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Bachelor of Health Science (Public and Environmental Health)

H0619  043850B



Duration

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Fee*
3 Year/s Hawthorn (Semester 1, Semester 2) A$22,950 (annual for 2012) 
*The indicative course fees shown in Course Search apply to international students studying on-campus in Australia for the relevant year only. They are based on a standard study load per year. However, please note that fees are assessed according to a student's study load in each semester, and variation to study load will result in an adjustment to tuition fees. All fees are subject to annual review and may be adjusted.

The Bachelor of Health Science (Public and Environmental Health) is a multidisciplinary course aimed at equipping graduates with a wide range of skills, knowledge and attributes in order to assist in the protection of the environment and the health of people living in it. Areas of study include science, law, communication, health policy and promotion, food and water safety, risk assessment, emergency and disaster management and sustainability. 

The course has strong links with industry and very high employment outcomes. It is also an accredited course in Victoria for Australian students seeking a career as an environmental health officer.

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The course has the following objectives:

  • to produce a professional graduate who is able to communicate the role of public and environmental health management to the community and deploy environmental health principles in adding value to community health and quality of life.
  • to develop in students a mastery of the basic theoretical and practical principles of public and environmental health management and their relationship to human behaviour, social health and the environment.
  • to produce a professional graduate who has a thorough understanding of environmental health methodology and the ability to interpret and apply it competently and appropriately in the relevant professional context and setting.
  • to instill the graduate with an appreciation of the role of the environmental health practitioner in society, a sense of resourcefulness, originality, impartiality and a well-developed culture of community service and ethics.
  • to develop self-educative skills, flexibility of mind, and an inherent recognition of the need to research and keep abreast of technological, financial, social and political change
  • to develop graduates who are able to communicate with and relate confidently to a wide range of professionals and others who interface with public and environmental health practice
  • to develop graduates who are able to participate in the education of society in matters of community health
  • to develop the management skills required to administer and deliver a range of public and environmental health services to an increasingly informed society
  • to assist students to demonstrate the necessary academic strengths and motivation to seek and obtain entry to a wide range of postgraduate programs relevant to public and environmental health management
  • to meet the accreditation requirements for public and environmental health undergraduate degree programs set by the Australian Institute of Environmental Health

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This course operates under a student workload model based on 100 credit points for a full-time academic year. One credit point is deemed to be equivalent to one hour of student work per week over a semester, whether in contact with staff or in private study. Four units of study will generally be taken each semester. The typical student's average weekly workload during a semester is therefore deemed to be 50 hours. Total student contact hours, including lectures, classes, tutorials, flexible learning and laboratory and field sessions will vary in different semesters, but will be less than 20 hours per week.

Students in the Bachelor of Health Science (Public and Environmental Health) program must complete 300 credit points, normally 24 units of 12.5 credit points each, comprising:
  • Public Health Professional Major, normally 16 units of 12.5 credit points each (200 credit points); and the
  • Food Science Co-Major, normally 8 units of 12.5 credit points each (100 credit points)
Additionally the following rules apply:
  • the non-credit unit, HAC0001 Careers in the Curriculum, is compulsory; 
  •  two (2) Major Project units must be completed as part of the major studies sequence;
  • the same unit cannot be counted more than once. Where there are overlaps, the 300 credit points of study must be made up in the first instance by a minor where 50 credit points is required, otherwise by free electives or Options Plus units;
  • students will normally not be permitted to successfully complete more than 26 units (325cps);
  • Professional Major Co-ordinators have the authority to approve alternative units if required for students to complete in a timely fashion. To be noted at Faculty Academic Committee.
Careers in the Curriculum (CIC)
In addition to the above, students must complete a compulsory unit of study HAC0001 Careers in the Curriculum to be awarded the degree. Careers in the Curriculum (CIC) is an innovative unit designed to assist Swinburne students to enhance their employability and career prospects. It is usually undertaken in the second year of their course and is compulsory for all undergraduate students. Students studying CIC will not incur a HECS or fee debt as the cost will be met by the university as part of an initiative to enhance students' career skills.

Final Year Experience - Major Projects
As part of the Swinburne Model for Professional Learning, all incoming undergraduates will undertake 25 credit points of professionally focused final year major projects within their programs of study. Entry with advanced standing may require alternate study sequences to be undertaken.

Winter and Summer Term
This program also provides opportunities to undertake study in an optional six-week Winter and Summer term allowing you to complete extra study between the standard semesters. These terms are not mandatory. However, if you wish to vary your study load you may want to consider this option.

Options Plus 
Students will have access to a small set of approved individual Options Plus units of study which provide either a distinctive learning experience or targeted study support. This could include optional study tours, an Intercultural Communications unit, and an ‘introduction to undergraduate research’ unit. In some cases, students may be advised or directed to take specially targeted Options Plus units, for example the Analysing and Writing English unit to be offered for credit in Winter Term for NESB students.

Students undertaking a full 300 cp program are allowed to substitute at least one Options Plus unit for one existing unit within their Co-Major– but not in their Professional Major. They will be advised by their Faculty on which unit(s) of the co-major.

In the case of students who enter with significant levels of advanced standing and whose program is therefore composed only of a Professional Major, the Faculty may approve a substitution, or else require the students to undertake the Options Plus unit in addition to their major studies.

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Students enrolled in Bachelor of Health Science (Public and Environmental Health) must enrol in the Public Health Professional Major and Food Science Co-Major.

Public Health Professional Major
 

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Professional Majors
A Professional Major (200 credit points or 16 units of study) is designed to provide students with appropriate breadth and depth of knowledge in a particular field of study and provide suitable preparation for professional graduate employment. It may be based on a single, recognised discipline, or it may be inter-disciplinary in character.

Study areas in the Public Health Professional Major include biology, chemistry (environmental), environmental health, environmental sustainability, health administration, health policy and promotion, water science, law (public and environmental health), microbiology, communication, public health, research methods, risk analysis , management and health program evaluation.

Co-Majors
A co-major (100 credit points or 8 units of study) is a sequence of study focused on a specific discipline and is normally self-contained, in that it includes any requisite foundation studies. Where a student has studied a co-major they are not normally eligible to apply to graduate with the associated tagged degree outcome.

Study areas in the Food Science co-major include law (public and environmental health), microbiology, occupational health and safety, food science, food safety, communicable disease control and administration and management.

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Industry-Based Learning is an optional program in which students are placed in paid, supervised employment relevant to their studies as part of their degree. Industry-Based Learning gives students practical experience to add to their academic studies, and is a proven advantage in the graduate job market. All Industry-Based Learning placements are subject to availability of places. For further information visit: www.swinburne.edu.au/spl/ibl

The optional year of Industry-Based Learning in Australia is currently not available to international students. However international students may be able to participate in IBL in another country, subject to the approval of the relevant Swinburne IBL Manager and appropriate immigration approval.

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Swinburne offers International Exchange Programs as well as other Education Abroad Programs to help internationalise your degree. International Exchange is an academic program allowing you to study at a Swinburne Partner Institution for one or two semesters during your degree. Swinburne's Partner Institutions offer many relevant subjects as well as a secure base to explore a different culture. Your studies whilst on exchange can be credited towards your Swinburne degree, provided they are relevant and approved by Swinburne. For further information visit the Swinburne Abroad website.

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Career opportunities are enormously diverse. Employment may be found with federal, state, and local government authorities, and increasingly, food, waste and risk management industries and private consultancies.
 
Upon graduation you may become an environmental health officer, or obtain a position in policy development, health promotion, communicable disease investigation, sustainability or public and community health planning. Graduates may also work with overseas health agencies, particularly in the area of emergency and disaster management.

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Students are eligible for membership of Environmental Health Australia and graduates maybe eligible for membership to the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology, the Public Health Association of Australia and the Australian Health Promotion Assoication.

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Swinburne College English for Academic Purposes Advanced level certificate at the undergraduate level (EAP 5: UG-65% ); OR, Obtaining a minimum IELTS overall band of 6.0 (Academic Module) with no individual band below 6.0; OR, a TOEFL (Paper-based) minimum score of 550 (with Test of Written English (TWE) score of 5); OR, a TOEFL (Computer-based) minimum score of 213 (with Written Writing score of 5); OR, a TOEFL (Internet-based) minimum score of 80 with no band less than 20.

 

Refer to the English Language Requirements website for further information.

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Maths (any)

 

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To assess eligibility for entry to Swinburne, visit the Academic Entry Requirements page.

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Phone: +613 8676 7002 (outside Australia)
Freecall 1800 897 973 (within Australia)

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Visit our Meet Us page to see when we are visiting your home country (or here in Australia)

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A range of scholarships are available to international students, visit our Scholarship Page for details.

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