Postgraduate handbook 2004
Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Master of Public Health

The Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (DEPM) at Monash offers this course in collaboration with Deakin, La Trobe and Melbourne universities, as part of the Victorian Consortium for Public Health. It provides the full range of quantitative, analytical and communication skills necessary to work in the broad domain of public health. The course may be completed over a 12 to 18-month period of three full-time semesters or over a three-year period part-time. This degree provides skills in the quantitative methods of the population-based health sciences and their problem-solving application for primary care provision within Australia and developing countries. Health specialisation streams are offered in clinical epidemiology, environmental health, health economics, health services management, international health, occupational health and research. All graduate certificates and graduate diplomas in the areas of clinical epidemiology, health services management, international health, occupational and environmental health offered by the Department can articulate into this course.

Applicants must have either a four-year undergraduate degree, or a three-year undergraduate degree and at least one year of postgraduate study, or a three-year undergraduate degree and at least one year of relevant professional experience. The department will individually assess applications from students without a three-year degree but with extensive relevant professional experience. In such instances, the department may require the completion of the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma offered by the department before enrolling in the masters program.

Course structure

This course is comprised of six part one units, and six part two units. Part one is comprised of three core units and three elective units. Part two is comprised of various health specialisation stream coursework or research options. The options are six units (coursework) or two units plus a major research project (research) or four units plus a minor research project (research).

Part one - core units

• MPH1030 Epidemiology and demography
• MPH1031 Introductory statistics
• MPH2025 Principles and practices of public health

Part one - elective units

• MPH1003 Environmental influences on health
• MPH1016 Health promotion
• MPH2031 Public health policy
• MPH2034 Sociological foundations of public health
• MPH2035 Health economics, management and evaluation

Part two - health specialisation streams

• Clinical epidemiology
• Environmental health
• Health economics
• Health services management
• International health
• Occupational health
• General stream
• Research stream

Clinical epidemiology specialisation - coursework

Core units

• MPH2002 Clinical epidemiology
• MPH2036 Controlled clinical trials
• Three electives

Elective units

• MPH2000 Applied biostatistical methods
• MPH2007 Methods for chronic disease epidemiology
• MPH2013 Research methods and computing
• MPH2018 Infectious disease epidemiology
• MPH2037 Measurement in clinical research
• MPH2039 Meta analysis
• MPH2056 Injury epidemiology and prevention
• MPH2070 Statistical methods in epidemiology

or

• Minor project (8000-10,000 words)
• Plus one elective

Environmental health specialisation - coursework

Core units

• MPH2028 Toxicology I
• MPH2045 Principles of health risk assessment
• MPH2075 Health risk management and communication
• MPH2013 Research methods and computing
• Two electives

Elective units

• MPH2026 Industry and the environment
• MPH2056 Injury epidemiology and prevention
• MPH2060 Prevention; policies and strategies
• MPH2076 Safety management systems

or

• Minor project (8000-10,000 words)

Health economics specialisation - coursework

Core units

• ECX9700 Introduction to health economics
• ECX9730 Economic evaluation in health care
• MPH2013 Research methods and computing
• Two electives

Elective units

• ECX9750 Principles of health economics for developing countries
• ECX9741 Applied health economics and health Policy
• One elective (from the DEPM postgraduate units)

or

• Minor project (8000-10,000 words)
• Plus one elective

Health services management specialisation - coursework

Core units

• MPH2066 Clinical leadership and management
• MPH2067 Principles of health care quality improvement
• MPH2013 Research Methods and Computing
• Three electives

Elective units

• MPH2065 Law and health systems
• MPH2068 Financial issues in health care management
• MPH2069 Health policy and information management
• MPH2072 Reform and development

or

• Minor project (8000-10,000 words)
• Plus one elective

or

• MPH2073 Case study
• Plus one elective

International health specialisation - coursework

Core units

• MPH2048 Primary health care in developing countries
• MPH2049 Field methods for international health planning and evaluation
• Four electives

Elective units

• MPH2050 Health of women and children in developing countries
• MPH2051 Communicable disease control in developing countries
• MPH2053 Public health in refugee settings
• MPH2054 Nutritional issues in developing countries
• MPH2055 Health ethics and human rights
• MPH2057 Aboriginal health
• MPH2058 Managing community-based HIV programs in developing countries
• MPH2082 Community health communications and training

or

• Minor project (8000-10,000 words)
• Plus two electives

Occupational health specialisation - coursework

Core units

• MPH2022 Assessment and control of workplace hazards
• MPH2041 Occupational health and safety management
• MPH2013 Research methods and computing
• Three electives

Elective units

• MPH2008 Clinical occupational and environmental medicine
• MPH2026 Industry and the environment
• MPH2042 Organisations and health
• MPH2043 Chemical and biological hazards
• MPH2044 Ergonomics and physical hazards
• MPH2045 Principles of health risk assessment
• MPH2056 Injury epidemiology and prevention

or

• Minor project (8000-10,000 words)
• Plus one elective

General specialisation

Core unit

• MPH2013 Research methods and computing
• Five electives (selected from any Master of Public Health streams)

Additional elective units

• MPH2047 Child public health
• MPH2060 Prevention: policies and strategies
• MPH2056 Injury epidemiology and prevention

or

• Minor project (8000-10,000 words)
• Plus three electives

Research specialisation

Prerequisites: distinction (70 per cent) average in units MPH2030 and MPH2031 or MPH2040 and MPH2041.

Core units - major research

• MPH2013 Research methods and computing

or

• MPH2049 Field methods for international health planning and evaluation (international health stream only)
• Major research project in one of the above health specialisation streams (12,000-15,000 words)
• One elective (from a relevant health specialisation stream units)

Assessment

Assessment includes written exercises, assignments, examinations, presentations, class participation and supervised research projects.

Inquiries

Inquiries should be directed to the Postgraduate Office, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash Medical School, Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Prahran, Victoria 3181, telephone (03) 9903 0563. Email pgradenq@med.monash.edu.au, website http://www.med.monash.edu.au/epidemiology/postgrad/.

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