Health Policy coursework programs
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The School offers the following Health Policy coursework programs:
Here you will find information about the content and structure of the coursework programs offered in the field of public health.
The University of Sydney’s Graduate Programs in Health Policy offer a critical perspective on how our health care system operates. It emphasizes the importance of power and value choices, focusing on the interaction of governments with the private and community sectors in shaping policy.
By the end of the course you will understand the forces shaping the health policy environment, work with professional confidence across the health sector and become familiar with national and international health policy networks. You will learn how to develop and implement health policy through the analysis and application of knowledge to current policy issues.
The core of the degrees includes units of study covering health policy history and practice, the organisation of health care systems, and applied skills in policy analysis. These courses have a strong orientation towards contemporary policy learning, with an emphasis on linking policy and practice. Case studies draw on Australian experiences, but with a comparative and global focus on international trends.
The teaching program makes extensive use of case studies and problem based learning, drawing on major contemporary debates. You will develop an understanding of:
- the political and economic context of policy development;
- what is involved in linking knowledge and evidence with policy and planning;
- and current and emerging health policy topics.
There are opportunities for hands on experience in policy development through placements at the Australian Health Policy Institute or other public and private organisations.
The Graduate Diploma and Master programs include a core unit on Global Health Policy. These programs also provide an opportunity for you to broaden your studies by choosing an elective unit in health finance, research methods, public policy and another specialty area appropriate to your career interests.
Masters students will study the additional units of Evidence into Policy and Practice, and a Health Policy Project. The project provides an opportunity to draw together the various skills and approaches to policy studied during the degree into an individual policy project.
Students enrolled in the GradCertHlthPol and GradDipHlthPol will be eligible to upgrade their candidature to a Diploma or Masters degree, subject to satisfactory progress in core units.
The health policy curriculum has been designed especially to suit:
- Those people who are currently working in policy and wish to extend their knowledge and skills in the health sector;
- Health care practitioners who wish to develop policy skills for current or future work;
- Recent graduates with science, medical science or social science degrees who wish to pursue a career in health policy;
- Managers working in health related sectors - public and private; and
- Those with existing technical backgrounds, including clinical managers, seeking higher levels of knowledge of the health policy process.
"I work at a global research-based pharmaceutical company. One of my responsibilities is to oversee our health policy team. Medicines play a critical role in improving public health and our policy activites are focused on ensuring that Australians who need our medicines can access them. I enrolled in the course to understand our health system better, to help to improve it, and to learn how to make an impact. I have picked up 'jewels of insight' during our lectures and discussions. These have been the highlight of the course."
Dr Swan, health policy student
Should I enrol in the Graduate Diploma or the Graduate Certificate?
If you are an international student: you can enrol in the GradDipHlthPol. The Graduate Certificate is classified as a part-time degree, so is not open to international students.
If you are a domestic student: the GradCertHlthPol was designed as a focused introduction to the main topics and skills of health policy analysis. It has proved most attractive to students with experience of policymaking (not necessarily directly in health), to clinicians who have acquired policy responsibilities and to students working in front line positions in the health system or in private industry who wish to raise their abilities to interpret and design health policy. The GradCertHlthPol will remain as a self-contained program within the health policy program.
When can I enrol in the Master of Health Policy degree?
This new Master of Health Policy degree will be taught in 2009. It will have the same core units as the Graduate Diploma with the addition of a new core policy development unit and 12 credit points of elective units. Students already enrolled in the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma can apply to change their enrolment to Masters level, subject to successful progress in core units.