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Master of Science in Global Health

Overview of Program

The Duke Global Health Institute is planning to offer a Master of Science in Global Health beginning in the fall of 2009 (pending approval from the Duke Board of Trustees).

As the 21st century unfolds, international attention is focusing increasingly on the health concerns of poor and marginalized populations, and the ramifications of global health inequities for development.  From pandemics to environmental degradation, global health is an economic concern and a human issue.

The Master of Science in Global Health (MSc-GH) is designed to appeal to an array of students, researchers, policy makers, managers, analysts, and clinical practitioners who desire a more complete understanding of the diverse causes of and solutions to health problems from an interdisciplinary global perspective.  The following are the primary audiences:

  • individuals at any stage of career who wish to pursue a free standing MSc-GH
  • Duke medical students who wish to pursue the MSc-GH during the third year of Medical School
  • participants in Duke’s new GH residency program

Upon completion of the MSc-GH, graduates will be prepared to engage in clinical, epidemiological, social-behavioral, and policy-oriented research, as well as contribute to the design, implementation, and management of health programs.

The MSc-GH is administered by the Duke Global Health institute (DGHI) and involves many other institutes, departments, and schools.  A guiding principle of the degree program is the recognition that a multidisciplinary and multi-sector approach to health is essential, as health is influenced by a multitude of factors, including, but not limited to: individual behaviors; family and childhood dynamics; community characteristics; economic status; gender;genetics; country laws and politics; the environment; and the availability, accessibility, and quality of education, health care, nutrition, water, housing, and other basic goods.

Coursework

The 32 credit curriculum includes five core courses, one elective from each of four thematic blocks, a field experience to apply learned research methods, and a research-based scholarly thesis.  It is designed as a four-semester program (fall, spring, summer, fall), though it can be completed in three semesters (fall, spring, summer) for students who wish to intensify and accelerate their studies.

The five core courses are:

  • GH Challenges (3 credits)
  • GH Systems and Health Policy (3 credits)
  • Research Methods in GH Science I (4 credits)
  • Research Methods in GH Science II (3 credits)
  • Bioethics (1 credit)

The thematic blocks are:

  • Disease Causation and Prevention (3 credits)
  • Global Environmental Health (3 credits)
  • GH Policy and Management (3 credits)
  • Population Sciences (3 credits)

Each student will be assigned a faculty advisor (either the faculty director or one of the five faculty members teaching the core courses) to ensure that the student’s chosen electives and course sequencing are both rigorous and feasible.

MSc-GH students may choose to undertake their field experience at one of the international institutions with which DGHI collaborates.  Currently, DGHI is collaborating with institutions in China, Haiti, India, Kenya, Singapore, Tanzania, and Uganda and is pursuing collaborative partnerships in Costa Rica, Ghana, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and others.