Masters applications for 2023 entry are now closed.
Applications for September 2024 will open on Monday 25 September. Applications are now open for programmes with a January 2024 start. View our programmes »
| UCAS code |
1234 |
| Duration |
1 year full time
2 years part time |
| Entry year |
September 2025 |
| Campus |
Streatham Campus
|
| Discipline |
Healthcare and Medicine
|
| Contact |
. |
| UCAS code |
|
| Duration |
1 year full time
2 years part time |
| Entry year |
September 2025 |
| Campus |
Streatham Campus
|
| Discipline |
Healthcare and Medicine
|
| Contact |
|
| UCAS code |
|
| Duration |
1 year full time
2 years part time |
| Entry year |
September 2025 |
| Campus |
Streatham Campus
|
| Discipline |
Healthcare and Medicine
|
| Contact |
|
| UCAS code |
|
| Duration |
1 year part time |
| Entry year |
September 2025 |
| Campus |
Streatham Campus
|
| Discipline |
Healthcare and Medicine
|
| Contact |
|
Overview
- Based in the inter-disciplinary Wellcome Centre for Cultures & Environments of Health, you will benefit from engaged and transformative research, which draws on medical humanities, social sciences and medical sciences.
- Examine how experiences of health, illness and medical knowledge are shaped by diverse environments, cultural practices and beliefs.
- Explore how diverse types of evidence about health and wellbeing are used across different disciplines and sectors, and the impacts this has on the ways we conceive, respond to, and experience health and social care.
- Investigate how evidence from the medical humanities and social sciences can be used to help develop and evaluate innovative and effective public health initiatives.
- Upon graduation, you will be equipped to become a leader in transforming health research and health and social care practice within a range of professions.
Develop transferable skills, specialist knowledge and professional experience through interdisciplinary teaching
Our Public Health research is 11th in the UK for research power
Opportunities for health and social care professionals to undertake reflective learning through focused project work
Learn how to engage with, and communicate complex ideas across diverse publics, practitioners and policy makers
Develop transferable skills, specialist knowledge and professional experience through interdisciplinary teaching
Our Public Health research is 11th in the UK for research power
Opportunities for health and social care professionals to undertake reflective learning through focused project work
Learn how to engage with, and communicate complex ideas across diverse publics, practitioners and policy makers
Course variants
Overview
The MA Cultures and Environments of Health (Medical History and Humanities) offers an unusually large choice of modules, enabling students to take a rich and interdisciplinary approach. The modules available are from across the social sciences, medical sciences and humanities, with expert tuition in all areas including health inequalities, life-course approaches, biosocialities, mental health, urban health and methodological innovation.
Students will be members also of the Centre for Medical History, and its programme of seminars, research workshops, reading groups, skills workshops and social events. This includes also the annual Postgraduate Medical Humanities Conference and The Postgraduate Journal of Medical Humanities (PMJH) - an interdisciplinary journal open to postgraduate students across the world.
- Gain an in-depth, focused and critical degree which is based on the latest health research across social and medical sciences and medical humanities, and which combines a wide-ranging choice of modules from across these disciplines.
- Develop academic and individual skills that equip you for further study, employment, or further professional development, and to foster intellectual agility and adaptability, which will enable you to deploy these skills to implement systematic and balanced judgements in a variety of circumstances.
- Gain methodological skills and specialist knowledge, for advanced study or research in various fields, for professional development, or for employment.
- Students will benefit from a stimulating and supportive environment that is informed by research.
Please note that the PG Cert and PG Dip is not available for this course variant.
Facilities
The Wellcome Centre, where the MA programme is based, offers purpose-built facilities including shared common room, computing facilities and meeting pods. The Centre has attracted over £5 million from the Wellcome Trust to develop transdisciplinary and engaged health research, and hosts a vibrant postgraduate and research community.
The Centre runs a series of events and symposia every year, is home to the WHO Collaborating Centre on Culture and Health, and has close links with a range of other groups and organisations including the Centre for Medical History, Digital Humanities Lab, Peninsula Applied Research Collaboration, the Sexual Knowledge Unit, and UNESCO.
Entry requirements
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree with 53% or above, or international equivalent, in the social sciences, humanities or medical sciences. Applications from industry professionals, or applicants with relevant work experience will also be welcomed.
While we normally only consider applicants who meet this criteria, if you are coming from a different academic background which is equivalent to degree level, or have relevant work experience, we would welcome your application.
Applicants may also be asked to submit a personal statement explaining their interest in the programme and how it fits with their earlier studies. However, this is not mandatory for your initial application. You are welcome to include a personal statement if you wish.
Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
This exciting, interdisciplinary programme examines the intersections between the medical humanities, social sciences and medical sciences in addressing some of the most urgent global challenges confronting human health and wellbeing. The programme is ideal for graduates who are planning, or already undertaking a career within public health, health promotion, or health and social care, and those working in health and wellbeing related fields within the statutory, third or community sectors.
The programme has been designed to enable you to recognise and assess the cultural and environmental contexts of health and wellbeing anywhere in the world, and to build your skills to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders to enact meaningful and transformative change.
What is the difference between an MA, a Postgraduate Diploma and a Postgraduate Certificate?
To gain an MA you must complete 180 credits of specified modules.
However, you may apply to study for the shorter PG Cert or PG Dip awards, by completing the following modules:
- Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert): complete the two core 30 credit modules. See below for details.
- Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip): complete the two core 30 credit modules, plus optional modules to the total value of 60 credits. See below for details.
PGCert and PGDip students do not complete the 60 credit Dissertation. Only MA students must complete the dissertation to receive their award.
Please note that PGCert and PGDip options are only available for the MA Cultures and Environments and Health. They are not available for the Medical History and Humanities variant.
120 credits of compulsory Wellcome Centre modules, 60 credits of optional modules
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module |
Credits |
|---|
| SOCM051 |
Dissertation | 60 |
| SOCM052 |
Cultures and Environments of Health | 30 |
| SOCM053 |
Making, Using and Contesting Evidence | 30 |
Optional modules
a - Choose 60 credits from the following module group.
| Code | Module |
Credits |
|---|
| HISM048 |
Critical Approaches to the Medical Humanities: Health and Disease in the Past | 30 |
|
MA Cultures and Environments of Health optional modules 2024-5 [See note a above] |
| ANTM006 |
Gardening, Wellbeing and Community |
15 |
| ANTM021 |
Food, Body and Society |
15 |
| CLAM262 |
Pandemics and disease in the ancient Mediterranean |
15 |
| EASM154 |
The Body and Identity |
30 |
| EASM171 |
Expanding Queerness: Critical Debates in Theory, Literature, Film and Television |
30 |
| HASM002 |
Histories of Health in the Middle East and North Africa |
30 |
| HASM013 |
Mental Health in Social and Historical Context |
30 |
| HPDM029Z |
Nature, Health and Wellbeing |
15 |
| HPDM033Z |
Global Public Health and Environmental Change |
15 |
| HPDM093 |
Systematic Reviews for Policy and Practice |
15 |
| HPDM118 |
Structuring and Solving Public Health Problems |
15 |
| HPDM122 |
Planetary Health |
15 |
| HPDM124 |
Health Protection |
15 |
| HPDM141 |
Pandemics: Drivers, Preparedness and Response |
15 |
| HPDM164Z |
Disability, Social Justice and Climate Resilient Development |
15 |
| SOCM016 |
Cultures of the Life Sciences |
30 |
| SOCM019 |
Research Methods in the Social Sciences |
15 |
| SOCM020 |
Research Methods in the Social Sciences |
30 |
| SOCM022 |
Food, Body and Society |
30 |
120 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
Compulsory modules
Sociology modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=sociology
History modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=history
| Code | Module |
Credits |
|---|
| SOCM051 |
Dissertation | 60 |
| SOCM052 |
Cultures and Environments of Health | 30 |
| SOCM053 |
Making, Using and Contesting Evidence | 30 |
Optional modules
| Code | Module |
Credits |
|---|
| HISM048 |
Critical Approaches to the Medical Humanities: Health and Disease in the Past | 30 |
|
MA Cultures and Environments of Health optional modules 2024-5 |
| ANTM006 |
Gardening, Wellbeing and Community |
15 |
| ANTM021 |
Food, Body and Society |
15 |
| CLAM262 |
Pandemics and disease in the ancient Mediterranean |
15 |
| EASM154 |
The Body and Identity |
30 |
| EASM171 |
Expanding Queerness: Critical Debates in Theory, Literature, Film and Television |
30 |
| HASM002 |
Histories of Health in the Middle East and North Africa |
30 |
| HASM013 |
Mental Health in Social and Historical Context |
30 |
| HPDM029Z |
Nature, Health and Wellbeing |
15 |
| HPDM033Z |
Global Public Health and Environmental Change |
15 |
| HPDM093 |
Systematic Reviews for Policy and Practice |
15 |
| HPDM118 |
Structuring and Solving Public Health Problems |
15 |
| HPDM122 |
Planetary Health |
15 |
| HPDM124 |
Health Protection |
15 |
| HPDM141 |
Pandemics: Drivers, Preparedness and Response |
15 |
| HPDM164Z |
Disability, Social Justice and Climate Resilient Development |
15 |
| SOCM016 |
Cultures of the Life Sciences |
30 |
| SOCM019 |
Research Methods in the Social Sciences |
15 |
| SOCM020 |
Research Methods in the Social Sciences |
30 |
| SOCM022 |
Food, Body and Society |
30 |
Fees
2025/26 entry
UK fees per year:
MA: £12,500 full-time; £6,250 part-time
PGDip: £7,800 full-time; £3,800 part-time
PGCert: £2,100 part-time
International fees per year:
MA: £25,300 full-time; £12,650 part-time
PGDip: £16,200 full-time; £8,100 part-time
PGCert: £4,300 part-time
Scholarships
The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year, such as our Exeter Excellence Scholarships*.
For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
*Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.
I chose to do the Cultures and Environments of Health MA after gaining an initial interest in health inequalities and the social determinants of health during my undergraduate studies. The course content is diverse and engaging, allowing me to build upon these interests and think about them in different ways from different perspectives.
The core module on Making, Using and Contesting Evidence provided a great opportunity to think and reflect on types of evidence about health and wellbeing and the impacts of these on health and healthcare.
The Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health is a really great environment to learn in. I enjoyed how the core modules had a variety of guest lecturers from within the centre and other areas of the university, giving an opportunity to see how the principles taught on the course were being applied to a diverse range of research into health and wellbeing. The support provided for the dissertation was excellent. I found the group sessions on various aspects of the dissertation, from ethics to evidence analysis, to be really useful. My supervisor was excellent and challenged me to develop my work.
I feel this course has prepared me really well for a career in research. I am currently working as a graduate research assistant - I felt confident in drawing on the skills developed throughout the programme during the application process.
Read more from Hayley
Hayley
Cultures and Environments of Health MA student
Teaching and research
Drawing on the teaching expertise of researchers from across the medical sciences, social sciences and the humanities, this MA delivers transformative learning opportunities that will help tackle health challenges of national and global importance.
Learning and teaching
The taught component of this programme is delivered in the first two terms (full time programme) or five terms (part time programme). During this time, you will also be helped to develop a dissertation project to be completed within the remaining six months. We encourage students to develop their project alongside existing Wellcome Centre activities or in conjunction with the wide range of organisations we collaborate with. Part-time students may be able to develop dissertation projects within their workplace settings if appropriate.
How will I learn
All materials are designed for Masters level and will involve lectures, case studies, seminars and group discussions. Across and within modules, there is considerable scope for you to direct your learning towards particular fields of interest, especially through your choice of dissertation project.
Assessment
Taught modules will be assessed through essays, written reports and presentations. We use case studies and problem-based learning approaches to encourage you to work collaboratively and learn from each other. Where possible we will include field trips to local community health projects to contextualise your learning.
Read more
Dr. Felicity Thomas
Programme Director
Professor Judith Green
Director of the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health
Professor Katrina Wyatt
Associate Professor Des Fitzgerald
Professor Laura Salisbury
Dr. Felicity Thomas
Programme Director
Felicity Thomas is a social scientist with a cross-disciplinary background spanning anthropology, public health, education and international development. She draws on narrative, ethnographic and engaged approaches to examine how lived experiences of health inequalities can inform the development of more effective and ethical health and social care policy and practice. Her current work focuses on inequalities in mental health care in the UK and in Central and Eastern Europe. Felicity is also Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Culture and Health, investigating how socio-cultural norms and cultures of working practice impact on health and wellbeing.
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Professor Judith Green
Director of the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health
Judith is a Professor of Sociology, with interests in health, biomedicine and methodology. She has over 30 years of research and teaching experience, focusing on issues including risk, accidents, mobility, professions and how evidence travels. Her methodological interests are in qualitative and mixed methods approaches for evaluating the health impacts of interventions. She teaches on the module ‘Making, Using and Contesting Evidence’
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Professor Katrina Wyatt
Katrina is a mixed methods health researcher focusing on how the conditions for transformational change are created and sustained to support health and to address health inequalities. She has spent 20 years creating a culture and practice of engaged research, working collaboratively with the people affected by the issues at hand, and those with a remit to support them. Complexity theory underpins the relational approach she and colleagues have developed, and informs their research practice as well as engagement approach with under-served communities.
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Associate Professor Des Fitzgerald
Des is a sociologist of science and medicine, whose research focuses on the social, cultural and historical impacts of the brain and mind sciences. He uses qualitative, documentary and archival methods, and has previously written about the autism spectrum, mind-wandering, and other topics in the psychological sciences and neurosciences. His current interest is in the role of psychological thinking in the design of architectural and urban space, where he is especially interested in how green or “natural” spaces have come to be thought of as psychologically therapeutic.
Professor Laura Salisbury
Laura Salisbury is Professor of Modern Literature and Medical Humanities. Laura’s research interests in the medical humanities centre on questions of temporality and care. She is currently joint Principal Investigator on a 5-year, Wellcome-funded project called Waiting Times, which investigates what it means to wait in and for healthcare. Within the Wellcome Centre, she is working on a project called the Index of Evidence, which is a creative and critical response to the ‘crisis’ of evidence in healthcare. In literary studies, Laura works on modernist and contemporary fiction and theory and has particular expertise on neuroscience, language and psychoanalysis.
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Careers
Graduates of this Masters programme are well placed to become leaders in transforming health research and health and social care practice within a range of professions. Some examples include:
- Public Health
- Health Promotion
- National and international NGOs
- Statutory sector e.g. housing, social care
- Civil society and social enterprise innovating in transformative health
The programme also prepares you for further research, and some graduates may want to go on to PhD study within the Wellcome Centre or elsewhere.
It was a pleasure to learn from researchers with diverse disciplinary backgrounds. I gained a greater understanding of the ways in which cultural ideas about what it means to be 'healthy' are shaped, including by colonialism, medical science and political ideologies.
I developed my ability to conduct research, drawing on the humanities and social sciences, which imagines different ways of conceptualising health and illness.
Read more from Sally
Sally
Cultures and Environments of Health MA student
