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London - Health Practice & Policy
$6+ Million in Scholarships & Aid
Academics
Our mission is simple: to provide you with the best study abroad program possible—which includes the highest quality academic and cultural experiences. That is why we partnered with Queen Mary, University of London; and the University of West Indies School of Nursing, Mona.
This program offers unique courses that explore Health and Human Sciences through an in-depth approach. World-class professors at IES Abroad and our partner universities in England and Jamaica will enhance your studies and provide you with new perspectives each day in class, combining the traditions of your home campus with the best of the British university system.
Create your own academic experience by selecting from the following program components. You enroll in 16 credits per semester. Academic programming is scheduled four days a week.
- HL/CB395 Social Welfare Policy in the United Kingdom and Jamaica: A Community-Based Learning Perspective & Practicum; Final portion taught at the University of the West Indies School of Nursing, Mona (required, 6 credits)
- HL300 Comparative Health Care Systems & Policies in Britain, Europe & the United States (required for fall students, 3 credits)
- HL305 Public Health in Europe: Issues & Social Policies (required for spring students, 3 credits)
- An additional Health course taught at the School of Global Health at Queen Mary, University of London (required, 4 credits)
- Study London Program elective course (required, 3 credits)
Courses
These courses are taught at the IES Abroad Center by local faculty.
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
341 - The Architecture Of London: 1600-Present Day | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
AH 341 - The Architecture of London: 1600-Present Day | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
AH/FA 390 - Western Art And The Convergence Of Technique And Philosophy | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
PS/CB/HL 395 - Social Welfare Policy in the United Kingdom and Jamaica: A Community-Based Learning Perspective and Practicum | Fall, Spring | English | 6 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
FS/CM 325 - Censored! What the British Could Not See | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
PO/CM 350 - Media and UK Politics | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
CU/SO 352 - British Youth Culture From 1950 to the Present | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
DR 315 - Theater In London: An Introduction | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
IR/EC 330 - The Economics and Business of Climate Change | Fall | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
SO/ES 360 - Designing the Sustainable City | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
FS/EU 335 - Visiting Europe In Cinema | Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
AH/FA 390 - Western Art And The Convergence Of Technique And Philosophy | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
FI 355 - International Finance | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
FS 345 - Representations of Identity, Nation and Values in British Cinema | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
FS 390 - London Video Film Production Workshop | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
FS/CM 325 - Censored! What the British Could Not See | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
FS/EU 335 - Visiting Europe In Cinema | Spring | English | 3 |
LT/FS 340 - Britain in the 1940s: Film and Literature | Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
HL 300 - Comparative Healthcare Systems and Policies in Great Britain, Europe, and the United States | Fall | English | 3 |
HL 305 - Public Health in Europe: Issues and Social Policies | Spring | English | 3 |
PO/HL 310 - International and European Health and Human Rights | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
PS/CB/HL 395 - Social Welfare Policy in the United Kingdom and Jamaica: A Community-Based Learning Perspective and Practicum | Fall, Spring | English | 6 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
HS 336 - The History of London | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
WS/HS 366 - From Aphra Behn to the 'Blitz:' 300 Years of London Women's Social History | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
IB 340 - Contemporary Business Issues and the EU | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
IR/IB 393 - Leading Across Cultures: Principles and Practice | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
MG/IB 320 - Strategic Management | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
MG/IB 329 - Business Ethics | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
MG/IB 355 - International Marketing Management: Europe | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
IR/EC 330 - The Economics and Business of Climate Change | Fall | English | 3 |
IR/IB 393 - Leading Across Cultures: Principles and Practice | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
LT 312 - Literature and Place | Spring | English | 3 |
LT 322 - Modern British Novel | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
LT 351 - Shakespeare the Dramatist | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
LT/FS 340 - Britain in the 1940s: Film and Literature | Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
MG 302 - Managing Behaviour in Organisations | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
MG/IB 320 - Strategic Management | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
MG/IB 329 - Business Ethics | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
MG/IB 355 - International Marketing Management: Europe | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
PO 325 - An Introduction to European Integration: History, Institutions, and Policies | Spring | English | 3 |
PO/CM 350 - Media and UK Politics | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
PO/HL 310 - International and European Health and Human Rights | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
PS/CB/HL 395 - Social Welfare Policy in the United Kingdom and Jamaica: A Community-Based Learning Perspective and Practicum | Fall, Spring | English | 6 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
CU/SO 352 - British Youth Culture From 1950 to the Present | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
SO/ES 360 - Designing the Sustainable City | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
TH 350 - European Approaches to Text and Theater Performance | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
TH 390 - Playwriting Workshop | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
WS/HS 366 - From Aphra Behn to the 'Blitz:' 300 Years of London Women's Social History | Fall, Spring | English | 3 |
Partner Institution(s)
In addition to our courses, we encourage you to enroll in a course offered at QMUL. This is a great way to experience the British higher education system firsthand and meet British students.
You must meet the university’s specific requirements, including a GPA of 3.0 or above, and, in certain disciplines, prerequisites, and junior or senior standing. See the following for more specific information about each institution.
You may enroll in one supplementary course per semester for no additional cost. If you choose to enroll in more than one supplementary course, there is an additional per-course cost.
University of West Indies School of Nursing, Mona - Jamaica
Located in Kingston, Jamaica, the University of West Indies School of Nursing, Mona offers quality nursing education programs that demonstrate commitment to excellence in health care and nursing practices. As a leading institution of higher education in the Caribbean, the university engages in research and development designed to support the social and economic growth of the local region and to strengthen community health care services.
In the final 10 days of your study abroad term, you participate in a program-related trip to Kingston, Jamaica, hosted by the University of West Indies School of Nursing, Mona. While there, you learn about health care in a developing economy, attend lectures at the University, and finish the Social Welfare Policy in the United Kingdom and Jamaica: A Community-Based Learning Perspective & Practicum course.
The goals of this portion of the program are to:
- Demonstrate the different perspectives, challenges, and needs represented by different patient populations in terms of their interactions with mainstream health care systems.
- Examine the roles of various stakeholders in the delivery of health care.
- Facilitate your engagement with public health at the community level, particularly for socially and economically vulnerable populations.
Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL)
Located in the diverse East End, QMUL maintains its own identity and community, and yet you are never more than a convenient Tube ride to the center of London. As a large institution with more than 25,000 students, QMUL offers an extensive range of challenging academic options. In addition, the college has a long history of internationalism: 30% of the student body comes from outside the United Kingdom, with more than 160 countries represented in the international student population.
Previous courses available to IES Abroad students in the School of Global Health at QMUL have included:
- ICM6076 Governance of Migration, Displacement and Healthcare (4 credits, spring)
- ICM6077 Migrants, Inequality and the Cultural Politics of Health (4 credits, fall)
- ICM6107 Planetary Health and International Health Policy (4 credits, spring)
Level 6 modules are taken by final year degree students in the UK who will have spent the preceding years specialising in the subject area. Therefore, the expectation of seminar discussion, written work, and outside reading undertaken will be high, and there will be a significant time commitment required of students.
Community-Based Learning
Community-based learning is an essential component to the Health Practice & Policy Program. With the goal of contributing to the community being served, placements provide students with an invaluable cultural experience, practical exposure to the demands of community health care and policy, and development of professional and personal skills.
All IES Abroad community-based learning placements are supervised. Placement examples include:
London
- Education
- Mental Health Outreach
- NGO Administration
- Public Health Administration
- Social Outreach
Kingston
- Community Health Clinics
- NGOs
Field Trips & Events
Even though your adventure starts in London, our field trips take you outside the city to discover the culture and traditions of your host country and beyond. These trips are partially subsidized by IES Abroad.
Edinburgh
3 days | Fall & Spring
Take a trip to Scotland’s capital where you’ll learn about the city’s history on a guided walking tour. Visit Edinburgh Castle that overlooks the city from its hilltop location, and take a day trip to a wildlife reserve in the Highlands.
Bath & Stonehenge
2 days | Fall & Spring
Visit mysterious Stonehenge and the ancient Roman baths in Bath. Marvel at the collection of world-class couture at the Fashion Museum, and explore the Jane Austen Centre.
Brighton
1 day | Fall & Spring
Explore the historic maze of twisting alleyways and enjoy a visit to the Royal Pavilion, one of Europe’s most exotic palaces.
Cambridge
1 day | Fall & Spring
Visit this historic university town, with its picturesque colleges and punt in a gondola on the river.
Liverpool
1 day | Fall & Spring
Spend a Saturday experiencing Liverpool. Enjoy a guided tour around the city, including a visit to the Beatles Museum.
Stratford-Upon-Avon
1 day | Fall & Spring
Visit Shakespeare’s house, which was the place of his birth, and Holy Trinity Church, where he is buried.
IES Abroad field trip destinations, activities, and length of stay may vary according to term and availability.
Course-Related Trips
This program also includes one course-related trip per semester that allows you to better understand first-hand the community health care challenges in a developing economy. Course-related trips are required, integral academic components of this program. The cost of the course-related trips is included in the IES Abroad program fee.
Jamaica
10 days | Fall & Spring
A 10-day trip to Kingston, Jamaica, complements your courses and helps you better understand the local health care challenges in a developing economy through lectures, discussions, and community-based learning at community health clinics. Hosted by the University of the West Indies School of Nursing, Mona, the trip addresses multidisciplinary topics, including the response of the nursing profession in Jamaica to global health challenges, current research on regional health care needs, and local public-private partnerships.
In addition to the required course-related trip to Kingston, IES Abroad London organizes course-related trips that complement IES Abroad courses and contribute to a general knowledge of British culture and society.
Past course-related trips include:
- Performances at London’s West End Fringe and Royal Shakespeare theaters
- Architectural walking tours
- Exploration of London’s East End
IES Abroad Course-Related trip destinations, activities, and length of stay may vary according to term and availability.
Daily Life
Part of making you feel at home in England and Jamaica is doing our best to help you feel safe and cared for. Whether it is an orientation that makes you feel prepared, housing that is well-located and comfortable, or the field trips that take you to places off the beaten path—we’re all about our student services.
Orientation
Our Comprehensive Orientation & Re-Entry Experience (CORE™) begins at home with our virtual orientation to help you prepare for your IES Abroad experience. Our orientation introduces you to the IES Abroad London staff, your fellow students, and the city of London. Orientation continues through the semester with activities focusing on academic and cultural adjustment. Detailed information about housing, public transportation, culture, health and safety, and other important topics are also covered.
Other highlights include a guided bus or walking tour and a welcome reception with faculty and staff. You also learn about the teaching methods of British professors and the educational format of the Health Practice & Policy Program, including academic policies and field trips. You have additional orientation sessions on enrollment at City, University of London or Queen Mary, University of London, and at the University of the West Indies School of Nursing, Mona, in Kingston, Jamaica.
Housing
Residence Hall - You will share a flat with five other IES Abroad students in a residence hall. Your room is single occupancy with a bed, desk, storage, and bathroom. There is a shared kitchen available to you and your flat mates. Washing machines and dryers are available. No meals are provided for this housing option.
IES Abroad Housing may vary according to term and availability.
Extracurricular Activities & Cultural Events
Take advantage of the cultural events we organize in London, such as:
- Organized walks and activities introducing various London neighborhoods
- Outings to London’s diverse markets
- World-class performances at London’s many entertainment venues
Get to Know Your New City
Explore Neighborhoods
The best way to get a feel for this culturally-vibrant metropolis is to visit some of its 48 distinct neighborhoods.
Walk Along the Thames
Snap an obligatory photo from the Westminster Bridge as you begin your stroll along the Southbank.
Tour the Tower of London
Set along the River Thames, this imposing castle has been a part of the London skyline since 1078.
Unwind in Parks & Gardens
From small garden squares to sprawling grounds with herds of deer, you are always close to a green space in London. Whenever you need a break from the craziness of the city, relax and recharge in one of the city’s many parks.
Take the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter
Make the short trek to Leavesden to pay homage to J.K. Rowling and discover the magic of all things Harry Potter.
Program Cost
Consider these prices as a starting point. We encourage you to contact your study abroad office to determine the actual cost to you when factoring in financial aid, scholarships, your home school policies, and other factors.
Scholarships & Aid
Featured Scholarships
Robert McNeill Need-Based International Business Scholarship
This scholarship is named in honor of Robert McNeill, member of the IES Abroad Board of Directors for 25 years (6 years as Chairman). Open to students who have an interest in international business. Majors might include management, marketing, economics, finance, international relations, and social and behavioral sciences.
Edward Mowatt Endowed Scholarship
These scholarships are for students on IES Abroad London semester and year programs.
Use our budget worksheet to calculate your costs
$6+ Million in Scholarships & Aid
Our Center
The IES Abroad London Center is an 18th-century Georgian building located in the central London neighborhood of Bloomsbury and a two-minute walk from the British Museum.
Our Center is your connection point for all things IES Abroad.
- Take your IES Abroad courses in the Center’s classrooms
- Meet with staff in their offices
- Study in the library
- Bring your lunch to eat on the outdoor patio
- Meet up with friends in the student lounge
- Other features include: WiFi, printing facilities, and gender-neutral bathrooms.
The IES Abroad London Center is recognized by The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) for meeting or exceeding UK expectations as a quality higher education provider. Learn more about our recent QAA reports.
Our Staff

John Ockey
Center Director
John brings over 15 years of experience with IES Abroad, including seven years with IES Abroad Milan and nearly three years with IES Abroad Siena before coming to IES Abroad London. Here, he oversees all programs in London and Oxford. During his time in Siena, John developed and implemented a banner program with a strong focus on cultural immersion and academic rigor. In Milan, he played a key role in improving and developing the Milan program, notably in the areas of student housing, student activities, orientation, and supervision of the student services staff. Prior to working for IES Abroad, John received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Italian Literature and Art History from Brigham Young University and worked in Geneva for the United Nations.
IES Abroad London Staff
Angela Ellermeier
Associate Director & Dean of Faculty
Zosia Rutkowska
Assistant Director and Head of Customized Programs
Martin Hannan
Head of Operations
Rohima Ahmed
Academic Manager
Rebekah Simon
Academic Coordinator
Beth Lehlbach
Head of Internships
Jacci Linn
Internships Manager
Rhys Dunlop
Internships Coordinator
Nicoletta Pazzaglia
Student Affairs & Wellness Manager
Joshua Trowbridge
Student Affairs and Customized Programs Manager (Housing)
Adam Harrison
Senior Customized Programs Coordinator
Health & Safety
With 70 years of experience, we are proud to set the standard for health and safety in study abroad. Our Chicago-based and on-site staff are all highly trained and experienced in the matters of health, safety, and crisis management. We are here for you from predeparture to your return, and are ready to support you—no matter what time zone you’re in.
In response to COVID-19, enhanced safety guidelines will be implemented this year—such as social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) in on-site classes, in-country field trips and travel only, and apartment or residence hall housing (no homestays) that ensures proper space should self-quarantining be necessary.
How We Support You
We plan for "what if" so that you don't have to. From international health insurance included in the cost of your program to highly-trained local staff who can connect you to English-speaking healthcare providers, we are working around the clock to ensure your health and safety while abroad.
Learn more about the support you can expect to receive on our programs, including:
- International health insurance through CISI in the case you need to see a doctor or mental health professional
- 24/7 emergency support whether you encounter an issue while traveling or in your host city
- Location-specific health and safety information presented at orienation by on-site staff
- TripTracker system allowing you to share independent travel plans in case you need to be contacted swiftly in a crisis
- A mandatory cell phone policy so that you can be contacted locally and receive any emergency updates via call or text
- Crisis drills so that you feel prepared to respond to an emergency should one arise
- And more!
Health & Safety Resources
You safety begins with being accurately informed from the moment you're considering study abroad through to the day you return home.
Take note of ways you can maintain your health and stay safe abroad while reviewing our resources, including:
- IES Abroad MAP for Student Health, Safety & Crisis Management
- Study Abroad Safety Tips for Traveling
- IES Abroad Student Blogs on Safety and Mental Health
- And more!