Undergraduate

Student at UNSW Art & Design in Paddington

Undergraduate coursework: Bachelor of International Public Health (BIPH 3880)

The UNSW Bachelor of International Public Health (BIPH) (3880) is an innovative three-year degree, which explores diverse areas including health promotion, epidemiology, communicable diseases, policy and research methods, Aboriginal health, health surveillance, and global chronic diseases.  

The degree is available in dual mode delivery. There is the option to study fully online or to come to the UNSW Sydney campus to complete some of the courses. You can undertake the degree on a full or part-time basis, at a pace that suits your needs and can commence your studies at multiple entry points across the year. The degree is offered to domestic students and to people studying in Australia on student visas (CRICOS Course Code 113666G).

In your first year, you will study courses that will develop your understanding of core public health topics including global health, health promotion, Indigenous health, and human biology. During your second year, you will continue to build your understanding and develop your skills with a focus on epidemiology, policy development and advocacy, surveillance, and data analysis, as well as leadership in public health. In your final year, you will virtually complete two core courses delivered by our partner, Arizona State University (ASU). You will also 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.

You can read more about how to enrol, key dates, credit transfer and more with the information and links provided on this page.

  • Credit transfer (otherwise known as ‘recognised prior learning’ or RPL) acknowledges previous learning at another tertiary institution or in another UNSW degree, completed successfully within the previous 10 years. Credit transfer may be granted as advanced standing. Advanced standing expedites your progression through your program by reducing the units of credit (UOC) you need to complete. Advanced standing will be recorded on your UNSW transcript as either:

    • specified credit mapped to a specific BIPH compulsory (core) course; or 

    • unspecified credit towards the BIPH elective requirements.

    Please refer to the UNSW Credit Transfer website for further information. 

    Students requesting RPL for undergraduate Bachelor programs, must ‘complete a program of study no less than that required of students in full-time attendance in the final year of the program concerned.’ Based on this, students can potentially apply for up to 96 UOC RPL towards the BIPH.

  • For advanced standing towards a core course in the BIPH, the course must have comparable learning outcomes to the course for which direct credit will be given and have equivalent Units of Credit. Advanced standing for electives will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Program and may be given as unspecified credit. Previously completed courses not relevant to public health may be granted advanced standing for General Education (GE) courses. GE is intended to broaden knowledge and skills outside the discipline of the main program. The Program Authority will assess whether GE requirements are met when reviewing the RPL application.

  • To receive advanced standing for previously completed courses, the course must be at least a Level 7 on the Australian Qualifications Framework. Level 1-6 courses and programs are ineligible to receive advanced standing in the BIPH program. These include Certificates, Diplomas, Advanced Diplomas and Associate Degrees. Level 7 or higher courses successfully completed at TAFE or other institutions may be eligible to receive advanced standing.

    Students who have completed pathway programs (including Diplomas) may include these programs as part of their application for entry into a UNSW program, including the BIPH. However, courses completed in pathway programs cannot be used in applications for credit transfer for individual subjects in the BIPH. Examples of entry pathway programs include (but not limited to): UNSW Prep programs; Insearch UTS; SIBT and UoN Open Foundation, University of Newcastle. 

    Life experience, mature age entry, and/or work experience are not grounds for credit transfer.

    All applications for credit transfer will be assessed by the Program Authority. 

    • Applications for Credit need to be submitted online. See UNSW Web Forms.

    • Attach a detailed Course Outline which includes the course description, course aims, contact hours, units of credit and assessment details. 

    • Include an Academic Transcript which confirms the final result for the course and the grade definitions information.

    Any credit granted must be consistent with requirements for progression in the relevant program at UNSW and must be approved by the Program Authority. 

    • If you are undertaking a subject from Arizona State University, it is important that you refer to the relevant course dates.
     
  • Note: This degree example is indicative only and subject to change at any time without prior notice. For the latest degree information visit the relevant UNSW Handbook page.

      Term 1
    Year 1 Global Health Introduction to Public Health  
    Year 2 Communicable Diseases Epidemiology  
    Year 3 Global Health Systems Ethics in Public Health Elective 2

     

      Term 2
    Year 1 Human Systems 1 Health Promotion General Education
    Year 2 Biostatistics Public Health Policy & Programs Evaluating Chronic Disease Programs
    Year 3 Applied Public Health Practice Elective 3 Elective 4

     

      Term 3
    Year 1 Human Systems 2 General Education Introduction to Indigenous Health
    Year 2 Elective 1 Prevention & Public Health Surveillance Health Leadership
    Year 3 Public Health Capstone Environmental Health  

FAQs

  • A normal full-time load is three courses per term (18 units of credit).  Internal students who are also working full-time are advised to take no more than two courses. Domestic students wishing to be considered full-time need to enrol in a minimum of 12 Units of Credit (UoC) each term, or 36 UoC across three standard terms with at least one course enrolment in each term. If you are an International student studying on a student visa you must satisfy certain conditions such as completing studies within the time frames set out in your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). For further information see UNSW Academic Calendar. 

  • All students studying courses as part of the PLuS Alliance should refer to the PLuS Alliance Orientation website once your enrolment is finalised.

  • UNSW has provided a wealth of useful resources to help support students’ online learning. Please refer to the below websites for further information and support:

    • UNSW e-learning - provides an overview of the suite of technologies and applications that support student learning including Moodle, Turnitin, and myLibrary.
    • UNSW Online Study – provides for useful tips to online study.
    • Academic skills – provides an overview on academic skills.
    • UNSW Essentials – provides an online orientation to UNSW.
    • ELISE – is an online tutorial developed by UNSW Library to help students make the most of the Library’s online resources for their studies and research.

    An orientation module to the BIPH program will cover these aspects in greater detail to help students succeed in navigating the online learning management systems and feel supported in the PLuS Alliance online student community.

  • School of Population Health
    UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052
    T: +61 (2) 9385 1699
    E: biph@unsw.edu.au 

Enrolment

Find information on accepting your BIPH offer, enrolment steps for new and continuing students, course selection, orientation, Moodle and support. You can also learn where to get help if you need it.

Progression

Determining the order to progress through courses can take considerable planning. We’ve simplified the process with our suggested program pathways for full-time students, broken down by starting term.

Undergraduate courses

You'll find a full list of the courses you can study while studying the BIPH. You can explore a detailed overview of each course and what you’ll study.

PLuS Alliance

Formed in partnership with Arizona State University and King’s College London, the PLuS Alliance tackles complex problems regarding the health aspects of emergency response and disaster recovery in a wide range of situations.