New look Public Health Programs
We’ve recently reviewed our Public Health programs. After extensive consultation with employers, students and academic staff we’ve made some changes to our programs to make them more relevant to working in public health in Australia in the 21st century.
- The aims of our Public Health programs
- What does it mean to study Public Health?
- Our new core program: a methods and prevention focus
- Closing the gap: Indigenous health
- Bringing it all together
- Applying it
- How do the changes to MPH affect current Public Health students?
- Core program workload comparison 2009 and 2010
- Information about our public health courses
The aims of our Public Health programs
Our programs are based on the underlying philosophy that the application of critical thinking, and skills in research, advocacy, public policy and community engagement, will provide the best foundation for improving the health of the population. We aim, through the use of innovative, flexible and research-led teaching and learning, to produce graduates who are capable of applying the knowledge, skills and leadership required for effective public health policy and practice.
What does it mean to study Public Health?
We think of learning in Public Health as having four strands: knowledge, values, action and outcomes. Knowledge includes knowledge of theory and of methods; values are the beliefs, ideologies and interests influencing decision making. Action translates research into policy and practice and advocates for change, leading to outcomes which can then be evaluated. All four aspects are addressed in our new Master of Public Health (MPH) core units.
Our new core program: a methods and prevention focus
Our core units continue to emphasise a strong foundation in methods – epidemiology, biostatistics and qualitative research – and complements this with new units addressing the major concerns of Public Health in the first decades of the 21st century. In these units, we engage with the achievements, mission and challenges of public health, examine how knowledge and values influence decision-making and policy and address the critical areas of disease prevention and health promotion: action to improve outcomes.
Closing the gap: Indigenous health
The gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, reflecting health inequalities linked to socio-economic factors, is one of the main Public Health challenges facing our society. Our core units, particularly Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, have an increased emphasis on Indigenous health, providing an introduction to this important field for future Public Health professionals.
Bringing it all together
Our second semester Capstone unit gives students an opportunity to integrate their learning in methodology, values and content and apply it to a project relevant to their current or future careers in public health.
Applying it
A new degree, the Master of Public Health (Professional Practice) gives eligible, high performing students the opportunity to complete a supervised placement in a professional public health setting. Eligible students can transfer to this degree once they have completed their MPH. Places will be limited and selection will be based on students’ academic record and relevant experience. This professional practice will provide an outstanding opportunity to gain public health professional work experience.
Our parallel MPH (Honours) program, which emphasises research rather than a professional placement, will continue to be offered.
Core program workload comparison 2009 and 2010
The new MPH core units have been designed to provide you with an innovative and contemporary introduction to Public Health, which also meets the workload requirements for postgraduate courses at the University of Sydney. You can view a summary of the workload and a comparison with that for 2009 here and the timetable for these units here.