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Course code W60

Graduate Certificate in Public Health

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Creative thinkers made here.

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Important

This course is not offered for study on-campus to international students with a student visa.

About this Course

Public health is a broad field which aims to improve and protect the health and well-being of the general population. As a public health practitioner, you can make a real difference to the lives of the local, national and international communities.

Public health practitioners help individuals and communities to have greater control over their health and well-being, and to influence organisational and political environments in ways that lead to better health for all. They work across the lifespan, including the early years, child and adolescent health, and healthy aging to support population health.

We realise that public health is such a broad area, which is why this Graduate Certificate offers an elective unit to allow you to specialise in an area of interest. The course can also be used as a pathway into the Graduate Diploma of Public Health and Master of Public Health, helping you to further develop your public health knowledge.

Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level

This course has been accredited by ECU as an AQF Level 8 Graduate Certificate Award.

Course code W60

Entry requirements

ECU admission and English language requirements apply.

See Course Entry for further information.

Fees

Domestic fee paying - estimated 1st year indicative fee AUD $12,650

See Fees and Scholarships for further information.

Duration

0.5 years full-time or part-time equivalent

See Course Details for further information.

Availability & Campus

Location Semester 1 Semester 2
Joondalup FT PT FT PT
Mount Lawley
South West
Online FT PT FT PT
*FT = Full-time study PT = Part-time study

Course Entry

Admission requirements you'll need to meet for this course.

  • Academic admission requirements (Band 6) may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

    • Bachelor degree; or
    • Equivalent prior learning including at least five years relevant professional experience.
  • English competency requirements may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

    • IELTS Academic Overall band minimum score of 6.5 (no individual band less than 6.0);
    • Bachelor degree from a country specified on the English Proficiency Bands page;
    • Successfully completed 0.375 EFTSL of study at postgraduate level or higher at an Australian higher education provider (or equivalent);
    • Where accepted, equivalent prior learning, including at least five years relevant professional experience; or
    • Other tests, courses or programs defined on the English Proficiency Bands page.

Course Details

Semester availability

Semester 1: Study full-time at Joondalup or Online

Semester 1: Study part-time at Joondalup or Online

Semester 2: Study full-time at Joondalup or Online

Semester 2: Study part-time at Joondalup or Online

Course Structure

Students are required to complete one core unit and two core options. From Core Option List 1, students can select one unit from either HST5161 or HST5210 and any unit from from List 2. Note, students who are planning to progress to the Graduate Diploma of Public Health (W61) or the full Master of Public Health program (I62) should select either HST6337, HST6338, HST6355 or HST6510 as one of their core option units from List 2 to ensure they meet course progression and articulation requirements.

Unit Code Unit Title Credit Points
MMP6100Evidence-Based Practice20
Core Option List 1 Students must select at least one unit from:
HST5161 ^Public Health: Philosophy, Principles and Practice20
HST5120 ^Epidemiology20
Core Option List 2 Students may select one unit from:
HST6337 ^Communicable Disease20
HST6338 ^Law and Ethical Issues20
HST6355 ^Ageing, Health and Wellbeing20
HST6510 ^Public Health Planning and Evaluation20
HST6335 ^Public Health Strategies20
HST6350 ^Drug Use and Addictive Behaviours20
NUT6110 ^Food Vision20
OHS6205 ^Health, Safety and Workplace Environment20
OHS6137 ^Emergency & Crisis Management20
OHS6178 ^Occupational Toxicology20
MAT5212 ^Biostatistics20

Please note: Most core option units run once per year and some are run exclusively online. Please refer to the ECU timetable for scheduling.

^ Core Option

W60|8

For more detailed unit information for this course take a look at our Handbook. To organise your life for next semester visit the Teaching timetable.

Student handbook

Course notes

Course learning outcomes

  1. Communicate advanced public health knowledge and ideas to a variety of audiences.
  2. Apply cognitive, technical and interpretative skills to investigate and evaluate complex psychosocial and health issues in authentic situations.
  3. Demonstrate independent judgement skills which reflect the principles of equity, diversity and cultural competence in public health issues.

Fees and Scholarships

Fees

  • AUD $12,650 - Domestic fee paying estimated 1st year indicative fee 1

Note

1 The 'estimated 1st year indicative fee' is provided as a guide only, based on a typical enrolment of students undertaking the first year of this course. At ECU, you pay for the individual units you enrol in, not an overall course fee, so the total cost of your course will vary, depending on what units you choose. An indicative fee will be provided with your course offer, however you can use our Course Fee Calculator to estimate the actual amount you'll need to pay. ECU fees are adjusted annually.

Some units require the payment of a fee for incidental goods or services required to complete those units. For more information and the full list of incidental fees for courses and units, visit What are Incidental Fees.

Scholarships

ECU has a scholarship program that provides many opportunities each year to students undertaking studies here.

Find a scholarship

Career Opportunities

Public health graduates may work in health promotion or health services, epidemiology, planning and evaluating, nutrition and physical activity programs or support services for people with addiction.

Possible future job titles

Health Promotion Officer, Project Officer, Health Education Officer, Policy Officer.

Courses you can consider if you are interested in progressing further in this area.

Need some help deciding what to study?

Our future student events include a mix of on-campus and online sessions designed to help you decide what to study at ECU.

Experiences

Student stories

  • Rena Vithiatharan

    ECU Master of Public Health graduate

    Improving community health

    Master of Public Health student, Rena Vithiatharan, talks about studying the course with ECU. Rena discusses why she chose to study Public Health to equip her to work with communities and working with people to improve their health and their lives. Her course covers a broad spectrum of public health issues, from communicable diseases, epidemiology, aspects of leadership and strategic decision making.

  • Beth Hollett

    Beth Hollett

    ECU Public Health graduate

    Doing the same thing for 30-40 years has never appealed to me

    I needed a degree that would enable me to enter different health sectors, so I could have a variety of career directions. Doing the same thing for 30-40 years has never appealed to me. I highly recommend the Master of Public Health at ECU. The wealth of knowledge these lecturers teach you is invaluable.

Quick guide to uni-speak

    • The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the national regulator of qualifications in the Australian education and training system. The AQF defines the essential characteristics, including the required learning outcomes, of the different types of qualifications issued across the higher education systems in Australia.

    • ATAR is the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate university courses in Australia. The ATAR is a percentile score which denotes a student's ranking relative to their state-wide peers upon completion of their secondary education.

    • CRICOS is the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students. A CRICOS code is allocated to education institutions (like ECU) who are approved to recruit, enrol and deliver education to overseas students. Courses with a CRICOS code are available to international students who meet the entry requirements.

    • A major, or unit set, is your chosen area of in-depth study in an undergraduate course. It usually involves 8 units of study, or one-third of the units in a 3-year degree. Talk to your Student Information Office if you need help choosing a major subject.

    • Minors include between 4 and 6 study units in a specific discipline. Not all courses require you to complete a minor. Your minor subject doesn't appear on your printed degree (parchment), but is part of your academic transcript.

    • If you're enrolled in 3 or more units in a semester this is considered full-time study. To complete most 3-year degrees studying full-time you'll need to complete 4 units per semester, i.e. 24 units over 3 years.

    • If a course is available to study part-time you can generally expect it to take twice as long to complete as it would in full-time mode. Part-time students are enrolled in 1 or 2 units maximum per semester.

      Note: International students who hold a student visa can only choose the full-time study option for our courses. This is to ensure the course is completed within the duration of the student visa.

    • Most courses start in Semester 1 each year, usually in the last week of February. Some courses can be started in Semester 2 (we call this mid-year). There's a week of Orientation before each semester to help you get used to uni life.

    • A lot of our courses start in Semester 2 each year, usually in the last week of July. We call this mid-year. There's a week of Orientation beforehand to help you get used to uni life.

    • We use a points system to make it easier for you to understand your study progress. Most Bachelors degree study units are allocated 15 credit points. If you're studying a 3-year full-time degree you'll need to successfully complete 360 credit points - that's 24 units x 15 points per unit.

    • These are compulsory units you have to successfully complete as part of your course.

    • An elective is a unit you choose to study that counts towards your course requirements, but isn't compulsory. For some courses we recommend elective units. In some situations, a course coordinator may approve an elective unit as a replacement for a compulsory one.

Do you have any questions about the Graduate Certificate in Public Health?

The Important Things

Things you should know about if you're thinking about studying here.

Course Entry

There's more than one admission pathway into an ECU course. It depends on what you've studied already, or your work or life experience.

Fees & Scholarships

Course tuition fees can change, but we can give you an estimate of your costs. If you're eligible, a scholarship or student loan can help too.

Applying

Applying for a course is a fairly simple process, especially if you have scanned copies of qualifications, your resume or other paperwork, ready to upload.

ECU Experience

Starting a course is an exciting and sometimes daunting time, so we make a massive effort to ensure you get all the support you need to have a positive experience.