Skip to main content

Join one of Australia’s most in-demand health professions with a public health degree from UTS.

The Bachelor of Public Health from UTS will equip you with qualifications to help improve the health of individuals and populations. It is a broad field of practice, that involves applying scientific principles in both government and non-government health services and the wider industry.

Two students chatting while walking up stairs

Flexible framework

This transdisciplinary course has a strong emphasis on the social model of health and combines health-specific content with a mix of professional and scientific subjects. 

You'll develop knowledge within a framework that can be tailored to suit your interests and needs.

Group of people standing around a water well

Majors

You can major in:

  • Indigenous Health
  • Health Promotion
  • Global Health
  • Human Structure and Function
  • Population Health

Students who complete this course with the required pathway and grade point average also meet current entry criteria for the UTS Master of Physiotherapy.

Students walking and laughing together on campus

Engaged graduates

The course produces graduates who are engaged, adaptive thinkers with a solid understanding of health and health systems. 

Graduates are equipped to contribute to health-related activities that reduce health disparities and inequities, and to promote social justice in local and global contexts. 

The course is accepted preparation for a master's degree in orthoptics, speech pathology (pathway) and physiotherapy (pathway) at the UTS Graduate School of Health.

  • Bachelor of Public Health: Improving the health of individuals and populations


    VIDEO: Join one of Australia’s most in-demand health professions with a public health degree from UTS. 


     

  • Bachelor of Public Health: Improving the health of individuals and populations

    Daniel Demant 
    Senior Lecturer, School of Public Health
    The Bachelor of Public Health at UTS is a three year full time undergrad degree for students who are interested in health and particularly in the non-clinical side of health. Public health overall is a area that takes care of whole populations as well as groups of people, rather than taking care of the health of individuals. All of our majors are based on the specific professional area of public health.

    Students can specialise in making sure that they are prepared for the workforce later on. Our course prepares students for the workforce through work integrated learning within our subjects, where we have industry leaders coming into our subjects and teaching the students real world examples.

    Bernard Saliba, Lecturer, School of Public Health
    The Bachelor of Public Health at UTS is really designed to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by communities when it comes to public health and population health. And the degree really equips them for being able to face these challenges in whatever avenue they choose to go down when it comes to their careers.

    Daniel Demant
    All of our students are undergoing a 140 hour placement with an industry body where they can learn hands on work and take that back to a university and apply that to all of our subjects and to the rest of their learning.


    Charles Sheather
    So I'm passionate about health promotion for my placement. I've been working on a health promotion project with Health Justice Australia, working with parents of children with disabilities. I'm passionate about helping people and having something tangible that I can put my name on, like a nice project that I've worked on that's going to make a difference in a community.

    Daniel Demant
    We are one of the very few universities in Australia to offer a dedicated major in Indigenous health and wellbeing as part of our undergraduate degree. Students who undertake this degree have a great future in going into the workforce, working with Indigenous health organisations or with non-Indigenous health organisations helping Indigenous clients.

    Jacintha Manton
    Indigenous health is important for the Bachelor of Public Health because of the disparities of Indigenous people within Australia, and we teach about the ways of Indigenous knowledge, ways of being, knowing and doing and bringing that cultural aspect to the field of medicine and public health. Second and third year students have the option of doing First Nations health and wellbeing, which we talk about global Indigenous health, and we also do Aboriginal health promotion and we're partnering with an Aboriginal rehabilitation centre and the students work closely with them to design a health promotion strategy.

    Martha Buitizon
    I had the opportunity to do a study tour in Indonesia and we got to learn about the health care system there. It's really interesting for me in particular because I'm interested in that in working with developing countries.

    Laila Bougaleb
    I like to report the degree well, so I could get like lots of different perspectives and I wasn't sure what to like major in then. At least I had like different sort of topics that could guide me into choosing something.

    Chelsea Johnson
    The academic staff are really helpful. They're approachable and easy to talk to. They want the best for their students, which is really nice.

    Charles Sheather
    So the job prospects for a public health professional is really, really diverse. So in this course, we look at statistics, we look at epidemiology, we look at population health, we look at anatomy courses. So you can take what you like and go into any one of these fields.

    Charles Sheather
    I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone interested in studying public health. I think it's one of the best courses you can possibly do. There's lots of opportunities on campus, lots of ways you can enrich your learning and you're going to learn a lot about the world and about the people that live in the world.

Why study Public Health at UTS?

  • icon

    WHERE KNOWLEDGE BEGINS

    Course content is underpinned by the latest in public health research – and a lot of that research comes straight from UTS. Your learning will respond to the changing nature of the health care landscape, and it’ll also be embedded with evidence-based outcomes that are shaping the sector today.

  • Line graphic of person presenting to two other people

    LEARN FROM THE BEST

    Our course is led by dynamic and highly qualified academic staff who are making significant contributions to the field. They’ve all had extensive health industry experience in clinical, education, policy or research roles, and their diverse expertise will give you the chance to think about health science in a range of professional contexts.

  • Icon

    PRACTICE-FOCUSED

    In your final year, you’ll gain industry exposure by undertaking a professional placement.

  • Line graphic of head an shoulders in a circle of other figures

    FIND YOUR NICHE 

    This degree helps you build transdisciplinary skills and a solid understanding of health and health systems. Flexible to your interests, you’ll focus on Indigenous or public health, gain knowledge of global health priorities so you can contribute to overseas health initiatives and aid organisations, or perhaps learn how to promote healthy behaviours to the community (see majors below).

  • Bachelor of Public Health

    24 subjects    
    144 credit points 

    3 years full-time or
    6 years part time 

    On-campus study  

  • Two people walking down a staircase, while two people can be seen studying at a table in the background
  • Three people looking at laptop
  • What will I study?

    You’ll gain a broad education that combines health-specific content with a mix of professional subjects, prepping you to work in a range of health settings.

    Complete one year of common core health science subjects, in areas such as Indigenous Health and Wellbeing, Communicable Disease Prevention and Control, and Health Promotion and Advocacy.

    Specialise with one of five majors, or opt for no specified major, and completely tailor your degree with electives.

Health Science majors

  • Health Promotion

    Understand why people perform negative health behaviours and how we can help individuals and populations gain control over and improve their health. Accredited through the International Union for Health Promotion and Education.

    Doctor talking to patient
  • Global Health

    Learn about the health of different groups, how they’re interrelated and which factors to tackle on a global stage to ensure a healthy future for all.

    Artistic image of a stethoscope wrapped around a globe
  • Indigenous Health

    Learn about the physical, social and mental health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians and how public health can help close the gap. 

    Girra Maa wattle seed artwork
  • Population Health

    Focus on the art of public health as an organised effort that uses research and policy to prevent disease and ill-health.

    Aerial shot of crowd
  • Human Structure and Function

    Gain an in-depth understanding of the human body and the interaction between physiology, anatomy and neuroscience.

    Anatomical model of a spine with a patient in the background
  • No specified major

    Tailor your degree with electives.

    Person typing on computer

Take the next step

  • Dive deeper 

    Read detailed course information 

    Course info

  • Get advice

    Attend an online info session

    Register

  • Apply now

    Apply online, direct to UTS

    How to apply