Master of Public Health / Master of Social Change and Development
| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2024-02-26 | - |
Program Overview
The Master of Public Health / Master of Social Change and Development provides students with the interdisciplinary skills and expertise required to address current and future global challenges and population health issues. With a shifting landscape of global public health and social change and development, there is a growing need for qualified professionals with multidisciplinary skills to work in the population health, community development and policy analysis sectors of funded development projects and aid organisations. This combined degree program is designed to build on students' prior learnings and aims to provide them with the knowledge and skills to lead and conduct research, plan projects, evaluate programs and policies, and critically assess global determinants of health and illness, while also understanding the processes of social changes and development. Facilitated by experienced and esteemed academics and experts, this program is nationally and internationally relevant and will enhance students' capacity to improve outcomes and make changes effectively. The graduates of this unique combined program will have strong local and global, theoretical, applied, and varied skills, ensuring their ability to make a difference at community, research, policy and other levels.
Master of Public Health / Master of Social Change and Development will prepare its graduates for a rewarding career in many different areas of health, development, planning, local councils, government departments working in global development, education, or program or project management, as well as the opportunity to demonstrate specialist skills in research and professional practice in the field population health practice, health promotion, health management, research methodology or medical statistics.
Program learning outcomes
On successful completion of the program students will have:
- A strong capacity for collecting, monitoring and critically reviewing evidence to inform health service practice and program delivery
- An advanced capacity to demonstrate and apply specific theoretical and empirical expertise in areas of policy analysis to the economic problems facing developing economies
- Interpret, justify and communicate development and social change projects, and apply critical thinking and reasoning to social change and development issues
- Solve a range of social change and development problems using an evidence-based approach by investigating, analysing and synthesising complex information and available resources
- The ability to apply a range of health theories to identify and plan for the health needs of the community or specific at risk groups
- The ability to identify and assess social, behavioural and environmental factors affecting health and illness
- The ability to develop effective and efficient approaches to health services and programs
- The ability to evaluate and improve health services, using appropriate research methods
- Apply advanced knowledge and skills in writing about competing development paradigms and their associated problems and issues
- Apply advanced critical thinking and reasoning to demonstrate advanced understanding of recent development projects oriented towards social change
- Apply critical thinking and reasoning to demonstrate advanced understanding of social change and development, and apply theories of organisational leadership to building the capacity of organisations
- Design, evaluate, implement, analyse and theorise social change and development projects both autonomously and as part of a team
Program Outline
Complete the following core courses to fulfil the requirements of this program. | |||
| Code | Title | Term / Location | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOS6910 | Biostatistics A |
| 10 units |
| EPID6420 | Fundamentals of Epidemiology |
| 10 units |
| PUBH6300 | Introduction to Public Health |
| 10 units |
| PUBH6302 | Applied Equity-Focussed Health Impact Assessment |
| 10 units |
| SOCA6240 | Project Design and Evaluation |
| 10 units |
| SOCA6571 | Development and Social Change |
| 20 units |
| SOCA6640 | Social Science Research Methods |
| 10 units |
| SOCA6670 | Social Change and Development Research Project |
| 20 units |
Course List
Complete 60 units from the following course list to fulfil the requirements of this program. | |||
| Code | Title | Term / Location | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABOR6001 | Aboriginal Foundation Studies |
| 10 units |
| ABOR6004 | Community Development |
| 10 units |
| ARBE6605 | Policy and Social Considerations in Disaster Risk Reduction |
| 10 units |
| ARBE6607 | Government Approaches to Disaster Risk Reduction |
| 10 units |
| BIOS6920 | Biostatistics B |
| 10 units |
| EDUC6260 | Education and International Development: Global Perspectives |
| 10 units |
| EPID6430 | Advanced Epidemiology |
| 10 units |
| GSBS6007 | Managing Human Resources in International Organisations |
| 10 units |
| GSBS6380 | Health Economics and Finance |
| 10 units |
| GSBS6381 | Health Plan Design and Payments: Theory and Practice |
| 10 units |
| GSBS6382 | Applied Economic Evaluation in Healthcare |
| 10 units |
| GSBS6383 | Health Systems, Policy and Governance |
| 10 units |
| HPRO6715 | Foundations of Health Promotion |
| 10 units |
| INDH6007 | Investigating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health in the public health context |
| 10 units |
| LAWS6020 | Environmental Law |
| 10 units |
| PUBH6150 | Quality and Safety in Health Care |
| 10 units |
| PUBH6301 | Chronic Disease and Injury Control |
| 10 units |
| PUBH6303 | Applied Research |
| 10 units |
Admission requirements
Entry into this program will be available to applicants who have a Bachelor Degree (or equivalent) or higher in a related field.
Related fields include sociology, geography, anthropology and development studies, agriculture, environmental studies, education, municipal community or social work/welfare, Indigenous studies, economics, medicine, biomedical/medical science, nursing, allied health, dentistry, psychology, veterinary science, education, law, engineering, business, commerce, science and arts.
Minimum English language proficiency requirements
All Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the University’s English proficiency requirement.
Applicants for this program must satisfy a minimum English Language Proficiency Standard equivalent to an IELTS overall minimum of 6.5 with no subtest result below 6.0.
