Public Health and Society-Uni

Programme summary
Health is a resource that enables people to lead an individually, socially and economically productive life. For many centuries, the care for individual and population health has been the domain of medical sciences. However, it is widely acknowledged that contemporary health problems are complex and cannot be solved by simply extending existing health services. Chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes are important contributors to the burden of disease, as are communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmittable diseases.

There is no single cause to such health problems. Biological factors aside, lifestyle and the social and physical environment are major contributors, both in a positive and negative way. Many diseases are related to the way in which people behave and take care of their own health, for example substance abuse (smoking, alcohol, drugs), nutrition, physical exercise, and sexual behaviour. Lifestyles are often rooted in the social environment of family and friends, the neighbourhood, and the school and working environment. Aspects of the physical environment also affect individual and
population health, including housing conditions, environmental pollution, the availability of green space, and the availability and accessibility of health services. Moreover, societal changes, such as demography (e.g. aging populations, single parent families), consumption patterns, communication technology developments, globalisation and commercialisation influence the health status of individuals and populations.

Your future career
The study domain is becoming more and more relevant as a consequence of the changing patterns in health problems and the factors influencing health. Policy-makers are becoming more aware of the impact of health policy, and recent national and international policy documents have emphasised the importance of health promotion. The improvement and sustainability of acceptable levels of health remains a major challenge. This specialisation prepares you for careers as, for example, researchers, health promoters, health policy advisors or managers of health-oriented organisations.

Admission
General requirements

	A cumulative grade point average (GPA) – or cumulative average mark – for the Bachelors study which is at least 70% of the highest grade or mark achievable.
	Good mathematic and/or statistic skills.
	Fluency in English, written as well as spoken (TOEFL 580, IELTS 6.5).

More information
www.wu.nl
Gerry van Nieuwenhoven, MSc
Telephone: +31 (317) 48 60 69
E-mail: mhs@wur.nl
www.mhs.wur.nl

Video

Reportage über den Beitrag der Wageningen Universität 'to improve the quality of life'

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