Best Short Courses in Public Health & Epidemiology UK 2026

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine — the world's leading public health university for short courses.

LSHTM (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) is consistently ranked among the world's top public health schools. Their short course programme is one of the most extensive in the world, covering epidemiology methods, infectious disease epidemiology, global health, health economics, clinical trials, health data science, tropical medicine, and public health nutrition.

LSHTM short courses range from 1-week intensive residential programmes to multi-week online courses. They are attended by NHS public health professionals, UKHSA staff, WHO employees, academic researchers, and government officials globally. The LSHTM brand carries exceptional credibility in UK and international public health contexts. Online courses are available for many core epidemiology topics.

Royal Society for Public Health — Ofqual-regulated qualifications for public health and health promotion roles.

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is a Royal Charter organisation with over 125 years of history in public health education. RSPH offers Ofqual-regulated qualifications at Level 2 and Level 3 in public health, health improvement, health promotion, and nutrition — accessible without prior academic qualifications.

Key RSPH qualifications: Level 2 Award in Understanding Health Improvement (entry-level public health awareness), Level 3 Award in Health Improvement (for practitioners), and Level 3 Certificate in Health Promotion. RSPH qualifications are recognised by employers in NHS health promotion, local authority public health teams, public health charities, and education settings. The RSPH also offers qualifications in food hygiene, drug and alcohol awareness, and mental health first aid that are widely used in workplace settings.

World's most widely taken epidemiology courses — free to audit, globally recognised for foundations and data skills.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health — consistently ranked the world's number one public health school — delivers a comprehensive suite of public health and epidemiology courses via Coursera. These include the Data Science Specialisation, the Epidemiology in Public Health Practice Specialisation, the COVID-19 Contact Tracing course, and the Public Health of Epidemiology specialisation.

JHU Coursera courses are free to audit (with optional paid certificates). They are widely used by NHS professionals, researchers, and students as self-directed learning to develop epidemiology and biostatistics foundations. While JHU certificates are not formal UK qualifications, they are recognised in academic and research contexts and appear regularly on the CVs of UK public health practitioners building data skills.

Entry examination for the FPH specialist training programme — primarily for doctors and health professionals entering the public health specialty.

The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) Diplomate examination (DPH) is the entry-level qualification for the FPH, testing knowledge across all public health domains: epidemiology and statistics, health promotion, health protection, environmental health, health economics, and public health ethics. The DPH is a prerequisite for entry to the FPH specialist training programme leading to Membership (MFPH) and Consultant in Public Health status.

The DPH is most relevant to doctors on the Specialty Registrar (StR) in Public Health training programme, and to non-medical professionals (nurses, allied health, analysts) who want to enter the formal FPH pathway. Preparation typically involves 6–12 months of self-directed study using FPH guidance and recommended texts including Donaldson & Donaldson's Essential Public Health and standard epidemiology texts.

Professional registration for non-medical public health practitioners — increasingly required by NHS and local authority employers.

The UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) provides professional registration for public health practitioners who are not on the GMC, NMC, or other statutory registers. UKPHR Practitioner registration requires: a relevant degree (public health, health promotion, environmental health, nursing, or equivalent) or evidence of equivalent learning; at least 12 months of public health work experience; and a portfolio of evidence demonstrating competency against the Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework (PHSKF).

UKPHR registration is increasingly listed as a desirable or required qualification in NHS and local authority public health job advertisements. It provides professional recognition for health promotion officers, public health intelligence analysts, and public health practitioners who do not qualify through the FPH medical route. Annual registration fee is approximately £150–£200.