Bielefeld School of Public Health
Public Health (Master of Science, MSc)
The Public Health degree program is science-oriented and multidisciplinary and qualifies graduates for a career in public health. The various courses provide you with broadly based scientific knowledge and analytical-methodological skills in the field of public health, e.g. health policy reform processes, health and care system development, health psychology and sociology, etc. Over the course of the program, you will apply the methods of epidemiology and empirical health research, you will gain knowledge of the structure and management of the health care system and you will analyze approaches and strategies in health care areas such as prevention, nursing and rehabilitation.
After the basic courses in the first subject-related semester, the Master’s in Public Health degree program provides two comprehensive elective courses in the second and third subject-related semesters, which offer you a broad spectrum of contents relevant to public health. This allows you to choose the areas on which to focus according to your personal interests. Within our elective areas you can choose between two profiles:
- In the "In-depth Interdisciplinary Content and Perspectives on Public Health" profile, you will choose a variety of combination options from the entire breadth of our elective offerings.
- In the "International Perspectives on Public Health (IPPH)" profile, your course of study will have an international focus. Part of the elective courses will be completed in English and the content will be international in character. You will also complete your master's thesis in English.
The areas in which our graduates find employment include university research and teaching, project work and management as well as scientific support in public (health) administration (e.g. RKI), consultancy work in social insurance organizations (health, nursing and pension funds), project work and management as well as scientific support in company health management, institutions in the social sector and consultancy work in international organizations (e.g. NGO, WHO).
All important rules and regulations for the degree program, the list of modules as well as general information on the degree program and the application procedure can be found on the BIS website. Admission to the Master's Program in Public Health is limited. Details of the particular requirements for this master's program are to be found in the subject-specific regulations.
All information about the application procedure at Bielefeld University can be found at the following link: https: //www.uni-bielefeld.de/studium/studieninteressierte/bewerbung/.
Head of the study program: Prof. Dr. Kerstin Hämel
Academic Counselling Service: Ms. Lena Schumann
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
- When can I apply for the Master Public Health program?
The Master’s in Public Health starts every year in the winter semester, i.e. in October. Information on application deadlines can be found on Bielefeld University’s "Dates and deadlines" website (https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/studium/studieninteressierte/bewerbung/termine-fristen/).
- How can I apply for the Master’s in Public Health (online portal)?
Applications for the Master’s in Public Health can be made online via Bielefeld University’s application portal. The portal can be accessed via the application information page.
Please note that applicants without a German university degree must also send their documents by mail to the International Office.
- Is there a limit on the number of applicants admitted (numerus clausus) to the Master’s in Public Health degree program?
There is no classic numerus clausus for the Master’s in Public Health at Bielefeld University. This is due to the fact that admission is based on the final grade for the bachelor’s degree and the score achieved in the aptitude test. Points are awarded for the final grade and the aptitude test, which are then added together to form a total score. The available places (currently 80) are allocated according to this total score.
The total number of points needed to obtain a place naturally varies each year and depends on the number of applicants and their academic achievements.
- Can I apply for the Master’s in Public Health even though I do not have a bachelor's degree certificate at the time of the deadline for applications but expect to receive it in the summer semester?
Yes, an application for the Master’s in Public Health can be submitted if no bachelor's degree certificate is available at the time of the online application but will be received during the summer semester. In this case, it will be sufficient for applicants to upload in the online application portal a preliminary degree document showing a preliminary average grade and/or a current transcript of records or other meaningful documents constituing a degree certificate. In case of admission to the program, a certified copy of the final bachelor's degree certificate must be submitted.
- Do I have to have studied certain modules for the bachelor’s degree to be able to apply for the Master’s in Public Health?
- What documents do I need to upload during the application (online portal)?
The application documents to be uploaded in the online application portal include:
- The degree certificate for a previous degree and the associated documents (transcript, transcript of records, diploma supplement or similar).
- If no degree certificate from a previous degree is available, a provisional degree document showing a provisional average grade and/or a current transcript of records or meaningful documents as defined in approach a) will be submitted.
- The subject-specific study skills test
- What are the admission requirements for the Master’s in Public Health?
The admission requirement is a successfully completed university or university of applied sciences degree with at least 6 semesters of standard study time or 180 LPs. The Master's program in Public Health is also explicitly aimed at graduates from other disciplines, which is why previous courses or comprehensive knowledge of our modules are not required.
All applicants for Bielefeld University’s Master’s in Public Health are required additionally to submit a study skills/aptitude test in the form of a project draft of approximately 10 pages. Master's places are then allocated on the basis of the final grade and the project draft.
- What exactly is the study skills/aptitude test?
All formalities concerning the aptitude test can be found in the subject-specific regulations, which also represent the legal framework. The FAQs on the aptitude test serve as a guide to support you in preparing the aptitude test.
All applicants for Bielefeld University’s Master’s in Public Health are required to submit a study skills/aptitude test in the form of a project draft of approximately 10 pages. This project draft corresponds in form to a research project outline. The formal quality, coherence and relevance to health science of your submitted project outline (study skills/aptitude test) are decisive for admission to the Master’s in Public Health program. In completing the study skills test, you should demonstrate that you are able to present a problem with public health relevance in a well-founded manner and explain how you would work on it using scientific methods. You are not required to discuss the results (as it is often required for seminar papers).
You are completely free to choose the topic of your project. You can use topics you have already worked on or follow your personal interests. The only condition is that your topic has a clear relevance to public health. The project is purely hypothetical (see also: What are the content and formal requirements for the study skills test?).
The study skills test is completed by you independently (declaration of independence) and then uploaded together with the other application documents via the online application portal. It is therefore part of the online application. The places on the master’s program are allocated on the basis of the final grade and the project design (see: How is the study skills test assessed and what formal influence does it have on the application?).
- What are the content and formal requirements of the study skills test?
The aim of the study skills test is for you, as an applicant, to show that you are able to present a problem relevant to public health in a well-founded manner and to explain how you would work on it using scientific methods. You are not required to discuss the results (as it is often required for seminar papers).
The structure should be similar to that of an outline for a health science project. Your task is, firstly, to develop and justify a problem of relevance to health science. In a second stage, you are required to select (and justify your selection) the scientific methods you would use to work on this problem in order to gain new insights and (if possible) devise a solution to the problem.
You are completely free to choose the topics for your project. You can use topics you have already worked on or follow your personal interests. The only condition is that your topic has a clear relevance to public health. The project is purely hypothetical. However, you should not submit unchanged homework/theses or similar already submitted elsewhere, as these usually do not have the character of a project draft. A good model would be the project drafts that are submitted, for example, when applying for third-party funding. Another good source of inspiration for the various scientific research methods are health science papers of all kinds (or method manuals from the social sciences).
There are no fixed format templates for the study skills test. Therefore, you can use the common format templates that you are already familiar with from your bachelor’s course as a guideline. Cover pages and indexes are not included in the given framework of about 10 pages. It is important that you include a declaration of independence with your work.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us:
- How is the study skills test evaluated and what formal impact does it have on the application?
The study aptitude test comprises an examination of theoretical and methodological competencies. It serves to determine whether you, as an applicant, are likely to be able to successfully complete the master's program within the standard period of study.
The subject-specific study ability test is evaluated according to three criteria with regard to the following content requirements:
- Development of a research question of relevance to health sciences
- Theoretical justification of the research question
- Methods for dealing with the question
A maximum of 20 points can be awarded for the subject-specific study skills test. The test is evaluated by two staff members with authorization to examine. Each assessor awards between 0 and 3 points for criteria 1 and 3 and between 0 and 4 points for criterion 2. The points are then summed to give a final score.
Places on the program are allocated on the basis of the total number of points achieved for the final grade (24 points -1.0 ... 19 points 3.5 to 4.0 more information can be found here) and the subject-specific study ability test. In case of a tie, the (preliminary) grade for the first degree is decisive. If there is still no clear ranking, lots are drawn. Admission is based on the ranking by the Student Office. Applicants will be informed of the results of the admission procedure by means of an electronic notification from the Student Office.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us:
- How do I apply as an international student?
For applicants with a foreign degree, equivalence with a degree program of at least 6 semesters incl. final exam(ination) at a German university or university of applied sciences must be confirmed by the University’s International Office (io@uni-bielefeld.de). Please contact the International Office at Bielefeld University.
Applicants with a foreign degree must send the required documents (officially certified) together with the application form by post. The address to which applicants must send these documents is indicated in the upper left-hand corner of the printed application form.
If admission is granted, applicants will receive the corresponding notice of admission and must then inform the University whether or not they accept the offer of a place.
Enrolment is possible up to September 30. If applicants cannot meet this deadline, they should contact the International Office or the Faculty of Public Health. The deadline may then, under certain circumstances, be extended until November 15 at the latest.
If all required documents are available, they do not need to be resubmitted for enrolment. Any missing documents will have to be submitted at a later date.
For enrolment, only the enrolment application form, proof of health insurance (corresponding documents where necessary) and, for non-EU citizens, a copy of the passport/visa must be submitted.
- Do I have to prove certain language skills for the Master Public Health?
Applicants with a German university entrance qualification do not have to prove their language skills.
Applicants with a foreign degree must prove their language skills by submitting certificates such as TestDaF or DSH before the start date of the Master's program. Applicants should contact the International Office of Bielefeld University to have the certificate confirmed.
International Office contact form.Most of the lectures for the Master's program in Public Health are held in German. Comprehensive knowledge of German is therefore necessary.
- What is the procedure for the change of program after a bachelor's degree at Bielefeld University following a successful application to the Master's program?
For the change of program to the Master's program, a provisional certificate for the successfully completed bachelor's program (the so-called "4.0 certificate") must be submitted by 15.11. of each year at the latest. The final bachelor's certificate (as a certified copy) must then be submitted later in the semester.
A schedule for the change of program can be found at the Student Office at Bielefeld University.
- In which language are the courses held?
Most of the courses in the Master's Program in Public Health are held in German. Comprehensive knowledge of German is therefore necessary.
Some of the courses in the "International Perspectives on Public Health" profile in the elective area of the Master's program are held in English. The coursework and examinations as well as the master's thesis are conducted in English.
Applicants with a foreign degree must prove their language skills by submitting certificates such as TestDaF or DSH before the start date of the Master's program. Applicants should contact Bielefeld University’s Student Office to have the certificate confirmed.
- Who can I contact if I have further questions?