Master of Global Health
Do you want to improve health for people around the globe?
- Dates
- September - June
- Location
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona
- Tuition
- 10.500 Euros (plus university taxes)
- Schedule
- Full time
- Timetable
- 9:00-13:30
- Mode
- Face-to-face
- Language
- English
- Length
- 1 academic year
- Credits
- 60 ECTS
Given the circumstances surrounding the current COVID-19 pandemic, and in anticipation of any developments that may arise during the coming academic year, our team is committed to ensuring that our educational programmes can be successfully delivered in either face-to-face or distance formats, adapting to the context in which our students, faculty, and staff find themselves.
The ISGlobal-University of Barcelona Master of Global Health is a University of Barcelona - specific programme, designed for students and professionals seeking to develop a career in health, from a global and transdisciplinary perspective. The programme offers the knowledge necessary to face the current challenges in global health and prepares students for work with organisations that work for health equity around the world.
The Master of Global Health is included in our Master Scholarship Program. More details are given on the "Scholarship" section located in this page.
Objectives
As a student of the Master of Global Health, you will gain the knowledge and tools necessary to:
- Analyse the factors that influence the health of the global population
- Understand the complex relationship between health and other disciplines, such as economics, politics, anthropology, epidemiology, and environmental sciences
- Develop effective and sustainable solutions that contribute to improving health in a globalised world
Opportunities
Designed for students and professionals from diverse backgrounds (health and life sciences, social sciences, law and economics, etc.) who want to develop a career in the field of global health in:
- International organisations
- NGOs
- Ministries of health
- Cooperation and development agencies
- Public-private partnerships
- Other stakeholders of the global health international community
Organisation
The ISGlobal-University of Barcelona Master of Global Health is carried out in collaboration with academic institutions, research centres and NGOs in the health sector.
Our faculty come from diverse disciplines and have extensive experience working in global health with internationally recognised universities, research centres and public-private partnerships. Professors bring their real world experience as professionals and leaders in the field, to our classrooms.
Learn More
The first two modules of the Master's degree are also offered as an independent Diploma of Global Health Fundamentals
Partners
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The Master of Global Health programme consists of 60 ECTS (European credits) or one academic year, which runs from September to June. It is offered in two different tracks: Transdisciplinary Studies in Global Health and tropEd Master of International Health.
These are some examples of recent Master Final Projects (MFP) of the Master of Global Health:
Arnau Guasch Girbau (Master Global Health, 2020-21)
Read an article related to Arnau's MFP:
Review of the Current Landscape of the Potential of Nanotechnology for Future Malaria Diagnosis, Treatment, and Vaccination Strategies
Cristina Pujol (Master Salud Global, 2020-21)
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on harm reduction services in Spain
Neus Rosell (Master Global Healh, 2019-20)
Scoping review on food security policies in Brazil
Sarah Williams (Master Global Health, 2019-20)
Legal acces of migrants to U.S. Health and Social Welfare policies in response to Covid-19
Darla Berkefeld (Master Global Health, 2018-19)
Lukas Siefert (Master Global Health, 2018-19)
Consequences of the discontinuation of GAVI support for countries' immunization systems.
Daniel Kwakye Nomah (Master Global Health, 2018-19)
Gabriella-Hanna Kontorovich (Master Global Health, 2018-19)
A gamified training tool for Ebola public health emergency preparedness
Welcome to the Master of Global Health
Eva Iraizoz, Student of the 2015-2016 Class
Francesca Russo, Student of the tropEd Master in International Health, Class 2015-2016 Class
Luis Gerardo Castillo, Student of the 2014-2015 Class
Sofia Bandomia, Student of the 2014-2015 Class
Pedro Alonso, director of the WHO Global Malaria Program and former director of ISGlobal
Quique Bassat, Assistant Research Professor
Nina Wine, Student of the 2013-2014 Class
María Fernanda Díaz, Student of the 2013-2014 Class
Barcelona, the capital city of Catalonia (one of Spain’s 17 autonomous provinces), is a vibrant coastal city on the Mediterranean Sea. Students will find many cultural activities, events, museums, and opportunities for sport available to them during their stay.
Barcelona.cat offers updates on events around the city and a Barcelona app.
Housing
Some students choose to find shared flats or rent their own individual housing during their Master course. There are many websites that provide rental listings for flats and shared flats in the city. In addition, ISGlobal maintains a relationship with the Barcelona Centre Universitari (BCU), which can provide information and advice on housing and activities, among other things, to our Master’s and Diploma candidates.
Public Transportation
Barcelona has an excellent integrated network of public transportation, including metro, tramvia, buses and regional trains. Various types of multi-trip metro cards are available for purchase from machines in metro stations. One option for getting around the city is Bicing, a public bicycle rental service that runs on an annual membership basis. There is also the possibility of hourly or daily car rental with various services. And, since Barcelona is a fairly dense city, it is also often possible to reach your destination on foot.
Weather
Barcelona enjoys a generally temperate weather. Although in the summer months the heat can sometimes rise to the 40s Celcius, it is a generally moderate climate without extreme temperatures or weather.
Languages
Although the Master and Diploma of Global Health are offered entirely in English, Catalonia’s two official languages are Catalan and Spanish. For students who are interested, the University of Barcelona’s Institute of Hispanic Studies offers courses in Spanish as a foreign language from beginner to advanced levels. You can also join Catalan courses offered through the UB and tailored to university students. Many other language schools and centres, including some sponsored by the government, also offer courses.
Special Events
Throughout the year, Master’s degree and Diploma students are invited to attend special events and activities in addition to classes and seminars, beginning with the annual Global Health Programme Inaugural Lecture, which is given by an invited speaker each year in October. In 2016, Dr Antoine Flahault, Director of the Institute of Global Health of Geneva, offered the Inaugural Lecture on the topic of “Precision Global Health Means Providing the Right Intervention to the Right Population at the Right Time”.
In late December, we invite students to join a special End of Year Dinner and, of course, we gather to celebrate the End of Course in June.
Other events from past years have included a special guest lecture on “The Books that Changed My Life” in celebration of Sant Jordi’s Day (St. George’s Day) and a visit on to the medieval Monastery of Pedralbes as part of a series of events on the “History of Barcelona through Medicine”.
Entry requirements:
- Undergraduate degree
- Advanced level of English
If not a native English speaker, candidates need to provide an Internationally recognized English proficiency certificate equivalent to a TOEFL score of 550 paper/213 internet/80 online, or IELTS score 6.
We will also value:
- Previous working experience in low and middle income countries
- Voluntary positions in low and middle income countries
- Having being exposed to multicultural environments
- Having a background in social sciences
Application
People interested in taking this Master must complete the application form.
Calendar:
The revision of applications and notification of admission will be done according to the following timelines:
First Application Period: From 1 September to 26 November 2021
Notification of the admission: 17 December 2021
Second Application Period: From 29 November 2021 to 25 February 2022
Notification of the admission: 11 March 2022
Third Application Period: From 28 February to 6 May 2022
Notification of the admission: 27 May 2022
Notification of admission of applications received after 6 May will be made approximately one week after we receive the application.
Global health scholarship programme 2022-23
The global health scholarship programme is now closed for the 2022-23 academic year.
What does the scholarship cover?
The global health scholarship covers the total tuition fee and the University taxes when registering for the Master’s degree programme. The scholarship does not cover any other expenses related to participation in the Master’s degree programme.
The scholarship awardee is responsible for all other expenses, including, but not restricted to, visa application fees, travel, accommodation, local transportation, living expenses, and insurance. The awardee is also expected to have their own laptop computer and to be responsible for any other materials necessary for participation in the programme.
Who is eligible to apply?
Scholarship applicants should have already applied for and been accepted into the Master’s degree programme. They must be nationals of and reside in one of the following sub-Saharan countries:
Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Congo (Brazzaville) Congo (Democratic Republic) Côte d'Ivoire | Djibouti Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia | Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Réunion Rwanda Sao Tome and Principe Senegal | Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Tanzania Togo Uganda Western Sahara Zambia Zimbabwe |
What is the selection process?
The selection process has three phases:
Phase I: Global Health Scholarship Application
From 17 December 2021 - 28 March 2022 interested candidates who have already been accepted into the Master’s degree programme may apply for the scholarship here, by submitting the following items to the Scholarship Selection Committee:
- Scholarship programme application form including a video of no more than 03:00 minutes* in which the candidate addresses the following questions:
- Why are you applying for the Global Health Scholarship?
- How will attending the Master’s degree contribute to the development of your career?
- How do you see yourself contributing to addressing the most pressing issues related to health equity in your community (local, national, regional, or global)?; And
- Two letters of recommendation (professional or academic), focused on the candidate’s work or studies in global health or closely related fields. Letters must be sent directly by referees to formacion@isglobal.org and must include the full name, title, institution, email and telephone contact of the referee.
Videos will be evaluated according to a rubric that includes the following criteria:
- Oral presentation
- Argument(s)
- Supporting evidence
Deadline to apply is 28 March 2022, midnight Central European Time (CET). Incomplete and/or late applications will not be considered.
*Candidates are strongly encouraged to submit a video. However, in the case that this is not possible for technical reasons they may submit a written response addressing the same three questions of no more than 750 words.
Phase II: Finalist Interviews
Finalist candidates for the Global Health Scholarship will be invited to participate in a 30 minute interview prior to final selection.
Phase III: Announcement of Scholarship Awardees and Confirmation of Acceptance
The candidates selected for the scholarship will be informed on or before 25 April 2022. Given the high level of demand for the Global Health Scholarship and the limited resources available, we require Scholarship Awardees to demonstrate their ability to attend the Master’s degree programme by 1 June 2022. In the case that they are not able to attend the programme, the scholarship will be transferred to the first candidate on the waiting list.
By 1 June 2022 Scholarship awardees must:
- Have their official academic documents (diploma and transcript) submitted to and accepted by the University of Barcelona Faculty of Medicine; and
- Have proof of a student visa for study in Spain.
If either of these conditions is not met by 1 June the scholarship will be revoked and passed to the first person on the waiting list.