Master in Global Health

Master in Global Health is one of 11 English-taught Humanities & Theology programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 6 institutions. 10 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 3,582 to EUR 15,000; this programme lists EUR 8,700 a year. 10 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

The MSc in Global Health at the University of Copenhagen is a two-year, English-taught programme for students who want to work on health challenges that cross borders. The programme brings together students from around the world with different academic backgrounds, and teaching is research-based and case-based.

What you study

The first year is made up of mandatory courses. In the first semester you take Global Health Foundations, Global Partners, Policies and Health Care Systems, Health Research Methodology and Planetary Health Dynamics. These introduce the history and current challenges of global health, research methods and ethical conduct of research, and how sustainability, climate change and health care systems shape health in a given context.

In the second semester you take Country Exposure, The Anthropology of Global Health, and Strategies for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. The Country Exposure course includes a four-week stay outside Denmark, with about three weeks of preparation in Copenhagen. You work with a local partner on health policies, health care systems and interventions, visit health and human rights related institutions, and write a Proposal Concept Note with your team and individual Reflection Notes. Destinations vary; recent examples include Poland and Nepal.

How the programme is organised

About half of the programme is mandatory courses, a quarter is elective courses or specialisation, and a quarter is the thesis. In your second year you specialise. You can choose the Disaster Risk Management specialisation or design your own, for example within policy, financing and health care systems; disease burden, challenges and changes; e-health and ICT in health; or a generalist track.

Teaching uses interactive, discussion-based lectures, case-based teamwork, site visits and student engagement in research projects. In the third semester you can do an internship of 10 or 15 ECTS, and you can take elective courses at UCPH or at other institutions in Denmark or abroad, including courses offered with the Master of Disaster Management. You can also study abroad in the third semester or write part of your thesis abroad. The programme admits around 40 students per year.

Who it suits

The programme suits students who want to analyse complex health problems across disciplines and act on them. It is open to graduates from many backgrounds. A long list of Danish bachelor's degrees automatically meet the academic requirements, including Public Health Science, Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology, Psychology, Medicine, Nursing, Global Nutrition and Health, Biology and Law. Applicants with other Danish or international degrees can qualify if the degree is in social sciences, health sciences or life sciences and they have at least 5 ECTS in qualitative research methods and 5 ECTS in quantitative research methods.

Admission, language and next steps

You apply through the application portal. The application deadline is 1 March for Danish applicants and applicants from within the EU, EEA and Switzerland, and 15 January for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. You must meet the English B language requirement. Your bachelor's degree must normally be no more than five years old at the start of the programme; you can apply for an exemption with a letter explaining how you have kept your academic qualifications and relevant documentation.

Applications are prioritised on demonstrated knowledge and skills in qualitative and quantitative methodology, relevant internships, work or stays abroad, and your grade point average. UCPH does not offer pre-assessment of your educational background. Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland study free of charge; other students pay a fee set by the institution. The programme starts on 1 September 2027.

Master’s applications go straight to University of Copenhagen, not through optagelse.dk, and the institution sets its own deadline. The register shows 15 January 2027 as the next deadline for this programme. Intake, as the register states it: Starts 1 September 2027 (apply by 15 January 2027). Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, residence permits and housing.