Master of Public Health/Master of Health Research

This double master's combines public health coursework with research training. You take the core public health units, epidemiology, biostatistics, health promotion, health policy and systems, and social and environmental determinants of health, and then add a research stream that builds towards a substantial thesis or research project. The result is a qualification that prepares you for public health practice and for research roles, and it gives you a pathway into doctoral study if that is where you want to go.

Australian master's degrees sit at level 9 of the Australian Qualifications Framework and normally take one to two years of full-time study. This one runs for two years. You will enrol in units of study, each worth a set number of credit points, across semesters or trimesters. The research component is the spine of the second half of the degree: research methods, research ethics, a literature review, and then a supervised project or thesis where you design and carry out your own study. Assessment is a mix of written work, exams, presentations and the thesis itself.

Charles Darwin University is based in the Northern Territory, and that shapes what public health looks like here. The Territory has a large Aboriginal population, remote communities, tropical health issues and a significant burden of chronic disease. If you study public health in this setting you will likely engage with those realities, Indigenous health, health service delivery in remote areas, environmental health in a tropical climate. Work-integrated learning and placement are used in public health training, and research projects are often tied to real health services and community organisations. Confirm the exact placement and research arrangements on the official course page.

The degree suits two groups. First, people already working in health, nurses, allied health professionals, health administrators, community health workers, who want to move into public health or research. Second, graduates from other fields who want to enter public health and need the research skills to do it properly. International students should note the English requirement: IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common coursework-postgraduate standard, though some fields require higher. The Student visa has its own English threshold set by the Department of Home Affairs. While studying, a student visa generally allows 48 hours of work per fortnight during term. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available, depending on your circumstances. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 103123K.

• Public health officer or program officer, state and territory health departments, local councils, and non-government health organisations.
• Epidemiologist or data analyst, health departments, research institutes, and hospitals tracking disease and health outcomes.
• Health promotion officer, community health services, Aboriginal community controlled health organisations, and government programs.
• Health policy analyst, government departments and peak bodies shaping health policy and funding.
• Research assistant or research officer, universities, medical research institutes, and health services.
• Project officer in Indigenous health, Aboriginal community controlled health organisations and government health programs, particularly in the Northern Territory and other remote areas.
• Health service manager, hospitals, primary health networks, and community health organisations.
• Doctoral study, the research training provides a pathway to a PhD.