Master of Public Health (Advanced)

Resilience, a quality that allows individuals to recover from times of difficulty and crisis and can be developed through understanding and practice. The subject covers the principles of social, emotional, physical and psychological wellbeing as they relate to health behaviours. Students will analyse the role of capacity building and the promotion of wellbeing through strategies to enhance personal and professional self-care. The impact of vicarious trauma and the effects of burnout for professionals will be explored.

Students will be required to critically self-reflect applying theories and practice skills to personal lived experience and history and use this knowledge to develop a cohesive self-care plan suitable to future industry practice.

Communication skills are fundamental to therapeutic relationships. This subject explores the nature of interpersonal communication including different communication channels and barriers to effective communication. The role of self-perception and culture in interpersonal communication, listening and reflection play in effective communication will be critically appraised.

Students will examine how different types of relationships both personal and professional can be enhanced through more effective communication. This subject concludes with a discussion of power in interpersonal relationships, and how and when confidentially and the therapeutic responsibility to exercise ‘duty of care’ might conflict

Students will demonstrate micro-skills, attending and communication process skills, verbal and non-verbal communication, nuanced listening and reflecting skills, and the use and abuse of questions.

The subject introduces the field of developmental psychology and explores why people behave in certain ways, what drives or motivates human behaviour, and links between developmental experience and trauma. Students will examine the key life stages of birth, early and later childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, mid‐life, aging and death in their social and cultural contexts.

The subject provides an opportunity for students to explore how theories of attachment, cognitive and social development explain human development across the lifespan with particular reference to the effects of trauma. The influences of biology, gender, culture, ethnicity and socio‐political contexts in these development periods will also be investigated.

In this subject, students will develop the knowledge and understanding of how to work effectively with people with a mental illness. Students will gain an understanding of common types of mental illness and the social and psychological determinants of mental health. Reduction of lethal risk and domestic abuse are key components of this subject. Common personality disorders will be outlined and explored.

In this course, students develop core knowledge and skills for designing qualitative research in public health, including collecting, analysing, interpreting and presenting qualitative data. Topics include exploration of the nature of qualitative inquiry; broad theoretical approaches in qualitative research, research methods (ethnography, observation, case studies, focus groups, interviews, participatory action research); research design issues (sampling, ethical considerations, quality and rigour); and ethical issues in public health qualitative research. Students will also learn about the use of software to code data.

The capstone experience is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their mastery of theory, concepts and practices presented throughout the Master of Public Health program. In this course, students prepare for the development of an applied research project in one of three key areas:

• Small qualitative or quantitative applied research project
• Literature review, consultation and policy recommendations project
• Action research project based on development of current practice

This preparation will depend on the type of project undertaken, and may entail development of knowledge of a particular research method (e.g. action research), theory/frameworks and/or the commencement of a literature review. Students will engage in peer discussions throughout the course in order to develop their projects.

Prerequisites: All core MPH subjects including STAT6000 Statistics for Public Health, if students intend to do a quantitative research project. In addition, the elective PUBH6013 Qualitative Research Methods for Public Health, if students intend to do a qualitative research project.

The capstone experience is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their mastery of principles, content and content presented throughout the Master of Public Health program.

In this course, students conduct an applied research project in one of three key areas:

• Small qualitative or quantitative applied research project

• Literature review, consultation and policy recommendations project

• Action research project based on development of current practice

Students will engage in peer discussions throughout the course in order to develop their projects. This course will result in a substantive research report informed by current literature.

Prerequisites: All core MPH courses. PUBH Capstone A must be taken prior to PUBH6012 Capstone B.

This subject provides students with an overview of positive aging with a focus on aging well and in optimal emotional and physical health. In this subject transition to older age is understood as a developmental stage impacted by social and emotional determinants.

Students will demonstrate a critical understanding of emotional issue relating to aging and of counselling approaches applicable to positive aging. Techniques for working with older people including digital technologies, phone and telehealth, robot companionship and simulated presence therapy will be critically explored.

This subject prepares the student for working with clients through the processes of loss, grief, and change. The effects of grief in terms of human suffering and the associated costs for providing support are critical issues that need to be addressed in counsellor training. This subject provides a holistic approach to grief and loss counselling.

Students learn the various experiences and stages associated with the process of grieving. Students learn the required skills to work compassionately with people who suffer psychological fall-outs and face existential questions following multiple losses such as those associated with relationship loss, declining physical and mental health, loss of role function and identity, migration and cultural status and death and dying including bereavement counselling and end of life plans. Students learn the distinction between grief and complicated grief whilst recognizing and respecting the uniqueness of each client's experience.

Connection to land, culture, spirituality, family and community are important elements of social and emotional wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples.

In this subject students will critically analyse the social determinants of mental health and problems such as grief and loss, trauma, self-harm and suicidal ideation. Ethics and best practice in mental health provision will also be addressed. The link between identity, country, and mental health will be critically appraised. Students will engage in self-reflexive analysis of the impact of personal colonial history, bias, and beliefs impact self and practice with clients.

Beginning with the lived experience of mental health consumers this subject introduces empowerment as a multidimensional social process through which individuals and groups gain better understanding and control over their lives thus enabling them to change their social and political environment to improve their health-related life circumstances. Students will develop an understanding of their role as change agents and advocates for mental health consumers. This subject offers the opportunity to explore and understand advocacy organisations.

Beginning with the lived experience of mental health consumers this subject introduces empowerment as a multidimensional social process through which individuals and groups gain better understanding and control over their lives thus enabling them to change their social and political environment to improve their health-related life circumstances. Students will develop an understanding of their role as change agents and advocates for mental health consumers. This subject offers the opportunity to explore and understand advocacy organisations.

Understanding organisational behaviour, politics, dynamics and environments and how they impact on the role and legitimacy of the management function is the core of this unit. This unit helps individuals understand the constraints they face as managers and emerging leaders and how they can develop strategies to leverage advantages and overcome constraints and barriers in their organisations. The unit also focuses on developing some of the advanced communication skills necessary in management and leadership roles, and the ability of the individual to influence others. The course introduces students to the concept of naturally occurring data and qualitative analysis.

We recommend you complete this subject towards the beginning of your MBA. The unit challenges you to think differently about your organisational experiences, to look at them through a variety of lenses, and to explore different ways by which you can influence people within the organisation and have an impact through your function as a manager. A key skill underpinning this is the ability to receive and respond to feedback, to look at data in a number of different ways to find alternative meanings and create different patterns of behaviour. The book ‘Images of Organisation’ explores the notion of the organisation through a range of metaphors; by exploring these metaphors you can gain different insights into your organisation and start to play with different interpretations and understandings of how we experience the world.

Leadership in modern organisations is a way of thinking and behaving.  It is not necessarily a position in a hierarchy.  Leadership is a process of energising, influencing and motivating others: up, down, sideways and diagonally.  Becoming an effective leader requires self-awareness, self-management and a strong set of interpersonal communication skills, a set of capabilities that are often described as Emotional Intelligence (EQ).  In addition, effective leaders think and act strategically, they build a climate for creativity and innovation, and are culturally sensitive and comfortable with ambiguity. 

This subject focuses on developing your leadership capability and not leadership as a theoretical concept that applies to other people.  It helps you explore your own leadership development and self-image, using the techniques of reflective research and supported by a mentoring partner.  It guides you through the preparation of plan for your continued leadership and professional development that is consistent with your personal values, anchored by the academic literature and enables you to be authentic, confident and resilient in leading productive work places for the future.

Dynamic Leadership provides learning at the cognitive or intellectual level and at the affective or emotional level.  It develops explicit knowledge of leadership (know-what) and the often-neglected tacit knowledge (know-how).

This course provides students with a grounding in the principles of project management, its methods and contemporary standards associated with managing diverse projects. Students in this course are introduced to the knowledge, tools, and techniques needed to manage projects (including IT projects) successfully throughout a project life cycle, and to the language used by practitioners in conjunction with the terminology recognised by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Students explore the project management knowledge areas and process groups of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) guide. Students also examine the ways these two dimensions of project management interact in initiating (scoping), planning, executing (launching), monitoring and controlling, and closing a project. The subject provides students with opportunities to also examine the challenges of project management and the professional traits that project managers are associated with.

To be effective, project managers must understand relationships between operational factors and projects. In this subject, students learn about scope, time and cost planning, developing an appropriate work breakdown structure (WBS). Students will also learn about the importance of managing project change, quality and risk, as well as the role of effective stakeholder communications in achieving successful project outcomes. They engage in practical exercises designed to help them develop project management skills. Students also examine planning considerations associated with global projects.

In this subject, students will examine how to monitor and control project execution (including IT projects), by implementing a project plan and managing progress by applying performance reporting, analysis, and measurement techniques to ensure that activities are executed as planned. This will include responding to risk events and issues; managing scope changes; communicating with team members and stakeholders; acceptance of deliverables, and administrative and financial closure.

Progressing from traditional project management frameworks this subject focuses on Agile project management, Agile project management methodology, the principles of Agile, and Agile techniques. This subject will be based on a foundation of the 4 core values and 12 guiding principles of Agile as laid out by the agile manifesto. Students will develop an understanding of Agile concepts, tools and techniques: Scrum and Kanban, Roadmap planning, Program increments, Sprints and daily scrums and the Agile roles within teams. Some of the leading Agile frameworks will be discussed so that students have an understanding of some of the different philosophies, which support the Agile continuous delivery pipeline. Points of origin in Lean practice and the relationship between Agile and DevOps will also be covered to help students orient themselves in the broader emerging landscape of projects and software development landscape.

The subject on Specialization in sports for development and entrepreneurship is one of the core parts of the MBA in Sports Management and it seeks to bring a new vision on the ways that we can undertake our projects, with a clear entrepreneurial focus and always following our criteria on social responsibility and sustainability.