Student placement opportunities

The School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (SPHPM) offers professional experience placements for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying Public Health or Health Sciences. Through our placement program, students step out of the classroom and into the public health workplace – applying their knowledge to improve outcomes and enable meaningful change.

Benefits of placements

A placement with SPHPM is an invaluable experience, providing students with an opportunity for career insights and growth before they graduate. Students work alongside experienced professionals, take on real responsibilities, and see first-hand how public health thinking is applied across various sectors. This includes local government, leisure, community health, peak bodies, and more.

Past students have supported community engagement initiatives, developed health resources, analysed data, contributed to project and event planning, and informed policy and strategy work.

The experiences and perspectives gained provide students with greater clarity around how they might want to shape their career next steps.

Benefits of industry collaboration

Our students bring fresh thinking, enthusiasm, and a strong foundation in public health. Organisations have consistently expressed satisfaction with our students’ work ethic and the insights they bring to the table.

If you’re keen to join a network of leading organisations dedicated to shaping the next generation of public health professionals, we'd love to hear from you! We partner with local councils, community health organisations, not-for-profit organisations, peak bodies, and more.

Get in touch with us at sphpm-placement@monash.edu

Frequently asked questions

Final year Bachelor of Health Science, Bachelor of Public Health and Masters of Public Health students. Students enrolled in these programs must achieve a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of above 65 in units that support their ability to contribute to placement projects (i.e. epidemiology, public health concepts, professional practice).
For Bachelor’s students, placement can be project—or task-based (i.e. multiple tasks), whereas a distinct project is preferred for Master’s students. Make sure the project can be expanded or contracted and is not time-sensitive. Things you would like to do but don’t have the time or resources for are great options! Some examples of previous projects from our Bachelor’s placement program can be found on the next page.
All workplaces are required to have a legal agreement with Monash regarding student placement. This includes agreements regarding placement management and conduct, health and safety, intellectual property, privacy and confidentiality and insurance. Executing this five-year agreement does not mean you have to host placement students. When you host a student, all parties must sign schedules detailing the placement and any requirements. All students are required to have a valid Working with Children’s check and Police check to complete placement. Vaccinations may also be required depending on organisational requirements.
All placements require two supervisors. At least one must have relevant public health qualifications or significant experience. The primary workplace supervisor is responsible for managing the student and project. The secondary is there to support when needed (e.g. provide specific expertise, oversight, or step in when primary unavailable). The secondary supervisor role is also a great way for more junior staff to gain management experience under the guidance of the primary supervisor.
Bachelor's students complete 1 working day, and Master's students complete 2 working days per week over the semester (13-week period either Jul-Nov or Mar-Jun). The students can work on-site or in a hybrid capacity (on-site and remote work). At least one of the workplace supervisors needs to meet with the students weekly. The students will reach out to you at least one week before placement (unless otherwise advised) to arrange the commencement of placement.
The Monash team interviews students who meet the eligibility criteria for placement. Based on these interviews, our understanding of your placement project(s) and logistics, we will recommend up to three projects for students to select from. We will advise the workplace supervisors via email who has been allocated approximately 2 months before the commencement of placement.
... and what involvement do workplace supervisors have in these?
Assessment requirements differ between the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs. We have done our best to design the assessment regime to support the placement experience, allowing for the variation of work completed. Assessment is the student's responsibility. If any of their tasks require input from you (e.g. access to resources or feedback), they must notify you in advance and allow you ample time to do so.
To ensure placement runs as smoothly as possible, the Monash team will check in (via email or video call, based on your preference) with you once placement has commenced and at the end of placement. We also check in with the students regularly and are available to you anytime during the placement.
We will send you a link to complete the end-of-placement survey. This includes indicating if you would like to be involved again. We may also reach out to develop a placement case study based on your experience. The survey and case study are optional.

Placement stories

Belgravia Leisure

Since 2020, Belgravia has hosted 11 SPHPM students, giving them hands-on experience in project and event planning, campaign guide development and health data analysis.

Maroondah City Council

Students placed with Maroondah City Council have contributed to meaningful local government work, including supporting a community engagement process for the Council's Community Vision initiative.