MSc Digital Health
- MSc
Overview
The future of health is digital. We urgently need new technologies for understanding, preventing, diagnosing, and managing illnesses that affect millions of people, such as diabetes, depression and dementia. This challenge is increasingly being met with innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, novel ways of analysing big data, virtual reality and wearable technologies. The digital health industry is expected to grow six times in size over the next five years, at a rate of nearly 30% a year. Driven by the risk of future pandemics and the health needs of ageing populations in countries worldwide, this growth is expected to continue for decades to come.
The demand for graduates in this area is therefore unprecedented. If you have a first degree in a relevant field, including – but not limited to – health sciences, medicine, psychology, neuroscience, human computer interaction, computer science, life science, mathematics or engineering subject, you have the foundations to develop as a leader in this area.
Our MSc in Digital Health provides you with the necessary technological expertise and understanding of the health landscape to forge a career in this innovative and vital field. You will learn about novel sensing technologies to detect and monitor diseases, artificial intelligence, data science, epidemiology, statistics and more. You will also learn to evaluate the safety and efficacy of new products, assessing the ethical principles that guide the development of new health technologies, all alongside graduates from different disciplines. Once you have mastered the core skills of your degree, the final Digital Health Project will provide you with a unique group experience to solve a real-world digital health challenge: from market research to public involvement and from data analysis to regulatory submission, you'll have the opportunity to exercise creativity and problem solving in various aspects of Digital Health.
This degree programme, designed together with stakeholders from industry, academia and public health services, will equip you with the necessary skills to launch the next phase of your digital health career.
Programme structure
The MSc provides you with the necessary interdisciplinary skills needed to become a leader in the field of digital health, including in health data science and AI.
If you are entering with a degree in computer science or engineering, you will learn a 'cradle to grave' view of the illnesses and issues that affect people at all stages of life – including mental health, cancers, diabetes, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and more. No prior experience in health science is necessary for students on this stream.
If you are entering with a degree in health or life sciences, you will build essential skills in data analytics and modelling that will help you understand how health data can be obtained, analysed, and managed ethically. You will learn programming and software development skills, with no prior experience required or expected.
Students from all backgrounds also study core topics such as real-life examples of digital health adoption, responsible innovation, epidemiology, artificial intelligence and data science.
Finally, you will undertake the MSc's unique Digital Health Project, which is closely modelled on product development, including market and data analysis, co-design with a real patient group, clinical trial design, and understanding the regulations your product must meet before it can be sold. This project has been designed with industry partners, ranging from large corporations to small and medium enterprises, to prepare students for careers in industry, healthcare, academia and beyond.
Visit our programme catalogue for details of the structure and unit content.
Entry requirements
You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics discipline, or a discipline related to Health, such as neuroscience, medical sciences, or sport and exercise science.
If your degree subject is not listed above, we may consider your application if it contains a module related to product design, or you have a minimum of six month's full-time work experience (or part-time equivalent) in the healthcare sector or the health technology industry.
If you are currently completing a degree, we understand that your final grade may be higher than the interim grades or module/unit grades you have achieved during your studies to date.
We will consider your application if your interim grades are currently slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements and may make you an aspirational offer. This offer would be at the standard level, so you would need to achieve the standard entry requirements by the end of your degree. Specific module requirements would still apply.
We will also consider your application if your final overall achieved grade is slightly lower than the programme's entry requirement.
If you have at least one of the following, please include your CV (curriculum vitae / résumé) when you apply, showing details of your relevant qualifications:
- evidence of significant, relevant work experience (six months full time, or part-time equivalent) in the healthcare sector or the health technology industry
- a relevant postgraduate qualification
See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.
Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.
Go to admissions statementIf English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level C.
Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.
Fees and funding
- Home: full-time
- £16,500 per year
- Overseas: full-time
- £34,300 per year
Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.
More about tuition fees, living costs and financial support.
Alumni discount
University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.
Funding and scholarships
Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.
Career prospects
The future of health is digital. Global economies and the healthcare industry more widely are moving towards a digitalised future. Not only do we need technologies for the management of long-term conditions, but we need technologies that can do that remotely. This move online brings many other opportunities too, such as putting data into the hands of patients and increasing access to healthcare in remote communities. Furthermore, developments in data science and artificial intelligence are at the frontier of revolutionising health and care.
These advances create many exciting career opportunities to develop new digitally enabled, personalised health solutions within industry, academia, the charitable sector, and health providers in many different countries (for example the UK's NHS). Opportunities also abound in companies with active health research and development programs (Apple, Google, Amazon, Sony, Microsoft, Samsung, Huawei, Arm, among others).
Our alumni have launched careers in varied areas related to Digital Health, including in medical devices and pharmaceuticals, User Experience (UX), research and development, project management, health data science and analytics, artificial intelligence, software development, consultancy, compliance and more. Some of our graduates go on to study for doctoral degrees, others have continued to use their newly equipped digital health skills in medical practice, while others have followed entrepreneurial pathways including launching startups.
Contact us
- Contact
- Enquiries Team
- Phone
- +44 (0) 117 394 1649
- choosebristol-pg@bristol.ac.uk