Maternal and Child Health

The Master of Public Health in the field of Maternal and Child Health is a part-time programme.

Overview

Students are required to take a combination of MPH and field specific modules. The coursework in part 1 of the MPH/DPH include 5 core courses and Child Health 1. The core courses are aimed to reflect core competencies that every MPH/DPH candidate should be equiped with; both as foundational content in preperation for their field of specialisation as well as for their role as public health practitioners.

Although the field specific modules includes clinical issues (such as diarrhoeal diseases, child disability or maternal mortality), the emphasis is on the programmatic dimensions of issues affecting women and children, particularly in resource constrained settings. In part II, students in this field attend three field-specific modules, including Child Health II, Maternal and Reproductive Health and Perinatal and Paediatric HIV. They are also required to attend an additional elective course offered by another field of study. This field of study is coordinated by the Division of Community Paediatrics. 

Curriculum

Part I

COMH7100A     Orientation to Public Health                                                       
COMH7047A     Health Measurement I                                                               
COMH7221A     Health and Society                                                                   
COMH7222A     Approaches to Population Health                                              
COMH7223A     Designing Effective Public Health Programs                             
COMH7048A     Health Measurement II                                                              
PAED7010A      Child Health I                                                                            

Part II

PAED7019A      Child Health II                                                                          
PAED7007A      Maternal Health                                                                       
PAED7027A      Maternal and Child Nutrition                                                    
PAED7028A      A Public Health approach to Perinatal and Paediatric HIV      
COMH7046A     Research Methods                                                                  
COMH7101A     Management in Health and Health Services                           

Part III

The following prescribed course extends over not less than one academic year of full-time study or two academic years of part-time study:

COMH7175A     Research Report                 

Entry Requirements

Masters:

  • A bachelors degree of at least four years duration from Wits or another university or a bachelors degree followed by an honours degree with a minimum of a 65% average.
  • Working experience or other valid experience may be required. Admission to clinical degrees not included.

Your application must be accompanied by the following documents:

  • Written motivation by the applicant detailing reason for applying for the degree and how the program fits with their overall career goals - Motivation
  • Comprehensive Curriculum Vitae including a description of relevant research and work experience
  • Two referee reports - Referee Report
  • Certified copies of prior qualification(s).
  • Original transcripts of qualifications
  • Foreign Qualifications:
    • Evaluation from SAQA for applicants who graduated from non- South African universities.
    • English competency certificate or evidence of prior undergraduate training in English.
  • A bachelor’s degree of at least four years duration in dental science, medicine, surgery, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, Bachelor of Science Honours.
  • A Bachelor of Arts or Sciences with Honours in psychology or sociology, social work or other field of relevance to public health.
  • Entry into the programme is not automatic. Application is subject to review by a selection panel. 

University Application Process

  • Applications are handled centrally by the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC). Once your application is complete in terms of requested documentation, your application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment. Click here to see an overview of the Wits applications process.
  • Please apply online. Upload your supporting documents at the time of application, or via the Self Service Portal.
  • Applicants can monitor the progress of their applications via the Self Service Portal.
  • Selections for programmes that have a limited intake but attract a large number of applications may only finalise the application at the end of the application cycle.

Please note that the Entry Requirements are a guide. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee a place. Final selection is made subject to the availability of places, academic results and other entry requirements where applicable.

International students, please check this section.

For more information, contact the Student Call Centre +27 (0)11 717 1888, or log a query at www.wits.ac.za/askwits.

University Fees and Funding

Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here. Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities. NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies. External bursaries portal: The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.