| The award | How you will study | Study duration | Course start | Domestic course fees | International course fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSc | Full-time, Part-time | 1 - 2 year | - | - | - |
Gain the skills needed to harness complex data and make fact-based recommendations on public and global health challenges. Develop hands-on experience in statistical modelling, programming and epidemiology, and learn how to apply this to real-world applications.
Work with leading academics in the field and prepare to make your mark in a profession that relies on data-driven solutions to improve health outcomes.
Why Lancaster?
Work with a world-renowned team
Lancaster University’s expert researchers are renowned in their fields which include epidemiology, data modelling and public health. You will benefit from this expertise as you gain both theoretical knowledge and the latest insights from their groundbreaking research.
Is this programme right for me?
Every aspect of healthcare relies on the advanced technical skills of data scientists, trained to combine deep statistical thinking with expertise in health and computer science. The field of health data science offers a variety of specialist roles across a wide range of organisations – from the public to private sectors, in the UK and overseas.
Lancaster’s MSc Health Data Science provides high-quality training in health informatics and global health. It is an ideal qualification if you want to work as a data scientist in healthcare. It also provides broad interdisciplinary skills with a focus on health research, combining knowledge from diverse fields such as data science, epidemiology and public health.
Typically, programme participants have a background in a quantitative discipline such as statistics, epidemiology, computer science, economics, biomedical sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, engineering, or any other discipline where quantitative methods are used. We also welcome intercalating medical students from Lancaster University and other medical schools.
You can take the programme on either a full or part-time basis, enabling you to balance work and other commitments with training and career progression.
What will I study?
Our MSc in Health Data Science focuses on developing key analytical and computational techniques used to generate insights from complex health data.
The programme begins with three core modules:
These modules establish a robust foundation in the three pivotal areas of health data science: epidemiology, statistics, and computer science.
This is followed by three additional modules where you will learn to apply this foundational knowledge to tackle real-world health problems:
These modules will teach how to harness the power of health data, how to model outbreaks of infectious diseases, and how to quantify health impacts at a population scale. You will be encouraged to work across various disciplines.
This approach enhances problem-solving skills and prepares you to address complex healthcare challenges through collaborative efforts.
Practical experience
The programme emphasises real-world applications and offers you the opportunity to engage with a national or international public health organisation during a 12-week project placement.
You’ll work as part of a multidisciplinary team with one of our high-profile partners. In the past, these have included the NHS, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Clinton Health Access Initiative and Yale University. Additionally, you’ll have access to training events and will be invited to the seminar programme run by the Centre for Health Informatics Computing and Statistics (CHICAS), giving you the opportunity to join an international network of researchers in Health Data Science.
Unique global experience
In collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), we are very pleased to be able to offer up to three places each summer to study at the Fondazione Ivo de Carneri Public Health Laboratory on Pemba Island, Tanzania. While idyllic, Pemba Island is one of the parts of the world most affected by parasitic disease. Locating the laboratory on the island enables the impact of any treatments or interventions to be more easily monitored than on the mainland.
The summer school is open to only three students per year, and places are awarded based on academic performance and interview.
This is an optional part of the programme for which an additional cost is charged. Lancaster Medical School offers a bursary to assist with costs for some students.
2:2 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in a relevant quantitative discipline including: Mathematics and Statistics, Epidemiology, Computer Science, Economics, Biomedical Sciences, Physical Sciences, or similar.
We assess applicants based on their overall undergraduate performance and typically expect strong results in quantitative modules (e.g., mathematics, statistics).
We may also consider non-standard applicants based on experience and merit, including those with a medical background. In the assessment of non-standard applications, we will especially consider evidence of quantitative skills, and the Personal Statement should provide strong motivation for undertaking studies in Health Data Science. Please contact the Programme Director for more information at [email protected]
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