Bachelor of Public Health
- Commencing Terms
- Term 1 & 3
- Duration
- 3 Year(s)
- Delivery Mode
- Face-to-face (includes blended), Online
- Campus
-
Kensington
- Codes
- UAC code 428210
- Program code 3881
- CRICOS code 116678A
-
2024 Indicative first year full fee
- $9,000*
-
2024 Indicative full fee to complete degree
- $27,000*
-
2024 Indicative first year full fee
- $33,500*
-
2024 Indicative full fee to complete degree
- $103,000*
Fees
Fees
-
Industry recognition
-
Capstone experience
-
Global perspectives
International application pause for 2025 intakes
Applications for international students to study at UNSW in 2025 are currently paused. Please submit your expression of interest to join our application waitlist so we can contact you.
- Overview
- Entry requirements
- What will I study?
- Future careers
- How to apply
- Fees & Scholarships
Overview
The Bachelor of Public Health is designed for students who are interested in improving health outcomes and tackling health challenges among populations across the world. Studying public health focuses on preventing illness and disease while clinical practitioners focus on treating illness and disease in individuals.
This degree helps you to develop the practical skills and knowledge required to examine local and global public health problems, as well as the ability to design and implement innovative new approaches to emerging issues. This undergraduate degree gives you a solid understanding of the different health needs of communities, the social and environmental factors that influence health and how to reduce risks and inequities.
Public health is a multidisciplinary field that considers the economic, social and environmental factors that influence public health outcomes. It encompasses epidemiology, biostatistics, health promotion, quantitative and qualitative research methods, health policy and health services management.
This three-year degree will expose you to a range of public health challenges designed to prepare you for a variety of roles within the field of public health, as well as support you to develop your skills in critical thinking, research, communication and leadership.
Our multidisciplinary teaching team has extensive experience in global public health and have active roles in influencing health policies and strategies to support population health in Australia and overseas.
Key features
- Wide range of career opportunities
Studying public health opens up a range of career opportunities, including public health education, research, and services. Public health graduates work in government departments, ministries of health, public health networks, local area health services, universities, research institutes, international health policy and funding institutions, non-governmental agencies, mental health services and Indigenous health organisations. This degree also provides a pathway to further study, including graduate medicine or a master’s program.
- Professional recognition
This degree is consistent with recommendations of the Council of Academic Public Health Institutions Australasia (CAPHIA).
- Capstone experience
You’ll complete a capstone experience in your final year, which may include the option of either an internship placement, study abroad tour or research project.
Why study this degree at UNSW?
Bring a global perspective to your education
Our degree is taught by academic staff who have extensive work experience in developing and delivering public health programs and policy within various international and domestic settings. This includes working with agencies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), regional WHO offices, governments from around the world and non-government agencies. In your third year, you’ll have the opportunity to consider a student exchange at one of our many overseas partner universities. Moving away from the traditional classroom, this degree will immerse you in a global learning environment, where you’ll study alongside students from Australia and around the world.
Join a sector-leading population health community
Become part of a community that plays a key role in enhancing population health and healthcare systems. This program is delivered by the School of Population Health – a dynamic, international community of staff, alumni, practitioners and students. Our multidisciplinary teaching and research staff have research and practitioner experience in local, national and international settings. Research and collaboration opportunities are available for students in our internationally recognised research centres and institutes. You'll be part of a community involved in translating groundbreaking research into disease prevention and response strategies and informing health policy.
Want to see more from UNSW Medicine and Health?
Entry requirements
-
- The 2024 Lowest Selection Rank (LSR) is the adjusted rank (ATAR plus adjustment factors) you would have needed to gain entry to this degree in 2024.
- The 2024 A levels score is based on four Advanced Level (A2) subjects. Entry scores are calculated from the best three or four A2 subjects (excluding repeated subjects) using the following values: A*=6, A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, E=1. At most one Applied A Level subject may be included in the best four subjects used to calculate the aggregate.
- The 2024 IB Diploma is an indication of the IB you would have needed to gain entry to this degree in 2024. It is to be used as a guide only.
- The 2024 Lowest ATAR is the lowest ATAR (before adjustment factors were applied) to which an offer was made. Where <5 is listed, this indicates that less than 5 ATAR-based offers were made and so the score has not been published. N/A indicates no offers were made on the basis of ATAR.
-
At UNSW, we are committed to ensuring prospective students have all the information they need in order to make informed decisions about their study options.
To assist you in gaining a better understanding of how Admissions works at UNSW, we have provided you with a summary of ATAR offers and the student profile.
We hope this information will help you identify the degree that is right for you.
Assumed knowledge
English Standard
Adjustment Factors
We offer a range of adjustment factor schemes that reward students for academic performance and extra-curricular achievements. These schemes also take into account a range of personal and educational disadvantages that may have affected your studies.
HSC Plus
This scheme rewards students who perform well in Year 12 subjects that are relevant to their preferred UNSW degree. You may be awarded up to five points.
Elite Athletes, Performers and Leaders (EAPL)
This program recognises achievements in the areas of sport, academia, leadership and music at an elite level. You may be eligible for up to five points.
Educational Access Scheme (EAS)
Factors such as illness, financial hardship, language difficulties or attending a particular school can mean you don't always get the best possible marks in Years 11 and 12. If one of these situations applies to you, submit an application for the Educational Access Scheme (EAS) via UAC. Eligible students can receive between 1 and 10 points towards their chosen UNSW degree.
Admission pathways
Your ATAR is not the only measure of your potential to succeed, which is why we offer a range of pathways into university. Explore your options below and get in touch with our future student advisors to discuss your path to UNSW.
Gateway Admission Pathway
This scheme is open to students in Years 11 and 12 who attend Gateway schools. It significantly adjusts the ATAR requirements for your preferred UNSW degree and provides you with an early conditional offer to UNSW.
Entry programs for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
We offer entry programs for Indigenous Australians, including the Indigenous Preparatory Programs and the Indigenous Admission Scheme (IAS). The entry pathway program you apply for will depend on the degree you want to study.
TAFE Admission Pathways
If you’ve studied a relevant diploma under a TAFE Training Package, you can receive credit transfer for up to 36 units of credit (UOC) into the Bachelor of International Public Health. Please see here for the 2024 Bachelor of Public Health TAFE Pathway Study Plan.
English language requirements
You may be asked to provide evidence of your English proficiency to study at UNSW depending on your educational background and citizenship. English language skills are vitally important for coping with lectures, tutorials, assignments and examinations - this is why UNSW requires a minimum English language competency for enrolment.
If you’re completing an Australian Year 12 qualification (e.g. NSW HSC or equivalent), you do not need to provide anything extra to prove your proficiency. Your qualification will be used as evidence of your English proficiency.
If you do need to provide evidence of your English proficiency, this will be indicated in your application. You can prove this by providing evidence that you meet one or more of the following criteria:
- English language tests and university English courses
- Prior study in the medium of English
- Other qualifications
If you need to improve your English skills before you start your degree, UNSW College’s Academic English Programs are for you. The programs are suitable for various English levels and help you prepare for university studies and life in Australia.
International direct entry
We do not accept secondary qualifications from this country. We may accept tertiary study results, please contact us for more information.
Please contact us for direct entry requirements.
Admission pathways
If you do not meet the requirements for direct entry into your chosen degree, you may be eligible for a pathway program with UNSW College. UNSW College provides alternative entry options using university-approved content so that you can start your UNSW journey with confidence.
English language requirements
You may be asked to provide evidence of your English proficiency to study at UNSW depending on whether you are from an English-speaking background or non-English speaking background. English language skills are vitally important for coping with lectures, tutorials, assignments and examinations - this is why UNSW requires a minimum English language competency for enrolment.
If English is not your first language, you’ll need to provide proof of your English proficiency before you can be given an offer to study at UNSW. You can do this by providing evidence that you meet one or more of the following criteria:
- English language tests and university English courses
- Prior study in the medium of English
- Other qualifications
If you need to improve your English skills before you start your degree, UNSW College’s Academic English Programs are for you. The programs are suitable for various English levels and help you prepare for university studies and life in Australia.
Check the specific English language requirements for this program
Program structure
This degree explores a range of public health challenges including ageing populations, unhealthy lifestyles, the rapid transfer of infectious pathogens, antimicrobial resistance, injuries, disasters and the health impacts of climate change and environmental pollution.
In your first year, you'll develop your understanding of core public health topics including global health, health promotion, Indigenous health and human biology. During your second year, you’ll continue to build your understanding and develop your skills with a focus on epidemiology, policy development and advocacy, surveillance, data analysis and leadership in public health.
In your final year, you’ll have the opportunity to bring together learning developed during your program and to apply and further develop public health knowledge and skills through a research project, internship or public health study tour.
Full program structure
The Bachelor of Public Health is completed over three years of full-time study. The program is made up of 24 courses total, including 18 core courses, four prescribed elective courses and two general education courses. View the suggested program pathways to see how you can organise your courses, depending on which term you commence your studies.
-
Level 1
- International Indigenous Health
- Introduction to Public Health
- Global Health
- Health Promotion
- Human Structure and Function 1
- Human Structure and Function 2
Level 2
- Epidemiology
- Biostatistics
- Communicable Disease
- Principles of Prevention and Public Health Surveillance
- Public Health Policy and Advocacy
- Health Leadership
- Planning and Evaluating Chronic Disease Programs
Level 3
-
All courses are closely interconnected to provide a cohesive degree experience and prepare you for new approaches to emerging global public health issues. The courses in this degree will develop your skills in areas such as:
- Community empowerment
- Community partnerships and self-determination
- Advocacy and community engagement
- Effective communication
- Critical thinking
- Cultural competence
- Independent work
- Research methods in health
- Systems thinking
- Teamwork and leadership.
Future careers
There’s strong demand in Australia and globally for professionals with specialised interdisciplinary skills in public health. This degree can lead to a career in:
- government departments and ministries of health
- public health networks
- local area health services
- universities and research institutes
- international health policy and funding institutions
- non-governmental agencies
- mental health services
- Indigenous health organisations
- not-for-profit organisations.
Roles include working as a public health research or health promotion officer, data analyst or epidemiologist, or community development officer. Within these roles, you may be focused on planning and developing innovative policies or strategies that support healthy communities at a local, national or international level. The role may involve monitoring disease trends or working with local communities to advocate for change or deliver relevant health services, training or education.
Accreditation
This degree is consistent with recommendations of the Council of Academic Public Health Institutions Australasia (CAPHIA).
Our students
“The Bachelor of Public Health armed me with some invaluable tools that I use in my current role day to day, including hard skills such as epidemiology and data surveillance, and soft skills such as public health leadership.”
Damian Garozzo-Vaglio
Graduate, Bachelor of Public Health
How to apply
Applications for undergraduate study from domestic students (Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents, Australian permanent humanitarian visa holders and New Zealand citizens) are processed by the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC).
Visit the Apply section of the UAC website and you can nominate up to five degrees in order of preference, with the first being your most desired degree and university.
On-time applications for admission usually close at the end of September each year for Term 1 admission. Late applications can be submitted, but a late fee will apply. For study starting in Term 1, the majority of offers are made in December and January. Visit the UAC website for key dates for admission outside of Term 1.
Ready to start your application?
For most international students, applications are submitted via our Apply Online service. We encourage you to submit your completed application as early as possible to ensure it will be processed in time for your preferred term.
Some high-demand programs with limited places, may have an earlier application deadline or may have an earlier commencement date. For more information visit our international applicant information page.
*If you are an international student studying an Australian qualification, go to the Universities Admission Centre (UAC) for application and UAC key dates. Note: If you are under 18 years of age, you need to make special arrangements. Read more.
Ready to start your application?
Fees & Scholarships
Commonwealth Supported Place: Student Contribution Band 2
*The student contribution for a Commonwealth Supported Place is an indication only of the amount payable in Year 1 based on a standard full-time load of 48 credit points (1.0 EFTSL). The actual student contribution you will be liable for depends on your individual program of study and the calendar year in which you enrol. Actual fees are calculated upon enrolment. Student contribution amounts are subject to annual review by the university and may increase each year during your studies (subject to caps determined by the Australian Government), effective at the start of each calendar year.
The indicative fees listed here are based on an estimated average and are for tuition only - other fees and charges are not included.
*Fees are subject to annual review by the University and may increase annually, with the new fees effective from the start of each calendar year. The indicative fees listed here are based on an estimated average and are for tuition only, other fees and charges are not included. The amount you pay will vary depending on the calendar year to enrol, the courses you select and whether your study load is more or less than 1 Equivalent Full Time Student Load (8 courses per year).
Indicative fees are a guide for comparison only based on current conditions and available data. You should not rely on indicative fees. More information on fees can be found at the UNSW fees website.
Indicative fees to complete the program have been calculated based on a percentage increase for every year of the program. Fee increases are assessed annually and may exceed the indicative figures listed here.
Indicative fees to complete the program include tuition plus an estimate of study-related costs of approximately $1,000 per year. To find out more about other costs, visit UNSW International.
Scholarships
At UNSW, we award over $83 million in scholarships each year. We pride ourselves on rewarding excellence and making university accessible to students from all walks of life. Whether you’re a domestic or international student, our range of scholarships, prizes and awards can support your journey.
QS World University Rankings, 2025.
AFR Top 100 Future leaders Award.
#1 Australian uni attended by start-up founders.
I wanted to learn the technical aspects of policy writing and evaluating government reports.
