Is Public Health Your Path?
What is Public Health? Understanding Its Impact and Why It Matters.
Public health is the study and practice of improving health at the population level. It focuses on preventing disease, extending life, and promoting well-being through coordinated efforts across communities, institutions, and governments.
Public health draws on multiple disciplines, including epidemiology, environmental science, behavioral health, and policy analysis. It responds to both immediate threats, like infectious disease outbreaks, and long-term challenges, such as chronic illness, mental health, and health inequities.
If you’re driven to make a difference at scale, advocate for equity, and lead change across borders and systems, public health may be your path
Program Overview: How the Program Equips You to Serve, Lead, and Improve Health Systems
The Master of Science in Public Health at SWISS UMEF offers a structured academic foundation for professionals seeking to improve health outcomes at the population level. The program focuses on key areas such as epidemiology, health systems, policy analysis, and research methods. Students explore how social, environmental, and economic factors influence health and learn to design interventions that address both immediate risks and long-term challenges. The curriculum emphasizes practical application and prepares graduates for roles in government, NGOs, international agencies, and research institutions.
Students develop the ability to interpret data, evaluate programs, and contribute to public health strategies that respond to diverse communities and global contexts.
Graduates leave with a deeper understanding of how health is shaped by systems and policies, and are equipped to lead initiatives that improve access, equity, and resilience in public health.
Programme Structure
Year 1 – Semester 1 (30 ECTS)
• Foundations of Public Health
• Epidemiology & Biostatistics for Public Health
• Public Health Systems & Policy in the Middle East
• Environmental & Occupational Health
• Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice
Year 1 – Semester 2 (30 ECTS)
• Health Promotion & Disease Prevention
• Health Economics & Financing in Public Health
• Digital Health & Smart Technologies in Public Health
• Leadership & Governance in Public Health
• Public Health Law, Ethics & Policy
Year 2 – Semester 3 (30 ECTS)
• Non-Communicable & Communicable Disease Control
• Global Health Challenges & Emerging Issues
• Humanitarian Health & Emergency Response
• Capstone Project
Capstone Project (12 ECTS)
Students undertake an applied public health project in collaboration with ministries of health, NGOs, hospitals, or international organisations. The Capstone allows students to demonstrate advanced competence in population health analysis, policy design, and intervention planning.
From Graduate to Practitioner: Where Public Health Expertise Leads
Graduates of the Master of Science in Public Health are prepared to work across a wide range of roles that focus on improving health outcomes at the population level. The program equips professionals to contribute to government agencies, international organizations, non-governmental bodies, and research institutions.
Typical career paths include:
- Public Health Officers & Analysts
- Public Health Educators
- Public Health Engineers
- Epidemiologists & Health Data Specialists
- Health Promotion & Policy Advisors
- Biostatisticians
- NGO and International Agency Project Managers
- Environmental & Occupational Health Specialists
- Global Health Consultants
- Mental Health Program Coordinators
- Behavioral Research Scientists
- Global Infectious Disease Analysts or Researchers
- Healthcare Policy Analysts
- Addiction Treatment Program Developers
- Emergency Management Specialists
- Public Health Physicians and Nurses