Masters Programme, Department of Global Health
International Health Development course (MPH)
COURSE OVERVIEW
Duration
- Two years (enrolled in October)
Academic degree conferred
- Master of Public Health (MPH)
Locations
- Lectures are held at the School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University.
- Short-term Field Trip is held during the first year in Japan.
- Long-term Practicum during the second year, which is a combination of internship at a project or organization outside Japan and master research project, is compulsory for all MPH studnets.
Completion requirements
- 27 credits from compulsory modules
- 3 or more credits from elective modules
- Completion of Short-term Field Trip
- Completion of Long-term Practicum
- Successful completion of a master’s dissertation (thesis)
CURRICULUM
Modules related to International Community Health
- Designed to acquire knowledge for understanding of global health issues from a community health perspective.
-
- Reproductive Health and Gender I
- Child Health
- Community Health
- Reproductive Health and Gender II
- Public Health Nutrition
- Health Humanitarian Assistance
- Implementation Science
Modules related to Social and Behavioral Science
- Designed to provide students with a social point of view on health issues.
-
- Health Promotion I
- Medical Anthropology I
- Quantitative Social Research
- Qualitative Research Methods
- Health Promotion II
- Medical Anthropology II
- Demography
- Mixed Methods for Health Research and Evaluation
Modules related to Health Policies and Management
- Designed to acquire knowledge for offering solutions to various global health issues.
-
- Health Economics I and II
- Health System and Policy I and II
- Project and Programme Management I and II
- Development Assistance
- Health Finance
- Global Health Governance
- Social Entrepreneurship
Short-term Field Trip (1st year)
- The short-term field training trip is held in Japan in the first year.
- Students visit a designated site where there are various health issues and are to interview and communicate with people in the local government and non-governmental sectors including affected citizens.
- Students are expected to learn how multiple sectors interact with each other, how those interactions affect people’s health, and what kind of interventions are required to solve or mitigate health problems.
- For futher details, please refer to the dedicated webpage of Short-term Field Trip.
Long-term Practicum (2nd year)
- This eight-month Long-term Practicum during the second year is the most important part of MPH course.
- Students are required to apply to an internship at a project or organization outside Japan in order to experience practices of global health-related works and conduct a master research project.
- A facility for internship is chosen and decided under discussion with supervisors.
- Examples of project or organization for internship
- Projects run by JICA
- Various international NGOs
- Overseas research stations of Nagasaki University
- For further details, please refer to the dedicated webpage of Long-term Practicum.
Examples of previous students’ research projects
By graduates of 2025
| Disser title | Main supervisor |
|---|---|
| Understanding barriers to the successful implementation of Rabies Data Share System | Assoc.Prof. SAITO Nobuo |
| Exploring Strategies for Enhancing the Implementation of the Nutrition-Friendly School Initiative: A Qualitative Study in the Denkyembour District, Ghana | Assoc.Prof. SATO Miho |
| Determinants of Family Planning use among women of reproductive age in refugees and host communities in Lamwo District, Uganda: a cross-sectional study | Prof. FUJITA Noriko |
| Association between caregiver-related factors and nutritional status of school-aged children in rural Cambodia | Prof. FUJITA Noriko |
| Access to Infant Screening for Mother-to-Child Transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi: A Qualitative Study in La Guardia, Santa Cruz, Bolivia | Prof. HIRAYAMA Kenji |
| Exploring perception and practices of food choices associated with non-communicable diseases among adolescents in Kericho, Kenya: A mixed study | Prof. MASUDA Ken |
| Needs and barriers to healthcare and social support for children in street situations in Zambia: A qualitative study | Prof. MASUDA Ken |
| Knowledge, attitude, practices, and associated factors toward mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B among postpartum women: A cross-sectional study at Hung Vuong Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Prof. FUJITA Noriko |
| Determinants of time spent on pediatric outpatient service utilization and impact on socio-economic productivity of caregivers: a cross-sectional study in Munhava district, Mozambique | Prof. AIGA Hirotsugu |
| Association between alcohol consumption and cognitive dysfunction among middle-aged people in rural Khanh Hoa, Vietnam | Prof. HIRAYAMA Kenji |
| Coverage and effectiveness of maternal and child health (MCH) handbook in health services utilization: a cross-sectional study in Xepone district, Savannakhet province, Lao PDR | Prof. AIGA Hirotsugu |
| Hand Hygiene Practices and Associated Factors Among Breastfeeding Mothers: The Case of Mothers in Northern Ghana | Assis.Prof. IMOTO Atsuko |
| Determinants of utilizations of community-based health check-up services among the elderly: A cross-sectional study in Thimphu, Bhutan | Prof. AIGA Hirotsugu |
| Sustainable usage of upper GI endoscopy in Vietnam: facilitating and hindering factors | Prof. MURAKAMI Hitoshi |
| Factors affecting delay in decision making to seek care and reaching a medical facility for acute cardiovascular diseases at Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR | Prof. MURAKAMI Hitoshi |
| Access to healthcare of undocumented migrants: comparison between France and Japan | Prof. MOJI Kazuhiko |
The list of other dissertation (thesis) titles
FEES
| Application fee | 30,000 JPY |
|---|---|
| Admission fee | 282,000 JPY |
| Annual tuition fee | 535,800 JPY |
- Annual tuition fee is to be paid at every half a year with 267,900 JPY.
APPLICATION
Application requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from a recognized education institution (university, nursing school, etc.)
- Certificate of exam result of either of the following English exams taken on or after 1st January of two years before admission year
- IELTS Academic Module
- TOEIC Listening & Reading Test
- TOEFL
- TOEFL iBT
- Duolingo English Test
- *Applicants from English speaking countries or who completed a bachelor or master’s degree in English can be exempted from English exam
Please refer to the Application Guide for more detailes.
NOTICE: Those who do not satisfy the above requirements may still apply by undergoing Entrance Requirements Screening written on the Application Guide. Please carefully read the Application Guide and inquire to TMGH about your eligibility by the inquiry deadline written on the document (late November by ordinary).
Application periods
| Eligibility |
|
|---|---|
| Application | Early January to mid January † |
| Entrance exam | Mid February † |
| Enrollment | October 1 |
| Eligibility |
|
|---|---|
| Application | Late March to mid April † |
| Entrance exam | Early May † |
| Enrollment | October 1 |
† Please refer to the Application Guide about the precise application periods and entrance exam dates of the forthcoming application deadlines
How to apply
Please carefully read the Application Guide and complete the required application forms.
MESSAGES FROM GRADUATES
Chan Nyein Aung
Year of graduation：2023
TMGH is dedicated to improving global health via innovative research, education, and collaboration. With a faculty of renowned professionals and state-of-the-art facilities, TMGH provides a supportive academic development and innovation atmosphere.
As this program, “Public Health,” emphasizes a modern approach to public health, it suits our country, which is making efforts to face many challenges while implementing public health activities. We need not only to improve our capabilities but also to upgrade our thinking. For such thinking skills, we need to understand the conditions of our outer environment, which means various conditions and changes happening in other countries and their implementation plans according to their multiple contexts, demographic, political, sociocultural, economic, etc. By comparing and analyzing those conditions with ours, we can systematically highlight the needs and bad of our ways.
In addition to our rigorous academic programs, our two-week field trip to Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu, allows us to witness the real-world impact of global health initiatives. At the same time, the two-month internship program offers a chance to work alongside experts in the field. I conducted my internship at the International Support and Partnership for Health (ISAPH) in two places, Laos and Tokyo offices. These experiences will broaden my prospects and deepen my understanding of the challenges and opportunities in public health. The TMGH provides us with a solid academic foundation and nurtures our ambition to make the globe better and more equitable for all.
Looking forward to welcoming you to our TMGH family!
Other messages from MPH graduates (MPH)