Hull York Medical School

Climate change is the greatest threat to human health of the 21st century, according to the World Health Organisation.

This is a course for current or future health leaders who are prepared to meet that challenge head-on.

Local, regional, national and international authorities and organisations need to research, produce and implement strategies and policies that account for the impact of changing climates on health, and the private sector needs to adapt to these policies. However, there are very few workers in the UK and worldwide with the specialist knowledge that these jobs require.

This MSc Health and Climate Change focuses on the impact of climate change on human health and explores strategies to mitigate and to adapt to climate change from that human health perspective.

We study what climate change is and investigate the predicted consequences of climate change on, for example, cardiorespiratory disease, vector-borne diseases, infections and immunity, nutrition and health inequalities.

Taking a “think globally, act locally” stand, we cover both impacts of environmental change on public health and local, place-based mitigation and adaptation strategies. We have established collaborations with local authorities and organisations and we have paired up with existing and successful MSc programmes at the University to ensure that we help our graduates acquire the skills and the expertise that they need to become leaders in their chosen field of health and climate change.

What you’ll study

You’ll be taught by academic staff from the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Science and Engineering, reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of the interactions between climate and health. Through taught teaching sessions, blended learning and your own research, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the interconnectedness between human health and the environment.

Core modules

All modules are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.

  • Environmental Change in the Anthropocene

  • Environmental and Energy Data Analysis

  • Environmental Change and Health 1

  • Environmental Change and Health 2

  • Infection and Immunity

  • Frontiers in Planetary Health

  • Dissertation (Health and Climate Change)

Entry Requirements

  • You will have a minimum of a 2:2 Honours degree or international equivalent in a programme related to health sciences, for example: health sciences, medicine, public health, biomedical science and biomedical sciences.
  • Some (any, paid or unpaid) experience in a health setting, for example in a healthcare provider, a public health department in local, regional or national authorities, a clinical setting, a pharmacy, a vaccination centre, ambulance services, a clinical or (bio)medical research laboratory, a national health system, a public health data/bioinformatics analysis group, a (bio)medical charity.
  • Professional experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

In order to ensure our students have a rich learning and student experience, most of our programmes have a mix of domestic and international students. We reserve the right to close applications early to either group, if application volumes suggest that this blend cannot be achieved. In addition, existing undergraduate students at the University of Hull have a guaranteed ‘Fast Track’ route to any postgraduate programme, subject to meeting the entry criteria.