About

Develop an advanced and integrated understanding of public health practice. The Master of Public Health will prepare you to identify, understand, prevent and contain disease in populations. You’ll also learn to identify and address the social determinants of population health inequities to improve collective health outcomes.

The topics covered in this degree reflect the multidisciplinary nature of the field. The program will equip you with core skills in:

epidemiology
biostatistics
health promotion
quantitative and qualitative research methods
health policy
planning and health services management.

This degree provides both the foundational skills necessary to launch a career in public health and the education needs of public health specialists for career progression.

Tailor your degree to your interests
Tailor your degree to suit your goals through a broad program of study or a focused public health specialisation. We offer nine specialisations in areas where we have extensive expertise, including:

Gain international connections through the PLuS Alliance
The PLuS Alliance combines the strengths of three leading research universities – Arizona State University, King’s College London and UNSW – to solve global challenges. You’ll have the opportunity to take online courses with Arizona State University to bring a global perspective to your education. Moving away from the traditional classroom, this degree will immerse you in a global learning environment, where you’ll study alongside students from Australia, the United States and around the world.

Join a sector-leading population health community
Join a community that’s playing a key role in enhancing population health and healthcare systems. This program is delivered by the School of Population Health – a dynamic, international community of staff, alumni, practitioners and students. Our multi-disciplinary teaching and research staff have research and practitioner experience in local, national and international settings. Research and collaboration opportunities are available for students in our internationally recognised research centres and institutes. You will be part of a community involved in translating ground-breaking research into disease prevention and response strategies and informing health policy.

Build your professional network
Join an engaged cohort of like-minded students and a successful alumni community. Our graduates currently hold leadership roles in public and private services spanning ministries/departments of health, local health districts, public service roles relevant to social determinants of health, non-government organisations across Australia and around the world, in addition to graduates who bring population health expertise to their clinical work.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

For entry into this program, you must have one of the following:

A three-year undergraduate degree, plus, an honours or postgraduate degree, in a field relevant to public health or health management.

OR

A three-year undergraduate degree in a field relevant to public health or health management, plus, two years full-time professional or volunteer experience. This may also include equivalent professional experience acquired as part of a degree of four or more years duration (e.g., MBBS, BMed, MD).

In exceptional circumstances, applicants with extensive relevant professional work experience (e.g., hospital-trained nurses, paramedics, Aboriginal health workers) may be considered. A minimum of five years full-time relevant professional experience is required and an interview with the School of Population Health may be conducted.

Relevant fields

Examples of relevant fields include, but are not restricted to:

medicine
nursing
allied health
health sciences
biomedical sciences
dentistry
sociology
behavioural and social sciences
psychology
marketing
human services
emergency services
environmental health
veterinary science
health administration
business
management
engineering
law
science
mathematics and statistics
economics
policy studies
development studies.

English Program Requirements

Faculty Undergraduate Postgraduate coursework Postgraduate research
Medicine & Health

6.5 overall (min. 6.0 in each subtest)

Exceptions:

Bachelor of Nutrition/Master of Dietetics & Food Innovation: 7.0 overall (min 7.0 in each subtest)

The following programs require 7.0 overall (min 6.0 in each subtest)

Bachelor of Medical Studies (BMed)/Doctor of Medicine (MD) including double degree
Bachelor of Exercise Science/Master of Physiotherapy & Exercise Physiology
Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Medicine/Master of Pharmacy
Bachelor of Applied Exercise Science/Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology

6.5 overall (min. 6.0 in each subtest)

Exceptions:

Graduate Certificate in Myopia Management:7.0 overall (min 6.0 in each subtest)

6.5 overall (min 6.0 in each subtest)

Career

Future careers

Graduates of the Master of Public Health are recognised as leaders in disease prevention and control, program and policy formulation, implementation and evaluation, health promotion, population health research and management of health programs. Many occupy key positions in health departments, population health units, universities and non-government organisations in Australia, the Western Pacific and Asian regions.

There’s strong demand in Australia and globally for professionals with specialised interdisciplinary skills in Public Health. The Master of Public Health can lead to a career in:

government departments and ministries of health
public health networks
local area health services
universities and research institutes
international health policy and funding institutions
non-governmental agencies
mental health services
Indigenous health organisations.

Our alumni

"The lessons I’ve learnt from UNSW have already added immense value to work I’ve done at all levels of the health sector, including working with federal and state governments. This has not only fostered my professional development but has helped fuel my passion for improving the health of all Australians by making change at a systematic level.”

Dr Lesh Satchithananda

Senior Consultant, KPMG

“My MPH has already assisted me in my career, affording me the opportunity to quickly make the transition from research and disability sector work into a Health Promotion position with NSW Health. Day to day, my MPH has given me the solid theoretical foundation upon which to build my career in population health, as well as an eagerness to use all available resources to full advantage.”

Arlita Willman

Operations Manager, Health Promotion at Northern Sydney Local Health District

Software Developer

Fee Information

Tuition Fee

39,898 / year

Application Fee 150