6 reasons to study public health

1. Stand out in an increasingly competitive field with our unique degree

Our 1.5-year Master of Public Health will provide you with the time needed to build competency and gain skills from a wide range of public health units and electives, allowing you to specialise in an area that will boost your career prospects. You can choose from units of study such as Climate Change and Health, Global Communicable Disease Control, and Leadership and Strategy in Health. You will also be able to curate your elective units to develop a specialty in areas such as:

• Communicable disease control
• Health promotion and advocacy
• Chronic disease prevention
• Research methods

2. Graduate job-ready with diverse placement opportunities and links to industry

We chose an 18-month format for our flagship masters degree to provide our students with the opportunity to undertake a professional placement or capstone project. Through this you can engage with practitioners and leading academics, gain experience in public health practice and graduate with a competitive edge.

The University of Sydney School of Public Health has thousands of alumni and partners and therefore can offer opportunities few others can.

Our students have participated in a diverse range of placements at:

• Local Health District Public Health Units
• Local Health District Health Promotion Units
• Cancer Council NSW
• Brain and Mind Centre
• Family Planning NSW
• Primary Health Networks

3. Flexible study options

You can tailor your study schedule around your lifestyle and other commitments with our flexible study options, ideal for full-time workers. You only pay for the units you enrol in each semester and your course may be tax deductible. 

Study mode options:

• online
• on-campus
• intensive

Duration:

• 18 months (1.5 years) full time
• 36 months (3 years) part time

4. Learn from Australia’s leading practitioners and policy influencers in public health

This course is taught by over 130 public health academics who are the leaders in the Australian public health community and have specialised experience working in organisations such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF, NSW Health, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the Australian Government Department of Health, and Cancer Australia.

You’ll learn from experts such as:

• Professor Andrew Wilson, Director of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics and former Chief Health Officer of NSW and Deputy Director of Queensland Health
• Professor Karen Canfell, the inaugural Director of the Daffodil Centre, a joint venture between the University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW and one of the world’s leading cancer researchers
• Associate Professor Melody Ding, one of the world’s most prominent physical activity researchers and the 2018 NSW Young Tall Poppy of the Year
• Associate Professor Becky Freeman, expert advisor on cross-border Tobacco Advertising Promotion and Sponsorship and the depiction of tobacco in the entertainment media for the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
• Dr Seye Abimbola is the Editor-in-Chief of BMJ Global Health and a member of the WHO Constitutive Forum on Health System Governance. 

5. Discover a new and rewarding career path in health

You don’t have to come from a health or medical background to study public health at the University of Sydney. Our students come from a diverse range of academic and professional backgrounds. Regardless of your experience, the structure of our public health programs will provide you with advanced postgraduate training and equip you with the skills and requirements for a career as a public health professional.

6. Graduate with a range of career options    

Studying public health allows you to broaden your knowledge in your chosen health or research area and add value to an existing career. Public health graduates can pursue a wide range or careers across research and policy positions at private and public health providers, academic institutions, research centres, non-government organisations and government ministries.

Our graduates have gone on to work as:

• Scientific writers at World Health Organization (WHO)
• Program Development Managers at GOAL Sierra Leone
• Public Health Coordinators for International SOS
• Health Economics and Social Policy Consultants at Deloitte
• External affiars and government relations at pharmaceutical companies
• Research positions at universities and health institutes
  

What can you study?

• Master of Public Health 
• Graduate Diploma in Public Health
  

Still have questions? 

Email the course coordinator at ssph.education-support@sydney.edu.au.