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Postgraduate Certificate of Public Health

Imperial College London logo

Postgraduate Certificate of Public Health

Imperial College London

#2-ranked university in the world

QS World University Rankings 2025

12 months

6 courses total, 14 - 16 hours per week

100% online

Hands-on learning from anywhere, no travel required

£7,450 or £12,300* total cost

*Depending on fee status

Learn about your payment options

Develop a strong foundation in the principles of public health from leading experts at Imperial College London who are shaping global policy

The global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the enormous impact that public health expertise can make in protecting populations and individuals. Awarded University of the Year 2023 (The Guardian University Guide 2023), Imperial College London is committed to improving public health for people throughout the world. In this 12-month Public Health Postgraduate Certificate programme, you’ll have the opportunity to gain the skills necessary to launch or advance your public health career and help make a safer, healthier world for everyone. Imperial has recently ranked 2nd globally in QS World University Rankings 2025, and placed in the top 10 for Times Higher Education Rankings 2023.

Through a mixture of core and elective Specializations, you’ll learn job-relevant skills from public health experts and will be able to earn a valuable postgraduate credential from one of the world’s most highly regarded institutions without the financial or time commitments of a full master’s degree programme. Deepen your expertise in distinct subject areas such as Epidemiology, Statistics, or Foundations of Public Health Practice while achieving work-life balance through this 100% online, part-time remote learning programme.

Following successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate, you can choose whether to progress to the Postgraduate Diploma or the Master’s programme. Provided you meet academic progression requirements, you won’t need to re-apply.

What makes this programme unique?

Career outcomes
Prepare to work in a range of public health roles including government institutions, non-governmental organisations, industry leaders, and consultancies.
Learning flexibility
Complete the program online part-time in only 12 months, balancing your existing professional and personal commitments.
Industry-ready curriculum
Benefit from an innovative and comprehensive public health curriculum, which reflects the most recent developments in public health — including unique research discoveries from Imperial College London.
Progression opportunities
On completion, continue your learning journey towards a Postgraduate Diploma (12 months), followed by a final stage - the Global Master of Public Health (12 months), if it aligns with your aspirations.
Learning from industry experts
Each Specialization is delivered by a team of public health experts from a diverse range of backgrounds—such as clinicians, researchers, policy makers, biomedical scientists, and health economists.
No prior medical or scientific background required
This programme is an ideal route into a career in a wide range of public health roles. Students come from a diverse range of backgrounds, often without previous healthcare experience.

Applications for the Fall 2024 cohort are now closed

For the next intake, you will need to apply online directly with Imperial College London.

If you have any questions about the admissions process or the programme, please do not hesitate to get in touch via gmph-queries@imperial.ac.uk.

View the Welcome Booklet 2023/24.

Get started today

Request more information about this programme.


#2-ranked university in the world

QS World University Rankings 2025

12 months

6 courses total, 14 - 16 hours per week

100% online

Hands-on learning from anywhere, no travel required

£7,450 or £12,300* total cost

*Depending on fee status

Learn about your payment options

#2-ranked university in the world

QS World University Rankings 2025

12 months

6 courses total, 14 - 16 hours per week

Develop a strong foundation in the principles of public health from leading experts at Imperial College London who are shaping global policy

The global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the enormous impact that public health expertise can make in protecting populations and individuals. Awarded University of the Year 2023 (The Guardian University Guide 2023), Imperial College London is committed to improving public health for people throughout the world. In this 12-month Public Health Postgraduate Certificate programme, you’ll have the opportunity to gain the skills necessary to launch or advance your public health career and help make a safer, healthier world for everyone. Imperial has recently ranked 2nd globally in QS World University Rankings 2025, and placed in the top 10 for Times Higher Education Rankings 2023.

Through a mixture of core and elective Specializations, you’ll learn job-relevant skills from public health experts and will be able to earn a valuable postgraduate credential from one of the world’s most highly regarded institutions without the financial or time commitments of a full master’s degree programme. Deepen your expertise in distinct subject areas such as Epidemiology, Statistics, or Foundations of Public Health Practice while achieving work-life balance through this 100% online, part-time remote learning programme.

Following successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate, you can choose whether to progress to the Postgraduate Diploma or the Master’s programme. Provided you meet academic progression requirements, you won’t need to re-apply.

What makes this programme unique?

Career outcomes
Prepare to work in a range of public health roles including government institutions, non-governmental organisations, industry leaders, and consultancies.
Learning flexibility
Complete the program online part-time in only 12 months, balancing your existing professional and personal commitments.
Industry-ready curriculum
Benefit from an innovative and comprehensive public health curriculum, which reflects the most recent developments in public health — including unique research discoveries from Imperial College London.
Progression opportunities
On completion, continue your learning journey towards a Postgraduate Diploma (12 months), followed by a final stage - the Global Master of Public Health (12 months), if it aligns with your aspirations.
Learning from industry experts
Each Specialization is delivered by a team of public health experts from a diverse range of backgrounds—such as clinicians, researchers, policy makers, biomedical scientists, and health economists.
No prior medical or scientific background required
This programme is an ideal route into a career in a wide range of public health roles. Students come from a diverse range of backgrounds, often without previous healthcare experience.

Applications for the Fall 2024 cohort are now closed

For the next intake, you will need to apply online directly with Imperial College London.

If you have any questions about the admissions process or the programme, please do not hesitate to get in touch via gmph-queries@imperial.ac.uk.

View the Welcome Booklet 2023/24.

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Looking for an online Master's degree instead?

The Global Master of Public Health from Imperial College London is a highly respected online Master’s degree programme. Global MPH students build strong portfolios while creating projects which model the tasks they will be asked to do as they move forward in their careers, as well as having the opportunity to develop work which can be submitted to peer-reviewed journals.

Learn more about the Global Master of Public Health

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Flexible, pay by module tuition lets you take on the right balance for your lifestyle

  • £7,450 (UK students) - £12,300 (overseas) With flexible payment options, you can pursue a high-quality education at the pace that suits you
  • Payment plans You can pay your fees in instalments, and there’s discounts available if you pay early
  • Funding & scholarships You may find potential sources of funding and scholarships here.
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Launch or advance your public health career at one of the world’s most respected universities

Consistently ranked amongst the top 10 universities in the world, Imperial is home to a global community of scientists, engineers, medics and business experts.

  • #2-ranked university in the world (QS World University Rankings 2025)

  • University of the Year (The Guardian University Guide 2023)

  • #1-ranked UK university for “world-leading” research and #1 ranked in Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care (REF 2021)

  • #1-ranked in Graduate Employability (Guardian University Guide 2023)

  • Top 10 universities in the world (Times Higher Education Rankings 2023)

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Frequently asked questions

The Postgraduate Certificate is an opportunity to achieve a widely recognised public health qualification online and part-time in just 12 months. The Global Master of Public Health is a two or three-year programme, and students are expected to dedicate more hours each week to their studies than the postgraduate certificate.

The Postgraduate Certificate programme is ideal for anyone looking to gain a public health qualification for their current or future work (i.e., a medic who performs community or population health work as part of their job, or a data analyst who often works with public health teams) who does not require a master’s degree.

The Certificate allows students to explore their interest in public health, giving the option to continue working towards a Master’s degree, if it is the right fit for them. Following successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate students can choose to continue their studies and register for a Postgraduate Diploma or the Global Master of Public Health.

This is the pathway designed to lead to a full master’s degree qualification. Students who complete the Postgraduate Certificate successfully will have an option to enroll onto a Postgraduate Diploma (12 months). Following completion of the diploma, learners will have the option to enroll onto the final stage of the Global Master of Public Health (12 months). This provides a pathway for students to complete the Global Master of Public Health during a span of three years while taking advantage of a flexible, 100% remote online programme.

The postgraduate certificate has been designed to prepare students for a career in the public health field. Over the course of your study, you’ll engage with professionals with varied backgrounds in public health. The programme tutoring system creates a space to engage with a public health professional as well as your peers, allowing you to determine what course of study is right for you. Imperial College London offers a growing alumni network from both its on-campus and online programmes, which provide value to students through themed talks and panels, job postings, and networking.