James Cook University

Graduate Certificate in Public Health

Take the next step in your health career with the Graduate Certificate of Public Health. Become equipped to address pressing public health issues relevant to tropical Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Gain an in-depth understanding of the urgent problems facing vulnerable communities and learn how to develop strategies to detect, prevent and control communicable and non-communicable diseases, ensuring safe and healthy environments for tropical, rural, remote and Indigenous communities.

JCU’s Graduate Certificate of Public Health degree focuses on developing strategies that protect and promote the health and wellbeing of tropical, rural, remote and Indigenous communities. As you study public health, you will explore a specialised body of theoretical and technical knowledge in the discipline of public health and learn how to apply your knowledge to diverse contexts and settings.

In this six-month degree, you will undertake four core subjects: Tropical Public Health; Public Health Management, Leadership, Planning and Policy; Epidemiology for Public Health; and Communicable Disease Control. These subjects will give you a thorough understanding of the main pillars of public health and will equip you to identify public health issues, assess their contributing factors, develop strategies to address these issues, and apply your knowledge and skills appropriately and effectively.

This course is designed in accordance to the core principles of public health as defined by the Council of Academic Public Health Institutions in Australia (CAPHIA), ensuring that your knowledge and skills are aligned with industry standards.

Upon completing the Graduate Certificate of Public Health, you will be prepared to enhance your career and undertake leadership roles in the health sector. You will be able to apply specialised human, project and organisational management skills within a public health and policy context. Your knowledge, skills and training in professional public health practice will enable you to make ethical decisions and practice with an evidence-based approach to health informed by recent developments in the field.