Rewarding, dynamic Public Health programmes in Australia and New Zealand

Public health has always been important. Globalisation, the pandemic and the climate crisis have put a spotlight on its key role in our lives and livelihoods.

Experts with the know-how on how to prevent disease, prolong life, and promote physical and mental health — of populations and communities — are needed more than ever before. It is important that action that promotes health and prevents disease is elevated. It is no longer enough to rely on medical science. It is imperative that the art and science of manipulating and controlling the environment for the benefit of the public — whether in the areas of housing, water supplies, food, and more — is prioritised. 

As a public health expert, you stand to protect lives and enrich your own. It’s a rewarding professionally occupation, and just as fulfilling personally. If you seek an education and career in this field, get a strong start at these Australian universities:

UNSW Medicine & Health

UNSW Medicine & Health is an equity-driven, collaborative community at the forefront of impactful education. Source: UNSW School of Population Health.

Located in Sydney, New South Wales, the School of Population Health, UNSW Medicine & Health educates students from all over the world, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to improve the health of populations and contribute to efficient and equitable health systems. Home to the oldest and largest health leadership and management program in Australia, UNSW offers a suite of prestigious postgraduate programs in public and global health.

What sets UNSW apart is its dual degree options, allowing you to combine your interests in public health or global health with health leadership and management. This means you can complete two highly sought-after degrees in two years or less, enhancing career prospects and the opportunity to combine knowledge and skills from two related disciplines.

That’s not all. These programs are designed to be relevant to the workplace, with many opportunities to undertake research projects and internships thanks to the established partnerships with industry government and leading research institutions and centres.

You will be inspired by your high-calibre peers, study alongside likeminded health professionals and grow your networks. You will be guided by educators, researchers, health professionals, thought leaders and trailblazers, and benefit from flexible learning options tailored to your needs (online or face-to-face, full-time or part-time).

The Faculty of Medicine & Health at UNSW Sydney is one of the world’s top 50 medical schools (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022) and is ranked #1 in Australia for research impact with several internationally recognised research centres and institutes embedded in the faculty. UNSW is the #1 Australian university attended by start-up founders, ranked #32 for Worldwide Employer Reputation in QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022 and has a record-breaking 27 students named in the Top100 Future Leaders Awards.

Monash University: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine

Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has an extensive network of strong partnerships. Source: Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Facebook

As Asia Pacific’s biggest producer of peer-reviewed public health research, Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine – under the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences – is constantly at the forefront of the latest discoveries in cost-effective yet high quality healthcare. Being the largest national manager of 30 registries means having an extensive database of healthcare provision and patient outcomes as well.

Numerous partnerships with government, industry and community organisations on top of funding from industry groups allow this school to conduct the latest research. Plus, being co-located at the Alfred Research Alliance, with research partners like the prestigious Alfred Hospital, gives this school plenty of opportunities to develop close working relationships and utilise the clinical platform for research participation. 

Add in staff who are experts in biostatistics, social sciences, and forensics, among others, and lecturers holding clinical positions, and this all translates into a rich suite of specialist undergraduate, graduate and research programmes in a wide variety of topics such as healthcare management, law and ethics, and travel medicine. 

Little wonder that 50,000 graduates from over 90 countries have gone on to become prominent leaders and professionals.

University of Queensland: School of Public Health

The University of Queensland’s School of Public Health holds impressive rankings, attracting a large number of students to pursue courses there. Source: University of Queensland – School of Public Health, Facebook

The University of Queensland’s School of Public Health is ranked 24th in the world for Public Health. With strong and impactful research on the most urgent global population and public health issues, the School takes their mission of improving the health and wellbeing of populations seriously.

Not only does the School have current programmes to groom students to become leaders but their flagship Master of Public Health is the first and only one to have Curriculum Validation from the international Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation. Plus, University of Queensland students can boast they are part of a university that has won more awards for teaching than any other in Australia.

In addition, the School’s research strengths – for example, women’s health – allow students to learn from specialist researchers who are particularly knowledgeable in methods and techniques. Specific areas of staff expertise include epidemiology and biostatistics, health promotion, social determinants of health, and health services, systems and policy.

The University of Auckland: School of Population Health

The University of Auckland is New Zealand’s largest higher education institution. Source: University of Auckland, Facebook

With a clear goal of wanting to provide knowledge and skills for improving the health of New Zealanders as well as those in the Pacific region, University of Auckland’s qSchool of Population Health makes it their mission to focus on factors affecting entire populations’ wellbeing. Their particular strengths in prevention and treatment of bad health, and promoting better health and wellbeing at population and community level, attract people of diverse backgrounds in health, social and behavioural sciences.

This School – divided into a mix of discipline-specific sections, multidisciplinary research units, centres and institutes – allows students to explore a wide range of research topics such as audiology, general practice and primary healthcare, and social and community health. With researchers well-versed in complex public health and healthcare-related issues, students at this School can expect to learn and apply interdisciplinary and multi-methodological approaches.

It comes as no surprise that the University of Auckland is ranked ninth in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings 2021, and the only New Zealand university to be among the world’s top 100 (QS World University Rankings 2022). Over 40,000 students flock to this university – the largest in New Zealand.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International