Health Communication

Coursework

The Master of Health Communication delivers core communication skills to help students to become effective communicators across health and medicine, public affairs, public relations, community relations, and journalistic aspects of public health. Our unique Health Communication program is the most comprehensive and specialised course of its kind in Australia, combining the expertise of the Department of Media and Communications with the public health resources of the School of Public Health, where it is cross listed. With an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to both communication and public health, our program incorporates media marketing, as well as organisational and health communication skill building.

The Master program provides communication skills for aspiring and professional health advocates in public (government, NGO, NFP) and corporate health communications, health care public affairs, public relations, community relations, healthcare promotions and health journalism. It offers a solid, evidence-based education in international health, community-oriented health practice, obesity and other disease prevention strategies.

The flexible program is designed to meet the needs of those already working in, or wishing to enter, the private and public health sectors, as well as non-government and community organisations by being offered in a multi-modal format. That is, students can choose to either take it in block mode (concentrated short-time face-to-face engagements paired with online study) or fully online mode (video meetings plus independent study). In addition, the Graduate Diploma (one year full-time) and Graduate Certificate (six months full-time) courses provide shorter avenues to update and extend one’s professional skills, or to explore new career directions (also offered in either format).

Our degrees will equip students with knowledge, understanding and expertise across communication and health disciplines, incorporating a cross-disciplinary, collaborative approach. Units of study provide training in clear communication of public health campaigns and policy topics, the creation of public education programs that nurture a more healthcare-literate population, the ability to raise awareness of, and advocate for, specific healthcare matters, and management of communication technology, including social media, to ensure information accuracy and uphold ethical standards. Featuring a well-regarded internship program, students will have the chance to attain high-level skills from work experience while fostering professional contacts and networks prior to completion.

See also: Digital Communication and Culture, Media Practice, Publishing, Strategic Public Relations.

Awards and requirements

Please refer to the course rules in this handbook for information on the specific admission requirements for different coursework award courses.

Master of Health Communication
Candidates for the Master of Health Communication must complete 72 credit points including:

• a minimum of 24 credit points of core units of study
• a maximum of 42 credit points from elective units of study
• at least 6 credit points of capstone units of study

Graduate Diploma in Health Communication
Candidates for the Graduate Diploma in Health Communication must complete 48 credit points including:

• a minimum of 24 credit points from core units of study
• a maximum of 24 credit points from elective units of study

Graduate Certificate in Health Communication
Candidates for the Graduate Certificate in Health Communication must complete 24 credit points including:

• a minimum of 12 credit points of core units of study
• a maximum of 12 credit points of core elective units of study

Learning outcomes

At the completion of the Master of Health Communication, a student will be able to:

Reduced volume of learning (RVL)

Candidates who have completed previous study in a relevant discipline may be eligible for a reduction in the requirements in accordance with the table below.

Example pathways

To guide your choice of electives, please consult the table below. The table groups units of study within the Health Communication program by areas of professional practice pursued by graduates. Note that these groupings are not award specialisations and are offered as suggestions only, meant to provide direction for designing a beneficial study plan. Students may choose other electives based on availability and meeting any prerequisites.

Contacts and further information

Contact details can be found on these websites:

Department of Media and Communications
School of Literature, Art and Media