Robert Gordon University • Aberdeen
Public health with a health-promotion emphasis — Scotland’s option, at one of the lowest fee bands on our list.
Our take
RGU’s take on the public-health family leads with health promotion — the behaviour-change, community-engagement half of the discipline — and prices it from £15,910, the lowest opening band of any public-health course we list. The Scottish setting is substantive: Scotland runs its own public-health agency and policy landscape, and studying inside it adds a comparative dimension England-only cohorts miss. RGU’s applied, professional teaching culture (the same that drives its pharmacy and nursing reputation) shapes the course toward practice over theory. September and January starts; Aberdeen’s costs undercut the big English cities.
| Duration | 1 year full-time |
| Intake | September & January |
| Accreditation | Robert Gordon University — School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedic Practice |
| Tuition | Within RGU’s 2026/27 international postgraduate band of £15,910–£21,090; the exact fee is stated on your offer letter. |
Where this leads: An academic public-health qualification — no professional registration involved. It complements clinical registrations and leads to promotion, programme and community-health roles.
Both intakes run; confirm January numbers early.
Why RGU
Behaviour change and community engagement are the discipline’s growth skills — this course names them in the title and teaches them as the core.
From £15,910 with Aberdeen living costs — the affordable end of public-health study.
A distinct public-health agency and policy environment adds comparative depth — useful for careers spanning multiple health systems.
The course sits in RGU’s nursing school — clinicians broadening into public health study among their own.
What you study
Entry requirements
English language
RGU expects a formal English test from most international applicants. RGU's published lists of accepted English qualifications for undergraduate and postgraduate taught study cover formal tests only — Medium of Instruction letters do not appear, and its country pages for Pakistan, India and Nigeria all ask for IELTS or an acceptable equivalent. Plan for a test from the outset. Health courses need more: nursing typically IELTS 7.0 (writing 6.5) and MPharm 6.5 with no component below 6.0.
Also accepted: PTE Academic 65 overall, 59 per component (test-centre sittings only), TOEFL iBT 88 overall, Oxford ELLT 7 (minimum 5 per component), Trinity ISE II, LanguageCert Academic 70 and Linguaskill 175 also accepted. Pre-sessional English is available if you fall short.
Careers
Your country
For master's entry RGU asks for a 4-year Pakistani bachelor degree at GPA 2.5 on a 4-point scale (3.5 on a 5-point scale) or 60-69%; holders of a master's degree need 60% overall. Two- and three-year bachelor degrees at 59.5%+ are considered for undergraduate entry rather than master's, and HSSC students usually route through the International College (ICRGU) pathway. RGU explicitly advises students in Pakistan to pay the deposit early because visa processing can take 6-8 weeks — and MOI letters are not accepted, so book IELTS (6.5 for master's) or PTE in good time.
Full guide for PakistanDirect undergraduate entry typically needs 60% overall in year 12 state board examinations (55% for West Bengal) — note that as of July 2026 RGU no longer accepts the Punjab and Haryana state boards. For taught master's courses, a bachelor degree at 55%+ or a second-class award is usually required, with 50% accepted from the Universities of Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta; on a 10-point CGPA scale, 6.0 is the benchmark. Standard XII English is not listed as accepted evidence, so plan for IELTS 6.5 or an equivalent test.
Full guide for IndiaWAEC/WASSCE holders are considered for undergraduate entry through the International College (ICRGU) pathway, and HND holders can be considered too (ordinary and advanced diplomas are not). For master's entry RGU asks for a 4-year degree at second class lower minimum with CGPA 2.40 or equivalent. TETFund, PTDF and NDDC funding routes are recognised alongside RGU's own awards. Pay your deposit early — RGU advises Nigerian students to allow 6-8 weeks for visa processing — and budget for IELTS, as WAEC English is not listed as accepted evidence.
Full guide for NigeriaTawjihiyya (General Secondary Education Certificate) holders are considered through the International College, while Higher Colleges of Technology qualifications map neatly onto the degree: HCT Diploma at C+ or CGPA 2.3/4.0 for year 1, Advanced Diploma for year 2 and Higher Diploma for year 3 entry; BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma at DDD/DDM is considered for year 2. For master's courses a bachelor degree at CGPA 2.3/4.0 or grade C+ is the typical minimum. Aberdeen's energy industry has long-standing Gulf connections, which helps with placements and graduate networks.
Full guide for the UAECompare
Go deeper
FAQ
It weights the practice half of public health — behaviour change, community engagement, campaign design — over administration and policy theory. If your career target is health-improvement delivery rather than analytics, the emphasis fits.
The 2026/27 band runs £15,910–£21,090 — the lowest opening price among our fifteen public-health options — with the exact fee on your offer letter and Aberdeen’s living costs below the major English cities.
Fully — the academic qualification travels UK-wide, and the comparative exposure to Scotland’s distinct public-health system is a talking point, not a limitation, in English interviews.
No — the cohort mixes clinicians broadening out with science and social-science graduates entering the field. Community or health-sector exposure strengthens any application.
Fees, entry requirements, English-language policies and intake dates are correct to the best of our knowledge at the date shown, but universities review them every cycle and immigration rules change. Always treat figures as a guide — we confirm the exact, current requirements with the university before you apply. Facts on this page last checked July 2026.
Intakes shown are for this course specifically; RGU runs other intakes for other programmes — see the full RGU profile.
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