the MPH degree course for summer semester 2024 are no longer being accepted. Please visit this page regularly for more updates!
Ageing populations, the rising burden of non-communicable diseases and obesity, failing health systems, socially determined health disparities, climate change and newly emerging infectious diseases are just a few of the challenges confronting population health and well-being in both developing and developed countries.
Well-trained public health professionals who can identify, understand and respond to these challenges by integrating scientific knowledge, evidence-based practice, empirical research and implementation skills are needed to design and improve public health policies and practice at regional, national and global levels.
The Master of Public Health course aims to equip you with the awareness, knowledge and skills required to change the trajectory of these deep-rooted and emerging health issues.
Good reasons to study Public Health at HAW Hamburg
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- 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
The right course for you?
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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
Course content and structure
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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.
Admission requirements
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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 process
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Application period
Applications to the MPH degree course for summer semester 2024 are no longer being accepted.
Please visit this page regularly for more updates!
- 1 December–31 March for the following winter semester
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.
Fees
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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.
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 (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de
The Information Point is open at the following times:
Monday–Thursday: 10:00 am–1:00 pm
Friday: closed
In-person office hours:
Thursday: 2:00 pm–4:00 pm
Telephone office hours:
Monday and Tuesday: 9:00 am–10:00 am
For general queries about degree courses:
Student Counselling Team (Zentrale Studienberatung)
Stiftstrasse 69, 1st floor, room 122
20099 Hamburg
T +49 40 42875 9110
Contact form
Office hours
Contact person for applicants with disabilities or chronic health conditions:
Meike Butenob/Dieter Röh
Stiftstraße 69, Haus 3, room 37
Tel. +49.40.428 75-7220
inklusion (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de
Contact the department
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For questions about degree course content:
MPH Coordination Team
Prof. Dr. Walter Leal, Wiebke Bendt, MSc, Dipl. Ges.wirt Gunnar Paetzelt
Department of Health Sciences
Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg
T + 49. 40. 42875 – 6319
At a glance
Degree
No. of semesters
Applications accepted
Language of instruction
Fees/charges
Full-/part-time
Location
Important Information
Applications to the MPH program for summer term 2024 have been currently suspended.
Please visit this page regularly for more updates!
Study organisation
Contact information
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Function | Name | Rom | |
Course coordinator | M.Sc. Wiebke Bendt Dipl. Gesundheitswirt Gunnar Paetzelt | N5.33 | |
Student advisor | Prof. Dr. Walter Leal | 0.39 | walter.leal2 (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de |
Chair of Examination Board | Prof. Dr. Zita Schillmöller | N5.38 |
Module compendium
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Course and examination regulations
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APSO-INGI Änderungen 2021 (in german)
Course and examination regulations 2020 (in German only)
The expiring of the course and study regulation
Course and examination regulations 2015 (in German only)
The course and study regulations for the master’s program Master of Public Health will expire at the end of the winter semester 2022/23. At the end of the winter semester 2022/23, the regulations apply to all students of the master’s course “Master of Public Health”. A switch into the course and study regulation 2020 is also possible upon request before the end of the winter semester 2022/23.
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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Admissions and selection criteria (in German only)
Part-time studies (in German only)
Dates and deadlines
Lecture and semester dates
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Summer semester 2023: 1 March 2023–31 August 2023
Lecture period: 13 March 2023–15 July 2023
First day of lectures: 13 March 2023
Last day of lectures: 15 July 2023
Alternative dates for degree courses in the Department of Nursing and Management: 27 March 2023–29 July 2023
Winter semester 2023/24: 1 September 2023–31 March 2024
Lecture period: 9 October 2023–17 February 2024 (including the three-week examination period)
First day of lectures: 9 October 2023
Last day of lectures: 17 February 2024
Christmas holidays (no lectures): 25 December 2023–5 January 2024
Summer semester 2024: 1 April 2024–30 September 2024
Lecture period: 2 April 2024–27 July 2024 (including the three-week examination period)
First day of lectures: 2 April 2024
Last day of lectures: 27 July 2024
Semester date details for summer semester 2023
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Departments Bt, Mt, Ut, Vt
Semester period: 1 March–31 August 2023
Lecture period: 13 March–6 June 2023
1st half of the semester (E): 13 March–6 May 2023
2nd half of the semester (Z): 8 May–23 June 2023
Examination period: 26 June–14 July 2023
Department Öt und Gw
Semester period: 1 March–31 August 2023
Lecture period: 20 March–15 July 2023
1st half of the semester (E): 20 March 2023–13 May 2023
2nd half of the semester (Z): 16 May–30 June 2023
Examination period: 3 July–14 July 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.
Department HWI
Semester period: 1 April–30 September 2023
Lecture period: 3 April–15 July 2023
Pentecost holidays: 14 May–21 May 2023
Semester date details for winter semester 2023/2024
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Departments: Bt, Mt, Ut, Vt, Ot, Gw
Semester period: 1 September 2023–31 March 2024
Christmas holidays (no lectures): 25 December 2023–5 January 2024
Lecture period: 9 October 2023–26 January 2024
1st half of the semester (E): 19 October–25 November 2023
2nd half of the semester (Z): 27 November 2023–26 January 2024
Examination period: 29 January 2024–16 February 2024
Departments: Ot, Gw
Semester period: 1 September 2023–31 March 2024
Christmas holidays (no lectures): 25 December 2023–5 January 2024
Lecture period: 16 October 2023–2 February 2024
1st half of the semester (E): 16 October–1 December 2023
2nd half of the semester (Z): 4 December 2023–2 February 2024
Examination period: 5 February 2024–16 February 2024
Department of HWI
Semester period: 1 October 2023–31 March 2024
Christmas holidays (no lectures): 24 December 2023–5 January 2024
Lecture period: 16 October 2023–3 February 2024
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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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 to designing and improving public health policies and practices at regional, national and global level.
As a public health professional, you will be qualified to take-up positions in:
- International health organizations and NGOs,
- Health promotion organizations,
- Health management in hospitals and public administration,
- Health research and surveillance institutions, and
- Health insurances and different industries.
Student advisor

Department Gesundheitswissenschaften
Ulmenliet 20, Room 0.39
21033 Hamburg
walter.leal2 (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de