Public Health

Discipline overview

Health Promotion is ideal for those interested in a career that enhances the health of the community. The Health Promotion stream is a foundation area of study for work and research that identifies health needs, and targets strategies at an individual, community and population level. Core areas of study include: You will learn the basics of the health sector and develop an understanding of the problems involving health, illness, treatment and welfare. There is an emphasis on the scientific basis of public health, together with social policy and communication aspects. 

Key employability skills

• Teamwork and collaboration
• Manage, analyse and use data to evaluate, develop and improve outcomes
• Planning, managing and evaluating programs
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships
• Excellent written communication skills (produce journal articles and papers; translate and present research)
• Well-developed interpersonal and verbal communication skills
• Computer literacy
• Empathy and an interest in people
• Research and evaluation skills

Related occupations

Find out what kinds of positions you could apply for with your major by researching some of the jobs in your field.

• Allied Health Professional
• Biomedical Researcher
• Community Development Worker
• Community or Registered Nurse
• Counsellor
• Dietitian
• Diversional Therapist
• Doctor
• Epidemiologist
• Exercise Scientist/Physiologist
• Family Relationship Coordinator
• Family Support Manager
• Field Interviewer
• General Practitioner
• Health Administrator
• Health Education Manager
• Health Promotion Officer
• Health Worker
• Industry Health Worker
• Laboratory Technician
• Lifestyle Assistant
• Nutritionist
• Participation Project Officer - Workforce Capability
• Policy Officer/Manager |Project Officer
• Program Officer /Coordinator
• Researcher
• Research Officer
• Rehabilitation Specialist
• Sports Administrator
• Sports Rehabilitator
• Sports Scientist
• Scientific Researcher
• Support Services Coordinator

Employers

Explore what types of organisations you would like to work for through looking at some of the employers in your field.

• Alcohol and Drug Foundation
• CanTeen Australia
• Camp Quality
• Children's Cancer Institute
• Employment Office
• Family Planning NSW
• Health Justice Australia
• Hepatitis NSW
• Jean Hailes for Women's Health
• Liquid HR
• Marie Stopes Australia
• NSW Users & AIDS Association Inc
• The Big Issue The Benevolent Society
• The Royal Aust. & NZ College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
• The Sax Institute

Key industry job websites

• Public Health Association of Australia
• Ethical Jobs
• APS jobs
• I Work for NSW

Formal graduate programs

Make sure you consider the fast tracked career pathway programs which are offered by some large corporate organisations and government agencies.

any graduate employers may take Health Promotion graduates into their graduate programs.

Professional bodies and associations

Build your career network and stay up to date with the latest developments in your industry by joining a professional association.

• Australian Health Promotion Association
• Public Health Association of Australia Inc
• The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Course information

• Graduate Certificate in Health Promotion
  
  

Discipline overview

Public Health is the art and science of promoting healthy people, places and policies. Public Health improves the health and quality of life of a population, by working to prevent disease, prolong life, and promote health through scientifically analysing populations and generating solutions to problems. Your public health degree will allow you to work with communities and populations to improve health outcomes and contribute to a sustainable community. There are many avenues of career progression in public health, including in government health departments, health and medical research, community health promotion, environmental health, public service, disease prevention and research. The range of specialty areas is equally broad, and can include nutrition and physical activity promotion, tobacco control, injury prevention, and even infectious disease control and much more.

Key employability skills

• Communication and presentation skills
• Research methods
• Critical thinking and logical reasoning
• Time management and prioritisation
• Teamwork and leadership
• Initiative
• Numeracy (statistics)
• Interpersonal skills and cultural competency
• Analytic assessment
• Problem solving
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Planning, coordination and goal setting

Specialised areas

• Social Epidemiology
• Food and Society

Key industry job websites

• Public Health Association of Australia 
• Ethical Jobs 
• The George Institute 
• APS jobs 
• NSW Government

Formal graduate programs

Make sure you consider the fast tracked career pathway programs which are offered by some large corporate organisations and government agencies.

Many graduate employers take Public Health graduates into their graduate programs.

• The NSW Government Graduate Program
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
• The Department of Health Australia

Professional bodies and associations

Build your career network and stay up to date with the latest developments in your industry by joining a professional association.

• Royal Australian Historical Society
• Professional Historians Australia 
• The Australian Historical Association
• Australian Society of Archivists
• Australian Archaeological Association
• Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists
• Australia ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites)

Post graduate/additional studies

UOW offers postgraduate study options if you want to pursue further research or specialise through academic coursework.

If you are interested furthering your studies in your field, UOW offers Master of Social Work (Qualifying)

Course information

• Bachelor of Public Health (Social Epidemiology, Food and Society, Public Health Nutrition)