Overview

Key facts

The Master of Public Health is offered at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

Health Systems and Policy

The MPH in the field of Health Systems and Policy provides training and skills primarily to middle and senior managers working in the public and non-governmental sectors and prepares them to deal with the changing policy dynamics and health system challenges of South Africa and the rest of Africa. 

Social and Behaviour Change Communication

The MPH in the field of Social and Behaviour Change Communication aims to address the growing need for quality health communication interventions to bring about social and behaviour change in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Maternal and Child Health

The MPH in the field of Maternal and Child Health is designed to prepare professionals working in government departments, NGOs, the private sector or academic institutions for leadership positions in the field of Maternal and Child Health.

Rural Health

The MPH in the field of Rural Health aims to address the critical need for health care professionals in rural areas to take leadership in supporting and developing the health service in these areas, in designing appropriate health systems and in researching and advocating around the health needs of rural people. 

Occupational Hygiene

Field-specific courses are for people who intend to work in occupational health services in the public or private sectors. Students who complete the course will have the theoretical knowledge and skills to practice as occupational hygienists. Applicants must have a four-year qualification from a university or technikon. Being registered with the South African Institute for Occupational Hygiene (SAIOH) at the minimum of the Occupational Hygiene Technologist level will be an added advantage.

Health Economics

The field of Health Economics aims to build a critical mass of health economists equipped with skills in applying economic principles to support health policy decision-making in South Africa and the region. This field covers two main areas: economic evaluation and micro-economics as applied to health. Graduates of the MPH Health Economics programme will be trained to undertake health economic evaluation applicable to the sub-Saharan African context; apply economic approaches to inform policy decisions on the efficient allocation of scarce resources; and provide technical advice to policy-makers on the use of economic policy levers to modify health behaviours.