Master of Public Health

This 12-unit course provides students with the full range of quantitative, analytical and communication skills necessary to work in the broad domain of public health. It especially focuses on developing skills in the quantitative methods of the population-based health sciences and their problem-solving application for primary care provision both in Australia and for developing countries. Health specialisation streams are offered in clinical epidemiology, clinical research, health economics, health services management, international health, occupational and environmental health and research. The program is offered in collaboration with Deakin, La Trobe and Melbourne universities as part of the Victorian Consortium for Public Health. The Master of Public Health, offered by the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine provides the full range of quantitative, analytical and communication skills necessary to work in the broad domain of public health. It also provides skills in the quantitative methods of the population-based health sciences and their problem-solving application for primary care provision within Australia and developing countries. Health specialisation streams are offered in clinical research methods, , health economics, health promotion, health services management, international health, occupational and environmental health and research. This course is flexible by design with units taught oncampus, online or block mode and allows students to modify their specialisation during their course
Minimum entrance requirements Applicants must have an undergraduate degree in an appropriate discipline and relevant professional experience. The department will individually consider applications from students without a degree who have extensive professional experience. Special application requirements Relevant Work Experience (CV) Statement of purpose (250 words) outling reasons for undertaking course, and area's of interest Academic transcripts must be provided before an application can be assessed.
On completion of this course students should be able to: •critically appraise quantitative papers published in the epidemiological and public health literature •demonstrate an understanding of the historical, social, political and industrial relations context of public health within Australian society •demonstrate an understanding of the health care system in Australia •assess the influence of environmental factors on health and effectively communicate the risks to health of such factors •develop public health policy, health promotion and planning strategies to reduce the impact of health problems within the community, and conduct an economic evaluation of these programs. Graduates may move into careers in a diverse range of areas within the health sector. These may include: professional practice; research; public health management; management positions within health care facilities; international positions with aid organisations or within developing countries. This degree is recognised as a public health qualification in a number of professional fields. It fulfills the academic coursework requirements of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine.