Master of Public Health (Professional Practice)

Unit of Study information on faculty page

The Master of Public Health (Professional Practice) consists of 60 credit points (cp), including 32cp of core units, 16cp of elective units and 12cp of practice placement. The majority of core units of study are scheduled in Semester 1. The core units provide basic health knowledge and skills in epidemiology, biostatistics, qualitative research methods, health promotion, and public health ethics. Most electives are offered in Semester 2 of each year. Most units of study are also available in distance mode. In the last semester, students will undertake a placement consisting of a minimum of 216 hours' work in a practice placement. It is approximately 6 weeks' full-time work (or equivalent part-time work). Initially placements will only be possible in Australia, although this may change in the future.

The Master of Public Health (Professional Practice) leads to hands on careers in public health, such as working with people in the field, as well as research-oriented jobs which involve conducting studies and examining overall health trends. Careers in public health include working as a public health officer in government health departments; health education/promotion officer; clinical research manager; health information manager or health project manager.

Outstanding graduates may be eligible to pursue a higher degree by research in the courses of Doctor of Philosophy or Master of Philosophy offered by Sydney Medical School. A research degree provides students with the opportunity to prepare a substantial piece of work which represents a significant contribution in a particular field of study; and to gain transferable skills in general research methodology.

Sydney Medical School is affiliated with over 40 independent medical research institutes aimed at achieving medical firsts in specialist areas of health and medicine.
It provides an outstanding environment for postgraduate research. Sydney Medical School's research activities consistently attract high levels of funding from the Commonwealth and state governments, overseas funding agencies and other public and private sources.

Sydney Medical School offers a wide range of short professional development courses for health professionals through its clinical schools, disciplines and associated research institutes.

Many of the courses offered are pre-accredited for Continuing Medical Education (CME) points, and other courses may be awarded CME points on request to your relevant association or professional body. For further information and a list of courses available please see the Sydney Medical School website http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/future-students/courses/short-courses.php