Graduate Diploma in Public Health
Overview
Study public health and prepare for a career making a difference to people by minimising preventable illness, disease, injury or death across the community and workplace.
Public health focuses on preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting healthy lifestyles. It offers a rewarding career that suits people from a variety of backgrounds including health, science, education and the social sciences. If you're curious, enjoy solving problems and have a desire to make a lasting impact on the health of communities and populations then a degree in public health may be for you.
The Graduate Diploma in Public Health is a one year program that is evidence-based and comprehensive, and reflects UQ's strong links with organisations such as Australian Aid, the World Bank, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and international ministries of health.
You'll choose one field of study from six different options. In each field, you'll complete a range of core courses, specialist courses, and electives, to build and extend your knowledge. Specialisations include nutrition, global health, indigenous health, health promotion and disease prevention and alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
On completion, you may choose to progress to the Master of Public Health. Courses in the Graduate Diploma in Public Health are taken from the Master of Public Health course list, so you can transfer study credits across the programs.
Program highlights
- Choose one field of study from six different options and complete a range of core courses, specialist courses and electives to build and extend your knowledge.
- Enjoy a flexible program with a mixture of internal and external delivery, with all core courses offered internally and externally to support your study preference.
- Benefit from a program that is evidence-based and comprehensive, and reflects UQ's strong links with Australian and global health organisations.
- On completion, choose to progress to the Master of Public Health and transfer study credits across the program.
Fields of study
Tailor your studies to suit your goals. This program offers these options:
- Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs
- Global Health
- Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
- Indigenous Health
How you'll learn
Due to the way they are taught, certain programs and plans are not offered online in Semester 2, 2022.
Your learning experiences are designed to best suit the learning outcomes of the courses you choose.
- Lectures
- Tutorials
- Online study
- Fieldwork
What you'll study
At UQ, degrees are called 'programs' and subjects are called 'courses'. Here's a sample of the courses you could study in this program:
- Introduction to Environmental Health
- Social Perspectives in Public Health
- Introduction to Epidemiology
- Health Systems
Career possibilities
Postgraduate study can take you anywhere. Depending on which field you choose, here are some of the careers you could be on your way to:
- Health promotion coordinator
- Public health nutritionist
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker
- Public health medical registrar
- Environmental health officer
- Research associate
- Digital health coordinator
- Epidemiologist
- Primary health manager
- Policy and research officer
Professional memberships
When you graduate, you may be eligible for memberships with the following professional organisations. Contact the organisation to find out how to become a member.
- Australian College of Health Service Executives
- Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine
- Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators
“Our program provides students with training across the key disciplines in public health... Over the course of the semester, I enjoy seeing students have their ‘aha’ or lightbulb moments as things start to fall into place for them.”
Associate Professor Marina ReevesSchool of Public Health
“Our program provides students with training across the key disciplines in public health... Over the course of the semester, I enjoy seeing students have their ‘aha’ or lightbulb moments as things start to fall into place for them.”
Associate Professor Marina ReevesSchool of Public Health
Events
See all events
Stories
See all stories
Careers
Bachelor of Health Science career pathways
9-minute read
Careers
Kickstart your data-driven future with a graduate degree in data science
5-minute read
Stories
See all stories
UQ people
From Peru to UQ: Victor's journey to the Master of Public Health
3-minute read
Careers
Kickstart your data-driven future with a graduate degree in data science
5-minute read
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
To be eligible for entry, you'll need:
An approved degree, or
A Graduate Certificate in Public Health from this university (or equivalent).
A degree in one of the following disciplines would normally meet the 'approved degree' requirement:
- Behavioural and social sciences (Sociology, Psychology, Counselling)
- Biomedical Sciences
- Biostatistics
- Dentistry, Oral Health
- Development Studies
- Environmental Health
- Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
- Exercise and Sport Science
- Food Science
- Health Economics
- Health Management
- Medicine, Medical sciences
- Nursing
- Nutrition
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Occupational Therapy
- Pharmacy
- Physiotherapy
- Public Health or Health Sciences
- Science
- Speech Therapy
- Veterinary sciences.
The minimum GPA to be considered for admission into this program is 4.0.
An approved degree, or
A Graduate Certificate in Public Health from this university (or equivalent).
A degree in one of the following disciplines would normally meet the 'approved degree' requirement:
- Behavioural and social sciences (Sociology, Psychology, Counselling)
- Biomedical Sciences
- Biostatistics
- Dentistry, Oral Health
- Development Studies
- Environmental Health
- Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
- Exercise and Sport Science
- Food Science
- Health Economics
- Health Management
- Medicine, Medical sciences
- Nursing
- Nutrition
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Occupational Therapy
- Pharmacy
- Physiotherapy
- Public Health or Health Sciences
- Science
- Speech Therapy
- Veterinary sciences.
The minimum GPA to be considered for admission into this program is 4.0.
Related programs
Depending on your previous qualifications and current goals, you might want to consider
one of these related programs:
English language requirements
IELTS overall 6.5; reading 6; writing 6; speaking 6; listening 6. For other English Language Proficiency Tests and Scores approved for UQ
TOEFL IBT - Overall 87, listening 19, reading 19, writing 21 and speaking 19.
TOEFL PB - Overall 570, listening 54, reading 54, writing 59/5.
Pearsons - Overall Score of 64 and 60 in all sub bands.
BE - A minimum overall grade of 4 plus a minimum grade of C in all macro skills.
CES - Overall 176 and 169 in all sub bands.
OET is not accepted.
There are other ways to meet the English language requirements. For some programs, additional conditions apply.
Student visas
International students who are accepted into full-time study in the Graduate Diploma in Public Health are eligible to apply for an Australian student visa (subclass 500).
There are a number of requirements you must satisfy before a visa is granted, including the genuine temporary entrant (GTE) requirement.
Additional application information
All core courses are offered both internally and externally. If a student wishes to complete the program by internal or external mode only then their choice of elective courses will be reduced.
A degree in one of the following disciplines would normally meet the "approved degree" requirement:
- Behavioural and social sciences (Sociology, Psychology, Counselling)
- Biomedical Sciences
- Biostatistics
- Dentistry, Oral Health
- Development Studies
- Environmental Health
- Exercise and Sport Science
- Food Science
- Health Economics
- Health Management
- Medicine, Medical sciences
- Nursing
- Nutrition
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Occupational Therapy
- Pharmacy
- Physiotherapy
- Public Health or Health Sciences
- Science
- Speech Therapy
- Veterinary sciences
Fields of study
Majors
Tailor your studies to suit your goals. This program offers these options:
In addition, individuals, families and communities experience adverse social harms arising from specific patterns of intoxication, modes of drug use and illicit drug markets.
Through this plan, you'll learn about substance use and misuse and the harm caused to individuals and communities. You'll also study effective tools for assessment and interventions of misuse.
Fields of study
Tailor your studies to suit your goals. This program offers these options:
It examines policy responses to these challenges that are shaped by countries, but increasingly by diverse transnational and multilateral actors that shape health. The study of global health therefore is multidisciplinary, extending beyond the disciplines of public health to embrace politics, development, human rights and law and political economy.
You'll study how to plan, implement and measure the effectiveness of public health campaigns and programs.
Through this program, you'll learn about topics such as Indigenous health needs, how public health solutions can be improved and delivered and how to plan and implement health interventions.
Topics of particular interest include the nutrition transition and meeting the challenges of both over and under-nutrition.
It ensures that all students gain the essential knowledge and skills required to work as public health professionals across a wide range of populations and countries. It includes introductory courses to biostatistics, epidemiology, and environmental health as well as health systems and social perspectives in population health.
Majors
Tailor your studies to suit your goals. This program offers these options:
In addition, individuals, families and communities experience adverse social harms arising from specific patterns of intoxication, modes of drug use and illicit drug markets.
Through this plan, you'll learn about substance use and misuse and the harm caused to individuals and communities. You'll also study effective tools for assessment and interventions of misuse.
Fields of study
Tailor your studies to suit your goals. This program offers these options:
It examines policy responses to these challenges that are shaped by countries, but increasingly by diverse transnational and multilateral actors that shape health. The study of global health therefore is multidisciplinary, extending beyond the disciplines of public health to embrace politics, development, human rights and law and political economy.
You'll study how to plan, implement and measure the effectiveness of public health campaigns and programs.
Through this program, you'll learn about topics such as Indigenous health needs, how public health solutions can be improved and delivered and how to plan and implement health interventions.
Topics of particular interest include the nutrition transition and meeting the challenges of both over and under-nutrition.
It ensures that all students gain the essential knowledge and skills required to work as public health professionals across a wide range of populations and countries. It includes introductory courses to biostatistics, epidemiology, and environmental health as well as health systems and social perspectives in population health.
Fees and Scholarships
Indicative annual fee
Approximate yearly cost of tuition (16 units). Your fees will vary according to your selected courses and study load. Fees are reviewed each year and may increase.
$8,021
2022
Approximate yearly cost of full-time tuition (16 units). Your fees will vary according to your selected courses and study load. Fees are reviewed each year and may increase.
AUD $34,768
2022
Government assistance
Financial aid
As an international student, you might be eligible for financial aid – either from your home country, or from the Australian Government.
HECS-HELP
Domestic places in the Graduate Diploma in Public Health are Commonwealth Supported. This means the cost of your education is shared between you and the Australian Government.
Instead of tuition fees, Commonwealth Supported students pay what are called student contribution amounts.
HECS-HELP is an Australian Government loan scheme to assist eligible students with the cost of their student contribution amounts.
Centrelink support
The Australian Government offers a number of income-support payments to eligible Australian university students.
Scholarships
Make your university experience more affordable with a scholarship. Opportunities include:
How to apply
Applying online
All international applications should be submitted to UQ. If you prefer, you can use an approved UQ agent in your country.
The program code for the Graduate Diploma in Public Health is 5131.
Find out more about applying for postgraduate coursework study
Applying online
All domestic applications should be submitted to UQ.
The program code for the Graduate Diploma in Public Health is 5131.
Find out more about applying for postgraduate coursework study
Important dates
The closing date for this program is:
- To commence study in semester 2 - May 31 of the year of commencement.
- To commence study in semester 1 - November 30 of the previous year.
To learn more about UQ dates, including semester start dates, view the Academic Calendar.
Important dates
The closing date for this program is:
- To commence study in semester 1 - January 31 of the year of commencement.
- To commence study in semester 2 - June 30 of the year of commencement.
- To commence study in summer - October 31 of the year of enrolment.
To learn more about UQ dates, including semester start dates, view the Academic Calendar.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants
For support with applying - or if you have any questions about Uni - get in touch with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit.
Explore other programs
Express yourself. And your interest.
They say choosing a degree is hard, which is why we've made it easy. Register your interest and we'll send you everything you need to know about applying to UQ.
We will use your information to keep you informed about UQ programs, news, events and scholarships. By submitting this form, you consent to the terms of UQ's privacy notice.