A public health degree is a flexible transdisciplinary qualification that prepares you to drive meaningful change – and can take you in lots of different directions.
Example careers in public health
With a degree in public health, a variety of exciting career opportunities within the health care sector are yours for the taking, such as:
Health promotion
Advocacy
Health education
E-health
Health data and information management systems
Planning and policy
Project management and evaluation
Community development
Research and consultancy across both public and private health sectors
Future study options (pathways) for undergraduates
A Bachelor of Public Health can prepare you for a number of professional careers and with the right electives you can undertake postgraduate study in the following areas of health right here at UTS:
Opportunities for further study after you graduate will usually require you to meet subject prerequisites and complete a competitive application process, depending on your course and institution of choice.
This means that completing your Bachelor of Public Health with the appropriate electives can lead to eligibility to apply for graduate entry courses in different areas of health, but you’ll still need to check that you meet any other entry requirements and compete for a place.
When deciding on a career change, I wanted to combine my interest in science with my technical skills, while also positively contributing to society; and that’s something I can do in the area of Health Science.
Luke Shilson-Hughes Health Data Analyst, Bachelor of Health Science (now Public Health) graduate
Postgraduate careers
What careers can studying postgraduate public health lead to?
As a public health professional, you can work in health promotion, environmental health, epidemiology, biostatistics, education, policy, nutrition and community planning, to name a few, delivering programs and strategies to improve health across populations.
Example public health initiatives include programs to reduce smoking rates among pregnant women, implement vaccination programs for children in developing countries, or reduce motor vehicle deaths among young drivers.
Health promotion
What is health promotion?
Health promotion is the translation of health care messages and interventions into formats that reach and educate the general public. It is an area of public health that is focused on the determinants of health and on empowering people to take control of and improve their health literacy, habits and outcomes.
According to the World Health Organization, effective health promotion relies on three critical elements:
Good governance – policy that creates sustainable systems by prioritising activities that promote good health and prevent illness and injury.
Health literacy – helping people access and understand the information they need to make healthy choices, providing opportunities for them to make those choices, and creating an environment where citizens can have input into policy activities that prioritise their health.
Healthy cities – including strong leadership, urban planning that prioritises good health, and preventive health measures embedded in communities and health care facilities.
Why study health promotion?
Health promotion is an integral component of the public health landscape. By developing an understanding of effective health promotion approaches, you will increase your capacity to operate effectively in a range of public health contexts. At UTS, health promotion is a key feature of all our Public Health degrees. Our Health Promotion subject incorporates pedagogical approaches to behavioural change, social learning, and communication frameworks that will equip you with the skills to plan and evaluate health education programs.
What sort of careers can health promotion lead to?
Work as a health promotion specialist or in a range of other public health roles in which an understanding how to plan, evaluate and communicate health care initiatives is required.
Epidemiology
What is epidemiology?
Epidemiology is a data-driven discipline that explores how and why diseases and other health outcomes occur in specific populations. It is the methodological backbone of public health, health promotion and health service delivery and provides a scientific evidence base to support public health research.
Why study epidemiology?
Epidemiology sits at the heart of a range of clinical and non-clinical health care roles. At UTS, Fundamentals of Epidemiology is a compulsory subject in all our postgraduate Public Health programs. This subject covers key aspects of epidemiology, including how to use epidemiological data, the limits of such data, and how epidemiological findings are used to support public health and health services planning and management decisions, and will prepare you to understand and apply analytical strategies in health service and public health contexts.
What sort of careers can epidemiology lead to?
Epidemiologists, clinicians and project officers, health service managers and planners and public health practitioners all rely on epidemiology to help them do their jobs. With skills in epidemiology, you can apply your expertise in these and other roles, working in contexts including environmental health, health education, health policy and health promotion in both public and private sector roles.
Indigenous health
What is Indigenous health?
In an Australian context, Indigenous health is about the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is focused on promoting, improving and maintaining the health of Indigenous people and communities and exploring issues of equitable access to health care in Australia. As well as looking at physical and mental health and the prevalence of various health conditions within this population, Indigenous health incorporates Indigenous perspectives and the historical, cultural and spiritual contexts that play into the social determinants of health.
Why study Indigenous health?
Health disparities between Australia’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities are stark, despite the fact that Australia is one of the richest countries in the world. Colonisation and historical racism are just two of the underpinning issues contributing to significantly poorer health outcomes for Australian Indigenous people – and more needs to be done.
At UTS, we believe all health professionals need an understanding of the social determinants of Indigenous health. You will learn how to provide culturally safe and competent care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, the importance and function of Aboriginal-led health care initiatives and the challenges that many Indigenous people face when engaging with ‘mainstream’ services. By studying Indigenous health, you will gain insights into these and other issues, including opportunities to overcome systemic health inequities and deliver available, accessible, affordable and acceptable health care services for Indigenous populations.
What sort of careers can Indigenous health lead to?
An understanding of Indigenous health can lead to a range of roles in the public health sphere, including in environmental health, epidemiology, health education, health policy, health promotion and research, working in government, non-government or private sector companies, as well as in or alongside Aboriginal health and community organisations.
Biostatistics
What is biostatistics?
Biostatistics is the application of statistical processes in the field of biology, with a particular emphasis on human health and medicine, often at the population level. It is used to provide a statistical foundation for a range of health research and evaluation challenges, including the risk, prevalence, causes and treatments of various diseases. Well-known health care findings, such as the link between smoking and lung cancer or the increased risk of breast cancer for BRCA gene carriers, are in large part the result of effective biostatistical and epidemiological work.
Why study biostatistics?
Biostatisticians are responsible for designing studies, analysing data and making recommendations based on that data to ensure the effective allocation of health care resources. By studying biostatistics at UTS, you will develop a fundamental understanding of data collection, management and analysis methodologies required to make a meaningful difference to human health.
What sort of careers can biostatistics lead to?
Biostatisticians are a critical piece of the public health puzzle, delivering high-level data management and analysis methodologies and skills to their work. As a biostatistician, you can work in the public health, pharmaceutical, medical or agricultural sectors or apply your skills to roles in biostatistics education or research.
