Overview 2024
This course may not be available to international students. Please see the list of distance courses (i.e. online and taken outside Australia) that are offered to international students
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For years prior to 2015, please view the Course and Unit Handbook Archive
View the current year's course page
This course is no longer accepting applications.
The Bachelor of Ageing and Dementia Studies (M3V) covers contemporary issues relating to aged care and dementia in an ageing Australia. A specialised, comprehensive and evidence-based degree, assisting students in developing their analytical and translational skills.
This degree focuses on the interdisciplinary nature of ageing and aged care, as well as dementia. You will develop skills to work collaboratively with others and disseminate understanding of ageing and aged care, particularly person-centred care, to your teams and work environments. You will develop skills in navigating the trajectory of aged care needs across complex health and social systems within Australia, as well as learn about evidence translation, policy, quality and governance. The degree is only available in Australia and is offered primarily online, with options for intensive on-campus skill-building workshops. You will graduate with a deep understanding of the aged care system in Australia and the impacts of conditions associated with ageing across diverse groups in the community.
Learning Outcomes
Career outcomes
Allows you to provide guidance and leadership within your work environment and when advising families and carers. Ability to assist older adults and their families to be effective consumers in navigating the complexity of the Australian aged care system.
With an ageing population and more focus on healthy ageing within communities – this degree will give you the skills to develop age-friendly communities/positive ageing initiatives alongside health and medical based models.
You will develop skills to work collaboratively with colleagues and disseminate understanding of ageing and aged care, particularly person-centred care, to their teams and work environments.
Course structure
Year 1
Foundation Units
This unit provides an overview of the journey through dementia from the perspective of people with dementia and those who provide care and support to them. Students will learn about ways to identify and respond to needs that arise on…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
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Online | Semester 1 |
View all details for CAD104 Principles of Supportive Care for People With Dementia
In this unit you will examine demographic trends in the ageing population along with social and cultural determinants of health and how these factors continue to shape the needs of older people in society. You will investigate how these needs…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 1 |
View all details for CAD115 Health Services for an Ageing Population
Dementia Care
This introductory unit will explore the physical and cognitive changes that occur during the ageing process, and age-related pathological changes that can lead to diseases that cause dementia. This unit will introduce fundamental neuroscience concepts in the healthy adult, ageing…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 1 | ||||
Online | Spring school (extended) |
View all details for CAD101 Introduction to Ageing, the Brain and Dementia
In this unit you will gain knowledge of modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for dementia, and of contemporary strategies to dementia therapies. You will be introduced to varied approaches to supporting quality of life for people with dementia, including community-based…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 2 |
View all details for CAD116 Introduction to Therapeutic Approaches for Dementia
Ageing and Aged Care
This unit examines how ageing is a social construct. You will examine how ageing and older age are influenced by factors other than biological ageing alone, from global and local perspectives. You will examine and critique social attitudes towards ageing,…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 1 |
This unit will explore how biological processes lead to diseases and ill-health, as well as dying and death. Chronic illness will be a particular focus of this unit, with students exploring some of the chronic illnesses and associated risk factors…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 2 |
Specified Electives 100 level
This unit addresses the importance of communicating effectively and positively with people who have cognitive impairment and/or a diagnosis of dementia, and with those who provide support and care. You will learn about how the changes associated with dementia affect…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 1 |
View all details for CAD117 Effective Communication for Dementia Care
Practical interventions employing arts-based activities, including music, theatre, dance and visual arts, are increasingly being employed nationally and internationally to improve mood and well-being, physical activity and cognitive processing for people with dementia. Arts-based programs have also been shown to…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 1 |
This unit will provide an introduction to existing evidence-based research on the benefits of engagement with the arts, through the lifespan and strategies employing creativity to support better ageing and mitigate risk factors for dementia. The unit offers opportunities for…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 2 | ||||
Online | Spring school (extended) |
Specified Breadth Units - 100 level
Ever thought of yourself as one in a million?Universities Australia notes that in 2017 Australia has more than one million students enrolled in Universities across the country. That is more than one million potential graduates entering the workforce over the…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR110 Discover your potential: Leadership, Service and Employability
Year 2
Core units
This unit uses research into the biological basis of dementia to explore the specific pathology of the more common diseases causing, or associated with, dementia. Students will learn the relationship between the development of pathology in the nervous system and…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 1 |
This unit provides an overview of contemporary palliative care principles. You will learn about the underpinnings of palliative care practices, with a particular focus on such practices for people with dementia and the people close to them. A core consideration…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 2 |
Dementia Care
This intermediate unit will examine pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to symptom minimisation and care for people living with dementia. Students will be required to complete tasks translating knowledge into practice and demonstrate understanding of the underlying evidence for the treatment…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 2 |
View all details for CAD202 Therapeutic Approaches for Dementia
This unit builds on first year knowledge on the national and international frameworks underpinning the delivery of aged and dementia care services, policies and models. By critically engaging with the evidence bases supporting policy, you will learn to critique contemporary…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 2 |
View all details for CAD208 Dementia Policy and Care Coordination
Ageing and Aged Care
This unit will provide a critical examination of the state and complexity of the Australian health and social care system as it relates to older adults. You will become adept at accessing online and other resources provided to support aged…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 2 |
This unit will examine key concepts around mental health and wellbeing of older adults. You will examine how different mental health conditions and adjustment concerns impact older adults. The unit will explore attitudes and stereotypes around mental health and wellbeing…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 2 |
View all details for CAD210 Mental Health and Wellbeing in Older Adults
Specified Electives - 200 level
This intermediate unit highlights the importance of adequate nutrition and hydration for people with dementia and the swallowing problems (dysphagia) that can be a factor in malnutrition and dehydration resulting in declining health, repeated hospitalisations, and decreased quality of life.…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 1 |
View all details for CAD205 Nutrition, Dysphagia and Dementia
In this unit, you will learn about the factors that influence dementia risk and explore current evidence around dementia prevention. The principles and strategies surrounding health promotion will also be explored, and you will apply your dementia prevention knowledge to…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 1 |
View all details for CAD207 Individual and Community Approaches to Dementia Prevention
Specified Breadth Units - 200 level
This unit introduces students to the world of social research. It answers questions about how to produce knowledge through empirical research, and discusses the methods used to solve practical problems. The unit covers a wide range of social research methodologies and approaches,…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR212 Interdisciplinary Social Research
Year 3
Dementia Care
This unit will identify and examine some of the principal qualitative methods used in dementia care and aged care research. Students will gain a critical awareness of the nature of qualitative evidence and its role in informing quality care for…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 1 |
View all details for CAD305 Qualitative Research in Aged and Dementia Care
This unit will present a range of advanced topics related to international best practice in dementia care. This year, Advanced Topics in Dementia Care focuses on understanding and addressing the issues faced by people with dementia in seldom-heard groups. We…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 1 |
View all details for CAD306 Advanced Topics in Dementia Care
The provision of dementia care is shaped by overarching policy at the local, national and international level. This advanced level unit will explore the concept of policy, and the issues that influence the translation of evidence into policy and offer…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 2 |
View all details for CAD307 Translating Evidence into Dementia Care
Dementia friendly societies are designed to support people to live well with dementia through a range of integrated social, environmental and physical strategies. This advanced level unit explores the challenges of building dementia friendly societies with, and for people living…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online | Semester 2 |
Ageing and Aged Care
This unit will encourage you to consider and develop your own approach to leadership so that you can more effectively engage with older adults and other professionals in supporting quality ageing and aged care. The unit will examine and critique…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Entry requirements
For Domestic students
Secondary: Minimum ATAR of 65 TAFE: AQF Cert III qualification or above Tertiary: UTAS General Entry Requirements Competence: Supporting Statement/Personal Competency Statement in which applicants overtly address the link between the degree and applicants suitability/desire to undertake the course. This could include information such as one or more of, but is not limited to, the following: · 1. Completion of the Understanding Dementia MOOC · 2. Completion of the Preventing Dementia MOOC · 3. Being a family/friend/carer of someone living with dementia · 4. Caring for someone living with dementia through paid employment or through a voluntary role · 5. Having a prior qualification in a health-related field (minimum University diploma level)
Credit transfer
Students who have enrolled in the Dementia Care Degree program may seek to transfer from the Bachelor of Dementia Care to Bachelor of Ageing and Dementia Studies, and will receive credit for the Dementia Care major and core degree units, as appropriate and up to a maximum of two thirds of the coursework requirements of the Bachelor of Ageing and Dementia Studies. Students who have completed the Diploma or Associate Degree of Dementia Care may also apply for credit for the Dementia Care major.
Articulation
Students with partial completion of the Bachelor of Dementia Care, or graduates of the Diploma or Associate Degree in Dementia Care, may transfer into the Bachelor of Ageing and Dementia Care, with full credit for any completed units that form part of the Bachelor of Ageing and Dementia Studies. Students with partial completion of the Bachelor of Ageing and Dementia Studies (8 units or more) may be offered the Diploma of Dementia Care, where the completed study aligns to the Diploma’s schedule requirements and/or the Diploma Course learning outcomes, or may be offered a pathway into the Diploma of Dementia Care (M1D) with minimal further study for completion of the Diploma of Dementia Care.
Detailed Admissions Information
Detailed admissions information and advice for all undergraduate courses, including comprehensive, course-level student profiles, is available from UTAS Admissions.
Fees & scholarships
Domestic students
This is a full-fee course, which means you’ll need to pay the full amount for your studies. Commonwealth Supported Places are not available in this course. However, there are still support options available for eligible students to help you manage the cost of studying this course.
You may be able to fund all or part of your tuition fees by accessing a FEE-HELP loan from the Australian Government. FEE-HELP is a loan scheme that assists domestic full-fee students to pay for University, which is repaid through the Australian Tax System once you earn above a repayment threshold. This means you’ll only have to start repaying the loan once you start earning above a specific amount
Our scholarships and prizes program also offers more than 400 scholarships across all areas of study. You can even apply for multiple scholarships in one easy application.
Further informationDetailed fee information for domestic students is available at Scholarships, fees and costs, including additional information in relation to the compulsory Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
Scholarships
For information on general scholarships available at the University of Tasmania, please visit the scholarships website.
How can we help?
Do you have any questions about choosing a course or applying? Get in touch.
- Domestic
- 13 8827 (13 UTAS)
- International
- +61 3 6226 6200
- Course.Info@utas.edu.au
- Online
- Online enquiries