The Master of Public Health and Health Equity (MPH-HE) is a mid-career Master of Science programme, organised by KIT Royal Tropical Institute and the VU University Amsterdam. It is meant for professionals working in health service delivery or health management, in national health systems or international organisations.

IMPORTANT: This new Master programme is a merger of the former Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master in International Health (MIH) and as from September 2024 it replaces both programmes.

The new set-up of the Master in Public Health and Health Equity means a more integral approach of our education programmes to respond better to current developments and needs of our participants. The new Master in Public Health and Health Equity offers five different specalisation tracks. Read below the extensive information.

Public Health and Health Equity in a Changing Environment

Health systems in low- and middle-income countries face a wide range of complex challenges. These include, among others, the inequalities in health and healthcare; the double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases; the unfolding demographic transition; and the health needs in fragile and conflict-affected settings. These challenges disproportionately affect disadvantaged populations worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Addressing these issues requires well-trained professionals, capable of solving complex public health problems systematically, in either a public or private sector organisation responsible for public health. To this end, the MPH-HE programme specifically focusses on health equity in low-resource settings and in high-resource settings with disadvantaged populations, using a gender and inclusive approach.

The MPH-HE has five tracks. Four tracks are offered only as full-time, 12-month programmes. These four tracks include three specialisation tracks with predefined modules (Epidemiology, Health Systems and Policy, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights), and one tailor-made track.

A fifth track, the specialisation on Selected Challenges and Solutions in Public Health, is offered part-time (1-5 years) and allows students to follow modules both at KIT and at member institutions of the tropEd network.

The entire MPH-HE programme encompasses three parts of 20 credits (EC) each:
Core Course, Specialisation Courses, and Thesis.

Course Objectives

The MPH-HE is designed to enable mid-career professionals, working at any level (subnational, national, international, global) within the health system, to use an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to address public health issues. In all programme components, participants are encouraged to interact with participants from other backgrounds and countries, who may face similar issues but with alternative solutions.

The MPH-HE has five tracks. Four tracks are offered only as full-time, 12-month programmes. These four tracks include three specialisation tracks with predefined modules (Epidemiology, Health Systems and Policy, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights), and one tailor-made track.
A fifth track, the specialisation on Selected Challenges and Solutions in Public Health, is offered part-time (1-5 years) and allows students to follow modules both at KIT and at member institutions of the tropEd network.

Track 5: Selected Challenges and Solutions in Public Health

Public health is a broad field of work and specific challenges require a diversity of competencies to contribute to solutions and improved health outcomes. This track is flexible, and can be completed within one year (full-time) or up to five years (part-time). This course is for you if you are eager to plan, take initiative, and even travel during your master’s programme. Because of its flexible scheduling, this track is also very suitable for people who want to combine study with work and other responsibilities.

First trimester

Core Course in Public Health and Health Equity

Second trimester

After your Core Course, you can design your learning trajectory to suit your interests and professional ambitions. Not only can you choose from courses offered by KIT for the other three specialisations, but also from hundreds of accredited advanced modules from tropEd. tropEd is a network of educational institutions based all over the world, that offer face-to-face or distance-based courses from a range of natural and social science disciplines, such as health economics, health promotion, leadership skills, and more. Where relevant, you can also take NVAO-accredited master-level courses at the VU and other universities in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Third trimester

The third trimester consist of the following three parts:

• Study tour
• Thesis
• Oral examination

The thesis is focused on a topic relevant to the track chosen, and to the current or envisaged work environment. Guided by a thesis advisor, you write a thesis on an important health issue you identified in your country or another geographical scope of your choice.

The purpose is for you to learn how to critically analyse and discuss public health issues at an academic level. You systematically analyse the core problem and make suggestions for its solution or focus on evidence for potential solutions entirely; based on qualitative and quantitative data, literature review, or both.