Health Sciences

Master of Science (Community Health and Development)

The Master of Science in Community Health and Development is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in community health, public health, and development. The programme combines public health science with community development and social determinants of health.

Core areas include community health, epidemiology, health promotion, disease prevention, health systems, community development, health policy, research methods, biostatistics, and thesis. Students engage with both public health theory and practical community health application.

The programme is offered by Masinde Muliro University, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University, Mount Kenya University, and Great Lakes University of Kisumu. MMUST and JOOUST are public, while MKU and GLUK are private. All offer the programme over two academic years through full-time and part-time modes.

Students develop competencies in community health assessment, health promotion, disease prevention, health programme management, community engagement, health policy analysis, and research methods. The programme includes coursework, field practicum, examinations, and thesis.

MKU charges KES 85,550/semester (~KES 171,100/year). GLUK and JOOUST also offer the programme. Entry requires a Bachelor's degree in health sciences, social sciences, or related fields with at least Second Class Honours Upper Division.

Graduates pursue careers as community health officers, public health programme managers, health promotion specialists, development workers, health policy analysts, and lecturers in community health and development.

Skills Required

Community Health Assessment and Planning
Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance
Health Promotion and Education
Community Development and Engagement
Health Programme Management
Health Policy Analysis and Advocacy
Research Methods in Public Health
Biostatistics for Health Research
Monitoring and Evaluation of Health Programmes
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Community Health Assessment
Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance
Health Promotion and Education
Community Development and Mobilisation
Health Systems and Policy
Biostatistics for Health Research
Research Methods in Public Health
Monitoring and Evaluation of Health Programmes
Social Determinants of Health
Thesis Research

Certifications

KAPHA Professional Membership
APHRC Professional Membership

Specializations

Community Health Practice

Focuses on community health practice, covering community health assessment, health promotion, disease prevention, and managing community health programmes.

Health Promotion and Education

Examines health promotion, covering health education, behaviour change communication, health campaigns, and managing health promotion programmes.

Community Development

Covers community development, covering community mobilisation, community empowerment, development planning, and managing community development programmes.

Health Systems Management

Focuses on health systems, covering health system strengthening, health financing, health workforce, and managing health systems.

Disease Prevention and Control

Examines disease prevention, covering epidemiology, disease surveillance, outbreak response, and managing disease prevention programmes.

Health Policy and Advocacy

Covers health policy, covering policy analysis, policy development, health advocacy, and managing health policy initiatives.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 326,400
Private, up to: Ksh 120,000
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 25 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Community Health Assessment
Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance
Health Promotion and Education
Community Development and Mobilisation
Health Systems and Policy
Biostatistics for Health Research
Research Methods in Public Health
Monitoring and Evaluation of Health Programmes
Social Determinants of Health
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Community Health Assessment
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines community health assessment, community diagnosis, health needs assessment, community profiling, and managing community health assessment.
Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, epidemiological methods, disease prevention, and managing disease surveillance.
Health Promotion and Education
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines health education, behaviour change communication, health campaigns, health literacy, and managing health promotion programmes.
Research Methods in Public Health
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers research design, data collection, analysis, and conducting public health research, preparing students for their thesis.
Community Development and Mobilisation
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers community mobilisation, community empowerment, development planning, community participation, and managing community development.
Biostatistics for Health Research
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines statistical methods, biostatistics, data analysis, health statistics, and analysing and interpreting health research data.
Health Systems and Policy
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers health system strengthening, health financing, health workforce, health policy, and managing health systems.
Monitoring and Evaluation of Health Programmes
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines M&E frameworks, programme evaluation, impact assessment, data use, and managing monitoring and evaluation of health programmes.
Social Determinants of Health
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers social determinants, health equity, health inequalities, social factors, and managing social determinants of health.
Disease Prevention and Control
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines disease prevention, primary prevention, secondary prevention, outbreak response, and managing disease prevention programmes.
Research Seminar
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Preparation of research proposal and thesis, including research design, literature review, methodology, and presentation.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 26 creditsCore
Original research thesis on a community health and development topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and community health knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Community Health Practice
Focuses on community health practice, covering community health assessment, health promotion, disease prevention, and managing community health programmes.
Health Promotion and Education
Examines health promotion, covering health education, behaviour change communication, health campaigns, and managing health promotion programmes.
Community Development
Covers community development, covering community mobilisation, community empowerment, development planning, and managing community development programmes.
Health Systems Management
Focuses on health systems, covering health system strengthening, health financing, health workforce, and managing health systems.
Disease Prevention and Control
Examines disease prevention, covering epidemiology, disease surveillance, outbreak response, and managing disease prevention programmes.
Health Policy and Advocacy
Covers health policy, covering policy analysis, policy development, health advocacy, and managing health policy initiatives.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Community Health and Development programme combines lectures, field practicum, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover community health, epidemiology, health promotion, disease prevention, and community development. Community health sessions examine community health assessment, community diagnosis, health needs assessment, and managing community health. Epidemiology sessions cover disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, epidemiological methods, and managing disease surveillance. Health promotion sessions cover health education, behaviour change communication, health campaigns, and managing health promotion. Community development sessions cover community mobilisation, community empowerment, development planning, and managing community development. Health systems sessions cover health system strengthening, health financing, health workforce, and managing health systems. Health policy sessions cover policy analysis, policy development, health advocacy, and managing health policy. Research methods sessions prepare students for their thesis, covering research design, data collection, and analysis. Field practicum provides hands-on experience with community health assessment, community engagement, health surveys, and field data collection. Seminars and discussion groups provide opportunities for debating current issues in community health. Guest lectures from experienced public health practitioners, community health workers, and development professionals provide practical insights. The programme culminates in a research thesis on a community health and development topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

High demand for community health professionals with Kenya's Universal Health Coverage and community health strategy.
Programme is offered by multiple universities (MMUST, JOOUST, MKU, GLUK), providing institutional choice across public and private.
Programme combines public health with community development, providing versatile skills for health and development sectors.
MKU offers affordable fees at approximately KES 171,100/year.

Against it

MMUST and JOOUST fees not independently verified, limiting fee comparison for public institutions.
Programme may overlap with Master of Public Health, causing confusion for prospective students.
Field practicum may require travel to remote communities, which can be challenging for some students.
Career prospects may be concentrated in specific sectors (government, NGOs, health facilities), limiting options in private sector.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 349 health sciences courses

Public120k to 326k

120k at Kisii University326k at Kenyatta University

Private120k to 120k

120k at Great Lakes University of Kisumu120k at Great Lakes University of Kisumu

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

Public: Kisii 120K, KU 326K/yr (mawese.com). Private: GLUK 120K/yr (eafinder).

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Ministry of Health may provide training support for health workers. WHO may provide training support for public health professionals. Some NGOs and development organisations may sponsor staff for postgraduate study.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
Ministry of Health Training Support
WHO Training Support

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
Ministry of Health Training Support
ScholarshipKsh 150,000Kenyan
Ministry of Health supports training for health workers involved in community health programmes.
WHO Training Support
GrantKsh 250,000
World Health Organization provides training support for public health professionals in developing countries.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: Most universities require Upper Second Class Honours in health sciences, social sciences, or related field. Lower Second Division holders with relevant experience are considered. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, field reports, seminar presentations, case studies, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination40% of the mark
Written examinations covering community health, epidemiology, health promotion, health systems, and research methods.
Field Practicum Assessment
Practical30% of the mark
Practical assessment through field practicum, community health assessment projects, health surveys, and demonstrating community health skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original research thesis on a community health and development topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and community health knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Masinde Muliro University and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University (public) and Mount Kenya University and Great Lakes University of Kisumu (private) offer MSc in Community Health and Development. All programmes meet CUE standards for postgraduate training in community health. Graduates are eligible for KAPHA professional membership.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. Masinde Muliro University and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University (public) and Mount Kenya University and Great Lakes University of Kisumu (private) offer MSc in Community Health and Development. All programmes meet CUE standards for postgraduate training in community health. Graduates are eligible for KAPHA professional membership.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Community Health Officer
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 500,000
Manages community health programmes, overseeing community health assessment, health promotion, and managing community health services.
Public Health Programme Manager
High demandKsh 150,000 to Ksh 600,000
Manages public health programmes, overseeing programme design, implementation, monitoring, and managing programme operations.
Health Promotion Specialist
Moderate demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 550,000
Manages health promotion programmes, overseeing health education, behaviour change, campaigns, and managing health promotion.
Development Worker
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 500,000
Works in development organisations, overseeing community development, community mobilisation, and managing development programmes.
Health Policy Analyst
Moderate demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 550,000
Analyses health policy, overseeing policy research, policy analysis, policy advocacy, and contributing to health policy development.
Community Health Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 500,000
Teaches community health at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, field supervision, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

SPSS
SoftwarePrimary
Statistical analysis software for public health research, data analysis, and analysing and interpreting research data for thesis.
EpiInfo
Software
Public health software for epidemiological analysis, covering disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and managing epidemiological data.
DHIS2
Software
Health management information system for health data, covering health data collection, health indicators, and managing health information systems.
Microsoft Excel
Software
Spreadsheet software for health data management, programme monitoring, budgeting, and managing community health data.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Community health is just about treating patients in communities.
Community health covers comprehensive public health including disease prevention, health promotion, health systems, policy, and community development.
This programme is only for those working in health centres.
Community health skills are valuable in government, NGOs, international organisations, research, and any organisation dealing with public health and development.
Community health has limited career prospects.
With growing focus on universal health coverage and community health strategy in Kenya, demand for community health professionals is increasing.
This programme is not academically rigorous.
Community health involves rigorous study of epidemiology, biostatistics, research methods, and health systems analysis.
Community development is just about community projects.
Community development covers comprehensive community empowerment including social determinants, economic development, governance, and sustainable development.
This programme is the same as Master of Public Health.
While related, this programme focuses specifically on community-level health and development, while MPH covers broader public health including global health and health management.