Leading Health Sciences Schools in the UK and RoI

27 Nov 2018

If you’re looking to study Health Sciences or Public Health, look no further than the UK.

With some of the oldest Medical Schools in the world and countless elite, research-based institutions assessed by the Research Excellence Framework, here, you’ll be studying in a research-rich environment at the cutting-edge of your field.

Schools in the UK and the Republic of Ireland take an interdisciplinary, cross-curricular approach, ensuring you leave prepared for the collaborative nature of the Health Science workforce. After graduation, you’ll be practice-ready and highly employable.

You’ll be working with students from all over the world, mastering the disciplines that will help solve issues facing the health sector today.

We’ve chosen five of the UK’s top faculties for you to find your perfect Health Sciences programme.

SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES, ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY (RGU) – UK

The School of Health Sciences at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland, prides itself on producing graduates who positively impact the lives of individuals and the health of society.

Ranked 1^st in Scotland for health professions, the school takes a student-centred approach to teaching. It has a proven track record of producing work-ready graduates, ranking 1^st in Scotland and 3^rd in the UK for employment and/or further study six months after graduation.

Throughout your studies, you’ll be immersed in real life situations, giving you the knowledge, skills and experience needed to excel. Providing transformational, dynamic learning, the school has a strong reputation for producing people-centred, capable and professional graduates.

RGU consistently scores well for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey. As an international student you’ll be well placed, since 22 percent of students are international and the university scores well in terms of international outlook.

As well as a course in Public Health and Health Promotion, many more innovative programmes are offered, including a Masters in Occupational Therapy and a Masters in Diagnostic Radiography – the first of their kind in the UK.

Source: Robert Gordon University

The former BSc version of the Physiotherapy course, now MPhys, ranked 1^st in the UK for graduate prospects, and 1^st in Scotland for teaching quality and student experience. Meanwhile, the Dietetics course ranks 1^st in the UK for Food Science, and the elite MSc in Exercise, Health and Wellness Coaching is the first of its kind combining the field of sport and exercise science with wellness coaching, with content that embodies the public health discipline.

SCHOOL OF HEALTHCARE SCIENCES, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY

Activities at this centre of excellence encompass a broad range of healthcare sciences, including: clinical photography, midwifery, nursing (including adult, child and mental health), occupational therapy, physiotherapy, perioperative practice and radiography (diagnostic and therapeutic).

The School of Healthcare Sciences at Cardiff University conducts internationally-distinguished research and scholarship of the highest quality. It’s one of the leading healthcare research departments in the UK.

You’ll be studying cutting-edge technology and techniques, with the school placing 4^th in the UK for research assessed by REF, as well as receiving 1^st place for research environment.

While the school offers a full range of Healthcare Science masters, such as Specialist Community Public Health Nursing, Advanced Clinical Practice and Radiography, most modules are also available on a standalone basis to aid your professional development.

The school has a multidisciplinary outlook, granting a well-rounded academic experience complemented by the opportunities encountered in the vibrant capital of Wales.

Source: Cardiff University

The school produces skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate healthcare professionals, committed to an ethos of evidence-based care long after they graduate.

FACULTY OF BIOLOGY, MEDICINE AND HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), an impressive 83 percent of Manchester’s research activity was rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, cementing the university as one of the UK’s top research institutions.

The faculty is prevalent in the field of Cancer Research, partnering with Cancer Research UK and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust to form the Manchester Cancer Research Centre. Work here pushes toward a world in which more of us survive cancer through pioneering ways of preventing, detecting and treating cancer.

The broad ranging Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health is divided into the School of Biological Sciences, the School of Medical Sciences and the School of Health Sciences. But many programmes cross school and division boundaries to ensure the breadth of knowledge and skills required for a career in biology, medicine and health is covered.

The School of Health Sciences is led by registered pharmacist and Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Professor Kay Marshall, with six divisions that include the Division of Human Communication, Development and Hearing, the Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work and the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry.

Choosing to study Health Sciences at the University of Manchester places you in a nationwide hub for research. Meanwhile, you would be able to enjoy the large Victorian campus, paired with brand-new, recently-refurbished buildings thanks to the largest facilities investment in the history of British higher education.

FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN

Located in the vibrant capital of the Republic of Ireland (RoI), Trinity College Dublin’s Faculty of Health Sciences takes an interdisciplinary approach, recognising that health and healthcare are collaborative concerns.

The faculty encompasses four different schools and 14 undergraduate degrees, following an interprofessional curriculum. You’ll be granted numerous opportunities to engage with a diverse number of professions and complex, multidisciplinary, interprofessional education initiatives.

You’ll have access to annual Interprofessional Learning Workshops. Here, in small, cross-curricular, groups, you’ll generate interprofessional solutions to a patient-centred case. The aim is to prepare Health Sciences graduates to be collaborative and practice-ready.

An interdisciplinary workforce is critical for optimal patient care and so, at Trinity, this integrated faculty will facilitate graduates’ transition into employment.

The faculty’s activities are underpinned by the need to offer the highest quality of care to each student; the pursuit of research to find new solutions to complex health concerns; improving bedside care, and always seeing the individual as more than disease and symptoms.

As you can see in this video, your education at Trinity will be research-led. The faculty’s strategic research areas include cancer, aging, inclusive society, next generation medical devices, immunology & infection, and neuroscience.

FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES AND MEDICINE, KING’S COLLEGE LONDON (KCL)

The Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine at KCL is one of the UK’s largest and most successful centres for research and education, with 91.8 percent of the faculty’s REF submission rated 4 or 5 star.

The university has been ranked 7^th in the world for Pharmacy & Pharmacology and 16^th in the world for Clinical, Pre-Clinical and Health.

In terms of Public Health specifically, King’s offers an established range of programmes for healthcare professional managers, designed to improve healthcare service delivery.

Combining rigorous content with training in clinical competencies, research and critical analysis, programmes are taught by leading experts in the field. Courses include a Global Health MSc, a Public Health MPH, options for Public Health MSc, PG Dip, PG Cert – 100 percent Online Learning and Women & Children’s Health MSc.

The faculty also covers Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Forensic Science, Imaging Sciences and Biomedical and Life Sciences as well as providing specialist training for medical professionals in Medicine, Dietetics and Physiotherapy, and Ultrasound and Imaging.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International