Professional development courses
You do not need to undertake a full Masters degree or Graduate Diploma to improve your skills in public health. At the School of Public Health we offer short courses or units of study in nearly all areas of study. These can:
- increase your chances of promotion within your current workplace
- enable you to obtain the skills you need to transfer to a different position
- increase your competency and level of job satisfaction in your current position
Here you will find the following information about professional development and short courses in the School of Public Health, including:
Some professional development courses are designed as stand-alone short courses open to the public. Others are units of study from Masters and other degrees that are open to anyone.
Individual Units of Study are also offered as short courses - almost any unit offered by the School can be studied individually (that is, not as part of a course).
For more detailed information on units of study in the School, see the individual coursework fields of study:
Some courses are offered as two-day or four-days workshops. Others are available one night a week for several weeks (usually seven). For the specific structure of a unit of study, see the individual unit description.
Assessment for professional development courses depends on (a) the type of course your are undertaking and (b) how you enrolled in it.
Where the professional development course is a short course which is NOT offered as a unit of study by the School of Public Health, you will not be required to undertake any assessment.
Where the professional development course is a unit of study routinely offered through the School, as noted above, your assessment will depend on the way in which you enrolled:
- If you enrolled formally through the Faculty of Medicine, you must complete all attendance and assessment requirements. If you fail the unit, for example by not submitting compulsory assessment tasks or by failing them, an AF (Absent Fail) will be recorded on your academic transcript. The benefit of enrolling formally is that you can count this unit towards a degree with us, as long as this you start your degree and claim credit within two years.
- If you enrolled through the School, you MAY be expected to complete assessment tasks and you may even be given a ‘mark’. However your results will not be recorded by the School, nor will any grade for this unit appear on your academic transcript. You will never be able to claim credit for this unit towards one of our degrees.
Enroling in units of study as short courses
If you would like to enroll in an existing unit of study as a short course, you have two options:
1. Enrolling as a non-award student: this means that you are enrolling in the specific unit of study only, not an entire course.
You will need to go through the full enrolment procedure. If you enroll as a non-award student, you will be expected to take part in all learning and assessment activities. If you fail the unit, for example by not submitting compulsory assessment tasks or by failing them, an AF (Absent Fail) will be recorded on your academic transcript. You will pay the standard university rate for the unit of study. You will be able to count the unit of study towards one of our degrees, as long as you do so within two years of completing the unit.
2. Enrolling through the School: if you enroll in this way, the enrolment procedure is simplified, for example you won’t need to provide evidence of your identity or previous studies.
Further, while you may be expected to complete assessment tasks (check with the coordinator of your course whether this is the case) and you may be given a ‘mark’, the results will not be recorded on an academic transcript. You will not be able to claim credit for this unit towards one of our degrees. For information about course costs for this type of enrolment, please contact the coordinator shown for the unit of study or his/her administrative assistant.
For non-award enrolments:
Course fees are based on official University rates, which stand at $385 per credit point for SPH units in 2008. The University's tuition fees are reviewed annually and may be varied during the period of study. The exact tuition fee may also depend on the specific unit(s) of study in which you enroll and any course you may be currently enrolled in. You will need to pay the course fee at the time of enrolment.
For enrolments through the School and professional development short courses:
Please contact the named contact officer or the Learning and Teaching Support Unit to find out the course costs, discounts, cancellation policy and other enrolment details.
Short Courses and Individual Units of Study:
1. Enrolling as a non-award student: Applicants wanting to undertake any of the units of study of the School's coursework programs as short course need to complete a non-award application form (PDF).
This form must be forwarded to:
Postgraduate Administration
Faculty of Medicine
Edward Ford Building, A27
The University of Sydney
NSW 2006 Australia
Please contact Postgraduate Administration for course fee and timetable information.
Phone: 9351 5470
Email:
2. Enrolling through the School: Applicants wanting to undertake any of the units of study of the School's coursework programs as short course need to complete a Professional development application form (PDF).
This form must be forwarded to:
Learning and Teaching Support Unit
School of Public Health
Edward Ford Building, A27
The University of Sydney
NSW 2006 Australia
Please contact the Learning and Teaching Support Unit for course fee and timetable information.
Phone: 9351 8635 or 9351 4366
Email:
Application deadlines:
- For Semester 1 units - no later than 31 January
- For Semester 2 units - no later than 31 May
Cancellation Policy:
For non-award enrolments: All cancellations must be in writing to Postgraduate Administration (see above) before the census date for the unit of study.
For enrolment through the School: See the specific registration information or contact the coordinator direct.
Prerequisites:
If you are intending to undertake an individual unit of study offered at the School, please note that some units have prerequisites.