The Dementia Care Degree Program is Australia's first degree specifically focused on dementia. It is available to domestic or international students, from carers to health professionals and anyone with an interest in learning more about dementia. It is direct-care orientated and you will develop specialist knowledge of dementia and dementia care to enable the delivery of best practice dementia care.
Information on HECS waivers for 2021 will be available shortly.
The Dementia Care Program is Australia's first degree specifically focused on dementia. It is available to domestic or international students, from carers to health professionals and anyone with an interest in learning more about dementia. With the rise in prevalence in dementia and the need to provide quality care in the community, health care centres and hospitals, and in residential care, it is becoming essential that health care workers in aged care develop specialised knowledge in this field so that you can make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia.
This is a fully online course with no face to face or workplace assessment component. It can be studied full-time or part-time, offering you a choice to graduate with a:
The Diploma and Associate degrees are particularly relevant to those wishing to develop their skills and knowledge in dementia, and the full Bachelor Program includes an additional year focused on research and how evidence is used to translate into clinical and care practice. Students may study part-time (1-2 units) or full-time (3-4 units) per semester. Students are advised to allocate 8 hours of study per week per unit of study. There are no formal examinations, all assessments occur throughout the semester.
Assessments can be:
The Dementia Care Program is the first of its kind and will set benchmarks for the value of the skills and knowledge graduates will bring to the aged care sector and other healthcare environments.
Dementia is a condition that affects hundreds of thousands of people across the globe- one that poses significant challenges to their quality of life as well as that of their families and communities.
Career Opportunities in Dementia Care
Graduates from this course may find work in a range of career paths such as in the aged care industry in both the public and private sectors, or as a pathway to undertaking further study in graduate health programs. Individuals with backgrounds in healthcare, community service and allied health professionals, may find study in this course useful to broaden your knowledge base and scope of practice. Graduates may provide an excellent standard of care and advice, provide care directives and peer to peer training, in varied roles within the community, health care centres and hospitals, and in residential care.
Healthcare workers and professionals with greater knowledge and skills in dementia care will be critical in delivering enhanced capacity to a sector which is facing an enormous challenge both now and into the future with the increasing prevalence of dementia. The Associate Degree or Diploma may be a particularly advantageous qualification for the growing number of healthcare positions that include a dementia focus, as well as leadership in care organisations. Read some of our graduate stories.
There are almost 450,000 people in Australia who are living with dementia. Without a medical breakthrough, the number is forecast to rise to almost 1 million by 2050. (Dementia Australia 2018)
All students will need to initially enrol in the Bachelor of Dementia Care course. Depending on how much you may wish to study and the skills and knowledge that you wish to develop, you will have three options to graduate with a:
Following a review of all university courses, the structure of the Bachelor of Dementia Care will change from Semester 1, 2021. Students will now have 16 core units of study (
159.8 KB) with the ability to choose eight elective units during their degree. These elective units can be chosen from any course within the University of Tasmania subject to meeting any prerequisite requirements or enrolment quotas or restrictions. When you commence your study with us, we will be able to advise on the relevant elective units that you may be interested in for your study including an optional Major in Ageing Studies and Services (8 units). Existing students will be invited to transfer to the new course structure and will not be disadvantaged by these changes.
Additional information about individual units may be found in the Course and Unit Handbook.
If you have successfully completed the Understanding Dementia MOOC and/or the Preventing Dementia MOOC you may now be interested in building on knowledge gained in the MOOC and undertaking further study towards a university qualification.
Our Dementia Care Degree Program offers you the option to increase and formalise your dementia knowledge, and offers graduation points at a Diploma (after 8 units), Associate Degree (after 16 units) and Bachelor of Dementia Care (after 24 units).
What to expect as a Bachelor of Dementia Care student versus a MOOC participant
For international students and students residing in New Zealand who have successfully completed a Dementia MOOC, we are pleased to offer you significantly discounted fees.
HOW TO APPLY
Please note you can either apply for a place in the Diploma of Dementia Care (8 units) or the Bachelor of Dementia Care (24 units). In the Bachelor of Dementia you can choose to graduate early with a Diploma after completing 8 units, or an Associate Degree after completing 16 units, or after 24 units you can complete the full Bachelor Degree.
If you have further enquiries about the Dementia Care Degree Program, including how to apply for advanced standing (Recognition of Prior Learning) if you have already completed tertiary qualifications, please contact Dementia.Care@utas.edu.au or 1800 982 600.