Create healthier lives
This program prepares you to tackle current and future health and wellbeing needs of individuals, communities and populations, both locally and globally. You will specialise in one of six extended majors, including health promotion, environmental health, epidemiology and public health, prosthetics and orthotics, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, equipping you with the skills to improve population health and wellbeing.
- Only a full-time option is available to international students on a Student visa. Online programs are not available to Student visa holders.
- * Estimated tuition fees are based on 2025 rates. Refer to international fees for more information.
- Not all majors/minors and elective options are available at every campus. You should refer to the What Can I Study tab, and the proposed study sequence for your chosen campus and intake for further information.
- ^Prosthetics and Orthotics Semester 1 commencement only
^Applied Environmental Health Semester 1 commencement only - ^Prosthetics and Orthotics Semester 1 commencement only
^Applied Environmental Health Semester 1 commencement only
- ^Prosthetics and Orthotics Semester 1 commencement only
^Applied Environmental Health Semester 1 commencement only
This program prepares you to tackle current and future health and wellbeing needs of individuals, communities and populations, both locally and globally. You will specialise in one of six extended majors, including health promotion, environmental health, epidemiology and public health, prosthetics and orthotics, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, equipping you with the skills to improve population health and wellbeing.
In this program you will:
- Gain a strong foundation in health science
- Understand the current and future health needs of the community
- Specialise in a health discipline
- Gain workplace experience in your area of specialisation
Career opportunities:
- Environmental health officer
- Health promotion officer
- Prosthetist and/or orthotist
- Epidemiologist
- Health communication specialist
Refer to your chosen major for membership eligibility information.
Program structure
Introductory courses (7) 84 units
COR109 Communication and Thought
HLT140 Professional Experience: Orientation to the Profession
PUB104 Introduction to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education
PUB112 Urbanism and Urban Design
SCI110 Applied Geospatial Analysis
PLUS select 1 course (12 units) from:
LFS103 Changing Planet Earth
CMN120 Hydrology and Geomorphology **
** (only applicable to students undertaking Health Communication)
PLUS select 1 course (12 units) according to your chosen extended major or major/minor combination:
PUB102 Historical Geographies(must select if enrolled in the following extended majors: Applied Health Promotion; Applied Environmental Health; Epidemiology and Public Health; Health Communication and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health major with Environmental Health minor)
LFS122 Animals and Society(must select if enrolled in the Prosthetics and Orthotics extended major)
BUS104 Teaching Senior Secondary English(must select if enrolled in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health major with Human Resource Management minor or Management minor)
SCS110 Teaching Senior Secondary Geography(must select if enrolled in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health major with Community Development minor)
INT140 Regions, Change and Sustainability(must select if enrolled in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health major with Public Policy minor)
Developing and Graduate courses (13) 156 units
HLT205 Landscapes, Place and People
PLUS select 12 courses (144 units) from your chosen extended major:
- Applied Health Promotion
- Applied Environmental Health
- Epidemiology and Public Health
- Health Communication
- Prosthetics and Orthotics (additional courses required in place of elective courses - see below ∇)
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (major 8 courses (96 units), plus health related minor 4 courses (48 units))
Health related minor options include:
Elective courses (4) 48 units ∇
PLUS select 4 elective courses (48 units) from either faculty (Arts, Business and Law or Science, Health, Education and Engineering), with the exception of HLT326 Introduction to Weather and Climate, WPL310 Earth Observation: Remote Sensing and Surveying and WPL320 Applied Geospatial Analysis **
∇ Note for students enrolled in Prosthetics and Orthotics:
Due to pre requisite and external accreditation requirements, you will be required to undertake the following 4 courses (48 units) in place of electives:
LFS112 Coastal Geomorphology
HLT102 Indigenous Peoples and the Environment
SPX201 Individual Learner Needs
SPX231 Professional Experience: Managing Learning Environments
** HLT326 Teaching Junior Secondary English, WPL310 Teaching Junior Secondary Geography and WPL320 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives in Learning and Teaching are not elective options for students enrolled in the Bachelor of Health Science program due to limited industry placement opportunities.
Note: Program structures are subject to change. Not all USC courses are available on every USC campus.
Total units: 288
Recommended study sequences
- (Sippy Downs) Applied Health Promotion Extended Major - Semester 1 commencement (February)
- (Sippy Downs) Applied Environmental Health Extended Major - Semester 1 commencement (February)
- (Sippy Downs) Applied Health Promotion Extended Major - Semester 2 commencement (July)
- (Sippy Downs) Applied Environmental Health Extended Major - Semester 2 commencement (July)
- (Sippy Downs) Epidemiology and Public Health Extended Major - Semester 1 commencement (February)
- (Sippy Downs) Epidemiology and Public Health Extended Major - Semester 2 commencement (July)
- (Sippy Downs) Health Communication Extended Major - Semester 1 commencement (February)
- (Sippy Downs) Health Communication Extended Major - Semester 2 commencement (July)
- (Sippy Downs) Prosthetics and Orthotics Extended Major - Semester 1 commencement (February)
- (Sippy Downs) Prosthetics and Orthotics Extended Major - Semester 2 commencement (July)
- (Sippy Downs) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Major - Semester 1 commencement (February)
- (Sippy Downs) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Major - Semester 2 commencement (July)
Program requirements and notes
Program requirements
In order to graduate you must:
- Successfully complete 288 units as outlined in the Program Structure
- Complete no more than 10 introductory level (100 coded) courses
- Complete a minimum of 14 advanced (200 or 300 coded) courses (168 units)
- Apply for your selected major and/or minor
Program notes
- Completing this program within the specified (full-time) duration is based on studying 48 unit points per semester (normally 4 courses) and following the recommended study sequence
- The unit value of all courses is 12 units unless otherwise specified
- It is each students responsibility to enrol correctly according to your course requisites, program rules and requirements and be aware of the academic calendar dates
- For Sippy Downs students some courses in this program will be taught at the Sunshine Coast Health Institute
- Hold a valid Blue Card from the Public Safety Business Agency (PSBA), throughout the duration of your program. You should allow 12 weeks for PSBA to issue the card. Note: students who do not possess a valid Blue Card will be unable to complete the work place learning component of their program and will be unable to meet graduation requirements
- Have a National Criminal History check (by Queensland Police Service or other state / territory authority)
- Courses within this program are assessed using a variety of assessment methods including essays, seminar presentations, reports, in-class tests and examinations. Not all courses will necessarily include all methods
- As part of your USC program, you may apply to Study Overseas to undertake courses with an overseas higher education provider
- Only a full-time study option is available to international students on a Student Visa
- Refer to the Managing your progression page for help in understanding your program structure, reviewing your progress and planning remaining courses.
Extended Majors
Health Communication
If you’re creative and love to communicate, then a career in health communication could be for you. You’ll study the role and use of behavioural science and communication strategies to promote public health and improve the delivery of health care; the connections between health and the behaviour of people; health education and behaviour change theories, frameworks and strategies; health promotion; and the use of media to communicate health information.
You’ll also get practical experience through a work placement in your final year of study, helping you to be job-ready.
This extended major will prepare you for a career in health communication, behavioural science research, health education, health promotion, public health, health media and public relations in health.
Career opportunities
Health communication specialist, health writers, health education officer, health promotion officer, health marketer, health editor, health public relations officer/manager
Membership
Australian Health Promotion Association; Public Health Association of Australia; International Union for Health Promotion and Education.
Extended major lead
Applied Environmental Health
If you enjoy variety and can see yourself in a role that educates others and regulates their activities, then consider a career in environmental health.
You’ll study links between the physical environment and human health; public health and sustainable development principles; human and environment interactions; environment and public health planning; and assessing and managing risks from environmental hazards on the health of people.
You’ll also get practical experience through a work placement in your final year of study, helping you to be job-ready.
The program prepares you for a career in environmental health, environmental management or risk management.
Career opportunities
Environmental health officer or specialist in local or state government, academia or the corporate sector, environmental management or risk management, overseas health agencies, particularly in the area of food, water and sanitation for emergency and disaster management.
Membership
Environmental Health Australia; Public Health Association of Australia; Australian Health Promotion Association.
Amy Barlow
"I'm so excited! The Public Health Unit does a really wide range of things from food-borne illness, food labelling, anything to do with drugs and poisons, pharmacy and hospital inspections. One day you can be in the office, the next you're out in the middle of nowhere." Read more...
Extended major lead
Applied Health Promotion
If you’d like to work directly with communities to identify issues (such as nutrition or sexual health) and develop strategies that meet their needs, then look no further than a career in health promotion.
You’ll study the science of contemporary health promotion at individual, group and population levels; development of health promotion; design, implementation and evaluation of health policies and programs; health promotion settings, populations and issues; environmental health; epidemiology; and research.
You’ll also get practical experience through a work placement in your final year of study, helping you to be job-ready.
The program meets national and international health promotion competency standards and prepares you for a career in health promotion, health policy development or disease prevention.
Career opportunities
Roles in health promotion, health policy development, project development and management, disease prevention and early detection, community and international health in community-based health care, government, hospitals, private health care, and not-for-profit organisations.
Membership
Australian Health Promotion Association; Public Health Association of Australia; International Union for Health Promotion and Education.
Accreditation
The Bachelor of Health Science (Applied Health Promotion) has been accredited by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education.
Tahni Roberts
"I really wanted to help people, that was my main goal. When I stumbled upon Health Promotion, I really liked the idea of what it offered and I have never regretted the decision to do it. It's a great way to help the community and people." Read more...
Extended major lead
Epidemiology and Public Health
If you’re all about numbers and logic, read on. Epidemiology and public health professionals undertake the critical task of observing patterns of disease, which informs the work of other health professionals.
Your study will focus on describing disease patterns in human populations; identifying causes of disease; and providing data for the management, evaluation and planning of services for the prevention, control and treatment of disease.
You’ll also get practical experience through a work placement in your final year of study, helping you to be job-ready.
Career opportunities
Epidemiologist, research analyst, research assistant, public policy, or public health officer
Membership
International Epidemiological Association; Australasian Epidemiological Association; Public Health Association of Australia; Australian Health Promotion Association
Extended major lead
Prosthetics and Orthotics
If you are creatively or technically-minded and enjoy working with people, consider a career in prosthetics and orthotics. Prosthetists or orthotists work through the whole diverse process in their jobs, from client assessment and care to the design of devices, and to their manufacturing.
Your studies will equip you to assess clients, provide treatment plans and manufacture devices to help address the functional limitations of people resulting from illness, disease or disability.
This extended major will provide you with specialist training in an increasingly high-tech area of health. Take advantage of USC’s expertise in biomechanics, robotics and 3D printing technology, which are becoming increasingly relevant in prosthetics and orthotics.
This is the first and only program in Queensland that allows you to specialise in prosthetics and orthotics.
Career opportunities
Clinical Prosthetist and/or Orthotist. The profession is prominent within public and private hospital settings, community based organisations, aged care facilities, the private health sector and academic arena. Services that may include allied health, rehabilitation and assistive technology services, are delivered across the entire age spectrum; resulting in services within the primary, secondary and tertiary care sectors.
Membership
Accreditation is being sought from the Australian Orthotic Prosthetic Association (AOPA) Inc.
Extended major lead
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
If you want to make a real difference in the lives of Indigenous people at an individual and population level, then this extended major will prepare you.
You can gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and the unique challenges faced in the area.
You’ll study the knowledge and ways of knowing for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples in relation to contemporary and traditional health; design, implementation and evaluation of health policies and health promotion programs; health service management; research; and cultural safety and competency.
You’ll also get practical experience through a work placement in your final year of study, helping you to be job-ready.
You can further tailor your studies to your aspirations through the health-related minor you select. Choose from: Community Care; Community Development; Management; Human Resource Management; Public Policy; and Sociology.
If you already have relevant Certificate IV or Diploma level qualifications, you can apply for credit for your previous study.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health major prepares you for a career in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health policy development, community health management, health promotion and disease prevention.
Career opportunities
Community and Government sector in community health management, health policy development, project development and management, health promotion and disease prevention, Aboriginal and hospital liaison, research.
Membership
Indigenous Allied Health Australia – Associate Membership; National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker Association – Associate Member or Full Member for those who hold a minimum of Certificate III in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care; Rural Health Workforce Australia – National Rural Health Student’s Network; Australian Health Promotion Association; Public Health Association of Australia’ International Union for Health Promotion and Education; Australian Environmental Health Association.