The Impact of Policy on Global Health
10 ECTS
The Impact of Policy on Global Health
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Module Description
This module examines how global, regional, and national health policies shape population health outcomes, system performance, and equity.
It supports the development of advanced competences in analysing policy processes (agenda-setting, formulation, adoption, implementation, evaluation), the role of actors and institutions (WHO, EU, OECD, UN, World Bank), and the political economy of health.
Students apply policy analysis frameworks to real cases (e.g., pandemic preparedness, NCD (non-communicable disease) strategies, active ageing, migration and digital governance, and produce evidence-informed recommendations for decision-makers.
Entry Requirements
Candidates who apply for this course will require to be:
- Professionals whose academic studies include 1st cycle (undergraduate and Bachelor’s levels) and 2nd cycle (Graduate and Masters level) qualifications totalling not less than 240 ECTS in areas related to healthcare and management. Any other professional who meets the Level requirements (L7 + L6 to a total of 240 ECTS) coming from a different area, but has 7 years of experience in a managerial position will also be considered.
OR
- A Level 7 Master’s Qualification (90 ECTS) related to healthcare and management, together with a Level 5 Higher Diploma equivalent to 120 ECTS and a minimum of 5 years working experience in Management within a specialised sector/area which is directly related to and relevant to the subject being researched in the Doctoral Programme.
RPL will be considered for applicants with other high-level qualifications (e.g. OTHM L8 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice). The maximum number of credits that may be gained through RPL will not exceed 50%. For more information regarding IDEA College’s RPL Policy and Process, please refer to: https://mt.ideaeducation.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Doc_007_24-Recognition-of-Prior-Learning-Policy-and-Process.pdf
Students whose first language is not English will be required to demonstrate English language capability at IELTS level 6.5 or equivalent by presenting evidence (formal certificate) of an achieved pass at that level.
Target Audience
The target group for this doctorate programme consists of experienced professionals and senior practitioners working in, or aspiring to work in, advanced leadership, policy, and management roles in the health and social care sectors. Participants are expected to be mid-career or senior-level professionals with substantial practical experience, holding a relevant Master’s degree (MQF Level 7 or equivalent), and seeking to progress to doctoral-level study (MQF Level 8).
Specifically, the programme is designed for:
- Health professionals (e.g., physicians, nurses, allied health practitioners) who have moved into leadership, governance, or policy-making roles.
- Senior managers and executives in hospitals, health systems, public health agencies, and NGOs.
- Policy advisors, regulators, and government officials engaged in health strategy, workforce planning, and global health governance.
- Academics, researchers, and consultants seeking to deepen their expertise in health policy or workforce sustainability.
- International learners, including those from low- and middle-income countries, who wish to strengthen their capacity to respond to global health and workforce challenges.
This diverse learner group will bring interdisciplinary and international perspectives, fostering a community of interprofessional practice aligned with IDEA College’s teaching philosophy.
Career Paths
This programme is not designed to prepare students for a specific warranted profession or regulated occupation. Instead, it develops the advanced knowledge, skills, and competences outlined in the curriculum, equipping participants for senior leadership, management, policy, and consultancy roles across the health and social care sectors.
The programme is targeted at:
- Health and social care professionals (including doctors, nurses, allied health practitioners, social workers) who have moved or wish to move into leadership and policy-making positions.
- Managers and executives in hospitals, primary care systems, elderly care organisations, and NGOs.
- Policy advisors and strategists in health ministries, regulatory agencies, and international organisations.
- Consultants and researchers specialising in health policy, global health governance, or workforce planning.
Graduates will be well-prepared for:
- Senior management and leadership positions within hospitals, elderly care organisations, and wider health systems.
- Roles such as policy analysts, health system planners, or workforce strategists in government or international agencies.
- Consultancy and advisory roles within think tanks, NGOs, and intergovernmental organisations.
- Academic or applied research roles in universities, research institutes, and policy bodies.
Assessment
Participants will be required to engage in a mini study and may choose one title from a range of options provided by the module’s lecturer/tutor. Each student will then adapt the chosen title to contextualise it within their area of specialisation, in consultation with the lecturer/tutor and the College’s Quality Assurance Lead.
Participants are expected to demonstrate a deep and critical understanding of health policy and governance, presenting logical arguments supported by evidence that is rigorously researched and grounded in scholarly literature. At doctoral level, students are expected to move beyond description, showing originality, critical analysis, and innovation in identifying gaps, exploring new ground, and evaluating the transferability of global health policies across contexts.
Findings and conclusions must be communicated with a clear sense of context, audience, and purpose, evidencing doctoral-level scholarly practice, academic writing proficiency, and adherence to academic honesty. Student output may take the form of a policy analysis paper, designed to assess the student’s ability to apply theoretical models of health policy, critically evaluate global frameworks, and propose evidence-informed recommendations tailored to a specific setting.
Formative assessment may occur during weekend school sessions and throughout the study journey, in the form of seminar presentations, peer-to-peer contributions, discussions, and lecturer/tutor feedback.
Learning Outcomes
Competences:
At the end of the module/unit, the learner will have acquired the responsibility and autonomy to:
- Lead and justify advanced analyses of global/national health policies for organisational or government audiences.
- Advise on the adaptation/transfer of international policy frameworks to local contexts, balancing equity, feasibility and cost.
- Engage with multi-stakeholder processes (ministries, agencies, NGOs, communities) and negotiate evidence-informed positions.
- Produce policy briefs and implementation roadmaps that withstand peer and expert scrutiny.
- Critically interrogate the political, economic, and ideological determinants shaping global and national health policy agendas and power relations.
- Design and defend innovative, evidence-based policy interventions that address complex global health challenges.
Knowledge
By the end of the module/unit, the students will be able to:
- Lead and justify advanced analyses of global/national health policies for organisational or government audiences.
- Advise on the adaptation/transfer of international policy frameworks to local contexts, balancing equity, feasibility and cost.
- Engage with multi-stakeholder processes (ministries, agencies, NGOs, communities) and negotiate evidence-informed positions.
- Produce policy briefs and implementation roadmaps that withstand peer and expert scrutiny.
- Critically interrogate the political, economic, and ideological determinants shaping global and national health policy agendas and power relations.
- Design and defend innovative, evidence-based policy interventions that address complex global health challenges.
Skills
At the end of the module/unit, the learner will have acquired the following skills:
- Apply policy analysis frameworks to dissect real policy problems and options.
- Critically appraise policy effectiveness, equity and implementation risks using multidisciplinary evidence.
- Design stakeholder maps, theory-of-change and monitoring frameworks for policy implementation.
- Synthesise global, national, and subnational evidence to formulate defensible, context-sensitive policy recommendations.
- Negotiate and defend evidence-informed policy positions within multi-stakeholder and politically contested environments.
- Design and apply policy evaluation and learning frameworks to assess impact, scalability, and sustainability over time.
- Communicate complex policy analysis clearly to technical and non-technical audiences (briefs, presentations).
Module-Specific Learner Skills
The learner will be able to:
- Draft a publishable policy brief/op-ed with actionable recommendations.
- Conduct rapid evidence syntheses to support time-sensitive policy decisions.
- Facilitate simulations/negotiations for inter-agency coordination.
Module-Specific Digital Skills and Competences
The learner will be able to:
- Use evidence platforms (WHO IRIS, OECD iLibrary) for rapid policy intelligence.
- Employ collaborative policy tools (e.g., Miro for stakeholder mapping; reference managers) to co-produce outputs.
- Navigate through the online learning platform to find assignments, discussion boards, literature, tutorials, etc.