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Find out about the research we do in Public Health and Health Promotion

Public Health and Health Promotion PhD

Key Information

Find a supervisor

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Start date

January

April

October

Mode of study

3 years full-time

6 years part-time

Fees

2024/5

International £23,615

UK £4,786

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Entry requirements

2:1

Scroll to #entryRequirements
MPhil option available

Research profile

Public Health and Health Promotion is a dynamic and cutting edge area of study. Our academics are research active and internationally renowned in their own specialist fields of public health, health promotion, health and social care and the social context of health and wellbeing.  We explore the ethical, political, societal and cultural dilemmas that arise in public health and health promotion and into health and social care. 

Applicants are welcome to contact us about their own specialist topics and projects. We particularly welcome proposals on :

  • Creative methods for researching health and everyday life
  • Loneliness and well-being across the life-span
  • Cost-effectiveness or return on investment (ROI) analysis of healthcare interventions
  • Econometric analysis to examine the impact of health policies/strategies/interventions
  • Physical activity and its association with health outcomes
  • Health inequalities and social determinants of health
  • Behaviour change interventions to improve population health and well-being

Find out about the exciting research we do in this area. Browse profiles of our experts, discover the research groups and their inspirational research activities you too could be part of. We’ve also made available extensive reading materials published by our academics and PhD students.  

Learn more about research in this area.

Browse the work of subject-relevant research groups

    Find a supervisor

    Our researchers create knowledge and advance understanding, and equip versatile doctoral researchers with the confidence to apply what they have learnt for the benefit of society. Find out more about working with the Supervisory Team.

    You are welcome to approach your potential supervisor directly to discuss your research interests. Search for expert supervisors for your chosen field of research.

    Research journey

    This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.

    Find out about what progress might look like at each stage of study here: Research degree progress structure.

    Research support

    Research support

    Excellent research support and training

    The Graduate School provides a range of personal, professional and career development opportunities. This includes workshops, online training, coaching and events, to enable you to enhance your professional profile, refine your skills, and plan your next career steps as part of the Researcher Development Programme. The researcher development programme (RDP) offers workshops and seminars in a range of areas including progression, research management, research dissemination, and careers and personal development. You will also be offered a number of online, self-study courses on BBL, including Research Integrity, Research Skills Toolkit, Research Methods in Literature Review and Principles of Research Methods.

    Library services

    Brunel's Library is open 24 hours a day, has 400,000 books and 250,000 ebooks, and an annual budget of almost £2m. Subject information Specialists train students in the latest technology, digital literacy, and digital dissemination of scholarly outputs. As well as the physical resources available in the Library, we also provide access to a wealth of electronic resources. These include databases, journals and e-books. Access to these resources has been bought by the Library through subscription and is limited to current staff and students.

    Dedicated research support staff provide guidance and training on open access, research data management, copyright and other research integrity issues.

    Find out more: Brunel Library

    A training programme will be provided by the College to assist students with achieving targets.  The programme will include the underpinning principles such as philosophy of science, research integrity, ethics and specialist methodology.  Sessions in core, specialist and advanced research methods will prepare students for an independent research career.  The College research methods programme includes sessions from specialists with research expertise in qualitative, quantitative, reflexive, practitioner and insider research, and is aligned with the ESRC research methods expectations. 

    Careers and your future

    You will receive tailored careers support during your PhD and for up to three years after you complete your research at Brunel. We encourage you to actively engage in career planning and managing your personal development right from the start of your research, even (or perhaps especially) if you don't yet have a career path in mind. Our careers provision includes online information and advice, one-to-one consultations and a range of events and workshops. The Professional Development Centre runs a varied programme of careers events throughout the academic year. These include industry insight sessions, recruitment fairs, employer pop-ups and skills workshops.

    In addition, where available, you may be able to undertake some paid work as we recognise that teaching and learning support duties represent an important professional and career development opportunity.

    Find out more.

    Following the completion of the course students may follow several career paths:

    • Career path within academia starting as a University Lecturer
    • Career progression within research institutes commencing as a post-doc researcher and progressing to senior researcher
    • Careers in consultancies for Public Health and Health Promotion; Health and Social Care; Ageing
    • Careers in government departments (e.g. Department of Health) and agencies (e.g. National Health Service)

    UK entry requirements

    The general University entrance requirement for registration for a research degree is normally a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (1st or 2:1). 

    An interview will be required as part of the admissions process and will be conducted by at least two academic staff members remotely via MS Teams, Zoom, or face to face.

    Applicants will be required to submit a personal statement and a research statement.
    Please contact your proposed supervisor, where possible, to receive feedback and guidance on your research statement before submitting it. Learn how to prepare a research statement here.   

    EU and International entry requirements

    English language requirements

    • IELTS: 7 (min 6 in all areas)
    • Pearson: 64 (59 in all subscores)
    • BrunELT: 68% (58% in all areas)
    • TOEFL: 98 overall (min 20) 

    You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.

    Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.

    Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

    Fees and funding

    2024/5 entry

    International

    £23,615 full-time

    £11,805 part-time

    UK

    £4,786 full-time

    £2,393 part-time

    Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.

    Some courses incur additional course related costs. You can also check our on-campus accommodation costs for more information on living expenses.

    Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. Recently the UK Government made available the Doctoral Student Loans of up to £25,000 for UK and EU students and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.

    Scholarships and bursaries