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Study masters degree online through Open Universities Australia. Explore all degrees, subjects and short courses now.

Explore and redefine public health practice to promote health in light of contemporary knowledge.
The courses are founded on a commitment to the advancement of quality and integrity in multidisciplinary practice, and principles of equity, inclusiveness, accountability and community participation.
The courses create opportunities for health professionals to examine workplace issues and to formulate new ways of addressing them and putting them into practice. The teaching and learning focuses primarily on helping health professionals change their practice in light of new insights. Topic assignments may be related to workplace issues and problems.
It is 1.5 years in length on a full-time basis and can also be undertaken part-time.

Available in a longer format for those without a Bachelor Degree in Health, and a fast-track version for those with adequate existing education or experience, this course is ideal for a range of students. Make your mark as a health leader. 

Master of Public Health (1.5 years)

Health and Community Services in Australia

Health Promotion

Health Systems and Services

First Peoples' Health

Community Health and Wellbeing

Navigating the Aged Care System

Health and Society

Promoting Health and Wellbeing

Epidemiology and Evidence

Health Law, Ethics and Policy

Maintenance of food security and public health requires vigilance in the food supply chain based on knowledge of the physiology, ecology and epidemiology of food-borne pathogens including bacteria, viruses and parasites. This subject focuses on enhancing depth of knowledge of food-borne pathogens for Master of Applied Science students within the areas of Microbiology and Food Safety. Students will be provided content on advanced topics of microbial hazards in foods. This includes provision of reading content on specific sub-topics of food-related public health, food-borne pathogens, epidemiology and persistence of food-borne pathogens, and methods for routine sampling and detection. Knowledge gained will be supported and enriched by self-directed learning activities. These include recorded lectures, online quizzes, assessment and interpretation of research literature regarding microbial hazards in food, and a focused literature review on a topic of choice in this area.

Foodborne Pathogens

This subject will examine structure, financing and delivery of health care in Australia, including the roles and responsibilities of the Federal and State Governments along with the private sector. Broader public policy, regulatory, social, behavioural, environmental and community factors impacting the health of individuals and populations will be considered. The elements of the health ecosystem including the health services that form the continuum of care, and the social, economic and environmental determinants of health will be explored. Students will be encouraged to critically appraise the current Australian health system and its policies in comparison to key features and the performance of other health systems from around the world. The subject will also equip students with a basic understanding of health system design and the measurement of performance. Using a case-study approach, students will be challenged to identify the key elements of a health care system that is affordable, sustainable and of high quality. The emerging focus on person and family-centred care, and the challenges of chronic disease, health risk management, addressing inequities, global health issues and the introduction of new and emerging technologies, will also be examined.  An online learning format will include digital resources; lectures and presentations from health industry leaders featuring the latest data and evidence; interactive workshops with expert panels; and small group discussion applying learning to current health and system challenges.

The Australian Health Care System

This subject provides an introduction to public health and understanding the health of populations. It examines how public health approaches have evolved to tackle changing threats to population health. Topics covered include: the development of public health over the last two centuries, definitions and models of health, changing patterns of health, the measurement and monitoring of health, understanding public health data, the importance of the early years of life, communicable and non-communicable diseases, mental health, Indigenous health and health services, vulnerable populations, climate change and environmental degradation and their impact on health, the development and implementation of programs to protect and promote health, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the application of systems theory to public health issues. The focus will be on Australia but examples from overseas will be used to highlight and compare issues in the global context. Two cases studies will focus on Australian public health success stories and the Australian bush fires during the summer of 2019/20.

Environment Society and Health

This subject provides essential background to professionals working in local, state and national settings for effective outbreak response. Students will learn the skills and knowledge required to respond to communicable disease outbreaks and other public health incidents. This includes: the ten steps of outbreak investigations; assessment of public health surveillance data and intelligence; using risk assessment frameworks; applying appropriate epidemiological findings and evidence; risk communication principles; and appropriate interventions to control outbreaks. This subject is relevant to people working within local, state or national government, hospital staff, residential care staff, non-government agencies, and emergency response workers. Local examples will be used to teach concepts, and students will be able to draw on their own experiences and their role in their own workplace during the workshop and when completing assessment tasks.

Outbreak Management

This subject provides essential background on the different types of surveillance systems used in public health, and the strengths and limitations of the data held within those systems. Students will learn the skills and knowledge required to perform descriptive analyses of surveillance data and to interpret surveillance data appropriately. Students will gain an understanding of the diverse objectives of surveillance systems and how the data collected is used to inform public health action and policy. Students will also learn established methods of evaluating surveillance systems to ensure they are fit for purpose.

Public Health Surveillance

Communicable Disease Epidemiology will explore communicable diseases of humans from an epidemiological perspective. It will provide an introductory overview of the basic biological knowledge needed to understand the interactions within and between populations of microbes, human and other animals. Students will learn to use epidemiological techniques to understand infectious disease surveillance data, disease transmission, and risk factors for infection. The subject will focus on how these methods are used in contemporary public health practice and applied in population-based strategies such as for sexually transmissible infections, blood borne viruses and enteric infections. The subject will introduce students to regional and global aspects of infectious diseases, particularly their social and ecological determinants, emergence and burden.

Communicable Disease Epidemiology

Evaluation is a core function of public health and health system leadership. It provides evidence to improve the design, delivery, reach and impact of health interventions in the many different contexts of the health system. This subject develops student competencies in health intervention evaluation, including stakeholder consultation, evaluation design and planning, needs assessment, logic modelling, evaluability assessment and relevant conceptual frameworks relevant to evaluation in public health and health system practice and leadership. This is underpinned by exploration of the different evaluation approaches and designs and the research and evaluation methods used in evaluation practice.

Evaluating Health Interventions

This subject will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of contemporary environmental health concepts and examine the environmental and ecological determinants of health within the framework of national and international policy. Through this subject you will acquire valuable insights into the intricate relationship between our health and the environment, including the potential impacts of climate change and the benefits of environmental sustainability. You will develop skills in investigating potential pollutants and hazards of local and global concern, including an introduction to the field of toxicology. You will explore ways of assessing environmental health risks, and how to manage these risks through appropriate legislation and regulation. We emphasise the principles and good practices of effective risk communication and community engagement while reviewing lessons learned in public health emergencies. While exploring many of the upstream forces that affect environmental health, including community design, transportation, and energy, we reflect on the collaborative role of public health in enhancing environmental health outcomes.

Environmental Health

Systems thinking is an approach to public health that allows us to understand and manage complex problems. The purpose of this subject is to introduce key systems thinking concepts and practical methods to address complexity to improve the health of populations. A selection of systems thinking methods will be considered and related to many disciplines across the health and community sector, from local to global contexts. The subject will also outline how systems thinking can contribute to policy decision making when addressing complex problems.

Systems Thinking in Public Health

This subject introduces the scope of public health practice in the 21st Century and the social, political and economic context within which public health practitioners operate. The subject combines theoretical and practical content to assist your learning about the determinants of health; importance of improved equity to raising health standards locally, nationally and globally, and ways by which communities can be engaged and empowered to identify and address issues that affect their health. Different health outcomes for people across a range of communities will be critically examined in relation to public health practice.

Introduction to Public Health

Masters Degree Public health Courses & Degrees | Open Universities Australia

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