Undergraduate Certificate in Health Sciences
Undergraduate | CUR-CHS-CTF | 2024
Take your first step towards a career in health—including nursing
Start building your foundational knowledge of human health and healthcare. Explore human bodies. Get to know health practice. For graduates of this online health course, the pathway to health careers and further studies is open wide.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Applications close
- 19 May 2024,
- 18 Aug 2024,
- 17 Nov 2024
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 6 months full time or part time equivalent
- Total subjects
- 4
- Price from
- $3,909
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
- CSP available
- Yes
Undergraduate Certificate in Health Sciences
About this degree
This undergraduate certificate aims to enable students to:
- apply principles and concepts of health in a variety of contexts relevant to further learning and/or paraprofessional work
- apply critical and creative thinking and problem solving skills relevant to health sciences to generate innovative solutions to problems
- use technology appropriately to communicate effectively with patients, carers and other health care professionals
- consider global perspectives on health and international health standards
- demonstrate respect for Indigenous values, cultures and knowledges and consider Indigenous perspectives on health
- work professionally in teams and independently, and demonstrate life-long learning skills
This Higher Education Certificate may lead students into a general Health Sciences program.
The Undergraduate Certificate in Health Sciences is designed for people who are interested in pursuing a career in health or allied health professions . The Undergraduate Certificate gives student entry (and credit for the four units completed) into the Bachelor of Science which includes Nursing and Public Health among others at Curtin. You will receive an introduction to health in social and cultural context and foundational knowledge in health practice and the human structure and function.
Recommended study pattern
Student must complete 4 subjects.
Award requirements
To qualify for the Undergraduate Certificate in Health Sciences students must complete four 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.
Start your career with Curtin’s globally recognised courses and extensive industry connections. Through OUA, their online courses offer an interactive and collaborative learning experience that gets you the same degree as if you studied on campus. Curtin is a global university with a vibrant culture of innovation and collaboration and is ranked in the top one per cent of universities worldwide.
Learn more about Curtin University.
Explore Curtin courses.
- QS Ranking 2024:
- 14
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 15
Entry requirements
During your application
We’ll ask you to provide your education history. It’s for government data collection only and will not impact your application.
Skip the questions in the Entry Requirements section by selecting Higher Education. Then enter “n/a” in all the Previous Higher Education Studies boxes.
Although you'll need to consent to an academic results search, we won't conduct it when we process your application.
Applications for Credit for Recognised Learning are not considered within this course.
Study method requirements
Important Note: The Undergraduate Certificate qualification was introduced temporarily to the Australian Qualification Framework Second Edition January 2013 to help upskill workers displaced by COVID-19. Currently, the qualification can only be issued by Universities until June 30, 2025, unless extended by the Government. Students must complete their studies before 30 June 2025 to be eligible to be awarded an Undergraduate Certificate.
Career opportunities
Career outlook
- Health and Welfare Services Managers:
- Over $120K
- Health Practice Managers:
- Unknown average
- Health Promotion Officers:
- Unknown average
- Indigenous Health Workers:
- $75K to $93K
- Occupational and Environmental Health Professionals:
- $93K to $120K
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.
We help you find the subjects or degree that's right for you, and we handle your enrolment in uni and some administration. Your uni sends you your study materials and deals with all academic matters. They're also in charge of your assessment and graduation. If you go on to complete a degree, you'll graduate from the uni offering your degree, for example, RMIT University or Griffith University.
Before starting an enrolment, it's important to read the entry requirements for your chosen course to ensure that you're eligible to apply. If you don't quite meet the requirements, we can help you find a pathway into your course through open-entry subjects, which anyone can study. Chat with us to find out more.
Our close of enrolment times vary. You can check the cut-off dates for upcoming study terms by visiting Key dates.
There are a lot of reasons to study your course online through us.
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.
You have total control over how you study
Upskill without committing to a whole degree upfront. Or enrol in a full degree, but take it a subject at a time. We'll introduce you to flexible study options you didn't even know about, so you can fit uni around what matters to you.
You'll graduate with the same qualification as an on-campus student
Once you enrol through us, you'll study online with the university that provides your degree. This means that when you complete your qualification, you'll graduate with the same degree as on-campus students.
We'll help you navigate the university world
Our friendly student advisors will be your guide every step of the enrolment journey. They'll help you compare universities, choose a course, provide documentation and understand your finance options.
Here at Open Universities Australia, we make enrolling online as straightforward as possible. To get started, find the course for you by browsing the options on this page. You can also compare different qualifications using our handy comparison tool, or request help from one of our student advisors.
When you've made your choice, click 'Apply now' on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We'll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.
Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.
If you get stuck at any time, reach out to us and we'll talk you through it.
You can also take a look at our online self-service enrolling instructions.