Learn to promote people's health and wellbeing, with our Public Health degree. Study in Chelmsford and get hands-on experience with community placements. You’ll learn to research, analyse, report, plan and implement measures for health improvement, health protection and healthcare.
A child dies every three seconds from infectious disease - public health interventions can prevent this by promoting things like breastfeeding, immunisation, antibiotics, access to safe water or basic sanitation. Public health programmes work to improve the health and well-being of communities by identifying the risks that affect people in different places at different stages of life and finding the best ways to minimise them. Here's more about what public health professionals do.
Health inequality means that we don’t all start with the same chance in life. The need to recognise public health issues has never been so important.
From interviewing students about drug and alcohol addiction, to creating a campaign about exercise and nutrition in a poor area of the UK, to writing a report to inform a government about a rare disease in a developing country – the diverse nature of public health means that no two days are the same.
It’s a sector that’s brimming with career opportunities.
Public health covers three key areas:
By studying BSc (Hons) Public Health at ARU, you’ll gain practical skills and the confidence to work collaboratively in groups.
As a student here, you’ll take part in simulated scenarios and community-based research, as well as creating reports, presentations and demonstrations to present to panels and judges.
You’ll gain the research and analytical skills to interpret data. When you graduate you’ll be equipped to use evidence to help plan and implement health solutions for individuals and communities and to develop effective health policies. You’ll also be aware of important issues like health inequalities and social justice, be familiar with health needs assessment and data analysis tools, and have developed effective communication skills.
We’ve worked with public health stakeholders, including Public Health England, the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) and Health Education England to create our course, and our teaching staff are part of international networks which inform everything we do.
Throughout the UK practitioners work to protect and improve health and wellbeing. The UKPHR operate a register of Public Health Practitioners to ensure that workers meet and maintain a high standard of competency within the Public Health profession. Our degree in Public Health aligns with these UKPHR practitioner competencies ensuring that through a combination of employment focussed content, work placements and lectures, our programme will help you prepare for UKPHR registration.
From developing technologies and health trends to your social media presence and campaigning, we monitor the public health landscape and change with it, so your degree is always relevant.
As a Public Health student, you’ll constantly consider your career; engaging with public health occupational frameworks and demonstrating a range of UKPHR standards. This will be supported by a work placement and the portfolio that you’ll create from day one – and take you right through to interviews and registration.
In the National Student Survey 2022 our students noted that they value the learning opportunities at ARU.
See our Careers section for career paths opened by a BSc in Public Health.
Our Public Health degree was created with Public Health England, the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) and Health Education England. It aligns with UKPHR practitioner competencies to prepare you for UKPHR registration and employment with public health bodies.
Public Health roles are varied, and some roles such as environmental health practitioner or nutritionist will require other specialist training.
At ARU you can study for a BSc in Public Health, which will equip you for a wide range of careers. You can also use it as a basis for specialist further study, for example our Masters degrees in MPH Global Public Health or MSc Public Health and Community Wellbeing.
Our BSc in Public Health is a three year full-time course.
You have the option to take this course as a four-year degree with foundation year. If you choose to learn in Chelmsford, you'll study with our partner, ARU College, in either Cambridge or Chelmsford for Year 1, then Chelmsford for years 2-4. If you choose to study in Peterborough, you'll stay there for all four years of your course.
Our postgraduate degrees in Public Heath take either one or two years.
You’ll learn the types of factors that can impact individual health, how the human body works, how behaviours and policies can affect health and how these can be brought about, about epidemiology, assessment and analysis, disease patterns and control measures, communications for health campaigns, healthcare systems and funding, as well as other skills useful for the workplace.
Studying our Foundation Year will give you a solid base for your study of Public Health or you could choose to apply for interview for our Nursing (Adult, Child or Mental Health) or Operating Department degrees, and if successful join the Year 1 of the degree.Learn more
Senior Lecturer Clare Jacobs talks about the work that public health professionals do, and the difference they make.
Dr Richard Hayhoe is just one of the tutors you'll meet as a Public Health student here at ARU.
Dr Rachael Cubberley, Deputy Head of the School of Allied Health at ARU, talks about her varied career in public health.
Entry requirements are not currently available, please try again later.
As a Public Health student at ARU you’ll benefit from:
Join our student community and:
Our Public Health degree aligns with the UKPHR practitioner competencies ensuring that through a combination of employment focussed content, work placements and lectures, our programme will help you prepare for UKPHR registration.
Lecturer in Public Health
Senior Lecturer, Department of Allied and Public Health
Senior Lecturer in Public Health, School of Allied Health.
Public health has never been more important, relevant and wide-ranging, and there’s a host of career paths to follow.
You might like to work as a public health practitioner, youth worker, drug and alcohol worker, public health information officer or analyst, health improvement practitioner, health protection practitioner, sexual health advisor, smoking cessation co-ordinator, community development or outreach worker, or health communications officer. You could even go into health-related research.
While studying at ARU, you’ll gain skills and knowledge that will be relevant in local government, the NHS, education, consultancy, the not-for-profit sector, and international agencies like the World Health Organization or UNICEF.
Graduation doesn’t need to be the end of your time with us, of course. You might decide to stay at ARU and study for a Masters, such as MSc Public Health and Community Wellbeing or MSc Global Public Health. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.
Informed by employers including Public Health England, our courses support an integrated approach to employability. You’ll have opportunities to develop the skills and abilities they are looking for and gain a deeper understanding of how your academic learning relates to the world of work through Live Briefs and Ruskin Modules.
To amplify your career ambition, you will need to actively dedicate time outside of your studies, whether you choose to explore internships or volunteering. Or you could make a social impact by collaborating with our partner organisations through our volunteer scheme Students at the Heart of Knowledge Exchange (SHoKE). These all give you an edge, providing you with experience that you will be able to evidence on your CV and talk about in interviews.
Our Employability and Careers Service offers a range of expert advice and support to build your unique professional profile, including tailored career appointments, advice on writing your CV, and help to complete job applications. You’ll have 24/7 access to the Careers Centre, our comprehensive online digital resource, which empowers you to start building a Personal Career Development Plan from the very start. Design your future at ARU.
Chelmsford has something for everyone, and our green, modern campus is just ten minutes from the city centre.Get to know Chelmsford
Read this institution's report