Course summary

Stopping infectious diseases and preparing for epidemics represent two of the 10 most urgent health challenges facing the population over the next decade, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Enhancing the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of infectious disease and conditions linked to immune system function are therefore a top priority for global health. This specialist pathway explores some of the major causes of human disease, including tuberculosis, influenza and HIV, as well as more focused topics such as emerging infectious agents like Ebola and Zika, or infection during pregnancy, childhood or other special circumstances. You will develop your understanding of the immune system, looking at how our bodies normally protect and respond to infection, as well as the mechanisms used by pathogens to evade the immune response. We will also consider some of the latest updates in vaccine technology and immunotherapy. Global health is a fascinating, broad and multidisciplinary field that is underpinned by the desire to improve people’s health worldwide, reduce inequality and protect communities from global threats, such as conflict, economic crises or preventable diseases which, as coronavirus has demonstrated, do not respect national borders. In addition to our general degree in Global Health, we offer five themed degree pathways which enable you to graduate with a named degree award: Global Health and Conflict; Global Health and Humanities; Global Health and Mental Health; Global Health, Ethics and Law; and Global Health, Infection and Immunity. Core compulsory and elective modules, common to each pathway, will give you the skills and knowledge necessary to understand, interpret and help solve critical global health challenges, and prepare you to conduct a high-calibre research project in your chosen specialism. Past research projects have covered the full spectrum of the discipline – from a clinical project to examine correlation between COVID and HIV conducted here in the UK, for example, to assessment of mental health care provision in rural South Africa and an analysis of the narratives of women imprisoned in Afghanistan and Iraq. St George’s University of London is the UK’s only university dedicated to medical and health sciences education, training and research. We share our site with a major London teaching hospital which is both on the clinical frontline for a diverse local community and a centre of excellence for specialist conditions. You’ll study in a clinical setting with like-minded individuals, mixing with the many different healthcare professionals you will go on to work alongside throughout your career.