Why study in the School of Public Health?

The School of Public Health is a vibrant, multi-disciplinary network of individuals and centres which combine to provide exceptional and internationally recognised education opportunities in the field of public health. Our study opportunities include research degrees and coursework masters degrees and diplomas, which are very popular with established health and other professionals.

There are many benefits to being a student at the University of Sydney's School of Public Health:

The School of Public Health has gained an outstanding reputation for the quality of its research work, and for the expertise of its academic staff.

The School is renowned for its excellence in teaching in areas such as epidemiology, biostatistics, health promotion, health economics, health advocacy and evidence-based healthcare. It is also recognised for its first class research programs and publication record.

In addition to the research activity of the School’s academic staff, the School of Public Health also includes several constituent and affiliated research centres.

The University of Sydney was the home of Australia's first School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, established almost 80 years ago. This laid the groundwork for today's School of Public Health.

The precursor to the School of Public Health, the former Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, received a 10/10 rating from the University of Melbourne's 1999 independent annual review of research performance measures among the G8 universities. It was one of only two departments in the University of Sydney to receive the top ranking.

The University of Sydney's School of Public Health offers the only specialist Master of International Public Health program in NSW, and one of only a few in Australia.

The School of Public Health has pioneered many academic programs in public health. It was, for example, one of the first in Australia to focus on public health in developing countries, and has been instrumental in setting up nationwide specialist biostatistics programs.

The School offers a range of coursework and research programs for you to study in the areas of:

• Public Health
• Clinical Epidemiology
• International Public Health
• Biostatistics
• Health Policy
• Indigenous Health Promotion

For professionals already practising in the field of public health, the School also offers short courses for professional development.

Although our degrees are predominantly offered on campus, in face to face mode, we also offer a range of flexible options to meet the needs of those students who are unable to commute to campus, or whose professional or family commitments prevent them attending face to face. This means that you can choose to study largely or wholly face to face or largely or wholly in distance mode. Some of our electives are workshops, which means you attend one or more days on-campus; some are wholly online. Be sure to check the unit descriptions in the Faculty handbook and/or on this site to find out the delivery mode for each one.

Please note that, as from Semester 1 2008, it is possible to complete the entire Master of Public Health, Graduate Diploma in Public Health and Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma in Clinical Epidemiology in distance mode, as long as you are a local student or international student studying from overseas.

Units of study available in distance mode

As a student in the School you have access to excellent computing and research facilities, including 24-hour Student Computer Lab access. The University has, for example, the largest academic library in the Southern Hemisphere, with 5.3 million books, journals and audiovisual items.

The School’s Learning and Teaching Support Unit (Room 329, Edward Ford Building) has been set up to support students from their first enquiry through to graduation. This is where you can get advice and help – in person, by email or by telephone – for everything from getting directions and help with timetables through obtaining copies of course guides and notes to getting technical support for online learning.

As a student of the University of Sydney, you will also have access to range of student services which provide help with such things as orientation, accommodation, finances, social activities, counselling and welfare.

The beautiful University of Sydney campus - combining traditional sandstone buildings with the latest in architectural design and educational technology - is a wonderful place to study. And it is situated in the heart of Sydney, voted one of the world's most desirable cities to live in. The campus is also very easy to get to, with buses stopping at the gate and a railway station a short walk away.