Health Promotion

The MA/Postgraduate Diploma programme is an internationally recognised qualification with the course content informed by the agreed competencies and professional standards for Health Promotion. The programme is an IUHPE (International Union of Health Promotion and Education) Accredited Health Promotion Course. This means that students who graduate from this course are automatically eligible to apply to become an IUHPE Registered Health Promotion Practitioner on the voluntary register. Graduates of the programme work in statutory services (e.g., Health Service Executive, local authorities), non-governmental organisations (e.g., Irish Heart Foundation, Dental Health Foundation, Irish Cancer Society), the private sector ( e.g., health insurance companies) and in the academic sector (e.g., University of Galway, Atlantic Technological University Sligo, University College Cork ), in a number of roles including dedicated Health Promotion Specialist posts. Past graduates are employed nationally and internationally, in posts in Ireland, UK, Australia, Canada and USA. Some graduates have gone onto further study in our doctoral programme.



The Postgraduate Diploma in Health Promotion offers a taught programme of eight modules, delivered over two semesters to full-time students and over four semesters to part-time students. The MA course incorporates the taught component of the Postgraduate Diploma programme together with a minor dissertation based on original research, which is undertaken over the summer months with a submission date in late August.

Optional HP1101: Knowledge Translation in Health and Social Care Research - 5 Credits - Semester 1

Required HP504: Dissertation - 30 Credits - Semester 1

Required HP832: Research Methods - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Required HP846: Foundations of Health Promotion - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Required HP847: Health Promotion Practice - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Required HP848: Determinants of Health - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Optional RPL005: Recognised Prior Learning - 5 Credits - Semester 1

Optional RPL010: Recognised Prior Learning - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Optional HP852: Re-Orienting Health Services - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional HP150: Evaluation of Health Promotion Programmes - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional HP849: Promoting Healthy Behaviour - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional HP853: Supportive Environments for Health - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional HP845: The European Dimension in Health Promotion - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional HP6106: Workplace Wellness - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional HP6101: Cardiovascular Health and Diabetes Prevention - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional HP140: Mental Health Promotion - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional HP1102: Promoting Mental Health & Social Wellbeing - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Minimum Entry Requirements

As Health Promotion is a multidisciplinary field, we consider applications from candidates with a primary degree from a related discipline. For the MA, the minimum entry requirement is a 2.1 on an honours degree programme. For the PDip, the minimum entry requirement is a primary degree at any level. The programme board evaluates each applicant’s academic record and relevant professional experience and assesses the applicant’s level of motivation and suitability from the personal statement submitted as part of the online application.

Closing Date

Please view the offer rounds website at https://www.universityofgalway.ie/postgrad-admissions/key-dates/



Applications are made online via the University of Galway Postgraduate Applications System

1 year, full-time (MA)

2 years, part-time (MA)

1 year, full-time (PDip)

2 years, part-time (PDip)

Next start date September 2024

Closing Date Offers are made on a rolling basis.

Career Opportunities

A wide variety of career opportunities in Ireland and abroad exist for graduates of this programme. Graduates are qualified to pursue a full-time career in health promotion or to incorporate health promotion principles into their work, expecially those in the health and education sectors.



Graduates from the programmes have found employment in a broad range of work sectors: statutory, private, voluntary and community securing positions in a number of roles including dedicated Health Promotion Specialist posts. Graduates of the MA in Health Promotion have found employment in academia, in a diverse range of fields of health research both nationally and internationally. Some graduates have also gone onto further study undertaking PhDs at University of Galway and beyond, in Health Promotion and other Disciplines. The range of employment opportunities taken up by graduates who come from a wide range of disciplines and experiences, attests to the relevance and transferability of the health promotion competencies gained from the Health Promotion programmes to graduate employability.



Further Education

Students can go on to earn the PhD, MPhil, and MLitt degrees, through research work, with an optional minor taught element. Students can specialise in one of the disciplines various areas of research, working with a high degree of independence, and becoming experts on their chosen topic. This work is usually published in international conferences and journals.



Visit https://www.universityofgalway.ie/courses/research-postgraduate-programmes/phd-and-masters/health-sciences-health-promotion.html for more details.