Graduate Certificate in Public Health

During this course you will:

1. Benefit from a program that is evidence-based and comprehensive and reflects UQ's strong links with Australian and global health organisations.
2. Choose to progress to the Graduate Diploma or Master of Public Health and transfer study credits across on completion of the program.
3. Benefit from options to study online, on campus or a combination of both, so you can structure your study to suit your needs.

This program introduces health professionals from a range of backgrounds to the key elements of public health. It allows them to explore population perspectives on health and disease, and health systems responses to these. It introduces the necessary skills for analysing the patterns of disease in populations, their determinants and associated factors and provides an overview of behaviours that contribute to disease in the community, and the development and implementation of appropriate interventions.

Recommended study pattern

The Graduate Certificate in Public Health is a 1 year course for a part-time student. Each year consists of 2 Study Periods, also known as semesters. The recommended study pattern consists of 3 core subjects and 1 elective subject, with 2 to be completed in your first study period and 2 in your second.

Award requirements

To qualify for the Graduate Certificate in Public Health, students must satisfactorily complete a program of study consisting of 4 subjects.

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

Indicative total fee $4,658

The amounts shown here are 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.

For more than a century, The University of Queensland (UQ) has delivered knowledge leadership for a better world. The most prestigious and widely recognised rankings of world universities consistently place UQ among the world's top universities. UQ has also won more national teaching awards than any other Australian university. This commitment to quality teaching empowers our 56,000 current students, who study across UQ’s three campuses, to create positive change for society.

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QS World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:

6

Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:

5

To be eligible for entry, you'll need:

• a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline (see below), or
• to have completed post-secondary studies and have 2 years full-time equivalent, relevant work experience in a health care or public health setting. 

Applications based on post-secondary study and work experience will be assessed individually.

You must have a grade point average (GPA) of 4.0 on a 7-point scale in your previous qualification.

Relevant disciplines include: behavioural and social sciences, biomedical sciences, biostatistics, counselling, dentistry and oral health, development studies, environmental health, epidemiology, exercise and nutrition science, exercise and sport science, food science, health economics, health management, medicine and medical sciences, nursing, nutrition, occupational health and safety, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, psychology, public health and health sciences, science, sociology, speech therapy, and veterinary sciences.

All applicants must satisfy the UQ English language proficiency requirements for admission.

If you've completed previous study, you may be eligible to receive credit for – or exemption from – certain subjects in a UQ program.