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This joint degree offers leadership and management training, combined with a range of public health skills. It is designed for health professionals with a suitable undergraduate degree or recognised professional qualification in a relevant discipline. With a MPH-MBA from JCU you are prepared for the future to help address the global challenges faced in improving health and wellbeing.

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#1 in Australia

for full-time employment 2024 Good Universities Guide, PG Business

#1 in Queensland

for median graduate salary 2024 Good Universities Guide, PG Health Services

#1 in Queensland

for student support 2024 Good Universities Guide, PG Business

Online: February, July
Townsville: February, July

$28,300.00^{^}

^{^}estimated annual tuition fee for a full-time study load

Plus Student Services and Amenities fee
Fee deferral and scholarships available if eligible

Fees currently displayed are indicative only. 2024 fees will be uploaded by October, 2023.

2 years full-time

or part-time equivalent

AQF level 7 bachelor degree in a Health Sciences discipline; or equivalent

109804

What to expect

Take the next step in your career with the Master of Public Health — Master of Business Administration. Become equipped to address pressing public health issues relevant to tropical Australia, Asia-Pacific and the world. Gain an in-depth understanding of the urgent problems facing vulnerable communities and businesses and learn how to develop strategies for addressing both current and future challenges at individual, community and policy levels.

View the Handbook for a detailed overview of available subjects.

Public Health

The public health component of the MPH-MBA has a strong focus on the prevention of disease and improving health and wellbeing in tropical contexts. This component of the degree includes five core subjects: Tropical Public Health; Public Health Management, Leadership, Planning and Policy; Epidemiology for Public Health; Biostatistics for Public Health; and Communicable Disease Control.

You can tailor your public health degree to suit your interests by choosing elective subjects that cover a broad range of topics such as infection prevention and control, health promotion, global health, human parasitology and medical entomology, social science in public health, travel medicine, environmental health, and public health in the workplace.

You can also choose to undertake a research project, conducting an in-depth investigation of an issue relevant to the public health sector by completing a high-quality dissertation.

Business Administration

JCU’s Master of Business Administration degree has a strong focus on applying and integrating sustainable economic, social and environmental business performance methods to new or existing business models. You will learn how to evaluate the context of a business or organisation and identify the appropriate performance method/s that will enhance its results or solve a key issue within the business’s framework. You will study a broad body of theoretical and technical knowledge and gain skills in critically analysing complex contemporary business issues and making effective decisions or recommendations.

As part of the Master of Public Health - Master of Business Administration degree there are six core subjects covering a broad range of topics that will equip you to work effectively in any field of business. For your final two subjects you will exploring marketing and wider economy where you can choose between two subjects.

Advance your business career and develop the skills to lead innovative and sustainable change. JCU Master of Public Health — Master of Business Administration graduates are highly valued by employers for their expert knowledge, skills, and experience, particularly in relevance to the Tropics.
Additional information

MBA in Public Health and Business Administration

The past few years have shown us just how important public health is and how valuable the work done by public health professionals is. If you’re looking for a career that is rewarding, valuable and challenging, public health might be just the field for you. Studying for a master’s degree in public health will provide you with a solid basis for future public health roles. Combining that with a degree in business administration will give you even more breadth and provide you with a range of skills and knowledge that give you an edge over other candidates for public health roles. The Master of Public Health and Master of Business Administration at JCU is the ideal degree for those wanting to enter public health, providing graduates with a unique skill set and all the tools necessary for success. If you’re passionate about public health and want to give yourself the best chance of success, study for the MBA in Public Health and Business Administration at JCU.

What You Will Learn

The Master of Public Health and Business Administration is a wide-ranging degree that provides you with key skills in both public health and business.

For the public health part of your degree, you will focus on improving health and wellbeing and the prevention of disease, particularly in tropical contexts. This will be taught through five core subjects: tropical public health, public health management, leadership, planning and policy, epidemiology for public health, biostatistics for public health, and communicable disease control. You can choose subjects in order to tailor your degree to your interests, with optional courses in infection prevention and control, social science in public health, travel medicine, environmental health, public health in the workplace and more.

As for the business administration part of the degree, this is where you will be introduced to the evaluation of the context of a business or organisation and how to apply and integrate sustainable economic, social and environmental performance methods. You will learn how to solve issues in a business’s framework and how to make effective decisions or recommendations. The core subjects will equip you with knowledge that enables you to work in almost any field.

After Graduation in MBA in Public Health in Queensland

Students of the Master of Public Health and Business Administration graduate as highly employable with a range of attractive skills. They are fully equipped to address public health issues and have a thorough understanding of urgent health problems facing vulnerable communities and businesses. They know how to develop strategies for challenges and make confident recommendations. They’re also aware of the economic factors behind many government decisions in the health sector. That’s why the degree is ranked #1 in Queensland for full-time employment and median salary.

Your career prospects could lie in private and public health care in management, marketing, research or economics. Previous graduates have gone on to have successful careers as policy officers, healthcare administrators, epidemiologists, community health workers, research associates and more. As a Master of Public Health and Business Administration, your future is bright, and the opportunities are endless.

Does this align with your career goals? If you want to study an MBA in Public Health in Queensland, apply for this degree with JCU through the online application portal.
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Inherent requirements

Inherent requirements are the identified abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours that must be demonstrated, during the learning experience, to successfully complete a course. These abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours preserve the academic integrity of the University’s learning, assessment, and accreditation processes, and where applicable, meet the standards of a profession. For more information please review the inherent requirements for the Master Public Health and the Master of Business Administration.

Career Opportunities

JCU Public Health and Business Administration graduates are uniquely equipped to be leaders in health care.

Graduates go on to work in public and private healthcare positions, including management, marketing, research, and economics.

You could find employment as a healthcare professional in tropical, rural and remote areas within Australia and internationally. You could also work as a policy officer, healthcare administrator, epidemiologist, community health worker, management consultant, CEO, research associate or project coordinator.

Handbook

Handbook year	Information valid for students commencing in 2024.
Course code	109804
Course type	Masters Degree (Coursework) (AQF Level 9)
Owner	Academy
College	Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences Business, Law and Governance

Award Requirements

Admission Requirements

Course pre-requisites

Completion of an AQF level 7 bachelor degree in a health sciences discipline from this or another university; or

Other qualifications or practical experience recognised by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Division of Tropical Health and Medicine and/or the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Division of Tropical Environments and Societies as equivalent to the above.

Minimum English language proficiency requirements

Applicants of non-English speaking backgrounds must meet the English language proficiency requirements of Band 2 – Schedule II of the JCU Admissions Policy.

Additional selection requirements

Information published by JCU or otherwise made available to students when applying, may specify additional criteria to be considered in ranking applicants in order of merit if the number of applications exceeds a quota or other limit on the places made available for the course. Information provided by applicants during the application process and any other information obtained by JCU in the application process may be used by JCU to rank applicants in order of merit by reference to those additional criteria.

Academic Requirements for Course Completion

Credit points

48 credit points

Course learning outcomes

JCU graduates are committed to lifelong learning, intellectual development, and to the display of exemplary personal, professional and ethical standards. They have a sense of their place in the tropics and are charged with professional, community, and environmental responsibility. JCU graduates appreciate the need to embrace and be acquainted with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of Australia. They are committed to reconciliation, diversity and sustainability. They exhibit a willingness to lead and to contribute to the intellectual, environmental, cultural, economic and social challenges of regional, national, and international communities of the tropics.

Upon successful completion of the MPH component of the MPH-MBA, graduates will be able to:

Devise appropriate strategies to detect, prevent and control communicable and non-communicable diseases ensuring safe and healthy environments for tropical, rural, remote and Indigenous communities
Critically assess, analyse and communicate public health information relevant to tropical, rural, remote and Indigenous communities
Communicate theoretical propositions, methodologies, conclusions and professional decisions through advanced literacy and numeracy skills to specialist and non-specialist audiences
Critically reflect upon the socio-ecological nature of health promotion and its application in optimising the health and wellbeing of tropical, rural, remote and Indigenous communities
Critically reflect upon and engage in professional public health practice based on ethical decision-making and an evidence based approach, including consideration of recent developments in the field
Apply advanced human, project and organisational management skills within a public health and policy context to effect efficient and equitable gains in public health
Apply knowledge of research principles and methods to plan and ethically execute a substantial research-based project, capstone experience and/or piece of scholarship.

Upon successful completion of the MBA component of the MPH-MBA, graduates will be able to:

Critically analyse complex business and public health-related knowledge and practice from both historical and recent perspectives
Evaluate contexts within which differing sustainable business and public health performance methods should be integrated and applied
Evaluate sustainable economic, social and environmental practices and value systems from different disciplinary perspectives
Research and apply established concepts to solve business public health and professional practice problems
Critically analyse complex contemporary business and public health issues using appropriate models and make reasoned recommendations based on multidisciplinary synthesis of theory and evidence
Apply creative and innovative thinking effectively to business and public health theory and practice
Present complex business and public health analyses and information appropriately to differing audiences using:
- Effective oral presentation skills
- Clear and fluent written communication
Demonstrate the ability to work effectively in achieving common goals, demonstrating both:
- Collaboration
- Leadership
Adapt sustainable business and public health constructs and skills to novel theoretical or practical situations
Exercise independent ethical judgment and initiative in solving differing business and public health problems creatively
Demonstrate a capacity for personal reflection and self-development in relation to professional business and public health learning and practice.

Inherent Requirements

Inherent Requirements	Inherent requirements are the identified abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours that must be demonstrated, during the learning experience, to successfully complete a course. These abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours preserve the academic integrity of the University's learning, assessment, and accreditation processes, and where applicable, meet the standards of a profession. For more information please visit: Postgraduate Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
Reasonable adjustments	All JCU students have the opportunity to demonstrate, with reasonable adjustments where applicable, the inherent requirements for their course. For more information please visit: Student Disability Policy and Procedure.

Course Structure

CORE SUBJECTS

LB5228:03 The Changing Business Environment or LB5236:03 International Political Economy

LB5229:03 Economics for a Sustainable World

LB5230:03 Managing Strategic Resources and Operations

LB5231:03 Corporate Responsibility and Governance

LB5232:03 Digital Marketing or LB5202:03 Marketing Essentials

LB5233:03 Innovation and Entrepreneurship

LB5234:03 Leading and Managing Organisational Change

LB5235:03 Applied Research Project

TM5502:03 Tropical Public Health

TM5513:03 Public Health Management, Leadership, Planning and Policy

TM5515:03 Epidemiology for Public Health

TM5516:03 Biostatistics for Public Health

TM5525:03 Communicable Disease Control

TM5526:03 Public Health Economics

OPTIONS

Select 6 credit points of subjects from List 1

List 1

HS5102:03 Qualitative Research Methods for Health Professionals

HS5555:03 Infection Prevention and Control in Health Care Settings

IA5013:03 Indigenous Australians

IA5022:03 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People as Colonial Subjects

IA5029:03 Comparative Indigenous Studies

IA5030:03 Navigating the Cultural Interface

TM5310:09 Dissertation 2

TM5502:03 Tropical Public Health

TM5503:03 Human Parasitology

TM5506:03 Social Science in Public Health

TM5508:03 Diving and Marine Medicine

TM5510:03 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

TM5512:03 Travel Medicine

TM5514:03 Environmental Health

TM5518:03 Medical Entomology

TM5524:03 Qualitative Research Methods for Tropical Health Practitioners

TM5527:03 Project

TM5528:03 Health Promotion

TM5529:03 Applied Health Economics

TM5534:03 Tropical Paediatrics

TM5536:03 Public Health in Humanitarian Emergencies

TM5540:03 Public Health and the Workplace

TM5541:03 Managing Effective Health Programs

TM5547:03 Public Health Program Planning and Evaluation

TM5549:06 Dissertation 1

TM5552:03 Global Health and Development

TM5557:03 Disaster Health Management

TM5560:03 Foundations of Aeromedical Retrieval

TM5562:03 Reproductive Health in Developing Countries

TM5563:03 Public Health Leadership and Crisis Management

TM5569:03 Health Promotion Strategies and Methods

TM5571:03 Public Health Placement

TM5573:03 Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion

TM5575:03 Substance Misuse Prevention

TM5578:03 Emerging Public Health Threats

TM5580:03 Health and Nutrition in the Tropics

TM5581:03 Expedition and Wilderness Medicine

Location

COURSE AVAILABLE AT	NOTES
JCU Townsville
External

Candidature

Expected time to complete	2 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Maximum time to complete	8 years
Maximum leave of absence	2 years

Progression

Course progression requisites	Nil
Course includes mandatory professional placement(s)	No
Special assessment requirements	Nil
Professional accreditation requirements	Nil
Supplementary exam for final subject	A student who has failed a single LB5 subject in their final teaching period and who gained 40% or more of the marks for that subject, may be granted a supplementary examination in that subject.

Credit

Eligibility	Students may apply for exemption for previous tertiary study where appropriate in accordance with the Credit Transfer Procedure.
Maximum allowed	6 credit points, except where a student transfers from one JCU award to another, then credit may be granted for more than two-thirds of the new award, where there is subject equivalence between the awards.
Currency	Credit will be granted only for studies completed in the 4 years prior to the commencement of this course.
Expiry	Credit gained for any subject shall be cancelled 12 years after the date of the examination upon which the credit is based if, by then, the student has not completed the course of study prescribed for the degree.
Other restrictions	Credit will not be granted for work experience or undergraduate studies or subjects other than those specified in Maximum Advanced Standing Allowed (above).

Award Details

Award title	MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH – MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Approved abbreviation	MPH-MBA
Inclusion of majors on testamur	Not applicable – this course does not have majors
Exit with lesser award	Students who exit the course prior to completion, and have completed appropriate subjects, may be eligible for one or more of the following awards: Graduate Certificate of Public Health Graduate Certificate of Business Administration Graduate Diploma of Business Administration Master of Business Administration.
Course articulation	Not applicable
Special awards	Students may receive an Award of Recognition in accordance with the Recognition of Academic Excellence Procedure

Fees and scholarships

Estimated annual tuition fee: $AUD28,300.00

A Student Services and Amenities fee is payable per subject up to a maximum amount per year.

A variety of Scholarships are available to suit different student types.

Pathways to JCU

Consult the admission requirements section in the Handbook for prerequisites and pathways into this course.

How to apply

Complete an online application through our Online Application Portal.

Master of Public Health applicants must also complete and upload the following forms and documentary evidence with their application:

Current AHPRA Registration (if applicable)
Degree Testamur
Curriculum Vitae
Personal Statement or Letter of Motivation.

Alumni

James Wong

Master of Public Health-Master of Business Administration

The combination of health with business not only introduces you to the world of public health, but also makes you aware of the economic factors that influence many of the decisions made by management and government in the health sector.
Alumni

Hannah Mason

Master of Public Health-Master of Business Administration

Whether you are a clinician looking to enhance your leadership skills, or someone who wants to dive into meaningful research, this program can be tailored for you. JCU has a very supportive academic environment, and the program advisors can help you to arrange your schedule to get the maximum benefits of this program.
Lecturer

Associate Professor Richard Franklin

Master of Public Health - Master of Business

This is a unique program where students leave the university with two JCU Master’s degrees. By combining public health and business skills, JCU students are ready to take on the challenges of delivering initiatives that can make a difference to many lives.
Employer

Barbra Kurkowski

Area Manager (Townsville), Northern Queensland Primary Health Network

I hire JCU graduates because they have a local context and knowledge of North Queensland. They have studied a comprehensive public health degree with diverse subjects, but local relevance. It’s very important for us to grow and keep skilled workforce in North Queensland.