Duration
6 months full time / 1 year part time
Mode (Location)
Mixed Attendance Mode (Parkville)
View online mode
View online mode
Intake
February, July
Key dates
Key dates
Fees
AUD $18,000 (2026 indicative first year fee). Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) are not available
Learn more
Learn more
Course overview
Overview
- Gain essential public health skills to enhance your professional practice.
- Strengthen your career path and respond to urgent public health challenges.
- Receive full credit towards the Master of Public Health program.
The Graduate Certificate in Public Health is designed to equip you with fundamental skills that will prepare you for public health practice and enhance your existing professional abilities in healthcare practice, policy, and management.
It's an opportunity for current health sector professionals to gain a valuable, skills-based qualification that truly strengthens their career journey. This program directly addresses a pressing, Australia-wide need for health professionals with strong public health training.
This certificate also offers a "stepped pathway" directly into the University’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program, providing you with full credit for the subjects you complete.
Who is the Graduate Certificate in Public Health for?
- Health professionals looking to enhance their skills in public health practice, policy, or management.
- Individuals seeking to gain a valuable qualification to strengthen their career path in the health sector.
- Those interested in responding to public health challenges in various health and social policy contexts.
- Anyone considering a pathway to further study, such as the Master of Public Health.
Why study the Graduate Certificate in Public Health?
Studying the Graduate Certificate in Public Health means you'll be part of the solution to critical health challenges facing communities today. Public health professionals are vital in understanding and addressing widespread health issues, promoting wellbeing, and shaping policies that improve lives. This course empowers you to make a real difference.
You can choose two elective subjects that interest you the most. Each elective introduces essential public health knowledge and skills needed for practice in specialised areas like biostatistics, epidemiology, leadership and management, and/or qualitative research.
You'll gain practical, multidisciplinary skills that are urgently needed in the workforce. This qualification not only boosts your current career but also opens doors to new opportunities in a rapidly evolving field.
Courses related to the Graduate Certificate in Public Health
(The subjects completed within this graduate certificate can be fully credited towards this master’s course.)
For working professionals
If you’re already working in public health, you may be interested in the accelerated, wholly online Graduate Certificate in Public Health (Online). This course runs part-time over six online terms per year, and you’ll study one subject at a time.
Past information session
Master of Public Health Information Session
When: Wednesday, 22 April 2026, 6:00PM - 7:00PM AEST
In this session, you’ll get insights from our Course Director, Associate Professor Kayley Lyons, and our MPH students and alumni on:
- Course structure and study options
- Study areas in public health offered in the program from epidemiology and biostatistics to policy, planning and evaluation
- Capstone options for you to consolidate their specialist training and apply the knowledge gained in the course to real world scenarios
- Career pathways in government, NGOs, hospitals, research, community health and many more
- The student experience, and tips on balancing study, work, and life
There will also be an opportunity for Q&A with our panellists.