Health Data Science

MSc

  • Entry year 2026 or 2025
  • Duration Full time 1 year, Part time 2 years

Overview

Gain the skills needed to harness complex data and make fact-based recommendations on public and global health challenges. Develop hands-on experience in statistical modelling, programming and epidemiology, and learn how to apply this to real-world applications.

Work with leading academics in the field and prepare to make your mark in a profession that relies on data-driven solutions to improve health outcomes.

Why Lancaster?

  • Learn from international experts and their latest research in epidemiology, data modelling and public health
  • Make an impact through a placement with a public health organisation and gain experience in applying your skills to real-world problems
  • Develop interdisciplinary skills in statistics, computing and epidemiology
  • Have the opportunity to attend our Zanzibar summer school, which is run by World Health Organisation collaborating centres and focusses on infectious diseases

Work with a world-renowned team

Lancaster University’s expert researchers are renowned in their fields which include epidemiology, data modelling and public health. You will benefit from this expertise as you gain both theoretical knowledge and the latest insights from their groundbreaking research.

Is this programme right for me?

Every aspect of healthcare relies on the advanced technical skills of data scientists, trained to combine deep statistical thinking with expertise in health and computer science. The field of health data science offers a variety of specialist roles across a wide range of organisations – from the public to private sectors, in the UK and overseas.

Lancaster’s MSc Health Data Science provides high-quality training in health informatics and global health. It is an ideal qualification if you want to work as a data scientist in healthcare. It also provides broad interdisciplinary skills with a focus on health research, combining knowledge from diverse fields such as data science, epidemiology and public health.

Typically, programme participants have a background in a quantitative discipline such as statistics, epidemiology, computer science, economics, biomedical sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, engineering, or any other discipline where quantitative methods are used. We also welcome intercalating medical students from Lancaster University and other medical schools.

You can take the programme on either a full or part-time basis, enabling you to balance work and other commitments with training and career progression.

What will I study?

Our MSc in Health Data Science focuses on developing key analytical and computational techniques used to generate insights from complex health data.

The programme begins with three core modules:

  • Statistical Modelling for Health Research
  • Programming for Health Data Science
  • Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology

These modules establish a robust foundation in the three pivotal areas of health data science: epidemiology, statistics, and computer science.

This is followed by three additional modules where you will learn to apply this foundational knowledge to tackle real-world health problems:

  • Handling Routinely Collected Health Data
  • Infectious Disease Epidemiology
  • Evaluation of Healthcare and Health Policy

These modules will teach how to harness the power of health data, how to model outbreaks of infectious diseases, and how to quantify health impacts at a population scale. You will be encouraged to work across various disciplines.

This approach enhances problem-solving skills and prepares you to address complex healthcare challenges through collaborative efforts.

Practical experience

The programme emphasises real-world applications and offers you the opportunity to engage with a national or international public health organisation during a 12-week project placement.

You’ll work as part of a multidisciplinary team with one of our high-profile partners. In the past, these have included the NHS, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Clinton Health Access Initiative and Yale University. Additionally, you’ll have access to training events and will be invited to the seminar programme run by the Centre for Health Informatics Computing and Statistics (CHICAS), giving you the opportunity to join an international network of researchers in Health Data Science.

Unique global experience

In collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), we are very pleased to be able to offer up to three places each summer to study at the Fondazione Ivo de Carneri Public Health Laboratory on Pemba Island, Tanzania. While idyllic, Pemba Island is one of the parts of the world most affected by parasitic disease. Locating the laboratory on the island enables the impact of any treatments or interventions to be more easily monitored than on the mainland.

The summer school is open to only three students per year, and places are awarded based on academic performance and interview.

This is an optional part of the programme for which an additional cost is charged. Lancaster Medical School offers a bursary to assist with costs for some students.

Careers

Take your career in health data science to the next level

Skilled health data science professionals are in demand across various sectors, and an MSc in Health Data Science from Lancaster University will prepare you to work in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, medical research, technology companies, governments and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

The programme's focus on statistical analysis and informatics equips you with a comprehensive skill set applicable to clinical research, epidemiology and health policy development, enhancing your prospects in both professional and academic settings.

Graduates from this programme have taken roles in:

  • Healthcare analytics
  • Public health
  • Data science roles within healthcare organisations
  • Government bodies
  • Technology companies

Many have chosen an academic career path, undertaking a PhD and working in health data research.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

2:2 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in a relevant quantitative discipline including: Mathematics and Statistics, Epidemiology, Computer Science, Economics, Biomedical Sciences, Physical Sciences, or similar.
We assess applicants based on their overall undergraduate performance and typically expect strong results in quantitative modules (e.g., mathematics, statistics).

We may also consider non-standard applicants based on experience and merit, including those with a medical background. In the assessment of non-standard applications, we will especially consider evidence of quantitative skills, and the Personal Statement should provide strong motivation for undertaking studies in Health Data Science. Please contact the Programme Director for more information at s.moore12@lancaster.ac.uk

Additional requirements

Relevant work experience will be viewed favourably.

English language requirements

We require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test.

We also consider other English language qualifications and if your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Help from our Admissions team

If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, complete our enquiry form and one of the team will get back to you.

We also have more details on our website about:

Pre-master's programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master's pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master's degrees. Visit INTO Lancaster University for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

We continually review and enhance our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning experience, and to make sure that the subject knowledge and transferable skills you develop will prepare you for your future. The University will make every reasonable effort to offer programmes and modules as advertised. In some cases, changes may be necessary and may result in new modules or some modules and combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

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Optional

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Fees and funding

We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2026/27 entry fees have not yet been set.

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Scholarships and bursaries

Details of our scholarships and bursaries for 2026-entry study are not yet available, but you can use our opportunities for 2025-entry applicants as guidance.

Check our current list of scholarships and bursaries.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to the stated entry year and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. Find out more about our  Charter and student policies.