Fields in the Program
The fields of study in the program are not mutually exclusive; students will choose from a wide spectrum of research interests that straddle traditional disciplinary boundaries. All students will take the core courses Global Health Foundations I and Global Health Foundations II that are interdisciplinary. In addition, they will choose scholarly projects (course-based or thesis stream) in areas of individual interest, to build upon and advance their knowledge of Global Health in a manner that will promote interdisciplinary thinking.
The M.Sc. program is designed so that students will achieve these core competencies:
- Develop an understanding of Global Health as a series of dynamic relationships and interrelated themes
- Gain a working knowledge of selected topics within one of the Global Health fields of study
- Develop a specialized working knowledge of one of these fields of study
- Be able to identify the macro-dynamics of globalization and their consequences for micro-level health outcomes
- Build an awareness of the new practices, instruments, insights, and perspectives needed to work in a global health setting
- Develop the tools to analyze critically and measure the relationships which define the global meaning of health
- Understand and appreciate the changing roles and responsibilities of old and new actors in the global health field (universities, citizens, governments, health professionals, international organizations, private foundations, etc.)
- Use reflective practice as a critical tool for knowledge acquisition, personal and professional growth, and effective intercultural exchange
The three fields of study in the program offered at the McMaster campus are as follows:
a) Globalization and Equity
From international flows of capital, to the role of corporations, to global social movements, this field examines how the ebb and flow of globalizing processes affect politics and policies, economic development, trade, health, healthcare, and education around the globe. Students investigate and learn about the socio-economic and political moorings that inform and shape global health. They acquire career-relevant skills relating to policy analysis and formulation in a global context.
b) Global Health Management
Global Health Management introduces students to management and policy skills, including a fundamental understanding of the capacities needed to manage projects related to health, healthcare, economic development, and education.
c) Global Health: Disease Burden, Challenges and Changes
Students study critical challenges within global health from a health sciences perspective. Learning from a network of leading professionals, students examine the threat to public health from existing, new and re-emerging diseases that spread through immigration, travel and global trade.
Finally, all students will be required to attend GLOB HTH 710 Learning Symposium and Field Orientation with students from partner universities. The Symposium involves group work with students from partner institutions, seminars by experts in the field; student presentations on selected research topics, and fields visits to sites that involve research activities in global health. This will be followed research and thesis writing for thesis option students and a field placement and scholarly paper writing for all others.
For student in the course-based stream, there are three fields available at partner universities.
At Maastricht University students can choose to follow either:
d) Implementing Innovations on a Global Scale
Students develop an understanding of the co-evaluation of science/technology, local and global society; including traditional and contemporary theories and approaches to design and implementation of innovations in health. Students also acquire the knowledge to critically evaluate innovations, involve stakeholders from different sectors (public, private, government) both locally and globally - ensuring that the implementation of innovation is “responsive” to the evolving needs of the stakeholders.
e) Global Health Leadership and Organization
Students develop an in-depth understanding of health management, policy, and leadership. Students learn how to approach policies from different perspectives, from the micro to macro, and international level, as well as issues of access and equity. Students are also exposed to the complexity and inter-relationships in global health and challenged to compare different systems, including funding mechanisms, governance structures, and health system models.
In Norway students focus on:
f) Global Transitions within Local Communities: Small Places - Big Changes
Health issues, both public and personal, are strongly affected by global transition. Accelerated and intensified contact - a defining characteristic of globalization - leads to migration and environmental degradation, and places constraints on the livelihood of many in local communities. Such rapid changes can often lead to tensions, contradictions, conflicts and changed opportunities in ways that affect local peoples’ lives and health. A special emphasis is placed upon peoples of the Arctic. Students will learn about the background of central global transitions, and about the various models of national welfare systems, applying them to a local community or area.
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