The Curriculum for Master of Science (MSc) in Public Health

The education programmes at the University of Southern Denmark are based on core principles of activating teaching and active learning. The students, staff and management are jointly responsible for the principles being realised throughout the programme. 

The student actively takes part in training, self-studies and collaboration with other students. The students provide a full-time effort and develop their ability to independently take responsibility for their own academic development. The teachers are responsible for organising and carrying out teaching so that it supports the students' active learning. They plan teaching at a high academic level with a clear focus on the learning objectives for each subject and for the entire programme. Teachers support, guide and challenge students in a learning community characterized by mutual respect, openness and commitment.

In addition, the programmes at the Faculty of Health Sciences are based on the faculty’s pedagogical principles that entail differentiated learning methods, a special focus on the FAIR principle, i.e. feedback, activity, individualisation and relevance. The programme is planned and teaching organised in such a way that there are good opportunities for feedback between teachers and students, there is a high level of activity among students, there is possibility of individualised learning programmes and form and content is appearing relevant for future studies and future work. Moreover, tests and exams are organised in consideration of recognised, research-based principles of validity, reliability, impact on learning, economics and acceptability.

In the public health programme, the students achieve their learning outcomes through participation in the planned learning activities which are either lectures, class teaching, group work, presentations, talks, dialogue, discussions, exercises, e-learning, buzz meetings, reflection papers and questions, quizzes, construction of concept maps, course-related questions, log books, contributions to blogs or wikis, group presentations, flipped classroom, case and problem-based learning, team-based learning, project counselling and Q and A sessions, independent studies, active participation in self-organised study groups and collaborative examination preparation, preparation of assignments, and other study-related products.

The programme employs two overall models: 1) Onsite with elements of online activities (in Esbjerg) and, 2) Blended learning (online combined with onsite activities in Odense). In both models the learning activities are divided into synchronous and asynchronous learning activities. Synchronous learning activities can take place either on-site or online. Asynchronous learning activities can be either online activities, literature reading or homework assignments. On-site learning activities mean teaching situations where teacher and students are present at the same time and same place, for example lectures, group work or the like. Synchronous online learning activities mean virtual learning situations, where teacher and students are not present in the same place but meet virtually at the same time. This can for example be teaching in virtual learning environments, chat forums, or the like. Asynchronous online learning activities mean learning where each student works with e.g., video podcast, assignments or literature search and reading.

The Master of Science in Public Health programme is characterised as a research-based and occupation-related programme and is pedagogically and didactically built on constructive alignment.

The programme being research-based means that:

• the teaching, to a great extent, is organised by active researchers within different academic areas and that the teaching is partly carried out by these researchers 
• the content of the courses, to a great extent, is evidence-based and reflects the most recent research knowledge
• the students acquire scientific skills and competencies applicable to research-based and occupation-related fields 

The programme being occupation-related means that:  

• practice-oriented training is emphasised when organizing teaching, especially the form of teaching
• the content of the teaching is, to a large extent, related to the fields of practice in public health

The programme being pedagogically and didactically built on constructive alignment means that:

• courses are organised and implemented so that there is consistency between the objectives for learning outcome, methods of teaching and working and exam forms
• that the student constructs his/her own learning process and learning outcome through the planned (and other) learning activities

Course descriptions thus provide a description of general objectives, specific learning objectives, a description of teaching and working methods and exam form.

The descriptions of objectives designed as specific objectives for learning outcomes, provide on the one hand, teachers, supervisors and examiners with the ability to organise and conduct training and examination in a way that gives students the best possibilities to achieve the defined learning outcomes and to actually assess the level of achievement in the exam. On the other hand, descriptions of objectives designed as specific objectives for learning outcomes make it clear to the students, which learning outcomes they are expected to achieve through the learning activities and that it is the degree of fulfilment of these goals, which will be assessed in the exam. Both of these conditions are related to another two coherent pedagogical principles:

Learning collaboration: The programme is a learning collaboration between students, teachers and researchers from different fields within Public Health Science. The programme provides various educational resources and expertise (academic as well as pedagogical and didactic). Students assume the role of independent students responsible for their own learning processes and their own education.

Pedagogical diversity: The programme is characterised by pedagogical diversity, both in terms of teaching, supervision, other work methods and learning activities and exam forms, taking into account the core principles of activating teaching and active learning. Through this diversity, students are given the opportunity to learn in many different ways throughout the program, and thus also to develop as learners.

Applicants with a Bachelor ??? from the University of Southern Denmark have a legal claim to admission to this master programme within three years after completion of the bachelor programme (retskrav).

The legal claim is lost, if the student fails to apply within the application deadline

The legal claim is used up, once the student has been offered and accepted a study place 

Additional information about legal claim for admission 

• Public Health 
• Medicine 
• Biomechanics 
• Sports Science 
• Human Biology 
• Dentistry
• Biomedicine 
• Pharmacy
• Health Promotion
• Psychology

• Nursing 
  
• Physiotherapy 
• Occupational Therapy 
• Nutrition 
• Midwife 
• Biomedical laboratory technician 
• Global Nutrition and Health
• Teacher with main subject/specialisation within sports/health
• Radiography

• Compulsory core modules – 30 ECTS
• Specialisation module – 30 ECTS
• Electives – 30 ECTS
• Master’s thesis – 30 ECTS

• Onsite with elements of online activities (in Esbjerg)
• Blended learning (online combined with onsite activities in Odense)

• Health Economics and Policy (Onsite with elements of online activities (in Esbjerg))
  
• Global Health and Equity (Onsite with elements of online activities (in Esbjerg))
• Intervention and Evaluation (Blended Learning (online combined with onsite activities in Odense))

Teaching Methods

The teaching is organised in such a way as to support SDU’s underlying principle for active learning and activating teaching, as well as the Faculty of Health Science’s implementation of this principle - the FAIR principles.

The following forms of instruction and work may be applied in the course: Lectures, class teaching, group work, presentations, talks, dialogue, discussions, exercises, e-learning, buzz meetings, reflection papers and questions, quizzes, construction of concept maps, course-related questions, log books, contributions to blogs or wikis, group presentations, flipped classroom, case and problem-based learning, team-based learning, project counselling and Q and A sessions, independent studies, active participation in self-organised study groups and collaborative examination preparation, preparation of assignments, and other study-related products.

The following forms of feedback may be applied in the course: Teacher feedback, instructor feedback, external feedback, peer feedback (one on one or group), self-evaluation, automatic feedback. 

The activities in the course are primarily aimed at achieving learning objectives and preparing students for the form of examination. The specific forms of instruction and work as well as forms of feedback is made clear in the lecture plan on itslearning. 

Written assignments

The use of aids during an examination (calculator etc.) is not allowed, unless it is clearly stated in the course description.

The Academic Study Board may grant permission to use specials aids, if special circumstances apply.

See section 5.9 for information on indivualisation of group papers.

Permission to write a group paper individually can be granted by the course coordinator in consultation with the head of studies and must be based on unusual circumstances which prevent the student from participating in the group work.

Leave of absence can be granted according to SDU’s general rules on leave of absence. 

Leave can be based on:

• extraordinary circumstances
• pre-graduate research year at the Faculty of Health Sciences
• birth/adoption, military service/UN service
• elite athlete/entrepreneur

As a general rule, leave can be granted up a semester at a time, with the exception of:

• birth/adoption or military service/UN service up to 12 months
• pre-graduate research year up to 12 months

If a student wishes to extend a granted leave, a new application for leave must be submitted documenting the need for an extension. Leave applications are processed by Student Services.

Applications must be submitted to Student Services via SPOC.

A number of electives are offered on the third semester, see §4. 

Pre-approval must be obtained form the Academic Study Board, if a student wishes to take courses in other master programmes at SDU other universities.

• Legal matters
• The basis of the examination (exam questions, assignments etc.)
• The way in which the examination was conducted
• The assessment

• Offer a reassessment with new examiners (written exams)
• Offer a new examination with new examiners (oral exams)
• Reject the complaint