What Subjects and Study Areas Does LSHTM Cover?
Updated
LSHTM (lshtm.ac.uk) is a postgraduate institution focused on public and global health. Its stated scope combines research and postgraduate education in public and global health, with related work reaching into medicine, social sciences and arts. If you are looking for undergraduate study or for a general university with a broad subject catalogue, this is not the right match; if you want to specialise at postgraduate level in health-related fields, it is directly relevant.
The Core Focus: Public and Global Health
The site describes LSHTM as "a world leading centre for research and postgraduate education in public and global health." That sentence sets the boundaries of the subject range:
- Public health — population-level health questions rather than individual clinical treatment.
- Global health — health issues framed across countries and regions, which fits the school's London base and international orientation.
These two areas are the organising centre. Other subjects appear in relation to them, not as separate standalone faculties in the way a comprehensive university would present them.
Postgraduate Level Is the Stated Scope
The same description specifies postgraduate education. This matters for matching:
| Your situation | Fit with LSHTM's stated scope |
|---|---|
| Seeking a master's, doctoral or research degree in public/global health | Aligned with the stated postgraduate focus |
| Seeking an undergraduate degree | Not indicated by the available description |
| Seeking clinical training as a doctor or nurse | Not the stated purpose; the focus is public and global health research and postgraduate study |
The available material does not list individual degree programmes, departments, or entry requirements, so check the school's own study pages before relying on any specific course name.
Related Disciplines: Medicine, Social Sciences and Arts
The source description also places LSHTM alongside "Medicine, Social Sciences and Arts." Read this as the surrounding disciplinary context rather than a claim that the school teaches all three as full subject areas. In practice, public and global health work draws on:
- Medicine — clinical and biological understanding of disease.
- Social sciences — how behaviour, economics, policy and society shape health outcomes.
- Arts and humanities — how health is communicated, represented and understood culturally.
For a prospective student, the practical implication is that an interest in health combined with social science or policy questions is a better fit than an interest in laboratory science alone.
How to Decide Whether It Matches Your Interest
Use these checks in order:
- Confirm the level. Are you looking for postgraduate study? If not, the stated scope does not cover you.
- Confirm the subject centre. Is your interest public or global health, or a neighbouring field such as health policy or social determinants of health? If your interest is a different discipline entirely, look elsewhere.
- Check the specific programme. The available description gives the overall focus but no course list. Verify the exact programme, its structure and its entry requirements on lshtm.ac.uk before applying.
Common Pitfalls
- Assuming "Medicine" in the name means a medical degree. The name reflects the school's historical and disciplinary identity; the stated education level is postgraduate and the focus is public and global health.
- Treating "Arts" as a separate arts faculty. It is better read as part of the interdisciplinary mix around health.
- Relying on the summary alone for course details. Programme names, durations and fees are not in the available material; confirm them on the official site.
The short answer: LSHTM covers public and global health at postgraduate level, with medicine, social sciences and arts as related disciplinary ground. Match on level first, then on subject focus, then verify the specific programme on the official site.