Master of Health Economics

2017 Deakin University Handbook

Note: You are seeing the 2017 view of this course information. These details may no longer be current. [Go to the current version]

Year	2017 course information
Award granted	Master of Health Economics
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne)
Cloud Campus	Yes
Duration	2 years full-time or part-time equivalent, depending on your entry point
CRICOS course code	085214E Burwood (Melbourne)
Deakin course code	H704
Approval status	This course is approved by the University under the Higher Education Standards Framework.
Australian Quality Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9.

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Are you a health professional or economist interested in furthering your knowledge of health economics in Australia and internationally? At Deakin, you will join the largest health economics team in Australia.

Get specialist training in the application of health economics to health policy, health technology assessment and the health care system.

Deakin’s Master of Health Economics gives graduates from a range of areas – from nursing and pharmacy to business administration and health management and beyond – a strong theoretical foundation plus analytical and quantitative skills to understand the complexities of health care financing.

You will learn skills in health technology assessment, economic evaluation of health interventions, resource allocation and priority setting, healthcare financing, health systems research and the health economics/health policy interface.

You will also receive high-level training in modelling and health technology assessment. As a graduate, you will be able to critically evaluate current research in economic policy and economic evaluation of health services as well as participate effectively in health policy development and debate.

In addition to numerous career opportunities, you will have the opportunity to join Deakin’s leading health economics academics and progress to a PhD at Deakin University.

Indicative student workload

As a student in a Cloud (online) course in the Faculty of Health you will be expected to spend 11-13 hours every week studying, interacting via CloudDeakin and completing assessment tasks for each unit in your course.

Career opportunities

The MHE will prepare students for careers in: the government sector including the Productivity Commission; pharmaceutical and health technology industries; the non-government sector; the health insurance industry; and international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). In addition, it will provide students with the opportunity to progress to a PhD at Deakin University and pathways to a career in academia.

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on your course, your fee category and the year you started. To find out about the fees and charges that apply to you, visit the Current students fees website.

Course Learning Outcomes

Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline Specific knowledge and capabilities	Demonstrate knowledge of the implications of organisational structure, delivery and financing of healthcare services from an economic perspective, including implications for efficiency, equity and access.
Communication	Communicate health economic issues to specialist and non-specialist audiences using written reports, oral presentation and digital communication, including: health systems analysis, methods and results of economic appraisal and priority setting exercises; demand and supply of health care; rationale for government intervention; socioeconomic influences on health; and technology assessment.
Digital Literacy	Critically evaluate available digital sources of health and health systems data, for systematic reviews, economic modelling and health policy and priority setting recommendations.
Critical thinking	Critically evaluate applied economic and conceptual frameworks used in health economics to analyse the effects of political, social and economic policies on health systems and community health, and apply analytic methods including evidence-based research, cost-effectiveness, and decision analyses to inform resource allocation and policy initiatives.
Problem Solving	Independently analyse contemporary health problems from an economic perspective and formulate options for health system reform.
Self-management	Demonstrate effective self-management skills, autonomy and accountability that contribute to the development of lifelong learning and professionalism in the area of health economics.
Teamwork	Demonstrate knowledge of their role as a health economist to work effectively within health economics and multidisciplinary teams.
Global Citizenship	Apply the principles of health economics, evidence-based economic evaluation and priority setting to problems in global health and the strengthening of health systems.

Course rules

To complete the Master of Health Economics students must attain 16 credit points. Most units are equal to 1 credit point - check each unit in the course structure.

In order to gain 16 credit points you will need to study:

7 core units (equal to 7 credit points) (these are compulsory)
3 selective units (equal to 3 credit points) (you can choose which ones to study from the list in the course structure)
6 credit points of elective units (you can choose which ones to study)

Students would normally complete the Master of Health Economics over 4 trimesters of full- time study or the part-time equivalent. As some students will be in full time work, part-time enrolment will mean that these students are expected to complete the course in three to four years.

Students may enrol in the course in either Trimester 1 or 2. It is recommended that students take the minor or major project in their last one or two trimesters.