Undergraduate Certificate in Creative Arts and Health
UndergraduateTAS-CAH-CTF2025
Use your passion for the arts to help patients thrive
Discover how creative outlets such as music, theatre and dance can improve individual and community wellbeing. Learn how to deliver patient-centred arts programs. Graduate with job-ready skills that apply to numerous health and community settings.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Applications close
- 13 July 2025
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 6 months full time or part time equivalent
- Total subjects
- 4
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
- CSP available
- Yes
Undergraduate Certificate in Creative Arts and Health
About this degree
Upon successful completion of this program, students should be able to:
- Identify, analyse, synthesise and describe cultural and ethical impacts on health and wellbeing through participation in creative arts discipline activities.
- Communicate and reflect on a range of creative arts and health initiatives using written and technology-supported modes.
- Identify problems and propose ethical solutions with flexibility and creativity as a basis for planning and decision making.
- Detail research methods necessary to design an experiment for investigating the impacts of creative arts and aspects of wellbeing on groups of people or individuals.
Engaging with the creative arts can bring joy, restore self-confidence, and improve the quality of life for everyone.
An ageing population and rising levels of depression and anxiety in youth, the elderly, and people living in rural areas are significant challenges for Tasmania, Australia and internationally. Research is demonstrating ways in which music, visual arts, theatre and other creative arts can contribute to addressing these challenges.
The Undergraduate Certificate in Creative Arts and Health will develop your understanding of the effects of the arts on the brain and body in social and cultural contexts. This program will introduce you to ethical and effective implementation of arts programs in both community and healthcare settings. If you are studying to learn about self-care and explore your own creativity, we offer a range of creative arts and health subjects for you to choose from. You'll also have the option to study a subject on self-care, mindfulness, and stress management. After completing this program, you will have a greater understanding of how different creative expressions can influence your own health and the wellbeing of others.
Please visit our Certificates page for answers to frequently asked questions about the Job Ready Certificates.
Recommended study pattern
For students undertaking full-time study the following study pattern is recommended.
Completion of 1 core subject from the schedule below:
- TAS-FXA100 The Arts and Dementia Care
- TAS-FXA101 Creativity for Life
Completion of 3 elective subjects from the schedule below:
- TAS-CZZ104 Living and Working with Cultural Diversity
- TAS-FXA202 The Photo Essay: Storytelling with Image and Text
- TAS-FXA301 Arts in the Community
- TAS-FXA302 Perspectives of the Arts on Health and Wellbeing
- TAS-PSY112 Brain and Behaviour
- TAS-PSY214 Stress, Self-Care and Mindfulness
Award requirements
Satisfactory completion of 4 subjects, as required in the schedule, within 0.5 to 2 years from commencement.
Degrees are usually made up of core subjects and electives. Some degrees include a choice of majors, so you can focus your studies on a specialisation.
This list is a general overview. Download the full Degree Guide for more information.
Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.
Indicative total fee $5,620
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.
Wherever you are, the University of Tasmania brings its island campus to you through a growing range of online programs across art and design, business, education, health, science, sustainability, technology, and more. It’s never too late to switch things up. Kickstart that career you’ve been dreaming about, or upskill for the one you’re in. You’ll also become a part of the world's leading university on climate action.
Learn more about UTAS.
Explore UTAS courses.
- QS World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:
- 20
- Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:
- 19
Entry requirements
Completed at least one undergraduate subject (equivalent to 12.5 UTAS credit points)
Successful completion of one OUA open access subject of study at the equivalent AQF level, unless otherwise specified.
Completed the TCE (or equivalent)
A completed VET Certificate III or higher
If you have not successfully completed senior secondary, tertiary or TAFE/VET study, but have relevant work and life experience you can complete a personal competency statement. You may be eligible for an offer if you have work and life experiences that demonstrate a capacity to succeed in this program.
The University of Tasmania grants credit and recognition of prior learning that may include formal and/or informal prior learning. More information is available here.
Career opportunities
The Undergraduate Certificate in Creative Arts and Health provides valuable skills and health insights for a range of professional and personal contexts. If you’re already working in the health or community sectors or caring for an individual it will introduce you to interventions employing arts-based activities, including music, theatre, dance and visual arts. It is also an ideal pathways if you're looking to expand your creative arts practice, or interested in the way the arts can support your own wellbeing and personal growth.
This is an excellent opportunity to further your career in welfare, recreation and community arts as employment projections are upwards trending and set to grow by 28.2% by 2024*.
In addition to developing job-ready skills, you'll also have the option to pursue to further study in the Diploma of Creative Arts and Health.
* ABS Labour Force Survey, National Skills Commission trend data to May 2019 and projections to 2024
Australian job snapshots
Data sourced from Australian Jobs 2023.
| Role | Earnings | Employment change |
|---|---|---|
| Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers | $93K to $120K | Down 30.9% |
| Community Workers | N/A^ | N/A^ |
| Disabilities Services Officers | N/A^ | N/A^ |
| Entertainers and Variety Artists | N/A^ | N/A^ |
| Musicians | N/A^ | N/A^ |
| Welfare, Recreation and Community Arts Workers | $75K to $93K | Up 29.8% |
| Youth Workers | N/A^ | N/A^ |
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Degree FAQs
How long does it take to finish an online degree?
That's up to you! Because we let you choose when to study online, you can actually pick up and pause study when it suits you. Many universities have a set time you need to complete your degree within. For some this is up to 10 years, and for others there is no limit.
There are some degrees that are stricter about when you can take breaks, and about how many years you can take to complete your degree. Please always check with your uni what the limits are.
As a general guide, Commonwealth supported place students have 10 years to finish their undergraduate degree through OUA, However, if you're studying with Griffith University, there's a limit of 8 years to complete your studies. If you want to take a break that lasts more than two study terms, you'll need to apply for a leave of absence. You can apply for a leave of absence for up to 12 months, as long as you complete your studies within the maximum time allowed for your degree.
If you're studying with Macquarie University, with the exception of certain degrees, there's no limit to how long you can take. But, please check with Macquarie Student Administration to be sure.
If you're studying with the University of Adelaide, you have up to 9 years to complete your undergraduate degree and graduate.
If you're studying with La Trobe University and want to take a break of minimum 1 study term, you must apply for leave of absence to avoid being inadvertently withdrawn from your degree.
Through OUA, you can study all year round, so it's possible to fast-track and finish up sooner than studying at a traditional uni would allow. That said, you need to spend around 12 hours a week on each undergraduate subject you do, so taking on extra work to finish ahead of time can be challenging.
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Payment options are explained in Fees, and you can contact a student advisor for more information.
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