Program Overview

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Bachelor of Public Health

The Bachelor of Public Health will teach students how to connect with communities and work to develop innovative and evidence-based health strategies. This qualification will prepare students to work in areas of health promotion, policy making, research, and disease prevention.

Overview

The Bachelor of Public Health focuses on addressing health disparities experienced by populations and communities at a local, national, and global level. Available to study online or on campus, students will graduate with a broad skill set enabling them to work in public health across local, rural, remote, and global health settings.

Career Opportunities

Graduating from this course may lead to career opportunities in areas such as:

• Primary and community health centers
• Health project officer
• Health promotion practitioner
• Health policy development
• Education facilities
• Mental health settings
• Alcohol and drug services
• Non-government organizations
• Universities and research facilities
• Research officer
• Rural and remote health settings
• Corporate and industrial settings
• Supported employment and government departments

Professional Recognition

Students are eligible to apply for membership with the following professional associations:

• The Australian Health Promotion Association
• The Public Health Association of Australia

Credit Transfers and Advanced Standing

Credit transfer arrangements are available to students commencing a bachelor degree at Charles Darwin University with completed Certificate IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, or Associate Degree qualifications in the same field or discipline, subject to meeting criteria.

Fees

Commonwealth Supported Places

Commonwealth Supported places are available in this course to students who meet one of the following residency requirements:

• Be an Australian citizen, who will complete some of their course of study while resident in Australia
• Be a New Zealand citizen
• Be an Australian permanent visa holder
• Be an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder, who studies the entire course while living in Australia

International Tuition Fees

The annual tuition fee for full-time study in 2026 is AUD $35,584.00. This equates to $4,448.00 per 10 credit point unit (0.125 EFTSL). These fees are subject to increases annually, effective at the start of each calendar year.

Entry Requirements

Admission Criteria

Admission requirements are met by one of the following:

• Successful completion of the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training (or equivalent) and the awarding of an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) of at least 60
• Successful completion of a national qualification at Certificate III level or higher
• Successful completion of at least 0.5 year of full-time study (or equivalent) of a higher education degree/diploma
• Overseas secondary or tertiary qualifications considered equivalent to the above Australian qualifications
• Attainment of a STAT Multiple Choice score of 140
• Successful completion of the Tertiary Enabling Program, the Preparation for Tertiary Success courses, or other recognized tertiary preparation course
• Submission of an acceptable personal competencies statement and/or employment experience
• Australian Defence Force (ADF) members with service of 1 year or more at the following ranks (or higher) meet the academic entry requirement for this course

Essential Requirements

As this course requires students to undertake a community project, they must demonstrate compliance with the following checks and requirements. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the correct documentation is obtained prior to commencing the community project. A national and/or international police check and a current Working with Children check is required regarding suitability to undertake clinical/fieldwork placements.

English Language Requirements

To gain entry into Charles Darwin University, all Higher Education applicants must satisfy the University's English Language Proficiency Requirements for their chosen course of study.

Course Details

Accreditation

This course is accredited by the University in accordance with the Higher Education Standards.

Australian Qualification Framework

This course is recognized in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 7.

Student Profile

There are no statistics available for this course. It may be that the course is new or the profile data is unavailable.

What Will I Study?

The Bachelor of Public Health has an integrated focus on Indigenous health founded on social justice and social determinants of health and cultural safety framework, preparing students to apply their knowledge and skills in multiple health roles. Students will gain practical experience and industry connections with the incorporation of a community project.

Course Structure

A candidate must successfully complete units totaling 240 credit points (cp) as detailed below. All units are valued at 10 credit points unless otherwise indicated.

• Core Units (22 units): Compulsory Core units totaling 220 credit points as detailed below
  • SBI161 Anatomy and Physiology 1
  • SBI162 Anatomy and Physiology 2
  • SWK102 Communication Skills
  • HSC111 Ethics in Health Care
  • HSC121 Australia's Healthcare System and Policies
  • HSC122 Foundations of Public Health
  • HSC132 Introduction to Health Promotion
  • HSC202 Social Media and Marketing in Health Promotion
  • HSC133 Perspectives of First Nations Health
  • HSC204 Chronic Conditions Management
  • HSC211 Mental Health Wellbeing
  • HSC220 Society, culture and health: A sociological introduction
  • HSC233 Epidemiology and Statistics
  • MAN204 Project Management
  • PHM301 Exploring Public Health
  • SWK312 Social Research Methods
  • HSC312 Global and Environmental Health
  • HSC318 Rural and Remote Health
  • HSC331 Health Science Community Practicum A (20cp)
  • HSC332 Health Science Community Practicum B (20cp)
• Specialist Electives (2 units): Specialist Elective units totaling 20 credit points as detailed below
  • PSY150 Introduction to Psychology A
  • HSC213 Health Informatics
  • IAS352 Practices and Skills in Indigenous Community Work
  • NUT301 Nutrition and Health
  • SWK301 Working with and Developing Communities
  • SWK313 Engaging with Individual and Families in Partnership

Study Plan

The Recommended Study Plan provided below is suitable for a student enrolling in a full-time study load. Students entering this course with advanced standing, or wishing to vary their study plan due to work, personal, financial, or other reasons, should use the table as a guide to create an individual study plan.

Full-Time Study Plan

• Year 1
  • Semester 1: SBI161 Anatomy and Physiology 1, HSC132 Introduction to Health Promotion, HSC122 Foundations of Public Health, HSC121 Australia's Healthcare System and Policies
  • Semester 2: SBI162 Anatomy and Physiology 2, SWK102 Communication Skills, HSC111 Ethics in Health Care, HSC133 Perspectives of First Nations Health
• Year 2
  • Semester 1: MAN204 Project Management, HSC220 Society, culture and health: A sociological introduction, SWK312 Social Research Methods, HSC312 Global and Environmental Health
  • Semester 2: HSC202 Social Media and Marketing in Health Promotion, HSC204 Chronic Conditions Management, HSC211 Mental Health Wellbeing, HSC233 Epidemiology and Statistics
• Year 3
  • Semester 1: PHM301 Exploring Public Health, HSC318 Rural and Remote Health, HSC331 Health Science Community Practicum A (20cp), Specialist Elective 1
  • Semester 2: HSC332 Health Science Community Practicum B (20cp), Specialist Elective 2

Why Study Public Health at CDU?

Now more than ever, Australia needs public health experts to develop evidence-based strategies that benefit the community. At CDU, students will learn to understand and address public health issues on a local and global scale, creating an array of career opportunities in policy making, research, and disease prevention, health promotion, and more.

• Five-star Australian university for graduate employment outcomes
• Work with health agencies and complete a community health project
• Choose to study online, on campus, part-time, or full-time as it suits the student