Highlights

  • Ideal for career change, professional advancement, and clinicians looking to expand their skills.
  • Study online or on campus, with a mix of morning and evening classes to suit your schedule and commitments.
  • Graduate with an internationally recognised qualification.
  • Choose to combine your coursework with a project or dissertation.
  • Specialise in emergency and disaster management, health promotion, health services management, epidemiology and research methods, or health, safety and environment.
  • QUT offers Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) to all domestic students enrolled in this course, which means a reduction in the fees you pay.
  • Complete in 2 years full time or 4 years part time. Applicants with a bachelor degree in a health-related area may be eligible for 48 credit points of advanced standing on entry to the course. This will reduce the course duration to 1.5 years full time or 3 years part time.

Highlights

  • Ideal for career change, professional advancement, and clinicians looking to expand their skills.
  • Specialise in emergency and disaster management, health promotion, health services management, epidemiology and research methods, or health, safety and environment.
  • Graduate with an internationally recognised qualification.
  • Choose to combine your coursework with a project or dissertation.

Why choose this course?

You believe everyone deserves the opportunity to live a healthy life. You understand that health is more than healthcare. You want to lead change to improve the health of communities.

Public health professionals work at the intersection of health and social justice. They address the causes of health inequities and advocate for better systems to improve health and wellbeing.

QUT's Master of Public Health is grounded in real-world applications. You'll build practical skills and strong analytical capability through applied learning that responds to current public health challenges across Australia and internationally.

This course will prepare you to:

  • Lead work with communities and organisations to build self-determination and better health outcomes
  • Critically analyse and influence the systems and policies that create health inequities
  • Apply anti-racist and anti-oppressive approaches in public health leadership and practice
  • Advocate for structural change across sectors from housing to education to employment
  • Draw on advanced research and evidence, alongside community knowledge, to drive meaningful change
  • Think upstream, addressing the root causes of poor health and health inequities.

What to expect

Our public health programs are designed for professionals interested in a career in public health, mid-career professionals seeking advancement, and clinicians looking to broaden their range of expertise.

You can choose to study online or in person. All core units are offered online, and morning and evening classes are available, so you can fit your studies around your schedule.

You will develop core skills in epidemiology and biostatistics, and an understanding of contemporary and challenging population health issues.

You may choose to major in emergency and disaster management; epidemiology and research methods; health promotion; health, safety and environment; or select units from across the major study areas.

Our teaching staff are industry experts who will share their experience and insight. You’ll explore the social drivers of inequality including racism, poverty and discrimination.

You’ll learn to:

  • plan, implement and evaluate health promotion programs
  • inform and work collaboratively with other health professionals on population health issues
  • Partner with communities and organisations to improve population health and wellbeing outcomes
  • design, develop and implement public information campaigns using radio, television, newspapers, pamphlets, posters and websites.

You’ll put these learnings into practice and engage with industry and relevant public health organisations through a research project. 

You’ll build advanced skills in advocacy, policy analysis, epidemiology and systems change to lead to positive impacts for communities.

Public health professionals promote population health and wellbeing in service areas such as food safety, disease control, prevention programs, health promotion and environmental health.

Our public health programs are designed for professionals interested in a career in public health, mid-career professionals seeking advancement and clinicians looking to broaden their range of expertise.

Students in this program obtain core skills in epidemiology and biostatistics, and an understanding of contemporary and challenging population health issues. You may choose to major in emergency and disaster management; epidemiology and research methods; health promotion; or select units from across the major study areas.

Careers and outcomes

Careers and outcomes

Our graduates work wherever people's health can be influenced.

You might join a local, state or national government health department, a hospital or primary health network.

If you are interested in social welfare, graduates have been employed in government departments and international health aid organisations such as World Health Organisation and the Australian Agency for International Development and Community Aid Abroad.

Health promotion and public health positions are also available in a variety of local organisations including community organisations, housing services, disaster and emergency management agencies, refugee and migrant health services, environmental advocacy groups, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health organisations.

Organisations like the National Heart Foundation, Diabetes Australia, and The Cancer Council provide employment opportunities.

Universities and research institutes, with peak bodies and professional associations, in private consulting firms or by launching their own social enterprise also require the skills of public health specialists.

Professional recognition

Graduates are eligible for membership of the Public Health Association of Australia, the Australian Health Promotion Association and the International Union for Health Promotion and Education.

Course articulation

Graduates of the masters program who have successfully completed a 48 credit point dissertation may apply for entry to the Master of Philosophy or the Doctor of Philosophy.

Course articulation

Graduates of the masters program who have successfully completed a 48 credit point dissertation may apply for entry to the Master of Philosophy or the Doctor of Philosophy.

Possible careers

  • Community health officer
  • Health promotion officer
  • Policy officer
  • Project manager
  • Public health officer

Fees

Your actual fees may vary depending on which units you choose. We review fees annually, and they may be subject to increases.

2027 fees

2027: CSP $9,400 per year full-time (96 credit points)

2027 fees

2027: $42,400 per year full-time (96 credit points)

2026 fees

2026: $28,600 per year full-time (96 credit points)

2026 fees

2026: $40,800 per year full-time (96 credit points)

Student services and amenities fees

You may need to pay student services and amenities (SA) fees as part of your course costs.

Find out more about postgraduate course fees

FEE-HELP: loans to help you pay for your course fees

You may not have to pay anything upfront if you're eligible for a FEE-HELP loan.

Find out more about government loans

Student services and amenities fees

You may need to pay student services and amenities (SA) fees as part of your course costs.

Find out more about international course fees

Scholarships

You can apply for scholarships to help you with study and living costs.

Browse all scholarships

Equity scholarships scheme

A scholarship for low-income students studying in any faculty.

Scholarship eligibility
Struggling financially

International Merit Scholarship

A high achievement scholarship for future international undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Scholarship eligibility
Academic performance

International Talent Scholarship

A new scholarship for 2026 that covers tuition fees, with eligibility based on your prior academic achievements.

Scholarship eligibility
Academic performance