Bachelor of Science in Precision Public Health and Epidemiology
East Africa is the world's most consequential theatre for outbreak detection and response, and its public health workforce is overwhelmingly trained at postgraduate level, leaving districts staffed by people improvising with spreadsheets. T...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- Epidemiologist
- surveillance officer
- outbreak response analyst
- biostatistician
- monitoring and evaluation specialist
- health programme analyst
- genomic surveillance analyst
- district health information officer.
Employer types
- Ministry of Health and district health offices
- the national public health institute and reference laboratory
- the Africa Centres for Disease Control network
- global health programmes
- research institutes and field epidemiology programmes
- NGOs
- and insurers.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- A structurally under supplied cadre with donor supported and government employment pipelines and clear progression to the Master of Public Health.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Bachelor of Science in Precision Public Health and Epidemiology. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold or are completing?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 101 | AI Fluency I: How Intelligent Systems Work Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| HLB 110 | Human Biology and Disease Processes Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| HLB 111 | Principles of Public Health and Health Systems Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
| HLB 112 | Programming and Data Handling for Health Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| HLB 113 | Introduction to Epidemiology Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 102 | Quantitative Reasoning and Evidence Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| HLB 130 | Biostatistics I Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| HLB 131 | Infectious Disease Epidemiology Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| HLB 132 | Environmental and Occupational Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| HLB 133 | Health Promotion and Community Engagement Practicum Performance | 4 | 1-0-6 |
| COP 190 | Workplace Immersion (4 weeks, recess term) Performance | 0 | 0-0-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 201 | Ethics, Society and the African Context Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| HLB 210 | Biostatistics II: Regression and Survival Analysis Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| HLB 211 | Surveillance Systems and Outbreak Detection Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| HLB 212 | Field Epidemiology and Outbreak Investigation Practicum Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| HLB 213 | Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology Both | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 202 | Human Advantage: Argument, Writing and Teams Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 290 | Co-operative Education Placement I Performanc | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| HLB 230 | Genomic Surveillance and Molecular Epidemiology Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| HLB 231 | Research Ethics and Study Governance Objective | 3 | 2-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 301 | AI Fluency II: Building, Evaluating and Auditing Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 390 | Co-operative Education Placement II (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| HLB 310 | Infectious Disease Modelling and Intervention Analysis Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| HLB 311 | Machine Learning for Population Health Performance | 3 | 1-0-4 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 302 | Enterprise, Employability and Financial Literacy Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| FDC 401 | AI Fluency III: Domain Deployment, Governance and Assurance Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| FDC 402 | Capability Portfolio and Day One Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| HLB 330 | Public Health Capstone: District or Programme Commission (client verified) Performance | 8 | 0-2-14 |
| HLB 331 | Health Policy, Economics and Programme Evaluation Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
Total credit units: 132
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Bachelor of Science in Precision Public Health and Epidemiology
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
TERM 1 (SIX MONTHS) | FORMERLY YEAR 1, SEMESTER 1
Year 1 · this step is worth 22 CU
Cumulative
22
Programme total
132
22 CU of 132 CU completed by the end of this step (17%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems Fluency CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential Reasoning CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual JudgementLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C4Communication and Persuasion CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary MasteryLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and CraftLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C7Problem Framing and Systems ThinkingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial LiteracyLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace PerformanceLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C12Stewardship and Public Contribution CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
Critical capabilities for this programme: Intelligent Systems Fluency · Quantitative and Evidential Reasoning · Communication and Persuasion · Stewardship and Public Contribution. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Design and conduct epidemiological studies and interpret their results correctly.
- PLO 2Apply biostatistical methods and defend the analytical choices made.
- PLO 3Operate and improve routine disease surveillance and detect a signal in noisy data.
- PLO 4Investigate an outbreak systematically and communicate findings under time pressure.
- PLO 5Interpret genomic surveillance data and its epidemiological implications.
- PLO 6Model transmission and evaluate intervention scenarios.
- PLO 7Apply research ethics, community engagement and health equity principles.
Why this programme exists
East Africa is the world's most consequential theatre for outbreak detection and response, and its public health workforce is overwhelmingly trained at postgraduate level, leaving districts staffed by people improvising with spreadsheets. T...
Admission requirements
UACE with two principal passes including Biology, plus one of Mathematics, Chemistry, Geography or Economics; and UCE with five passes including Mathematics, Biology and English. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
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