Health Economics
UndergraduateUAD-PUB2581OUA2025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 18 May 2025
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Price from
- $2,000
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- FEE-HELP available
Health Economics
About this subject
Upon successful completion of this course, a student will be able to:
- To interpret and appropriately apply the key concepts of economics within the context of the health system.
- To describe major types of economic evaluation and modelling techniques.
- To understand approaches to identify and value health care resources and health outcomes to include in economic evaluation.
- To recognise and apply key steps in critically appraising published health economic evaluations.
- To debate the relative merits of equity considerations in setting priorities for a health system.
- To understand and describe the main features of the Australian health system- in particular, how it differs from other salient national health systems according to how services are delivered and purchased.
- To write concise reports on health economic issues demonstrating sound knowledge and skills to apply analytic thinking for a scientific debate and/or problem-solving.
- This course covers four main areas of learning:
- An introduction to key concepts of health economics (e.g. opportunity costs), the demand for and supply of health services, fundamentals of markets and the price mechanism with a focus on the healthcare market;
- An introduction to economic evaluation in healthcare, with an emphasis on identifying, measuring, valuing and analysing health outcomes and costs.
- This module focuses on the presentation and interpretation of the results of economic evaluation and the use of economic evaluation to inform funding decisions
- An overview of the organisation of health care (provision and funding). The organisation and finance of the Australian health system will be specifically analysed and compared internationally.
Health economics is the study of how scarce healthcare resources are allocated among competing interventions and among groups in society. This course introduces basic concepts and practical issues faced by decision-makers at all levels in the health system in allocating scarce resources so that the choices they make maximise health benefits to the population.
All assessment is assignment based.
- Fortnightly Quizzes (5 x 10% each) (50%)
- Discussion Paper (30%)
- Economic Evaluation (20%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
The University of Adelaide has a habit of breaking new ground. It was Australia’s first university to welcome female students. The first to offer science and business degrees. Its alumni include Australia’s first female prime minister; the first Australian to walk in space; 2021 Young Australian of the Year; and 2020 Australian of the Year. Adelaide’s OUA degrees will give you deep discipline knowledge, transferable, future-ready skills, and the capability to change the world for the better. With Adelaide, you can make history.
Learn more about Adelaide University.
Explore Adelaide University courses.
- QS Ranking 2024:
- 8
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 7
Entry requirements
Part of a degree
To enrol in this subject you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:
Core
- UAD-HSM-DEG-2025 - Bachelor of Health Service Management
Others
Successful completion and passing of four core open access courses and admission into the Bachelor of Health Service Management.
Additional requirements
- Equipment requirements - Headphones or speakers (required to listen to lectures and other media) Headset, including microphone (highly recommended) Webcam (may be required for participation in virtual classrooms and/or presentations).
- Software requirements - It is essential for students to have reliable internet access in order to participate in and complete your units. MyUni is the University of Adelaide's online learning environment. MyUni provides access to various features including announcements, course materials, discussion boards and assessments.
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
Related degrees
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Bachelor of Health Service Management
UndergraduateUAD-HSM-DEG