Health and Wellbeing

This course offers a full or part-time route to develop understanding, knowledge and expertise across a broad range of health and wellbeing subjects including mental health, weight management, the healthy environment, workplace wellbeing, healthy ageing and contemporary issues.

The course considers national and international trends and challenges in enabling sustainable population health and wellbeing, alongside developing students’ academic and professional skills to support both future career advancement and further research.

Health and wellbeing practitioners work alongside active researchers and experienced lecturers to help you follow your passion for improving the health and wellbeing of others. You will develop the skills and knowledge to understand the bigger picture in health and wellbeing strategy, policy and intervention planning, as well as focusing on the challenges to maintaining health and wellbeing for marginalised groups. 

Inequalities in health and wellbeing persist despite action being taken at multiple levels. You will develop the ability to analyse the complexity of responding to diverse needs, and develop solutions that are grounded in theory, based in evidence and are pragmatic and workable. This will enhance your employment prospects as you will be building your own problem-solving expertise within this field.

By the time you graduate, you will be able to apply your expertise and demonstrate that you are able to become a leader in this area going forwards, and/or progress on to doctoral-level study.

You will study a variety of modules across your programme of study. The module details given below are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

You will study four modules, followed by an independently studied MSc dissertation or an alternative work-based project. This will include two core modules along with two modules, from a choice of six options.

Core modules

Leading and Managing Change in Health and Wellbeing

This module will discuss policy agenda and strategies used in wellbeing. The module considers how individuals can work in organisations to lead and manage change. This will include concepts associated with preparing for change (consideration of the policy), implementing change (leading) and evaluating the change (sustaining the change that has been implemented). Sociology and psychology of health and wellbeing will be explored, taking into consideration a range of national and international perspectives. Various definitions of wellbeing, and social explanations for health inequalities based on social class, ethnicity, gender and age will be discussed. You'll reflect on your role in leading change and consider what skills are required.

Research Practice

In preparation for your extended research project, this module develops your understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods in relation to research in health. You will explore contemporary debates in research methodology and ethics, and develop the skills to be able to select and use an appropriate method for your extended study.

Dissertation or Work-based Project

You can choose between completing a traditional research dissertation or a negotiated work-based research project. This provides you with the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge developed during your course to a topic of particular interest and importance in the area of health and wellbeing.

Option modules

You will be required to choose one option module from:

Mental Health and Wellbeing in Contemporary Society

This module critically explores reasons for patterns and trends in mental health, along with strategies and responses to address this growing issue. Your studies will focus on positive mental health, taking account of positive psychology, as well as mental ill-health, from a national, European and global viewpoint.

Weight Management: Social and Behavioural Aspects

In this module, you’ll explore the breadth of social and behavioural factors influencing weight. You will consider the impact of the obesigenic environment, the role of cultural, social and psychological factors in eating and exercise behaviours, and the causes and effects of disordered eating behaviour. You’ll also examine and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.

The Healthy Environment

In this module, you will consider what is meant by the term ‘environment’ to develop your understanding of the role of the social and built environment in contemporary health. The role of culture in nutrition and health-related practices will bring a real-life focus to the module, and your own role as an activist for promoting a healthy environment will be brought into focus.

You will be also be required to choose one option module from:

Workplace Wellbeing

This module examines wellbeing and its effect upon national issues such as disability and unemployment, sickness/absence, long-term conditions, NHS spending and their associated tax burden. Within your own workplace, you will consider the application of strategic arguments into action and interventions in the business environment and will review and develop project management skills for planning and leading complex projects. Key issues relating to workplace wellbeing will be considered including ethical considerations, trends and patterns, health needs assessment, policy agenda, health communication theories, planning and evaluation methods. The influence of Public Health and its impact on local government and private sector approaches to workplace wellbeing will be explored through a range of case studies.

Healthy Ageing

We are living in an increasingly ageing population with 50% of the UK population over the age of 50. Maintaining independence and quality of life are important objectives not just individually, but also for governments who are facing a crisis in medical and social care costs. This module will explore global ageing, attitudes, policies and practices, questioning whether our ageing population is an economic burden or an underused resource.

Contemporary Issues for Specific Populations

This module responds to the challenging and emerging nature of health and wellbeing issues by focusing on the complexity of health and wellbeing needs for diverse, and often marginalised, populations. Through guest lectures and drawing on contemporary topics in health and wellbeing, you will explore experiences and responses to health and wellbeing challenges that are outside of the mainstream.

Course structure

This programme is a distance-learning course delivered online. The programme is delivered on a part-time basis over two or two and a half years or full-time over one or one and a half years. Both options begin in September and involve online introductory learning weekends, one at the beginning of each semester (September and January).

The rest of the study is completed through a range of online asynchronous learning material, webinars and with the support of course tutors and peer networks. One-to-one tutor support is available through a range of distance learning technologies and frequent feedback is given on contributions to learning forums.

At Leeds Trinity we aim to provide an excellent student experience and provide you with the tools and support to help you achieve your academic, personal and professional potential.

Our Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy delivers excellence by providing the framework for:

• high quality teaching
• an engaging and inclusive approach to learning, assessment and achievement
• a clear structure through which you progress in your academic studies, your personal development and towards professional-level employment or further study.

We have a strong reputation for developing student employability, supporting your development towards graduate employment, with relevant skills embedded throughout your programme of study.

We endeavour to develop curiosity, confidence, courage, ambition and aspiration in all students through the key themes in our Learning and Teaching Strategy:

• Student Involvement and Engagement
• Inclusion
• Integrated Programme and Assessment Experience
• Digital Literacy and Skills
• Employability and Enterprise

To help you achieve your potential we emphasise learning as a collaborative process, with a range of student-led and real-world activities. This approach ensures that you fully engage in shaping your own learning, developing your critical thinking and reflective skills so that you can identify your own strengths and weaknesses, and use the extensive learning support system we offer to shape your own development.

We believe the secret to great learning and teaching is simple: it is about creating an inclusive learning experience that allows all students to thrive through:

• Personalised support
• Expert lecturers
• Strong connections with employers
• An international outlook
• Understanding how to use tools and technology to support learning and development

Assessment

We use a range of assessment methods across the course, in recognition that communication in the arena of health and wellbeing needs to be diverse in order to reach diverse audiences.

These include developing academic and practitioner posters and development plans. You'll also be assessed by writing journal articles, delivering video presentations, writing extended essays and critical literature reviews.

We don’t use exams as a form of assessment but our assessment methods do challenge you to extend your range of communication skills, preparing you well for career advancement.

Leeds Trinity University is committed to recruiting students with talent and potential and who we feel will benefit greatly from their academic and non-academic experiences here. We treat every application on its own merits; we value highly the experience you illustrate in your personal statement.

The following information is designed to give you a general overview of the qualifications we accept. If you are taking qualifications that are not included below, please contact our Admissions Office who will be happy to advise you.

Usual entry requirements are an undergraduate degree in a related area at 2:2 classification or above. Alternatively, applicants with an undergraduate degree in an unrelated area, but with subsequent work-related experience in health and wellbeing, are encouraged to apply.

We are able to consider applications from people who do not have a formal academic background, but who have significant and substantial work experience in an area relevant to health and wellbeing, through an application and assessment process. Additionally, applicants who have studied similar areas at postgraduate level can apply for accreditation of their prior certificated learning, where the learning outcomes for their former study can be mapped to the learning outcomes for this course.

This course is only open to students who already have the right to live and study in the UK.

UK Home Students:

For information about our tuition fees please visit our Student Fees and Finance pages.

If you studied your undergraduate degree at Leeds Trinity University, you may be eligible for a discount of up to 50% on the cost of your tuition fees.

This course is only open to students who already have the right to live and study in the UK.

There is no official closing date for applications, but the course will be closed when it is full. We therefore encourage you to make your application as early as possible.

Please ensure you complete the application form in full and supply all the required supporting documentation when you make your initial application. Incomplete applications may be rejected.

If you need advice on your application, please contact our admissions team on 0113 283 7123 (Monday to Thursday, 9.00am to 5.00pm, or Friday 9.00am to 4.00pm) or admissions@leedstrinity.ac.uk

Home Applicants - How to apply

What happens next?

Our admissions team will acknowledge receipt of your application by email. Your application will be processed and reviewed by the Programme Leader.

The Programme Leader will make a decision based on your application. You may be asked to provide a reference to demonstrate your academic and non-academic experiences, or you may be invited to attend an interview. If you are successful and made an offer, the conditions will be outlined in your offer letter.

If you're selected for an interview, you'll be contacted with details within ten days of your application being processed. The admissions team will notify you of your interview outcome in writing within five working days of receiving a decision from the Programme Leader.

Made an offer?

You should accept or decline your offer by emailing admissions@leedstrinity.ac.uk.

If you accept, you'll need to prove you satisfy the conditions outlined in your offer letter, for example, meeting the minimum entry requirements, or a reference to illustrate your academic and non-academic experiences.

You may be asked to present the relevant supporting documentation in person to the student information point on campus, if originals are not needed you’ll be contacted and given details of how to provide the supporting documentation.