Overview 2021
Location
Full Fee Paying places available
Location
- What is an ATAR
- CRICOS: 091987J
The Doctor of Health fosters excellence in health professional practice by developing the capacity of individuals to conduct research within their professional contexts. It encourages close cooperation across the university/industry/professional interface and provides a framework for the integration of professional expertise and scholarly inquiry.
The course normally takes up to four years of full-time equivalent (EFT)* study and consists of coursework (30%) and research (70%) components. The research component of circa 60-80,000 words in English, can be presented as either a traditional thesis or a portfolio of published papers and a substantial integrated overview of the research.
This award is independently assessed by a minimum of two examiners external to the University on the successful completion of the dissertation or portfolio of published papers and coursework components.
The campus of study will vary depending on the location of the candidate, the supervisor and the research field.
The research topic will reflect the interests of the candidate, their workplace and the expertise of their supervisors. To find an expert in your field of interest, see the Web Access Research Portal (WARP) site.
To apply, refer to Research Degrees | How to Apply.
* A full time workload refers to a loading of 1.0, or an equivalent part time loading of 0.5
Course objectives
The Doctor of Health will provide experienced health professionals with the opportunity to make a significant contribution to knowledge and practice in their professional context and may formalise workplace-based research and development. Its interdisciplinary nature and opportunity for inter-professional research provides a framework for the integration of professional expertise and scholarly enquiry.
The course aims to develop the research competencies of candidates by equipping them with the ability to evaluate different conceptual approaches to health related issues in the context of their own experience and workplace. The emphasis is on applied and translational research and associated organisational change, the contribution to knowledge, and dissemination of research findings through publication.
Candidates will acquire advanced specialist research training and provide evidence for independent thought and critical analysis, effective communication and expert knowledge of the discipline within a broader framework of knowledge in the international context.
At the University of Tasmania candidates are encouraged to demonstrate academic leadership, increasing independence, creativity and innovation in their research and are supported in their acquisition of a wide range of advanced and transferable skills.
Graduates will fulfil the skill requirements in the Australian Qualification Framework for this degree and the University of Tasmania expects all graduates of a Doctor of Philosophy to meet its Generic Attributes.
Career outcomes
In Australia and around the world, Professional Doctorate graduates are highly regarded as potential employees.
The Professional Doctorate is a demonstration of a graduate's ability to conceptualise and implement an independent program of research, manage a project, organise resources, work and cooperate with colleagues and communicate effectively in writing at a high level.
Professional Doctorate graduates have the opportunity to pursue diverse career paths across a broad spectrum of professions in the public and private sector. The Doctor of Health will provide experienced health professionals with a learning pathway to the benefit of the organisation across a range of health and health-related disciplines.
Course structure
Coursework
The Doctor of Health consists of 7 coursework units undertaken alongside the research and preparation of a research thesis
Year 1
Research Thesis Unit CAB901 or CNA902 in addition to the following compulsory units:
Introduction to Higher Degree by Research will introduce doctoral and masters candidates to higher degrees by research (HDR) study at the University of Tasmania.Candidates will be introduced to a range of topics including what it means to be an HDR…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Hobart | Summer school | ||||
| Hobart | Winter school (late) | ||||
| Hobart | Spring school (extended) | ||||
View all details for XGR501 Introduction to Higher Degree by Research
This unit commences with a broad historical view of the emergence of science, philosophy of science, logic and reasoning. It then focuses on the major research underpinnings such as: realist vs subjectivist perspectives, incorporating epistemology and ontology; abduction, induction and…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
View all details for CNA920 Foundations of Research Literacy
Year 2
Research Thesis Unit CAB901 or CNA902 in addition to the following compulsory units:
This unit will equip students with an understanding of the research methods used in health disciplines in order to interpret published research, and design research of their own. The Unit content includes the theoretical underpinning of both qualitative and quantitative…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
This unit builds on CNA920 and provides theory required in the design and practical application of methodologies and methods in practice. This unit will expose students to real world examples of the application of methods and methodologies in practice, exploring…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Year 3
Research Thesis Unit CAB901 or CNA902 in addition to two electives from the list of approved electives below
Year 4
Research Thesis Unit CAB901 or CNA902 in addition to one elective from the list of approved electives below
Year 5
Research Thesis Unit CAB901 or CNA902
Year 6
Research Thesis Unit CAB901 or CNA902
Approved Electives
In the 3rd and 4th year of candidature, a choice of electives can be made from the following list:
Organisational Behaviour (OB) is the study of human behaviour at the individual, group and organisational level. The primary purpose of this unit is to improve the management of organisations through the development of knowledge of human behaviour. To do this,…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
| Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
The purpose of this unit is to promote the continuous enhancement of your professional practice in learning and teaching in health services settings. This is achieved primarily by helping you to apply knowledge of the principles underpinning critical reflection and…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit further explores key themes of public health practice in Australia and globally and has been developed in close collaboration with industry. An overview is provided of the core functions and essential services of public health nationally and internationally,…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for CAM527 Approaches to Public Health Practice
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.
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 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
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.
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 broad unit introduces students to the interrelationship between health law and ethics, strategic planning, financial resourcemanagement and health policy development. It aims to help students develop a clear understanding of the dynamics of the healthcare environment and the importance…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for CAM620 Management in Health and Human Services
This unit aims to provide a broad understanding of governance, clinical governance and risk management within the field of health and human services covering the relatively recent development and changes that have occurred in these areas. The Unit will also…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Positive psychology addresses the conditions and processes that enable people, groups and institutions to flourish and function at an optimal level. The aim of this unit is to gain a clear understanding of the essential elements to leadership, and to…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for CAM622 Positive Psychology & Leadership
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.
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
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
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
Students completing this unit will have acquired knowledge of existing health service models, the internal and external factors that influence the delivery of quality services, and the best-practice models for quality service design.…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
View all details for CNA423 Introduction to Quality Health Services
Students completing this unit will have acquired knowledge about monitoring and measuring performance within a quality framework and apply knowledge of monitoring and measuring the quality of performance in complex simulated work environments.…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for CNA419 Monitoring and Measuring Performance
Project Management for Health Professionals provides students with the foundational knowledge required to appreciate and implement practical approaches to project management in health sciences. Students will extend their skills in the utilisation of research evidence to refine and deepen their…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
View all details for CNA613 Project Management for Health Professionals
Qualitative Research Methods provides Honours, Masters and HDR candidates with grounding in qualitative research methodologies and associated methods. Students will develop abilities in framing research questions; developing, critiquing and applying qualitative research methodologies; defending method choice; and the practicalities of…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Spring school (extended) | ||||
This unit provides students with an understanding of research literature in health sciences. Scientific literature and related pharmaceutical literature including trade publications will be appraised. The principles and skills in evaluation and interpretation of the literature will be discussed and…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for CSA727 Critical Evaluation of Research Literature
Entry requirements
Eligibility
Admission to the Professional Doctorate is based on a demonstrated capacity to undertake significant research in the field of Health and Health Services. Applicants must be able to demonstrate significant Health sector experience (usually a minimum of 5 years) and demonstrate their level of competency against four skills areas:
- Conceptual and theoretical understanding/knowledge of the field;
- Research design, data collection and data management skills/ ability to undertake research;
- Analytical and interpretative skills (e.g. data analysis, critical analysis, problem solving); and
- Communication skills
Applicants may be eligible for entry through formal qualifications or an alternative pathway.
Prospective students must be employed in a relevant workplace and provide a letter of support from their employer. Overseas applicants should consult the Graduate Research Administration Officer for further advice.
Applicants should apply after finding a potential supervisor and discussing and agreeing on their proposed topic.
Applicants will be considered who have been awarded either:
- a Bachelor's degree with second class Honours or better from a recognised tertiary institution;
- a research Masters' degree with at least two-thirds of the degree comprising a thesis;
- a coursework Masters' degree or graduate diploma which includes a research project or thesis of 10,000 to 20,000 words (must equate to a minimum 25% research component of the entire degree); or
- a qualification at a level from another tertiary institution considered equivalent by the Dean of Graduate Research.
Qualifications must have been awarded within a 10 year period prior to the date of application for admission to HDR candidature.
The University recognises that people returning to university to undertake a Professional Doctorate may possess significant sector-based research or equivalent experience and/or professional qualifications, but often either lack suitable formal academic credentials, or a substantial length of time has passed since they obtained such qualifications. In these cases an application for equivalence through an alternative pathway can be made. The applicant should use their work and academic research experience to demonstrate their competence in the four skill areas listed above.
This should include information about the following:
- Any journal publications you have authored – these are best if they are in academic journals but any publication that describes a research or work related project may be relevant;
- Conference presentations given, include details of the conference name, date and location;
- Work related projects that you have been involved in, particularly the evaluation of these;
- Government or organisational reports that you have been involved in writing;
- Research projects that you may have contributed to; and
- Data analysis that may be undertaken in your work.
These applications should be constructed in consultation with their proposed supervisors and the Graduate Research Coordinator. Please contact the GRO at Research.domain@utas.edu.au for advice in the first instance.
International applicants must also meet the University's English language requirements for admission.
Please see the University of Tasmania's Admission Requirements for further information.
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 Annual Tuition Fee (international students): $38,392 AUD.
* 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