Health Sciences

School of Public Health

Health Promotion Program

Postgraduate Diploma in Health Promotion
Graduate Certificate in Health Promotion

A typical student undertaking the Postgraduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate in Health Promotion will be a health professional with an interest in developing health promotion in their current work context, or seeking skills that will support a shift in career. Students may be working in the hospital or community health care sectors. They include people from community health services, local government, drug and alcohol services, aged care, women's health, acute hospital units or acute hospital/community liaison, or almost any other kind of health sector agency.

The Health Promotion program at La Trobe University was established to support the development of health promotion skills in the health professions. Specifically, our goals are to assist health professionals to integrate health promotion into their professional practice and to help them gain the skills that will enable a career shift into health promotion if that is their wish.

Students have the opportunity to develop skills in health promotion planning and program delivery, evaluation and needs assessment, and inter-organisational work with partners. The emphasis is on developing new skills that assist students to develop health education/health promotion aspects of their profession or to move into the field of health promotion itself.

The Health Promotion program at La Trobe is designed to provide maximum flexibility for participants.

Achievements at one level can aggregate towards achievements at the next.

It is possible to take:

• one day professional development workshops on aspects of health promotion
• single units in health promotion
• the Graduate Certificate in Health Promotion consisting of four units
• the Postgraduate Diploma in Health Promotion consisting of eight units
• the Doctor of Public Health, a professional doctorate degree

Health Promotion workshops, units and courses support capacity development in:

• local area planning and integrated service provision
• integration of health promotion into the routine work of practitioners in community health and other agencies
• partnership development and management
• health promotion in chronic disease management

Admission Requirements

Applicants are required to hold a degree or three-year diploma in the health sciences, or other relevant area. Applicants with relevant experience may be permitted entry into the Graduate Certificate or to enrol in single units where appropriate. The selection criteria may include work experience and skills.

The course is not offered to international students.

Course Structure

Postgraduate Diploma in Health Promotion

The course comprises eight units and is normally undertaken on a part-time basis over two to five years but may be undertaken full-time over one year.

Typical course pattern in 50% of full time:

# a postgraduate elective offered in the School of Public Health.

The health promotion specialist units may be undertaken in either semester by distance education. They are offered in on-campus mode for one semester only. In on-campus mode the health promotion specialist units are offered in a set number of full days (usually 3) and a set number of evenings (usually 4). In the units Introduction to Health Promotion, Promoting Health Through Groups and Public Health Promotion all students (distance and on-campus) are provided with a set of DE materials. All students may participate in the contact days in the semester in which the unit is offered in on-campus mode.

Notes

Most units are offered in distance education mode in both semesters, but in block or weekly attendance mode in one semester only - contact 9479 5724 for details.

Semester Dates

Graduate Certificate in Health Promotion

The Graduate Certificate requires completion of four units, and will normally be undertaken part-time over one or two years.

Unit choice is flexible with each student's program being developed in consultation with the course coordinator.

Students who enrol in the Graduate Certificate may apply to progress to the Postgraduate Diploma in Health Promotion. The Graduate Certificate will be subsumed upon completion of the Postgraduate Diploma.

Prizes

Victorian Health Promotion student of the year award

The Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA) Victorian Branch and the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) in partnership with Deakin and La Trobe Universities are proud to announce the annual AHPA Student Award.

The award will be available to two students each year in Victoria who have contributed significantly to the field of Health Promotion. The purpose of the award is to recognise the outstanding achievements of students in the field of Health Promotion.

The selection of the award's winner is based on the contribution you have made in the field of Health Promotion. This could be through your involvement in extra-curricular related activity (paid or unpaid), work placements and academic results. The judging panel will comprise of representatives from the health promotion academic and practitioner fields. Should your application be successful you may be required to provide your academic transcript and attend an interview conducted by members of the AHPA committee.

The award is only to those students (undergraduate and postgraduate) who are AHPA members.

Details regarding membership of the AHPA, applying for the award, and prizes will be provided to students later in the year.

APHA can be contacted using the following email: ahpavic@telstra.com

Application Process

Complete and submit an application form and post to the following address:

Postgraduate Office,

School of Public Health,

La Trobe University,

BUNDOORA, VIC. 3086

Contact Details

Enquiries

Postgraduate Office
Ph: 03 9479 1750
Email: phe.postgrad@latrobe.edu.au

Course Coordinator

Associate Professor Rae Walker
Ph: 03 9479 5875
Email: r.walker@latrobe.edu.au