Bachelor of Public Health
What is public health?
Public health describes research and application of medical and health principles at a community or population level, rather than at the individual level often found in clinical medicine. It’s health, but on a grand scale, and public health initiatives can improve or save millions of lives.
Public health principles can be applied across the full spectrum of clinical domains, from asthma to Zika, preventing and managing all manner of illness.
About this course
This degree provides a solid foundation in all aspects of public health and is ideal for students who are confident in their plans to forge a career in this area.
Our Bachelor of Public Health will show you how to develop, implement and evaluate health programs and policies that promote health and prevent disease and injury, and understand public health research. It has a global orientation, exploring health challenges familiar to us here in Australia, and overseas.
We produce well-rounded graduates who understand not only the physiological underpinnings of health, but behavioural, environmental, ethical, legal, cultural and social factors that influence how people interact with health services and respond to health advice. Your studies will include aspects of biomedical sciences (such as physiology and pharmacology) and social sciences (such as sociology), along with public health, epidemiology, biostatistics and research methods.
You’ll also walk away understanding the structure of the complex Australian healthcare system and fundamentals about major emerging health challenges.
Areas of study include:
|
|
"I love the idea of contributing to a field where my work really feeds back to the community. The skills I learnt allow me to do that."
– Rohini Chandra, Bachelor of Public Health
"The most interesting thing for me is learning about the social and environmental determinants of health. I’d love to one day work doing something along these lines, like tackling family violence or in occupational health."
– Derek Villaceran, Bachelor of Public Health
"Something I’ve really enjoyed is the career experiences our lecturers and tutors have brought with them. They apply theoretical concepts to their own real-life career experiences, which brings a subject to life, and makes you dream about what you might one day achieve."
– Danielle Pattinson, Bachelor of Public Health
Career opportunities
The Bachelor of Public Health can give you the edge in an industry looking for recruits with a sound understanding of health and healthcare across a huge range of non-clinical roles.
Our graduates find rewarding opportunities in the following public health areas:
|
|
Employers come from health services, councils, governments, private sector and research institutes.
If you decide to work in a clinical role, you might also consider further study.
This degree serves as a direct entry pathway into the following Monash postgraduate programs that can lead to clinical vocations:
|
Finally, the Bachelor of Public Health is a great pathway to a career in public health research.
You may choose to continue your study with a graduate entry program or postgraduate course. For information on our postgraduate courses, please click here.