School of Public Health
Master
of Health Sciences In Public Health Practice - MHSc(PHP)
The MHSc(PHP) is offered by La Trobe University through the School of Public Health in collaboration with the Public Health and Development Branch of the Victorian Department of Human Services.
The course responds to a need, identified by the Public Health and Development Branch of the Victorian Department of Human Services, to provide academic training which complements the practical learning-by-doing provided through the Victorian Public Health Training Scheme. The course thereby contributes to the development of the public health workforce in Victoria and Australia and in particular to the strengthening of leadership in public health.
Public Health Competencies for Australia are currently under review by the Public Health Education and Training Programme (PHERP). However, the broad competencies towards which the VPHTS and MHSc(PHP) are directed are listed on the VPHTS website. Other useful lists of public health competencies include that of the NSW PHOTP, the US Council on Linkages Competencies Project and the ASPHER European Public Health Competencies.
Admission Requirements
Applicants should have academic qualifications corresponding to a postgraduate diploma (or part one of a masters degree) in a relevant discipline. In addition, applicants should have enrolled for (or commenced or completed) an approved program of practical public health experience. This criterion will be judged to be met automatically if the applicant has been accepted as a Fellow within the Victorian Public Health Training Scheme. However, applicants will be eligible for admission if they are able to demonstrate that they have commenced or completed a comparable organised program of supervised practical experience, organised in some other way.
Course Structure
The course is offered over as a 240-point full-time degree to be completed over two years. The course is based on experiential learning through supervised placements. The training provided through the placements is supplemented by short course training. The units offered currently include Applied Epidemiology A and B, Public Sector Management, Public Health Law, Health Sector Finance, Public Health Practicum, academic support for each placement, and Bound Volume support (equivalent to the preparation of a thesis).
Formal unit assessments are conducted through a range of processes in keeping with the principles of adult learning. Unit teaching occurs in week blocks between placements, and in common with all La Trobe units, each unit is designed as a 39 contact hour unit. Assessments for each unit are designed by the unit coordinator and include written minor and major assessment, oral examination, and group assignments. Skills are assessed through review of the student's performance in regular meeting presentations, conference presentations, written reviews of placements, and in a formal mid-term review of progress.
Placement support is provided through formal placement visits and reviews, and through discussions at monthly programme meetings. Extra support can be provided if required through additional visits and other forms of student support.
The supervised placements undertaken through the Victorian Public Health Training Scheme provide the foundation upon which the Master of Health Science (Public Health Practice) is based. There is also a strong emphasis on students participating in professional public health organisations beyond their placements, including presenting conference papers and submitting papers for publication. Oversight of the academic suitability of placements is the responsibility of the academic coordinator in consultation with the administrator of the VPHTS.
A key learning strategy for ensuring that the placements provide rich learning opportunities in relation to public health practice is the requirement to prepare (and submit for examination) a Bound Volume, the equivalent of a thesis. This document comprises a set of placement reports and outcomes, and a major reflective commentary on a subject of the candidate’s own choosing.
Application Process
There are two sets of criteria for admission to study for the Master of Health Sciences (Public Health Practice): academic and practical.
Applicants for admission must have academic qualifications corresponding to a postgraduate diploma (or part one of a masters degree) in a relevant discipline or disciplines – usually, but not always, a Master of Public Health degree.
Applicants for admission must also be enrolled in (or have commenced or completed) an approved program of practical experience in public health work. This criterion is met automatically if the applicant has been accepted as a Fellow of the Victorian Public Health Training Scheme.
Applicants for the MHSc(PHP) from outside the VPHTS will be eligible to be considered for admission if they are able to demonstrate that they have commenced or completed a comparable organised program of supervised practical experience, organised in some other way. An approved program of training will be characterised by:
- a range of different specialty areas of public health practice
- sufficient responsible practical experience in each placement
- appropriate supervision in each specialty area
In determining whether a program of supervised practical experience (proposed, commenced or completed) is approved for the purpose of admission to study for the MHSc(PHP) the selection committee will need to be assured that the standard of training provided (breadth of placements; amount of practical, responsible experience in each placement; and adequacy of supervision) are comparable to that provided through the VPHTS.
Enquiries regarding admission to the MHSc(PHP) should be directed in the first instance to the academic course coordinator.
Application for enrolment in seminar units on a unit only basis
There are a limited number of places for students from other courses or other applicants (such as staff of the Department of Human Services, Master of Health Administration or Master of Public Health students) to enrol in single units, with the approval of the course coordinator and unit coordinator.
Contact Details
Academic Course Coordinator
Dr Priscilla Robinson
Ph: (03) 9285 5269 (City) and 9479 5595 (Bundoora)
Email: priscilla.robinson@latrobe.edu.au
Course administration
Cynthia Langley
Ph: 03 9479 1734
Email: c.langley@latrobe.edu.au
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