BSc (hons) in Public Health & Health Promotion

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

South East Technological University

Program Overview

The Public Health & Health Promotion degree at SETU prepares you to help individuals and communities live healthier, happier lives by understanding and addressing what influences health — from diet and physical activity to social inequalities and public policy. It’s ideal for students who care about people’s wellbeing and want hands-on skills to design, deliver and evaluate real health programmes in a wide range of settings.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1
In your first year you build a strong foundation in health science and professional practice. You study Anatomy and Physiology and Care of the Older Adult, alongside Principles of Health Promotion, Psychology for Health Care and Life Skills for Health and Wellbeing, learning the basics of how the body works and how to communicate and support health behaviour change. You also have your first supervised placement, where you begin applying what you learn in real health settings.

Year 2
Second year expands your skills in communication, public health and research. Modules such as Health Promotion in Key Settings, Communication and Media Skills, Introduction to Epidemiology & Public Health, Nutrition: Energy & Macro-Nutrients and Health Screening help you learn how to plan and deliver health interventions, understand population health data and promote wellbeing in groups and communities.

Year 3
In third year you begin to specialise and gain deeper practical experience. You study Promoting Population Physical Activity, Promoting Health in Children and Young People, Equality and Inclusion plus Motivational Interviewing and Workplace Health Promotion. This year also includes a longer placement, where you work in organisations such as health services, community projects, hospitals or youth services, applying your skills in real health promotion work.

Year 4
In your final year you focus on advanced public health and real-world application. You complete Public Health 1 & 2, Managing Health Promotion Campaigns, Environment and Health and an extended dissertation project where you investigate a health topic of your choice. You also choose from electives such as Health Psychology, Nutrition for Special Population Groups or Youth Work and Youth at Risk to personalise your degree.

Focus areas:

Public health practice, health promotion, behaviour change, nutrition, epidemiology, community health, communication skills, research methods.

Learning outcomes:

Understand how health is shaped by biological, social and environmental factors, design and evaluate health interventions, interpret health data, communicate health messages effectively, and work with diverse populations to improve wellbeing.

Professional alignment (accreditation):

This programme is accredited by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE), and graduates are eligible to apply to become IUHPE Registered Health Promotion Practitioners, which gives professional recognition to your qualification.

Reputation (employability & recognition):

SETU’s Public Health & Health Promotion graduates go on to roles in health services, workplaces, community organisations and voluntary sectors, supporting health and wellbeing for all age groups. The broad, practical nature of the degree is valued by employers and supports further study in areas such as public health, nutrition and allied health sciences.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At SETU, Public Health & Health Promotion is designed so you learn by working with real people, real communities and real health challenges. From early in the programme, theory is combined with practical experience through placements, applied projects and skills-based modules. This means you graduate with the confidence to design, deliver and evaluate health promotion initiatives in real-world settings.

Your hands-on learning includes:

Supervised professional placements
You complete placements across the degree in settings such as health services, community organisations, hospitals, schools, workplaces and voluntary agencies, applying health promotion theory in practice.
Health promotion project work
You actively plan and deliver health promotion activities focused on areas like physical activity, nutrition, mental wellbeing, youth health and workplace health.
Communication and behaviour-change skills
Through modules such as Motivational Interviewing and Communication and Media Skills, you practise engaging individuals and groups to support positive lifestyle change.
Public health data and screening experience
You learn how population health data is collected and used, and gain exposure to health screening and needs assessment approaches used in public health services.
Community and population-based learning
Many projects are designed around real community health needs, helping you understand health inequalities, inclusion and culturally sensitive practice.
Research and dissertation project
In your final year, you complete an independent dissertation where you investigate a public health or health promotion topic, developing strong research, analysis and reporting skills.
Team-based and interdisciplinary learning
You often work in groups, reflecting how health promotion professionals collaborate with nurses, educators, social workers and policymakers in practice.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates of Public Health & Health Promotion from South East Technological University step into roles where they actively improve wellbeing at community, organisational and population levels. With strong skills in health promotion, behaviour change and public health practice, you’ll be ready for careers such as Health Promotion Officer, Community Health Worker, Wellbeing Coordinator, Health Programme Assistant or Public Health Project Officer across health services, NGOs, workplaces and community organisations.

This degree opens the door to purposeful, people-focused careers:

High relevance across the health sector
Employers value graduates who can design, deliver and evaluate health initiatives addressing physical activity, nutrition, mental wellbeing and health inequalities.
Practice-ready skills
You graduate with experience in programme planning, needs assessment, communication, screening and evaluation—skills used daily in health promotion roles.
Wide range of employers
Graduates work with health services, local authorities, community and voluntary organisations, workplaces, schools and youth services.
Professional recognition
The programme’s professional alignment supports credibility and long-term career progression in health promotion and public health roles.
Transferable career paths
Skills gained are applicable to policy support, research assistance, community development and wellbeing roles in Ireland and internationally.

Further Academic Progression

After completing this degree, you can progress to postgraduate study in areas such as Public Health, Health Promotion, Health Psychology, Nutrition, Epidemiology, Community Development or Health Policy. Many graduates continue to Master’s programmes and, with experience, advance into specialist, leadership or research roles that shape health practice and policy.