Global Public Health Essentials - From the Local to the Global (3 ECTS*)

*students need to confirm with their programme coordinator to make sure this is recognised

Course Overview:

The course consists of both asynchronous self-paced learning as well as synchronous online sessions.

13^th October 2026 - 20^th January 2027

Students will be introduced to fundamental concepts and key issues in global and public health through an active, student-centered learning approach that includes a hands-on component and an immersive simulation exercise. The course is divided into three parts.

Part I: Methods in Global and Public Health

• measuring disease burden
• comparing populations
• bias, confounding, and causality

Part II: Topics in Global and Public Health

• health care systems
• migrants, and inequalities in health
• climate change and health

Part III: Practical Aspects of Global and Public Health

• maps, and geographic information systems (GIS)
• online game (EDDi); with reference to Part I, it emphasizes disease detection and containment

Target group:

Master/PhD, and students in their 7th semester or higher in undergraduate programmes longer than 6 semesters, enrolled in health sciences, public health, epidemiology, medicine, or other professions related to global public health.

Methodolgy:

The course consists of 7 synchronous units and 3 asynchronous, interactive eLearning units on Moodle. Students are required to log in to synchronous sessions via Zoom at below indicated times (CET). These sessions will be recorded and made available to those who could not attend. Learned content will be reviewed through interactive Moodle tasks and quizzes. The final assignment is a multiple-choice exam.

Course Schedule

The course is designed as a synchronous online course supplemented by self-paced asynchronous eLearning units. Synchronous sessions require students to log in and participate at a specific time. After the required registration for the course, students will receive a course overview and meeting schedule with the corresponding dial-in data (e.g. for Zoom). Lecture materials are made available for students to download. Moodle is used as a free course management system and learning platform.

Assessment: The course combines knowledge transfer with practical exercises. Additional reading is recommended for each session. The course is designed for approximately 90 working hours (3 ECTS), including 30 hours of work with online materials and synchronous online sessions and approximately 60 hours of self-study and game-based learning. Credits must be approved by the student's home institution.

Closed