Postgraduate Course: Fundamentals of Health Economics (PUHR11073)
Course Outline
| School | Deanery of Molecular, Genetic and Population Health Sciences |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This is a 5-week distance learning course worth 10 credits. Students are expected to spend 10 to 15 hours per week on this course. This course will cover the fundamentals of health economics such as issues of supply and demand and how to conduct a cost-benefit analysis. Throughout the course students will be encouraged to develop a critical mindset towards thinking about health economics and appreciate the opportunities and challenges of applying health economics to a public health topic. |
| Course description |
This course offers a critical perspective on health economics, incorporating perspectives (e.g. feminist and decolonial) that challenge conventions in the field. By taking an interdisciplinary approach to content, the course encourages students to explore how health, knowledge, and experience are valued beyond economic measures, fostering a broader and more inclusive understanding of how we value human health. Recognising the diverse social, cultural, political, and national backgrounds of the MPH student body, the course is designed to empower students to reflect on how health economics can be applied in ways that are meaningful to their own contexts. The curriculum, student activities, and assessments are all structured to promote autonomous learning, encouraging students to consider how health economics can be relevant to their personal, academic, and professional lives.
Summary of course content
Week 1: Health Economics and Public Health
Week 2: Applying Economic Concepts in Public Health
Week 3: Measuring 'value': Context Matters
Week 4: Decolonising Health Economics
Week 5: Researching Health Economics
Weekly Discussion Activities
Students will be asked to take part in discussion activities each week with other students. Tutors will provide prompts for these discussions and provide regular feedback. The discussion activities will relate directly to knowledge and skills students are expected to demonstrate in the assessment.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Students will be responsible for their computer equipment and internet access |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Flexible |
| Course Start Date |
27/10/2025 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 5,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 1,
Online Activities 35,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 5,
Formative Assessment Hours 5,
Revision Session Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
46 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Written exam 0%, Practical exam 0%, Coursework 100%
Final written assignment |
| Feedback |
Formative feedback will be provided each week of the course via online discussion boards and tutor feedback on set tasks.
Summative feedback will be provided to students within 15 days of the assessment submission deadline. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of health economics in the context of public health
- Reflect on the application of key concepts in health economics with an appreciation for different contexts and populations
- Critically discuss relevant evidence regarding health economics from a range of different disciplines and methodological approaches
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
During the course students' knowledge and understanding of health economics will improve but they will also advance their critical thinking and critical evaluation skills. Students will continue their personal development through the reflective style of the assessment. Students will be expected to be able to bring together and draw from the weekly content to demonstrate their engagement and intellectual autonomy in applying their learning to their chosen public health issue.
Students will develop professional skills in evaluating evidence; writing; IT, and communication.
Enquiry and lifelong learning/Skills Research and enquiry/Personal and intellectual autonomy:
The course content, discussions and feedback will encourage students to think critically about accepted ideas and conventions in health economics. Students will be able to reflect on how this develops the way they interpret knowledge and develop their own research and enquiry skills.
Aspiration and personal development:
The assessment encourages students to reflect on their own learning journey throughout the module by discussing how the tasks and discussion in the module have shaped their approach to the critical review.
Outlook and engagement/Personal effectiveness/Communication:
The course encourages students to apply their learning on health economics to a public health issue from their own national, social, cultural context. Students' will need to communicate the issue and the context in a way that can be easily understood by those in other contexts. |
| Special Arrangements |
Delivered via online distance learning |
| Keywords | Health economics,decolonisation,social and cultural perspectives,evidence review,critical reflection |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mark Lucherini
Tel:
Email: Mark.Lucherini@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Katrina Reid
Tel:
Email: kreid7@ed.ac.uk |
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