MSc Public Health & Social Innovation

University of Strathclyde

Be at the forefront of public health innovation with a pioneering, new MSc designed to equip tomorrow’s leaders to tackle major public health challenges and drive real-world impact.This exciting, social science–led public health programme equips you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to understand today’s biggest public health challenges and to design bold, ethical solutions for the future. You will begin by exploring the foundations of public health, learning how health is shaped not just by biology or healthcare, but by social, economic, political, commercial, and environmental forces. From the origins of sanitation and epidemiology to contemporary challenges such as climate change, pandemics, mental health, and health inequalities, you will develop a strong grounding in evidence-based, population-level thinking.Building on these foundations, the programme moves beyond analysis into action through social innovation in public health. You will learn how change really happens in complex systems through co-production with communities, creative design, systems thinking, and strategic partnerships. You will explore cutting-edge approaches, including digital and AI innovation, social enterprise, and participatory evaluation, while critically engaging with power, politics, ethics, and equity. Through applied innovation labs, you will work on real-world public health problems, developing practical solutions that are scalable, sustainable, and socially just. This programme prepares you not only to understand public health, but to lead meaningful change in a rapidly evolving world.