Overview 2021
This course may not be available to international students. Please see the International Online Course Guide (PDF 809KB) for courses that are offered to international students
The public health graduate program has been developed in close collaboration with industry. This ensures that teaching is linked closely into current policy and practice and builds on the networks that are essential to effective public health practice. This program is relevant to those who work within public health as well as those wanting to move into the field of public health. The Master of Public Health comprises coursework and research and involves specialisation into one of four streams which are Epidemiology, Environment, Disease and Food, Health Services and Remote and Polar Health.
The course is able to be completed entirely via distance study methods but can be supported with optional mixed method delivery in some components of study at Hobart, Launceston, Burnie and Roselle campuses particularly through short course intensives.
Course objectives
- To provide specialist education in public health, which comprises a core set of skills and competencies and is supplemented by an option of more specialised areas of interest, which may include epidemiological, environmental, health services, and remote and polar.
- To provide specialist education in the six areas of practice outlined in the Foundation Competencies for Master of Public Health Graduates in Australia. They are: health monitoring and surveillance, disease prevention and control, health protection, health promotion, health policy planning and management and evidence based professional population health practice.
- To support the student to develop as a reflective practitioner of public health who is able to engage objectively with public health issues either as individually or as a group member.
- To facilitate a student-centered approach designed to encourage a breadth of knowledge, depth of understanding, application of skills, synthesis of approaches and originality of ideas within the discipline of public health.
- To challenge traditional concepts of health and encourage the student to think broadly and laterally about the social, economic, cultural and environmental determinants of health and inequalities and inequities in health at a population level.
- To encourage students to appreciate the complexities of health at a population level and to draw on a broad knowledge and understanding when developing or contributing to health policy or strategy. To emphasise that improvements in health occur through effective partnership with communities, government, industry, education, health professionals and non-government organisations and highlight the importance and value of a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to health improvement.
- To encourage an understanding of the fundamental importance of ethics in public health practice.
Career outcomes
The Masters of Public Health will strengthen the careers of health professionals in the discipline ofpublic health and offer other graduates the opportunity to pursue a career in public health.
Course structure
Year 1
This unit introduces the scope of public health practice in the 21st century and the social, political and economic context within which public health practitioners operate. The unit combines theoretical and practical material to assist students to understand the social…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit explores the principles, theories and practice of epidemiology. Students are provided with a comprehensive introduction to the collection and interpretation of epidemiological data within the framework of health, health care delivery and human services. The unit content covers…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Systems thinking is an approach to public health that allows us to understand and manage complex problems. The purpose of this unit is to introduce key systems thinking concepts and practical methods to address complexity to improve the health of…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
View all details for CAM530 Systems Thinking in Public Health
Globally, health systems are tasked with responding to contemporary challenges and the related disease burden and health needs of their population. This unit takes a systems approach to examine how health systems are designed, the key components, who pays, and…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
Evaluation is a core function of public health and health system leadership. It provides evidence to improve the design, delivery, reach and impact of health interventions in the many different contexts of the health system. This unit developsstudent competencies in…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
This unit provides an introduction to the Healthcare in Remote and Extreme Environments. It starts by considering the characteristics of different types of remote populations and remote medical practice, the understanding of which is vital to providing appropriate health care.…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
View all details for CAM503 Operational Aspects of Healthcare in Remote and Extreme Environments
Year 2
The aims of this unit are: to introduce fundamental concepts of biostatistics and provide a background in descriptive and analytical methods that are used to estimate association between variables. This unit covers statistical theory, data entry and manipulation methods, data…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Epidemiology
This unit builds upon the courses CAM528 Introduction to Epidemiology and CAM625 Introduction to Biostatistics. You will consolidate and expand your knowledge on epidemiology and will learn biostatistics in an applied manner. The goal is to introduce you to the…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for CAM627 Extended Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Life course epidemiology explores the long term influences on health of exposures occurring earlier in life, for example during gestation, infancy, childhood or earlier in adulthood. This unit explores the principles, theories and practice of this important field of epidemiology,…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Evaluation is a core function of public health and health system leadership. It provides evidence to improve the design, delivery, reach and impact of health interventions in the many different contexts of the health system. This unit developsstudent competencies in…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
This unit aims to provide participants with a basic understanding of health economics, its value and limitations. It will familiarise participants with the application of economic theory to health and health care issues, and review and analyse policy and practice…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Health Services
This unit provides a framework for effective leadership and supervision: supervision in context, direct supervision, constructive feedback, structure and content of meetings, dimensions of supervision, quality of the supervisory relationship and training for supervisors.On completion participants should have a better…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for CAM521 Supervision & Leadership, Theory, Process & Practice
This unit provides a framework for understanding the links between knowledge and practice. It is about considering the when, why and, importantly, how of translational research in practice. It is also designed to encourage the development of the capacity of…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for CAM538 Translational Research and Health Service Innovation
This unit provides health and human service professionals with the opportunity to critically analyse a range of contemporary leadership frameworks and theories. There is a focus on the exploration and practical application of theories and techniques to improve understanding of…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for CAM539 Leadership in Health and Human Services
Evaluation is a core function of public health and health system leadership. It provides evidence to improve the design, delivery, reach and impact of health interventions in the many different contexts of the health system. This unit developsstudent competencies in…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
This unit aims to provide participants with a basic understanding of health economics, its value and limitations. It will familiarise participants with the application of economic theory to health and health care issues, and review and analyse policy and practice…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This Unit explores the nature of change within the broader environmental and organisational context. It will include exploration of current theories and research around issues relating to leading and managing as well as diffusion of innovation.Strategies for successful implementation of…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for CAM722 Leading and Managing Change in Health and Human Services
Environment and Food
Evaluation is a core function of public health and health system leadership. It provides evidence to improve the design, delivery, reach and impact of health interventions in the many different contexts of the health system. This unit developsstudent competencies in…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
This unit aims to provide participants with a basic understanding of health economics, its value and limitations. It will familiarise participants with the application of economic theory to health and health care issues, and review and analyse policy and practice…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit will provide a broad understanding of current environmental health concepts. Students undertaking this course will gain insight into how our health is influenced by our environments and ecology, and the likely impacts of climate change and benefits of…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Traditional approaches to food safety assurance are failing to keep up with the modern food industry. In response, and to harmonise international trade in food, food safety management is moving to a "risk-based approach that relies strongly on synthesis of…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
Communicable Disease Epidemiology will explore communicable diseases of humans from an epidemiological perspective. It will provide an introductory overview of the basic biological knowledge needed to understand the interactions within and between populations of microbes, human and other animals. Students…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for CAM626 Communicable disease epidemiology
Remote and Polar Medicine
This unit is concerned with the practice of health-care in extreme environments. It starts with generic considerations before moving on to examine the following extreme environments in detail: cold, high altitude, desert, maritime, underwater, aviation, and space. The challenges of…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
View all details for CAM619 Medicine in Extreme Environments
Explores the changes occurring in the structure and delivery of health services as a result of technologies such as the Internet and telehealth. The unit considers the impact of such technology on consumers, communities, health professionals and health services.…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
Extreme environments are so named due to the unique challenges they pose to human performance. In this online unit you will learn about the factors that characterise an environment as extreme, and how living and/or working in an extreme environment…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
View all details for KHB701 Human Behaviour in Extreme Environments
Remote and Extreme Environment Health-care practice requires health care providers to have an extended skill set and perform various tasks that are conventionally performed by other health care professionals. This unit provides a framework for learning and assessment in the…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
View all details for CAM630 Practical Skills for Remote Health Care
This unit is an intensive, residential course providing practical skills development to support on-line units offered in the Healthcare in Remote and Extreme Environment courses. The unit commences with a focus on basic knowledge and skills in the following domains:…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
Entry requirements
Eligibility
Standard Entry requires an undergraduate degree from an Australian higher education institution or the equivalent standard in any other institution. This includes a process to assess the equivalency of qualifications received from overseas institutions as approved by the Course Coordinator.
Alternative Entry
Where standard entry is not able to be met the following criteria for alternative entry will be considered by the relevant Course Coordinator -
- Five years of relevant work experience (Specific occupations, workplace settings and industries are more relevant for specific courses and will receive greater weighting in consideration) demonstrating the relevance of the course;
- A record of high achievement in any other qualifications or uncompleted undergraduate qualifications such as Distinction average; and
- An assessment of the prospective student's capacity to successfully undertake postgraduate study including reading, writing, analysis and research.
Applicants may be required to undertake an interview with the relevant Course Coordinator in person or via phone call or Skype.
Outcomes from the assessment may include:
- Rejection of application due to failure to demonstrate compliance with criteria.
- Standard Admission to course.
- Provisional Admission to course with specified requirements ( pathways and additional support)
- Delayed Admission to course subject to completion of UTAS student preparation program or other prescribed activities.
If you've previously undertaken study overseas, please review our list of equivalent qualifications.
Please note: international students should refer to the General Admission Requirements page for information regarding entry requirements.
Articulation from
Graduate Certificate in Public Health
Articulation to
Master of Public Health
Fees & scholarships
Domestic students
Domestic students enrolled in a full fee paying place are charged the Student Services and Amenities Fee but this fee is incorporated in the fees you pay for each unit you enrol in. Full fee paying domestic students do not have to make any additional SSAF payments.
Detailed tuition fee information for domestic students is available at the Domestic Student Fees website, including additional information in relation to a compulsory Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
International students
2021 Total Course Fee (international students): $0 AUD*.
Course cost based on a rate of $28,450 AUD per standard, full-time year of study (100 credit points).
* Please note that this is an indicative fee only.
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
- 1300 363 864
- International
- +61 3 6226 6200
- Course.Info@utas.edu.au
- Online
- Online enquiries