Master's Student Hanna Blomdahl Works as a Teaching Assistant at the Department

"I'm really enjoying the programme. The courses are engaging, and the teaching is of a very high standard," says Hanna Blomdahl.

What she appreciates most is the programme's international environment, with students from around the world and from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds. This creates stimulating discussions where students contribute diverse perspectives and experiences.

Hanna also feels that the Master's programme offers a much deeper level of study than the Bachelor's programme.

"I think the Master's programme gives us a much better understanding of complex public health challenges and prepares us more thoroughly for research. Another obvious difference is that all teaching is in English, which also makes the programme much more international."

An Exchange Semester in Glasgow

Hanna completed her Bachelor's degree at Stockholm University and was part of the very first cohort of students in the University's newly launched Bachelor's Programme in Public Health Sciences.

"It was exciting to be part of something new. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I quickly realised that the programme suited me very well."

During her Bachelor's studies, she also spent a semester abroad as an exchange student in Glasgow.

"It was an amazing experience. Glasgow is an incredible city with wonderfully friendly people, and even though I was only there for one semester, I made friendships that I still keep in touch with today."

The academic workload during her exchange turned out to be more demanding than she had expected.

"Studying in English was definitely an adjustment, but it helped me enormously when I started the Master's programme. Both my English and my academic writing improved significantly."

As there were no public health courses that matched her programme at home, she instead studied subjects including social policy and social and economic history.

"Those courses gave me new perspectives on many of the issues we discuss in public health, such as how the Industrial Revolution has influenced population health."

Inspired by the Opportunity to Improve Population Health

For Hanna, choosing Public Health Sciences felt like a natural decision. She has always known that she wanted a career focused on helping people. What attracted her to public health was the opportunity to improve the health of many people at once by working from a population perspective.

"Individual health is important, but it's also incredibly meaningful to contribute to better health for entire communities and populations."

During her Bachelor's programme, she wrote her thesis on antimicrobial resistance together with a fellow student.

"It was a topic that we were both very interested in, and the whole process became a great collaboration between us and our supervisor."

Her next step is her Master's thesis, where she will once again work with the same supervisor—this time as part of a research team focusing on ageing and family caregiving.

"I'm very grateful for that opportunity and really happy to be working with the same supervisor again."

Alongside her studies, Hanna works as a teaching assistant at the Department of Public Health Sciences.

"This summer, I'm supporting three summer courses. I help the teaching staff with administrative tasks and answer students' questions. It's been really interesting to see the department from a different perspective and experience what it is like to work on the teaching side."

Public Health Sciences Opens Many Doors

For anyone considering studying Public Health Sciences, Hanna has some clear advice:

"Even though many people haven't heard much about public health before they start studying it, it's an incredibly broad field. You'll have the opportunity to discover your own areas of interest and shape a profile that suits you. We're also encouraged to think creatively about future careers. It's not just about applying for jobs with the title 'public health specialist'—there are also opportunities as a strategist, coordinator, project manager, and many other roles where public health expertise is highly valuable."

Looking ahead to life after her Master's degree, Hanna sees several exciting possibilities.

"I'm open to many different opportunities. It could be an exciting job, another period abroad, or perhaps a PhD. Right now, all of those options feel inspiring."

Håkan Soold