About the degree programme

One Health sits at the interface between human, animal and ecosystem health. This fast-evolving subject area is well suited to preparing professionals looking to tackle the wide range of complex health challenges of the 21st Century. 

One Health has become widely established as an effective approach to managing the health of humans, animals, plants and the ecosystems on which they depend.  The covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need for this more holistic and integrated approach to health across all species, addressing the ecological, environmental, sociological and economic determinants of health.

This programme is suitable for a wide range of professionals, whose disciplinary backgrounds can include the health, biological, environmental and social sciences.

Launched in 2014, this MSc programme capitalises on the many strengths of the University of Edinburgh across multiple disciplines to deliver world-class teaching in One Health and provide the key training and skills required for a successful career in this emerging field.

The One Health programme is part of the Global Health Academy, and we share many elective courses with other postgraduate programmes.

Global Health Academy

This provides a great deal of flexibility, allowing you to personalise your studies to reflect your professional interests and career aspirations.

As well as learning from our expert tutors, you will join with students from around the world on a number of different master’s programmes to share experiences and knowledge.

Study options

PhaseDurationCredits
Masters3-6 years180
Diploma2-4 years120
Certificate1-2 years60
Individual courses*up to 2 yearsup to a maximum of 50

The degree programme allows progression from individual courses to Certificate, Diploma and MSc phases. Students may also exit the programme on completion of each phase.

The programme is designed to be taken part-time at 20 hours per week, with the flexibility to complete in longer time frames if required.

*Individual courses are also referred to as Postgraduate Professional Development (PGProfDev).

Programme benefits

  • Flexible learning throughout the year to match busy working lives
  • Provides a strong theoretical foundation to pursue a career in this emerging field of study
  • Build a personal study portfolio to match your interests
  • Mentoring and online discussion from teachers and researchers who are specialists in their field
  • Access to high-quality interactive online resources/e-journals and online textbooks
  • The University of Edinburgh has been delivering online degrees since 2005, with more than 11,000 graduates from over 180 countries
  • We are experts in online learning and have a strong track record of providing the best experience possible, working closely with academic teams to design a fully online degree that works well for both the educators and our students.

When you're learning in an international environment you get exposed to so many things, you get exposed to so many perceptions and you come to understand that actually the world is different. That has had a great impact on me in being able to understand the challenges of my country [Uganda]. 

A headshot of One Health student, Salaviriuse Ahimbisibwe

Tuition fees

Tuition fees by award and duration

Tuition fees for full-time and part-time options are listed for one academic year.

Part-time intermittent study
Part-time part session

Graduate discount

If you are a University of Edinburgh graduate, you will be eligible for a 10% discount on your tuition fees for this programme. You may also be eligible if you were a visiting undergraduate student.

Find out how to receive your graduate discount

Payment for individual courses 

It is possible to pay for the programme on a course-by-course basis.

Deposit

You do not have to pay a deposit to secure your place on this programme.

Funding opportunities

These entry requirements are for the 2026-27 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2027-28 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2026.

Qualifications

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in veterinary medicine, medicine, life/biological sciences, biomedical science, ecosystem health, environmental sciences, agricultural science, social science or economics.

International qualifications

To find international equivalent qualifications, select where you studied from the country or region list.

English language requirements

You must prove that your English language abilities are at a high enough level to study this degree programme.

This is the case for all applicants, including UK nationals.

You can meet our English language requirements with one of the following:

  • an English language test
  • a degree that was taught and assessed in English
  • certain professional qualifications

English language tests we accept

We accept any of the following English language tests, at the specified grade or higher:

  • IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
  • Oxford ELLT: total 7 with at least 6 in each component.
  • Oxford Test of English Advanced: total 145 with at least 135 in each component.
How old your English language tests can be
Tests no more than two years old

The following English language tests must be no more than two years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts, regardless of your nationality:

  • IELTS Academic
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition)
  • Trinity ISE
  • Oxford ELLT
  • Oxford Test of English Advanced
Tests no more than three and a half years old

All other English language tests must be no more than three and a half years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts, regardless of your nationality.   

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English-speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration.

UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English-speaking countries (non-MESC).

Approved universities in non-MESC

How old your degree can be

If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts.

This time limit does not apply to your degree if you are a national of a majority English-speaking country.

Find out more about our English language requirements

Find out about other English language qualifications we accept, including professional qualifications.

English language requirements

What you will study

The full degree programme is a total of 180 credits, divided into:

  • Masters - 180 credits
  • Diploma - 120 credits
  • Certificate - 60 credits
  • Individual courses - up to 50 credits

Courses offer a mix of:

  • lectures
  • seminars
  • tutorials
  • practicals
  • guest speakers
  • recommended reading
Time expectation

20 credit courses are delivered in two blocks of five weeks with one week of independent study and reflection time in between.

10 credit courses are delivered over one block of five weeks.

Each 10 credits of study represents 100 hours of study and a time commitment of 20 hours per week.

Compulsory courses

Core courses
Certificate phaseCredits
An introduction to One Health20
Ecosystem health10
One Health policy10
Masters phasecredits
Dissertation60 - must be written within a 12-month period

Option courses

Elective courses
Certificate phaseCredits
Applied epidemiology and public health20
Applied epidemiology and surveillance for conservation medicine20
Applied veterinary epidemiology20
Diploma phaseCredits
Antimicrobial resistance: a One Health perspective10
Captive and free-ranging wild animal welfare20
Connecting environment and society10
Ecosystem resilience and extreme events10
Emerging infectious diseases10
Innovative approaches to health challenges across disciplines10
Introduction to GIS and spatial data analysis10
An introduction to transboundary diseases and their impact on trade and wildlife populations10
Managing and leading conservation projects10
The marine environment10
Non-communicable disease in a global context10
One Health risk communication and preparedness10
Pastoralism and herd health10
Science communication and engagement for practice10
Scientific paradigms, research approaches and study design across disciplines*10
Water and sanitation10
Wildlife disease management10
Zoonotic diseases: a One Health perspective10

 *This course is compulsory for students progressing to the dissertation.

Individual courses

Postgraduate Professional Development (PGProfDev) is the study of individual courses from within a degree programme.

It is aimed at working professionals who want to upskill in a specific area but do not want to commit to a postgraduate qualification. 

You may take a maximum of 50 credits worth of courses from within this degree over two years. Credits can also be put towards further study, however, any time spent taking courses will be deducted from the amount of time you have left to complete the higher award. 

Individual courses available within this programme

Find courses for this programme

Find out what courses you can study on this programme and how each of them are taught and assessed.

The courses on offer may change from year to year, but the course information will give you an idea of what to expect on this programme.

Part-time intermittent study

We link to the latest information available. This may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Disclaimer

Elective courses listed are a selection of popular choices of students on this programme. Course availability is dependent on the number of students, and availability of places on non-programme owned courses. We cannot guarantee that all courses will be available to all students each year.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

Courses are taught and completed entirely online. The varied teaching may include:

  • online lectures
  • tutorials
  • specialist external lectures
  • group discussions
  • case studies
  • problem-based learning scenarios
  • literature-based research
  • quizzes

Support for your studies

You will have access to a range of support services if you need them throughout your degree.

We will assign you to a student adviser, and this should be the first person to contact if you need help. They can guide you to other University service teams depending on what support you need.  

How we support you

How online learning works

The University of Edinburgh has been delivering online postgraduate programmes since 2005, and is the largest provider of online programmes in the prestigious Russell Group of universities.

Online learning is aimed at people who want to study for a postgraduate qualification alongside personal and professional commitments. Most of our students continue in their employment while they study.

Courses are taught and completed entirely online. The varied teaching may include:

  • online lectures
  • tutorials
  • specialist external lectures
  • scientific group discussions
  • case studies
  • problem-based learning scenarios
  • literature-based research
  • computer-assisted learning
  • quizzes

Online students not only have access to Edinburgh's excellent resources but also become part of a supportive online community, bringing together students and tutors from around the world.

Find out more about the benefits and practicalities of studying for an online degree:

Postgraduate online learning

Watch our video to see how online learning works.

Time commitment

This programme is designed to fit around your schedule. You can study in your own time and access all your learning resources, such as reading lists, discussion forms and slides from anywhere in the world.  

If there are live online sessions, you can watch a recording later in the virtual learning environment at a time convenient to you.    

Typically, you will need to dedicate around 20 hours per week to your programme, although managing this is up to you. This may also vary from course to course, and the time commitment may increase when assignments are due.  

Equipment and software needs

To study this online programme, you will need access to:   

  • a computer or laptop  
  • the internet  
  • the latest version of a web browser  

As an online student, you will have access to a range of software you can download to help you complete your coursework, including Microsoft Office 365. 

IT support is available if you have technical difficulties.  

IT and computing help

Support for online students

Support for online students is given as much emphasis as for our on-campus learners. The learning technology is fully interactive and enables you to communicate with our highly qualified teaching staff from the comfort of your own home or workplace.

A dedicated e-Learning team ensures the programme runs smoothly and the programme is supported by an experienced team of academic and administrative staff. Each student is also provided with a Student Adviser.

Career opportunities

The One Health MSc aims to provide interested professionals with the knowledge, skills and awareness required to work within a One Health framework that recognises the importance of interdisciplinary working and the interrelatedness of human, animal and environmental health.

Graduates from our programme can expect to enhance their prospects in:

  • academia
  • research
  • government departments
  • non-governmental organisations
  • international development
  • the private sector

Despite being a relatively new field, and indeed approach, One Health is rapidly gaining global recognition, and our students have already reported improvements in career development through studying on the programme.

You will be better able to drive the development of novel career pathways as this field continues to evolve in response to the complexity of the health challenges we face.

This exciting programme offers you broad scientific training and the opportunity to advance One Health past the theoretical level to the practical level and beyond, bringing much needed attention to the social, political and operational issues that ultimately will be key determinants for success.

On completion of this MSc, graduates are likely to have developed their ability to provide advice on policy development and implementation, a contribution whose relevance and significance is becoming increasingly recognised by governments and NGOs.

Further study

After completing this programme, you may wish to consider applying for a PhD or other research programme.

Applying for research degrees

Moving on to a PhD (advice from the University's Careers Service)

Graduate profiles

MSc One Health - Graduate Testimonial 2023

MSc One Health graduate Fiona MacDermott reflects on her experience on the programme, including the flexibility of online learning, why she chose this programme, and what she has gained from her studies.

Careers Service

Our Careers Service can help you to fully develop your potential and achieve your future goals. 

The Careers Service supports you not only while you are studying at the University, but also for up to two years after you finish your studies. 

With the Careers Service, you can: 

  • access digital resources to help you understand your skills and strengths
  • try different types of experiences and reflect on how and what you develop
  • get help finding work, including part-time jobs, vacation work, internships and graduate jobs
  • attend careers events and practice interviews
  • get information and advice to help you make informed decisions 

How to apply

You apply online for this programme. After you read the application guidance, select your preferred programme, then choose 'Start your application' to begin.

When to apply

Programme start date Application deadline
8 September 2025 22 August 2025
14 September 2026 21 August 2026

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible so that we have enough time to process your application. This is particularly important if you are also applying for funding. Applications may close earlier than published deadlines if there is exceptionally high demand.

For an application to be reviewed, it must be a complete application by the application deadline with all supporting documentation uploaded, including references and transcripts.

If you already have evidence that you meet the English language entry requirements, such as via an approved English language test, please upload this evidence at the time of your application. If you have not already met your English language requirements, please upload that evidence as soon as you have it.

Application fee

There is no fee to apply to this programme.

What you need to apply

As part of your online application, you will need to provide: 

You will also need to submit some or all of the following supporting documents:

When you start your application, you will be able to see the full list of documents you need to provide.

You must submit one reference with your application.

Apply

Select the award, duration and delivery mode you want to study. Then select the start date you want to apply for.

After you apply

Once you have applied for this programme, you will be able to track the progress of your application and accept or decline any offers.

Checking the status of your application

We will notify you by email once we have made a decision. Due to the large number of applications we receive, it might take a while until you hear from us.

Receiving our decision

What to do if you receive an offer: