Master of Health Professional Education

Graduates of the Master of Health Professional Education should be able to:

1. Articulate and transmit to others mastery of evidence-based, best-practice in contemporary healthcare education including culturally safe and inclusive knowledge translation, that respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives.
2. Generate and implement and/or disseminate a range of advanced evidence-based educational knowledge and skills in critical inquiry, research and evaluation, and leadership that focuses on driving change for the improvement of quality and safety in health care.
3. Critically analyse different and complex sources and forms of information to initiate and lead practice change through education activities and programs.
4. Demonstrate mastery in leading innovative, evidence-based educational strategies tailored to diverse healthcare settings.
5. Design, conduct, and evaluate an independent workplace project or educational research project that contributes to best practices, enhance knowledge translation, and informs policy and curriculum development in healthcare education.

The Master of Health Professional Education is designed for healthcare professionals seeking to advance their expertise in health education. Health professional education is the advanced study and application of learning and teaching methodologies within healthcare. It equips health and allied health care professionals with the skills and knowledge to educate and lead within the health setting, ultimately improving patient care and healthcare systems.

Taught by experts, this interactive, interdisciplinary program develops health and allied health graduates' ability to apply educational theories, lead collaboration, and embed evidence-based teaching in healthcare environments. Ideal for those transitioning into educational leadership, research, or academia, the program is delivered online (one year full-time or equivalent part-time) to accommodate busy professionals.

Graduates will master evidence-based, best-practice healthcare education, including culturally safe and inclusive knowledge translation that respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. They will gain advanced skills in critical inquiry, research, evaluation, and leadership to drive quality and safety improvements in healthcare. The program also prepares graduates to critically analyse complex information, lead practice change through education, and implement innovative teaching strategies tailored to diverse healthcare environments.

Students can choose between two pathways:

Project Stream: Includes a simulation-based unit, an elective, and an independent project focused on workplace or educational improvement.

Research Stream: Features an additional research unit and two dissertation units, offering a PhD pathway or advanced research training.

Graduates will be equipped to design, conduct, and evaluate independent workplace or research projects that enhance knowledge translation, inform policy and curriculum development, and contribute to best practices in healthcare education.

Recommended study pattern

To qualify for the Master of Health Professional Education degree, a student must complete 120 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings, consisting of:

For Project Stream:

• 70 cp from Specified Health Professional Education Units
• 40 cp from Project Stream Units
• 10 cp from Elective Units.

For Research Stream:

• 70 cp from Specified Health Professional Education Units
• 50 cp from Research Stream Units.

Specified Health Professional Education Units

• HLSC604 Quality and Safety in Health Care (10cp)
• HLSC608 Theoretical Foundations of Health Professional Education (10cp)
• HLSC609 Facilitating Learning in Health Professional Settings (10cp)
• HLSC640 Interpreting Health Research (10cp)
• HLSC664 Curriculum Design, Assessment and Evaluation in Health Professional Education (10cp)
• HLSC665 Contemporary Teaching for Health Professional Education (10cp)
• PHIL623 Healthcare Ethics: Principle in Practice (10cp).

Project Stream Units

• HLSC605 Leadership in Health Care (10cp)
• HLSC617 Independent Project (20cp)
• HLSC666 Advanced Simulation Practice (10cp).

Elective Units

To be selected in consultation with the Course Coordinator:

• HLSC603 Organisational Culture and management (10cp)
• HLSC606 Workforce Management (10cp)
• HLSC607 Policy and Planning in Health Care (10cp)
• HLSC650 Recovery Oriented Mental Health (10cp)
• HLSC652 Health Promotion and Social Inclusion (10cp)
• HLSC655 Reflective Practice and Clinical Supervision in Mental Health (10cp)
• HLSC6661 Facilitative Leadership, Coaching and Mentoring (10cp).

Research Stream Units

• HLSC42 Biostatistics for Health Sciences (10cp)

OR

• HLSC646 Qualitative Research Methods (10cp)
• HLSC623 Research Dissertation Part A (20cp)
• HLSC624 Research Dissertation Part B (20cp).

Award requirements

To qualify for the degree, a student must complete 120 credit points from the schedule of subject offerings.

Exit points

A student who has completed the following requirements from the specialisations in the Schedule of Unit Offerings may exit with the relevant award:

• Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education: 40 credit points from Specified Units in the Schedule of Unit Offerings for that award.
• Graduate Diploma in Health Professional Education: 80 credit points from Specified Units in the Schedule of Unit Offerings for that award.

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

Indicative total fee $12,615

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.

Australian Catholic University – So much more

An Australian Catholic University (ACU) education is grounded in the Catholic understanding of faith and reason working together in the pursuit of knowledge, promotion of human dignity, and advancement of the common good.

ACU aims to transform lives and communities. Students are challenged to look beyond the classroom, solve real-world problems, develop their own search for meaning and cultivate strong professional ethics. They are invited to stand up for people in need and causes that matter.

Opportunities for personal and professional growth are critical to ACU. It is a university of service – so much so that it is built into the curricula. All ACU courses offer work placements, internships or volunteering opportunities.

Learn more about Australian Catholic University

Explore Australian Catholic University courses

QS World University Ranking 2026, within Australia:

33

Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2026, within Australia:

27

To be eligible for admission to the Master of Health Professional Education, an applicant must:

• have completed either a bachelor degree in a health discipline or equivalent; OR
• have completed either the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Education, the Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education, the Graduate Diploma in Clinical Education or the Graduate Diploma in Health Professional Education; AND
• have completed at least one year of clinical or work experience prior to admission.

An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.

An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.

In addition to meeting higher education requirements, applicants must have completed at least one year of clinical or work experience prior to admission.

Academic IELTS with an overall score of 6.5: with minimum scores of 6.0 in all tests.

Pearson Test of English (PTE) 58: with a minimum of 50 in all four communicative skills.

Test of English as a Foreign Language - Academic TOEFL Internet based total of 79: with a minimum 21 in writing, 18 in speaking, 13 in reading and 12 in listening.

ACU English Language Test - B(65-74%).

Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) Overall CAE of 176: with a minimum individual score of 169 in all tests.

Applicants who have completed ACU's Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education will be eligible for recognition of prior learning of 40 credit points from Specified Units in the Schedule of Unit Offerings for that award

Applicants who have completed ACU's Graduate Diploma in Health Professional Education will be eligible for recognition of prior learning of 80 credit points from Specified Units in the Schedule of Unit Offerings for that award.

If you have already studied at university level or have significant relevant work experience, you can apply for credit towards your ACU course. Credited units replace units you would otherwise study, so you can finish your course earlier.

There are essential components of a course or unit that demonstrate the capabilities, knowledge and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes of the course or unit. Learn more about inherent requirements and how they affect you, and explore the requirements for your course.