Bachelor of International Public Health

Do you want to tackle global health issues and join a profession that operates across borders? The Bachelor of International Public Health (BIPH) will provide you with an understanding of the key issues impacting the health of populations around the world.

The UNSW BIPH is an innovative three-year degree, with course material developed and delivered by UNSW Sydney and Arizona State University. Moving away from the traditional classroom, this ground-breaking degree will immerse you in a global learning setting. You will study with students from Australia, the United States and around the world, bringing a global perspective to your education.

This three- year degree is available in dual mode delivery. There is the option to come onto the UNSW Sydney campus to complete some of the courses or you can complete the degree fully online. You can undertake the degree on a full or part-time basis, at a pace that suits your needs and can commence your studies at multiple entry points across the year.

It will prepare you to design and implement new public health approaches for emerging social issues including the impacts of climate change and an increasingly connected world on health. Given this focus, the BIPH highlights important interactions between the social, biological, and environmental determinants of health and focuses on interventions for strengthening sustainable development and health, locally and globally.

The knowledge and skillset students’ acquire through the BIPH will equip them for professional careers in a wide range of contexts. Graduates of the course will be ready to work in both Australian public health roles and in international development, as well as be ready to transition to a higher degree, including graduate medicine or a master’s program.

After successfully completing this program, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate theoretical understanding and application of key concepts, principles, theories and frameworks used in public health and its related disciplines or areas of practice within local and global contexts;
2. Identify, analyse and communicate epidemiological data for interpreting patterns of health, disease and injury within populations and propose potential public health interventions to prevent, protect and/or control harms to health and wellbeing;
3. Scope and justify the design and evaluation of disease prevention strategies for communicable and non‐communicable diseases relevant to a range of health settings/contexts;
4. Critically discuss international or national or state or regional priority health problems relevant to specific populations or communities and evaluate evidence‐based health promotion strategies;
5. Demonstrate understanding of the regulatory, ethical and health system structures within which public health policy and practice is undertaken and the implications for contributing to change to address emerging global public health issues;
6. Demonstrate the capacity to critically reflect on own professional strengths for working collaboratively, with cultural sensitivity and informed by values of social justice and evidence-based practice.

Recommended study pattern

Full Time or Part Time

• Students must complete at least 30 units of credit (UOC) of Level 1 courses before enrolling in Level 2 courses
• Students must complete at least 48 units of credit (UOC) before enrolling in Level 3 courses
• PHCM2006 Public Health Policy & Programs is a pre‐requisite for PHCM3005 Comparative Health Systems
• PHCM2001, PHCM2002, PHCM2004 are recommended before enrolling in Principles of Prevention & Public Health Surveillance (PHCM2005).

Year 1 (48 UOC)

• YMED1008 Introduction to Global Health (6 UOC)
• YMED1003 General Biology (6 UOC)
• YMED1005 Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology (6 UOC)
• YMED1001 Introduction to Public Health (6 UOC)
• PHCM1001 International Indigenous Health (6 UOC)
• Two General Education courses: GENED choice of online courses available at UNSW (12 UOC)

Year 2 (48 UOC)

• PHCM2001 Epidemiology (6 UOC)
• PHCM2002 Biostatistics (6 UOC)
• PHCM2003 Health Promotion (6 UOC)
• PHCM2004 Communicable Disease (6 UOC)
• PHCM2005 Principles of Prevention & Public Health Surveillance (6 UOC)
• PHCM2006 Public Health Policy and Programs (6 UOC)
• PHCM2007 Health Leadership (6 UOC)
• PHCM2009 Global Chronic Disease Prevention Control (6 UOC)

Year 3 (48 UOC)

• PHCM3001 Ethics in Public Health (6 UOC)
• PHCM3003 Public Health Capstone (6 UOC)*
• PHCM3005 Comparative Health Systems (6 UOC)
• PHCM3007 Applied Public Health Practice (6 UOC)
• YMED3007 Environmental & Occupational Health (6 UOC)

The capstone is a required component of the BIPH and provides students with opportunity over ten weeks to be immersed in a field placement in a public health organisation locally or internationally or complete a research project. The capstone allows students to integrate their knowledge and skills from across the program, focus in on their particular area of interest for future practice and gain real-world experience. Students are supported by UNSW in identifying a suitable field placement or a research project to match their area of public health interest and will be supervised throughout. When undertaking a placement in a local or international organisation, students will have the opportunity to learn practical skills and network with practitioners in the field, providing an important stepping stone for future employment.

Award requirements

1. The degree of Bachelor of International Public Health is awarded after the successful completion of a minimum of 144 units of credit (UOC).
2. To fulfil these requirements, students must complete:

Depth Component ‐

• 114 units of specified core courses, being all those prescribed in the faculty regulations for this program
• 18 units of credit in elective courses, in accordance with UNSW and BIPH requirements

Breadth Component ‐

• 12 units of General Education, in accordance with UNSW and BIPH requirements.

Choose your subjects

Electives

Students are to complete four electives from the list below (18 UOC to 24 UOC):

• PHCM3004 Women's and Children's Health (6 UOC)
• PHCM3008 Physical Activity & Nutrition in International Contexts (6 UOC)
• PHCM3009 The Power of Sport: An Introduction to Sport for Social Change (6 UOC)
• YMED3004 Behavioural Mental Disorders (6 UOC)

This electives list is not fixed and an extended list of electives can be obtained by contacting the School on biph@unsw.edu.au

Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.

Indicative total fee $30,000

The amount shown here is indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.

Fees may vary depending on:

• the subjects you choose
• credit from previous work experience
• your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.

To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.

QS World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:

3

Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:

6

Applicants who have undertaken at least three-quarters of a standard full-time study load (0.75 full-time equivalent) at a Bachelor degree level or higher, will have their tertiary studies taken into account. Applicants may also be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning.

Applicants with secondary studies who have a Selection Rank (ATAR + Adjustment Factors) of 80 or higher are guaranteed a place within the BIPH program*. There are no prerequisites for enrolment in this course, however, an understanding of maths is advantageous.

*  Guaranteed Entry is only applicable if BIPH is listed as the applicant’s highest eligible preference in UAC. This information is applicable to 2019 and may be subject to change in future.

Applicants who hold a completed AQF advanced diploma, diploma, associate diploma or certificate IV or equivalent, are eligible to be considered for admission.

• Applicants who have completed their Senior Secondary studies more than five years ago are eligible to be considered for admission on the basis of their ATAR (or equivalent).
• Applicants who will be 21 years old or older by 1^st March 2019 may be eligible for admission to BIPH by undertaking UAC’s Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT).

For a full list of entry requirements for BIPH please visit UNSW Future Students website

A sound proficiency with the English language is required.

Students who have completed comparable university level course to those offered as part of the BIPH may apply for recognition of prior learning (RPL).  Applications for RPL must be lodged and approved prior to the commencement of the course for which credit or an exemption is being sought. Once a student has commenced a course, applications for credit for or exemption from that course are not permitted.

Assessment of RPL requires judgement about: whether the prior learning meets the admission criteria specified for the program; how accurately the prior learning demonstrated in the application matches the learning outcomes of the UNSW program or courses; the units of credit to be conceded in the form of one or more courses; and, the type of credit being applied for (for example, specified credit for a block of courses in a program).

Reliable internet access and ability to participate in video conferencing.

There are no on-campus requirements. This program can be completed fully online. Students have the option to take the two General Education (GenEd) courses in the internal mode.