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Associate Degree in Applied Health and Community Support
Undergraduate | TAS-AHC-ADG | 2024
Get ready to work in health, disability, and aged care
Learn to support individuals and engage communities to live well. Study online and graduate with a formal qualification and portfolio of work. Launch or boost your career in health and community services, delivering positive health and wellbeing.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Applications close
- No dates available
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 2 years full time or part time equivalent
- Total subjects
- 16
- Price from
- $19,760
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
- CSP available
- Yes
Associate Degree in Applied Health and Community Support
About this degree
Upon successful completion of this program, students should be able to:
- Engage in strength-based collaborations with individuals, families, service providers and communities to promote positive health and wellbeing outcomes.
- Explain and apply health, wellbeing and cultural awareness principles and practices when working with diverse groups, organisations and contexts.
- Evaluate and communicate evidence and data to inform service planning, delivery and improvement.
- Use reflection, communication, leadership and problem-solving skills to guide planning and decision-making.
- Analyse and apply service structures, standards, innovations and technologies for sustainability and continuous quality improvement.
Working with people, you’ll have a real impact on people’s daily lives, with meaningful and fulfilling work. By studying the Associate Degree in Applied Health and Community Support you’ll gain a practical qualification that will set you up in a rewarding career for life.
This program has been designed to help you start or accelerate your career in the health and community services sector. You will learn the knowledge and skills required to support the delivery of quality health and community services. You’ll also learn essential skills for career advancement such as leadership, management and communication. Developed in consultation with the health and community service sectors, this program will address significant changes in service models and consumer expectation. This program has also been developed to meet the projected increases in role complexity and workforce demands in these sectors.
This program is suited to school leavers pursuing a career in the health, social or community service sectors or those seeking an alternative career choice in health and community services. Individuals with vocational qualifications or relevant experience may undertake the course to upskill into roles with additional functional requirements and higher levels of responsibility, and/or to acquire a formal University qualification.
The Associate Degree in Applied Health and Community Support has a focus on applied learning opportunities including working with sector leaders, service consumers, organisations, individuals and communities.
Delivered through on-line learning, flexible tutorials, face-to-face workshops, authentic case studies, individual and community projects, the program is available for full-time and part-time students. Sector experts and service consumers will be actively involved in the development and delivery of the program to ensure that it remains relevant and up-to-date. The development of a professional portfolio over the duration of the program will enable graduates to reflect upon their learning and provide evidence of their capabilities for potential career opportunities.
On completion of an Associate Degree in Applied Health and Community Support, graduates are provided with:
- an entry point to a career in the health, social and community service sectors;
- an opportunity to accelerate progression within a current job;
- an opportunity for promotion to a new role;
- an opportunity to open up a new career path; or
- articulation into further study at the University of Tasmania.
Recommended study pattern
For students undertaking full-time study the following study pattern is recommended.
Year 1
8 subjects in first year including:
- 3 Core subjects:
- TAS-ZAC101 Supporting People and Diversity
- TAS-ZAC102 Foundations of Health and Wellbeing
- TAS-ZAC103 Contemporary Support in Health and Community Services
- Core Option: choose 1 of the following subjects
- TAS-ZAC104 Promoting Health and Wellbeing
- TAS-ZPP101 Professional Skills in Practice
- 2 Subjects from the Support Systems and Services stream
- TAS-ZAC105 Health and Community Services in Australia
- TAS-ZAC106 Quality Systems and Practice in Health and Community Services
- 2 UTAS Electives
Year 2
8 subjects in second year including:
- 4 Core subjects:
- TAS-ZAC201 Community Health and Wellbeing
- TAS-ZAC202 Change, Resilience and Sustainability
- TAS-ZAC204 Empowering Your Career in Health and Community Services
- TAS-ZAC209 Building Cultural Capability in Health and Community Services
- 2 Subjects from the Support Systems and Services stream
- TAS-ZAC207 Mental Health and Wellbeing
- TAS-ZAC208 Contemporary Disability Practice
- 2 UTAS electives
Award requirements
Satisfactory completion of 16 subjects, as required in the schedule, within 2-5 years from commencement.
- 3 Core subjects:
Degrees are usually made up of core subjects and electives. Some degrees include a choice of majors, so you can focus your studies on a specialisation.
This list is a general overview. Download the full Degree Guide for more information.
Wherever you are, the University of Tasmania brings its island campus to you through a growing range of online programs across art and design, business, education, health, science, sustainability, technology, and more. It’s never too late to switch things up. Kickstart that career you’ve been dreaming about, or upskill for the one you’re in. You’ll also become a part of the world's leading university on climate action.
Learn more about UTAS.
Explore UTAS courses.
- QS Ranking 2024:
- 20
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 19
Entry requirements
- Partially completed an undergraduate program at Diploma level or higher (or equivalent). You must have completed at least one subject of study (equivalent to 12.5 UTAS credit points), at 100 level or higher and which may include 100 level subjects completed in the UTAS Diploma of University Studies. If you have failed any subjects, your application may be subject to further review before an offer is made; OR
- Completed the UTAS University Preparation Program (or an equivalent qualification offered by an Australian University).
Successful completion of one OUA open access subject of study at the equivalent AQF level, unless otherwise specified
Completed the TCE or an equivalent qualification
Successful completion of Certificate III or higher (or equivalent) in any discipline
Applicants without senior secondary, tertiary or VET / TAFE study can complete a personal competency statement.
Applicants may be eligible for an offer if they have relevant work and / or life experiences which demonstrate a capacity to succeed in this program.
The University of Tasmania grants credit and recognition of prior learning that may include formal and/or informal prior learning. More information is available here.
Career opportunities
Graduation from the Associate Degree in Applied Health and Community Support can provide an entry opportunity for those who are interested in a career in the health and community service sectors with or without prior experience. It will also provide an opportunity to accelerate progression and/or promotion within a graduate’s current organisation, or open up new career paths and opportunities.
Potential career opportunities exist in the voluntary, private, not-for-profit, non-government and/or government sectors in health and community services. Roles include team leaders, coordinators, supervisors, service managers, coaches, service navigators and community development/engagement officers.
Opportunities also exist for graduates to work in direct service roles such as physical health workers, rural health workers and mental health workers or to become service brokers, service planners, project managers, project officers, consultants and administrators, or to pursue roles in occupational, corporate or community health and wellbeing.
Electives offered within this degree provide opportunities for further knowledge expansion and skills development in health, business and/or community development.
Career outlook
- Aged and Disabled Carers:
- $60K to $74K
- Health and Welfare Services Managers:
- Over $120K
- Welfare Support Workers:
- $75K to $93K
Degree FAQs
That's up to you! Because we let you choose when to study online, you can actually pick up and pause study when it suits you. Many universities have a set time you need to complete your degree within. For some this is up to 10 years, and for others there is no limit.
There are some degrees that are stricter about when you can take breaks, and about how many years you can take to complete your degree. Please always check with your uni what the limits are.
As a general guide, Commonwealth supported place students have 10 years to finish their undergraduate degree through OUA, However, if you're studying with Griffith University, there's a limit of 8 years to complete your studies. If you want to take a break that lasts more than two study terms, you'll need to apply for a leave of absence. You can apply for a leave of absence for up to 12 months, as long as you complete your studies within the maximum time allowed for your degree.
If you're studying with Macquarie University, with the exception of certain degrees, there's no limit to how long you can take. But, please check with Macquarie Student Administration to be sure.
If you're studying with the University of Adelaide, you have up to 9 years to complete your undergraduate degree and graduate.
If you're studying with La Trobe University and want to take a break of minimum 1 study term, you must apply for leave of absence to avoid being inadvertently withdrawn from your degree.
Through OUA, you can study all year round, so it's possible to fast-track and finish up sooner than studying at a traditional uni would allow. That said, you need to spend around 12 hours a week on each undergraduate subject you do, so taking on extra work to finish ahead of time can be challenging.
You may be eligible for a HELP loan from the Australian government, depending on your citizenship status and where you'll be living during your studies. You can also pay upfront with your credit card.
Payment options are explained in Fees, and you can contact a student advisor for more information.
You might find learning through OUA a little different to how you've studied in the past. It can take time to develop the skills you need for independent online study.
We connect you with subjects and degrees that are taught by leading Australian universities. You can complete single subjects, or follow a degree structure to work towards a specific qualification. Subjects are offered in several study terms throughout the year, so you can choose to study part-time or full-time, continuously or with breaks.
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You can enrol without entry requirements
We have a unique open-door policy that makes it possible for everyone to enrol in university study, no matter their academic history. If you don't meet the entry requirements for a degree, we'll help you get in through single undergraduate subjects and transition into a qualification from there.
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