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Prioritising & Planning in Public Health (POPH90313)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Online

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Overview

Availability
Online Term 5
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Please note: this subject is delivered wholly online and only open to students enrolled in the wholly online Master of Public Health or Graduate Certificate in Public Health. Subjects in this course are delivered in an online accelerated learning model and therefore, students typically enrol in one 12.5 credit point subject per online teaching term.

In this subject students will be introduced to the concepts, frameworks and methods used in prioritising and planning in public health. This subject will introduce students to the conceptual approaches and key methods used to conduct a health needs assessment and prioritise the identified needs for subsequent strategic planning. The subject will also explore the strategies and interventions that are commonly used to address health needs in populations and the criteria that can be used to select an appropriate intervention. Finally, the subject will consider essential concepts in the design and evaluation of health programs.
 
Within this subject, students will have the opportunity to apply the skills learnt to public health scenarios drawn from Australian and international case-studies. The material in this subject is highly relevant in day to day public health practice.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  • Design situation analyses and health needs assessments;
  • Prioritise the health needs of international, national, subnational and local communities;
  • Explain the broad strategies used for addressing health needs, and the types of interventions associated with each strategy;
  • Prioritise and select strategies and interventions to address health needs
  • Describe the significance of evaluation in a program plan and identify the major approaches to evaluation in public health;
  • Comprehend the value and importance of, and identify strategies to facilitate respectful engagement with people of different cultures in the identification and prioritisation of community needs and the selection of culturally appropriate interventions;
  • Recognise effective strategies for the advocacy of public health evidence.

Generic skills

Upon completion of this subject, students will have developed skills in:

  • working with others and in teams;
  • problem-solving;
  • finding, evaluating and using relevant information;
  • initiative, autonomy and organization;
  • oral communication.

Last updated: 8 February 2026