Edinburgh: Extraordinary futures await.

Global Health Studies (Online Learning) PgCert (ICL), PgProfDev

Awards: PgCert (ICL), PgProfDev

Study modes: Part-time Intermittent Study

Online learning

Funding opportunities

This programme is designed to enable those with a personal, academic or professional interest in global health to study a variety of related subjects and join colleagues and fellow students in a global community.

The programme is structured to equip students with a comprehensive knowledge base in various aspects of global health.

We encourage you to create your own degree, with the flexibility to select the courses that you choose to study. There is no assumption of sequential study; courses are offered within our standard academic timetable, delivered in fixed teaching blocks of 5 or 11 weeks depending on the credit weighting of the course.

The emphasis is on the interdisciplinary nature of the subject and this is reflected by the wide range of courses it is possible to study within the programme; given the range of courses not all will be available in any given year, you are encouraged to discuss your area of interest with the Programme Director during the application process.

Possible subjects include:

  • Animal health
  • Biodiversity
  • Ecology and conservation
  • Global citizenship
  • Global health and our modern disease landscape
  • Water and sanitation

Tuition fees are invoiced at course level at the point of enrolment, there is no fixed annual payment.

The University of Edinburgh online learning technology is fully interactive, award-winning and enables you to communicate with our highly qualified teaching staff from the comfort of your own home or workplace.

Our online students not only have access to Edinburgh’s excellent resources, but also become part of a supportive online community, bringing together students from around the world.

The courses are taught entirely online with extensive use of discussion forums in which students are encouraged to debate relevant issues with course tutors and colleagues.

Certificate

This is a postgraduate certificate for students from a diverse professional background but with a common interest in global health.

The programme is modular, offering a flexible student-centred approach to the choice of courses studied; students may choose to study one or more individual courses or complete a sufficient number of course credits to be awarded the certificate.

It takes between 12 and 36 months to complete the certificate.

Postgraduate Professional Development

The courses we offer reflect the range of research and teaching interests of our academic staff and promote discussion of significant issues relating to Global Health - whether human, animal or environmental.

Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD) is aimed at working professionals who want to advance their knowledge through a postgraduate-level course(s), without the time or financial commitment of a full Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate.

You may take a maximum of 50 credits worth of courses over two years through our PPD scheme. These lead to a University of Edinburgh postgraduate award of academic credit. Alternatively, after one year of taking courses you can choose to transfer your credits and continue on to studying towards a higher award on a Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate programme. Although PPD courses have various start dates throughout a year you may only start a Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate programme in the month of September. Any time spent studying PPD will be deducted from the amount of time you will have left to complete a Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate programme.

Further details of the potential for transfer to one of our host programmes can be found on the programme website:

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
PgCert (ICL)Global Health StudiesUp to 3 YearsPart-time Intermittent StudyProgramme structure 2024/25

We value interdisciplinary debate on our courses and effective, professional communication skills form an important part of the outcomes of the programme.

Graduates can use their qualification to enhance their career prospects in international and national organisations that manage global health issues.

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent. A biomedical, medical, public health, veterinary or relevant bioscience topic is particularly suitable for this degree programme.

We may also consider your application if your degree is in an unrelated discipline but you have relevant work experience; please contact us to check before you apply. You may be admitted to Certificate level only in the first instance.

Students from China

This degree is Band D.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

  • IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
  • PTE Academic: total 65 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
  • Oxford ELLT: 7 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

Tuition fees

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
PgCert (ICL)Global Health StudiesUp to 3 YearsPart-time Intermittent StudyTuition fees
PgProfDevGlobal Health StudiesUp to 2 YearsPart-time Intermittent StudyTuition fees

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

  • borrowing money

    • taking out a loan

    • family support

  • personal savings

  • income from work

  • employer sponsorship

  • scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

  • BMTO - University Of Edinburgh Medical School
  • Teviot Place
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9AG
Programme start date Application deadline
8 September 2025 22 August 2025

We encourage you to apply at least one month prior to entry so that we have enough time to process your application. If you are also applying for funding or will require a visa then we strongly recommend you apply as early as possible.

You must submit one reference with your application.

If you are applying for the Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD), you can apply for your course of interest up to 1 week prior to the start date. You should indicate on your application form which course(s) you are interested in taking.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Further information

  • BMTO - University Of Edinburgh Medical School
  • Teviot Place
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9AG