Are you looking to study Public Health abroad? Russia has several universities offering public health-related master’s and doctoral programs, including programs that combine research, epidemiology, management, and health sciences.
Studying in Russia can also be more affordable than some other destinations, though tuition and living costs vary by city, university, and program. Public Health students should expect research, data analysis, and practical training to be part of many programs.
To help you choose your host university, here are universities offering Public Health programs in Russia.
Top Schools Offering Public Health in Russia
1. I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, or simply Sechenov University, is the first and oldest medical school in Russia. It traces its history to the medical faculty of Imperial Moscow University, founded in 1758. The faculty became the independent First Moscow Medical Institute in 1930 and was named after Russian physiologist Ivan Sechenov in 1955.
The university offers a Master of Public Health program that prepares graduates for research and management work in public health. Its mission is to provide modern education in public health theory, practice, research, health care, management, leadership, and personnel management, while connecting Russian and international health care standards.
Students take two years, or four semesters, to complete the program. In the first semester, students build core knowledge in public health and its determinants, demography, biostatistics, management, health promotion, and health education. Later semesters include information technology for data processing and databases, epidemiology, project and process analysis, health care organization, professional practice, research work, and preparation and defense of the master’s thesis.
2. Northern State Medical University
Founded in 1932, Northern State Medical University (NSMU) is located in Arkhangelsk and describes itself as the only medical university in the European Russian Arctic. The university currently lists 42 departments, 9 faculties, and 77 educational programs, including secondary vocational and higher education programs.
Through the Arkhangelsk International School of Public Health, the university offers a Master’s program in Public Health. The program is designed to provide a foundation for research and practice in public health and was developed in accordance with the Russian federal standard for higher professional education in Public Health. It is equivalent to 120 credits, and one credit equals 36 academic hours, including classroom instruction, home assignments, research work, practice, and assessment.
Students can complete the program in two years of full-time study or two and a half years of part-time study. Applicants need a higher education diploma, and all applicants should have good English skills. The program includes fieldwork, pedagogical practice, research practice, and a final semester largely devoted to the master’s thesis. Graduates receive a Russian MPH diploma with Russian and English appendices designed according to the model developed by the European Commission, Council of Europe, and UNESCO/CEPES.
3. St. Petersburg University
St. Petersburg University was founded in 1724 by decree of Peter the Great and is widely described by the university as the oldest university in Russia. Today, it offers programs in many fields, including medicine, science, humanities, law, and international relations.
For students interested in public health at the doctoral level, SPbU currently lists the Aspirantura program “Public Health, Organisation and Sociology of Healthcare” under preventive medicine. The program is listed under direction 3.2.3, is taught in Russian, and is offered full-time over three years.
4. ITMO University
ITMO University traces its history to 1900, when the Mechanical and Optical Department of the Prince Nicholas Vocational School was founded. It was the only institution in the Russian Empire at that time to offer training in mechanics, optics, and watchmaking. Today, ITMO has a broad academic structure that includes schools, faculties, institutes, research centers, and laboratories across fields such as computer technologies, physics and engineering, translational information technologies, and life sciences.
Through its Center for Science Communication, the university curates the Public Health Sciences master’s program. This program integrates health sciences, technology, and research, with topics such as evidence-based health care, data-driven evaluation of interventions for socially significant health problems, epidemiology, biostatistics, qualitative health research, health economics, clinical trials, health technology assessment, and health communication.
The program lasts two years and is worth 120 credits. It is taught in English and Russian. Students take courses across four semesters, including epidemiology, biostatistics, qualitative research in health and medicine, health care economics, research work, communications in medicine and public health, causal inference, global health, bioethics, and principles of evidence-based medicine. The fourth semester is focused on research work and master’s thesis preparation and defense.
These universities can help international students begin or continue their public health studies in Russia. Since program details, admission rules, and tuition fees can change, always check the latest official university page before applying.
We hope this article on the Best Universities for Public Health in Russia was helpful. For more information on how you can study in Europe, check out the Study in Russia and Available Programs for International Students pages.
