The Master of Science in International Health is a flexible modular degree programme. It has three compulsory course components: Core Course, Advanced Modules, Thesis /Oral Exam.

These three components are to be completed in a minimum of one year (full-time) to a maximum of five years (part-time). Our staff is happy to assist students in choosing their elective advanced modules and developing their research projects. Successful completion of all course components leads to a Masters degree awarded by the institution the participant initially registered with.

The tuition fee for the one-year full-time programme is 14,100 EUR. This fee includes the Core Course, the Advanced Modules and the Thesis. Please note that this amount does not include housing and living expenses, for which you should add approx. 800 EUR monthly.

There is no application fee. However, in case of admission, students have to make a non-refundable advanced payment of 1000 EUR.

MScIH Application Deadline: 31 March 2026 (to start in September 2026)
MScIH + DAAD Application Deadline: 15 October 2025 (to start MScIH in September 2026).

The Institute of Global Health does not grant any scholarships. There are several funding agencies you may want to consider instead, such as the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for instance.

If you want to apply for a DAAD scholarship, you should submit the DAAD application form and the DAAD applicaton checklist together with your online application to the MScIH. For the DAAD scholarship application form and further information about DAAD scholarships, please visit the DAAD website.

The course is open to medical doctors and other professionals that hold a Bachelor's degree (4 years or equivalent qualification, at least 240 ECTS) in a public health or social sciences based discipline. Furthermore, candidates are expected to have at least one year of relevant work experience in low and middle-income countries.

As part of your application you should provide at least one letter of recommendation from your most recent employer(s). The letter needs to be of recent date, include the official letter head and office stamp of place of employment and it should be hand-signed by your referee.

If an applicant's first language is English or his/her studies at the university level have been conducted completely in English (written proof from the University is required), he/she is exempted from providing an English language proficiency test. In all other cases, proof of proficiency in the English language is required by providing evidence of at least 6.5 IELTS score or a TOEFL computer based version (CBT) score of at least 237, or an Internet Based version (IBT) score of at least 92-93.

Knowledge of the German language is NOT required for your participation in the Master's programme. However, it is recommended to acquire some basic knowledge for your daily life in Heidelberg.

The MScIH programme allows for full-time (1 year) and part-time (up to 5 years) study. While both modes of study have the same course components, credit requirements and lead to the same degree they differ in terms of time and flexibility. After successful completion of the core course students must undertake a range of advanced modules.
Full-time students are required to complete a set of four mandatory advanced modules offered at Heidelberg University totaling 12 credit points, before they can choose elective advanced modules offered at Heidelberg University and other tropEd partner institutions to gain an additional 8 ECTS points.Part-time students may choose to complete any of the mandatory and elective advanced modules offered at Heidelberg University and other tropEd partner institutions to meet the credit requirements of this course component.

The admission committee reviews MScIH applications combined with DAAD scholarship applications in late December. Notifications of the selection results are expected to be sent out in March.
The admission committee reviews all other applications in May of the same year the course starts. Notifications are sent out in June.

Our Master’s course generally starts in mid-September with the Core Course lasting until December. After a short break for Christmas in December and January, the curriculum continues with our short courses until August, when students hand in their thesis and take their final exams. The graduation ceremony takes place in early October.

During the first week of classes in September, we will spend a few days outside of Heidelberg for an intercultural training so that the students can get know each other and the members of the Teaching Unit. The stay in a hostel and all meals during our trip will be provided free of charge. 

Our Master’s course is a very structured programme and we do not follow the University's schedule. Students have to attend classes from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm every day with attendance being mandatory.