Bachelor of Public Health
 |
The Bachelor of Public Health (BPH) is a multidisciplinary, flexible degree that provides students with opportunities to choose pathways in public health promotion, programmes and policy, and clinical and public health sciences, leading to a wide range of careers. It also provides a pathway to postgraduate clinical programmes (for example medicine, social work, nursing and allied health) as well as honours and higher degrees by research.
The Bachelor of Public Health is equivalent of the Bachelor of Health Science (BHSc) offered at the Monash University Caufield campus in Australia.
This diverse undergraduate degree has a globally relevant curriculum based on the BHSc, with contextual variation specific to Monash South Africa.
The BPH reflects existing and projected demands for the current and future public health workforce in South Africa, Africa and internationally.
Undergraduate public health and non-clinical health science programmes have been successfully established within South Africa and internationally. The Monash programme is unique in that it reflects its global orientation and capitalises on the educational opportunities provided by its international campuses.
Students will have the opportunity to undertake international cross-campus collaborations, placements and internships, exposing them to a variety of international staff, students and stakeholders.
The curriculum will also be informed by cutting-edge public health research undertaken at other Monash campuses in Australia and Malaysia, at Monash South Africa and its local and international partner organisations.
The degree is structured to allow students to follow particular vocational pathways yet at the same time pursue individual interests via elective studies.
All graduates are expected to be critical and creative thinkers; experts within their chosen public health pathway; culturally and ethically competent; and effective communicators.
The School of Health Sciences at Monash South Africa works in close collaboration with the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine within the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences in Australia and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University campus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It also takes advantage of local opportunities for collaboration between Schools at Monash South Africa and partners with the community.
This programme would suit students who are:
- Looking for mobility across the local, national and international health workforce and who want a flexible programme that prepares them to work in many different kinds of organisations;
- Aspiring to pursue a clinical career and seeking entry to a graduate medical, nursing or allied health degree at Monash or another university;
- Seeking careers in health, health management, non-governmental organisations and development agencies;
- Planning to continue to a Bachelor of Public Health (Honours) degree and further postgraduate research training at Monash University or elsewhere.
Length
Three years full time or equivalent
Structure
Students will take core units and major sequences of study plus electives.
In the core units students learn about the determinants of health; human biology; epidemiology; research and critical thinking; global health; health care systems; health and society; disease prevention and control; and health law and ethics.
Requirements
In order to meet the requirements for the Bachelor of Public Health degree, a student must complete:
- Health science core units (x13 units)
- Health science major units (x 6 units)
- Electives at first, second and third-year level from the list provided /or from other schools (x 5 units)
- Maximum of 8 first-year level units
- Minimum of 6 third-year-level units including those completed in the major
- Total of 24 units
Candidates may complete a second major or a second minor sequence from disciplines offered by the school (e.g. Psychology) or from other or Schools (e.g. Child and Youth Development major).
Majors
A major requires the completion of a minimum of 8 units. Normally a major will include a first-year level sequence (or two core units), two units at second-level and four units at third-level, or three units at second-level and three units at third level. A major is normally taken over three years.
Electives
Electives provide students the opportunity to select complementary studies and/or pursue academic interests from across the School of Health Sciences and other Schools on the Monash South Africa campus.
Elective choices can be from a wide variety of disciplines such as psychology, management, marketing, journalism, languages, information technology and/or other units available at Monash South Africa.
Electives must be taken at first, second and third year levels as appropriate to the course year.
Students from other Schools
Units offered by the School of Health Sciences can also be taken by a broad range of students from other Monash South Africa Schools.
