Field trip to India – University of Copenhagen

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Master of International Health > Field trip to India


Producer: Heshani Sothiraj Eddleston / Production house: Nextwave Multimedia

Field trip to India

As a part of the Master of International Health programme at the University of Copenhagen, students spend 4½ weeks, at the end of their first semester, in Southern India, where they get a unique chance to apply research methods in the field and sample a new culture and healthcare system.

This experience is made possible due to a time-honoured partnership between University of Copenhagen and the Christian Medical College, Vellore.


CMC Vellore 

The Christian Medical College, Vellore, commonly called the CMC, was founded over 100 years ago and is one of the largest and most highly acclaimed educational medical institutions in India.

Created initially as a one-bed clinic, today the university and hospital has over 60 departments, facilities to accommodate over 3000 inpatients, and supports primary health care for over 300,000 people in local communities. The Christian Medical College continues to maintain the ethos of the founder: to raise awareness of disease prevention and healthcare in rural communities.

In the field

During their stay in India the Master of International Health students live at the CMC Vellore campus, where they also receive training and teaching from local specialists, and follow the health care workers from CMC Vellore to nearby villages and learn how primary health is practiced in rural areas of southern India.


Although a wide range of issues are dealt with during the field trip, emphasis is placed on the analysis of significant health problems in the low-income communities, such as reproductive health, prevention and management of diabetes, tuberculosis, nutrition and urbanisation, health care financing, environmental health, healthcare for the elderly, mental health, traffic injuries and child health.

Getting results with few resources

One of the big challenges in working with disadvantaged communities is getting results with few resources - financial and otherwise. However, a key lesson that students take back with them is that significant achievements can be made using available local expertise and resources.


The experience of studying in Vellore gives the Master of International Health students a chance to reflect on their work and to identify areas of interest for future work and study. It also helps build a network of colleagues from all over the world.

After the 4½ weeks in Vellore, the students return to Copenhagen, where they, during the spring semester, can specialize in an area of international health relevant to their interests and career.

Further information