Public health courses

Public health is about improving the health and wellbeing of people and communities. By studying public health, you can play a vital role in tackling issues like disease prevention, mental health, and access to healthcare. It’s a career where you can make a real difference while addressing some of the biggest challenges in our society. 

Online public health courses offer a slew of benefits, particularly if you already work in the healthcare industry. You can build your expertise in your spare time, without being locked into in-person lectures and tutorials.

When you study your course through Open Universities Australia, you can also control how many subjects you take per term, and scale your study load up and down as you need to. This makes it easier to fit your readings and assessments around your lifestyle.

It depends on where you are in your career—and where you want to be. If you're just starting out, an undergraduate degree or a short public health course are fantastic starting points. Options include an undergraduate certificate or a Bachelor of Health Science. You can also consider a short course or single subject, like Health and Society and Understanding Health and Wellbeing.   

Making a career change? You might like to consider a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Public Health, which will introduce you to public health at a more advanced level. And if you already work in public health, then you should consider a Master of Public Health, or a postgraduate course that allows you to upskill in a specialisation such as health promotion, epidemiology and public health policy. Courses at this level will be more research and project based, and require existing public health knowledge.  

Get in touch and we can help guide you on the right path.

Public health courses give you the skills you need to promote health, prevent disease, and improve healthcare systems. Topics you'll explore include community health, epidemiology, environmental health, and health policy. Case studies and practical examples are often part of your learning. They help prepare you to address real-world health challenges in your career.   

Because public health is a diverse field, you can choose to focus on many different specialisations. Research, policy development, global health, and adolescent health are just some of the specialisations you can choose from.

Entry requirements vary based on the course and level of study you choose. Undergraduate courses usually need you to have completed Year 12 or equivalent. But with Open Universities Australia there is more than one way to get into a degree. We may be able to help you find a pathway into your course through open-entry subjects, which anyone can study.

Postgraduate courses often require a bachelor degree in a related field, like health sciences or biology. Some courses also accept work experience in healthcare instead of formal qualifications.

Get in touch to find out more about entry requirements.

Public health graduates can pursue diverse roles across health agencies, government departments, hospitals, primary care health organisations, community health centres and universities.  

Some career paths include:  

• Health promotion officer  

• Public health researcher  

• Epidemiologist  

• Policy advisor  

• Community health worker  

• Environmental health officer  

• Program coordinator for health initiatives  

Whether you want to work locally or globally, public health offers plenty of opportunities to create meaningful change. 

Still not sure? Take a look at related courses in health management, nursing, aged care, and mental health.

Enrolling online is simple. Here’s how it works:

1. Find your course

• Browse the options on this page.

• Use our comparison tool to explore the different choices.

• Need help? Book a free phone consultation with a student advisor for personalised guidance.

2. Start your enrolment

• When you’re ready, click ‘Start studying now’ on the course page.

• Follow the prompts to begin your enrolment.

• You’ll need to provide supporting documents, such as:

  • Proof of identity

  • Your tax file number

  • A Unique Student Identifier (USI)

3. Wait for confirmation

Your chosen university will email you to confirm if your enrolment has been successful.

Note: Some courses have enquiries and applications handled directly by the university. If this applies, it will be clearly stated on the course listing page.

For more details, check our online self-service enrolment guide. And if you need help at any stage, contact us and we’ll talk you through it.