Graduate Certificate in Digital Transformation of Health (GC-DTHLTH)

Graduate CertificateYear: 2025 Delivered: Mixed Attendance Mode

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Overview

Award titleGraduate Certificate in Digital Transformation of Health
Year & campus2025
Fees informationSubject EFTSL, level, discipline and census date
Study level & typeGraduate Coursework
AQF level 8
Credit points50 credit points
Duration6 months full-time or 12 months part-time

The Graduate Certificate in Digital Transformation of Health outlines contemporary approaches for aspiring leaders in the health sector to harness the power of healthcare data and build effective and sustainable digitally enabled models of care. This degree connects students with University of Melbourne’s global strengths in health and biomedical science, and in computer and information science.

Students complete two core subjects developed and taught by an interdisciplinary team of experts from the Centre for Digital Transformation of Health, with learning outcomes informed by the Australian Digital Health Agency’s National Digital Health Capability Action Plan and global trends in digital health education. The core subjects provide critical grounding in contemporary health informatics knowledge and practice; design, development, and evaluation of digital health initiatives; real-time interrogation of data; and implementation of knowledge gained in rapid quality improvement cycles. These subjects provide insights to drive improvements in patient outcomes and health system performance.

Varied elective subjects allow students to strengthen and complement existing skills and pursue interests aligned to preferred career pathways. Elective subject options include programming, leadership, innovation, evaluation, sustainability, and ethico-legal considerations in digital health.

This program is suitable for people with an interest in healthcare data and its use in improving systems and outcomes, including but not limited to:
• Clinical Health Professionals
• Public Health Professionals
• Epidemiologists
• Clinical and Health Service Researchers
• Data Analysts and Data Scientists
• Bioinformaticians
• Information Technologists
• Medical Technology Developers and Entrepreneurs
• Consumer Health Advocates
• Managers, Administrators and Policy Makers in the Health Sector.

Opportunities include:
• Hands-on work with patient datasets, tools for analytics and design, and introductions to machine learning and artificial intelligence in healthcare
• Networking with an interprofessional group of peers from the health workforce, biomedical research, information systems and information technology, and other fields
• Engaging with senior specialists in healthcare IT from public and private sector organisations
• Connecting with mentors among the nationally and globally recognised informatics experts who teach in our program.

This qualification may be used to support an application for education recognition in connection with memberships of health professional societies, such as the Australasian Institute of Digital Health. This qualification also caters to professionals interested in pursuing a clinical informatics fellowship.

The Graduate Certificate in Digital Transformation of Health can be a pathway to a University of Melbourne Master of Public Health (244CW), Master of Clinical Research (N01AA), or Master of Information Systems (MC-IS).

The Graduate Certificate in Digital Transformation of Health is offered for full-time or part-time study. It may be completed part-time over 1 or 2 years, starting in semester 1 or 2 each year, or it can be taken full-time over 6 months. Note: If you intend to complete within 6months, not all electives are available to you. If you plan to proceed to a Masters degree, electives must be chosen accordingly.

Entry requirements

In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:

  • An undergraduate degree in any discipline

Meeting this requirement does not guarantee selection.

Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for postgraduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required.

In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

  • Prior academic performance

The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

Notes:

This Certificate is used as a pathway to the MPH only and as an exit point from an incomplete MPH. Students will not be able to take this Certificate concurrently with the Master of Public Health.

Students who have completed relevant masters level public health subjects may be eligible for up to 25 points advanced standing.

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to providing support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website. http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of the course, graduates should be able to:

  • Describe how contemporary digital health technologies can be integrated into healthcare practice in terms of their effect on safety and quality, access and equity, continuity of care, effectiveness, and consumer empowerment
  • Critically evaluate the generation, governance and use of digital data, information and knowledge, including legal and ethical considerations, in the context of electronic health records, clinical decision support systems, virtual care, mobile health, machine learning and artificial intelligence applications in health
  • Apply the concept of a Learning Health System and processes of problem assessment, data analysis, design thinking, implementation science and evaluation frameworks to digital health initiatives in specific contexts
  • Apply principles of governance, leadership, change management and strategic planning to integrate digital health initiatives and innovation within organisations, across communities and healthcare systems.

Generic skills

  • Have the ability to demonstrate advanced independent critical enquiry, analysis and reflection
  • Reach a high level of achievement in writing, research or project activities, problem-solving and communication
  • Be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning
  • Be able to examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a broad range of disciplines
  • Have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment
  • Be able to initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions and workplaces.

Graduate attributes

The Graduate Certificate in Digital Transformation of Health has the objective of preparing graduates who embody the following attributes:

Active citizenship:

  • An understanding of organisational data governance, the ability to be an active participant in professional organisations, and an appreciation of the benefits of this participation
  • An understanding of the principles of quality, continuity, access, and safety in health care systems
  • An understanding of the principles of efficient and equitable allocation and use of finite resources in health care systems, locally and globally
  • An understanding of the principles of continuity and coordination of virtual health care

Integrity and self-awareness:

  • The ability to give and receive effective feedback in order to help other learners and colleagues to improve their performance
  • The ability to identify and share authoritative information and knowledge with groups of learners and colleagues
  • The ability to recognise ethical and legal issues that arise and to respond in line with current standards and guidelines in the field

Academic distinction: 

  • The ability to locate and apply currentscientific and industry knowledge, information and data from a variety of credible sources
  • The ability to propose and critique alternative approaches to development, implementation and evaluation challenges in the field.

Course structure

The Graduate Certificate in Digital Transformation of Health requires the successful completion of 50 credit points.

50-point program: Two compulsory subjects (25 points: 2 x 12.5 point subjects) AND Two elective subjects (25 points: 2 x 12.5 point subjects)

Students must complete the following two compulsory subjects

Code Name Study period Credit Points
ISYS90069 Digital Transformation of Health
Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)
July (Online)
 12.5
INFO90011 Digital Learning Health Systems
Semester 1 (Online)
 12.5

Students must choose two electives from the following list:

Code Name Study period Credit Points
INFO90001 Digital Health and Informatics Methods No longer available
POPH90013 Biostatistics
Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
 12.5
POPH90263 Technology and Ageing
Term 4 (Online)
 12.5
POPH90294 Digital Health for Consumers No longer available
PADM90014 Leading Healthcare Change for Impact
August (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
POPH90299 Healthcare Environment Evaluation
October (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
COMP90059 Introduction to Programming
Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)
Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
LAWS70421 Law and Emerging Health Technologies Not available in 2025 12.5
REHB90009 Innovation and Emerging Technologies
Term 3 (Online)
 12.5
POPH90304 Sustainability and Healthcare
May (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
 12.5
COMP90090 Text Analytics for Health
Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
COMP90089 Machine Learning Applications for Health
Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
COMP90094 Transforming Healthcare with Data and AI
Semester 2 (Online)
 12.5

Last updated: 28 February 2025