Graduate Diploma of Public Health

The Graduate Diploma of Public Health at Torrens University Australia is a one-year postgraduate qualification for people who want to work in public health without committing to a full master's degree. You study the core of public health: epidemiology, biostatistics, health promotion, health policy and planning, and the social and environmental factors that shape who gets sick and who stays well. It is coursework-based, so you learn through classes, assignments and applied projects rather than a long research thesis.

How the course is structured

Australian postgraduate qualifications are measured in units of study and credit points. A graduate diploma usually sits at one year of full-time study, delivered across two or three study periods depending on the university's calendar. At Torrens, teaching is offered through trimesters, and you can typically choose to study full-time or part-time. Each unit carries a set number of credit points, and you need to pass the required units to complete the award. Some units include a work-integrated learning or project component where you apply public health methods to a real organisation or community issue. If you later decide to continue studying, a graduate diploma often provides a pathway into a master's degree with credit for the units you have already completed.

What you actually learn

You will learn to read and interpret health data, design and evaluate health programmes, understand how policy is made, and communicate public health evidence to different audiences. Expect to work on group projects, write reports, and present findings. The skills you build, epidemiological analysis, programme planning, health communication, and critical appraisal of research, are the same ones used by public health teams in government, hospitals and non-government organisations across Australia.

Who it suits

This course suits health professionals such as nurses, allied health staff and health administrators who want to move into population health, as well as graduates from other fields who want a formal qualification in public health. It also works for people already working in community health, local government or health promotion who want to strengthen their credentials without stepping away from their job for two years. If you are an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream after you finish. Entry requirements, English proficiency standards and tuition are set out on the official Torrens University page and the CRICOS register, check those before you apply.

• Health promotion officer, designing and running community health campaigns for local councils, community health centres and non-government organisations.
• Public health programme officer, planning, delivering and evaluating health programmes in state health departments or primary health networks.
• Epidemiology assistant or surveillance officer, collecting and analysing health data to track disease patterns and inform public health responses.
• Health policy officer, researching and drafting policy advice for government agencies and peak health bodies.
• Community health worker or coordinator, supporting health services in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, multicultural services or rural and remote areas.
• Health information or project officer, managing health data, quality improvement and project delivery in hospitals and health services.
• International health or humanitarian programme officer, working with aid organisations and NGOs on health projects in Australia and overseas.

Australian employers in these fields include state and territory health departments, local councils, primary health networks, public and private hospitals, community health organisations, Aboriginal community controlled health services, and non-government organisations such as cancer councils and heart foundations.