Studies & Degrees in Woman and Child Health
Woman and child health, often called maternal and child health, covers the health of women, especially around pregnancy and birth, and the health of newborns, children and adolescents. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines maternal health as the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. Child health adds growth, nutrition, vaccination and the treatment of childhood illness.
It is not one degree but a field shared by several professions: midwives, nurses, obstetricians and gynaecologists, paediatricians and public health specialists. Students learn the physiology of pregnancy and birth, care of the newborn, child development, the main complications and emergencies, family planning and how health services reach mothers and children. Clinical placements take up a large part of every professional route.
The need is well documented. According to WHO, about 260 000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2023, and just over 90% of maternal deaths occurred in low- and lower-middle-income countries. In 2024 an estimated 4.9 million children under 5 died worldwide; deaths in the first 28 days of life accounted for 47% of them.
Qualifications and levels
The route depends on the profession and on the country, and all of the clinical titles are regulated.
- Midwifery: in the United Kingdom, midwifery courses usually take a minimum of three years, with half of the programme in clinical practice, and all midwives must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). A registered adult nurse can take a shortened course of 18 months. In Spain a midwife (matrona) is a nurse who completes the two-year specialty of Enfermería Obstétrico-Ginecológica after the nursing degree. In the United States, nurse midwives typically need at least a master's degree in advanced practice nursing.
- Children's nursing: in Spain, Enfermería Pediátrica is a two-year nursing specialty taken after the nursing degree.
- Medicine: obstetricians, gynaecologists and paediatricians are doctors who specialise after a medical degree. In the United Kingdom, a doctor completes a two-year foundation programme after medical school, and specialty training in obstetrics and gynaecology then takes a minimum of seven years, according to NHS Health Careers.
- Public health: master's degrees in maternal and child health, women's health or global health are open to graduates in health sciences and related fields. They prepare for programme management, policy and research rather than clinical practice.
Where to study it
SpainExchange lists three active schools under this subject, in three countries: University College London in the United Kingdom, Rostov State Medical University, a state medical university in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, and Richmond Vale Academy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. They are very different. The first two are universities with medical and health programmes. Richmond Vale Academy is a non-profit training institution that takes volunteers on 6-month and 10-month programmes centred on climate and community work; it does not award clinical qualifications.
Because the list is short, most students will also look at nursing, midwifery and medicine programmes in the country where they want to work. That matters, because recognition of these qualifications is national: check with the regulator (for example the NMC in the United Kingdom) whether a degree obtained abroad allows registration, before enrolling.
Careers
Graduates work as midwives, children's nurses, obstetricians, gynaecologists, paediatricians, neonatal specialists, lactation and family-planning advisers, and as public health officers in ministries, NGOs and international organisations.
WHO stresses that care by skilled health professionals before, during and after childbirth saves the lives of women and newborns. In most high-income and upper-middle-income countries about 99% of births are attended by a trained midwife, doctor or nurse, against 73% in low-income countries. In the United States there were 8,200 nurse midwives in 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which projects employment in the combined group of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners to grow 36 percent from 2025 to 2035.
Frequently asked questions
Is woman and child health a degree in itself?
Usually not at undergraduate level. It is a field entered through midwifery, nursing or medicine, or through a master's degree in maternal and child health or public health.
How long does it take to become a midwife?
In the United Kingdom, courses usually take a minimum of three years. In Spain it is a two-year specialty after the nursing degree. In the United States nurse midwives typically need at least a master's degree.
How long does it take to become an obstetrician and gynaecologist?
In the United Kingdom, after medical school there is a two-year foundation programme, followed by specialty training of at least seven years.
Can I work in this field without a clinical degree?
Yes, in public health, programme management, research and education, typically with a master's degree. Clinical care of mothers and children requires a regulated qualification.