The time and cost can be reduced based on your previous qualifications and professional experience. This means you can fast track the masters degree from 2 years down to 1.5 years duration. See entry requirements below for more information.
Course Map - enrolment planning tool
These course maps are for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2025:
The Master of Health Promotion gives you the skills and platform to create healthy social and ecological environments for whole populations. You will develop skills and knowledge in health program planning, evidence-based strategies, policy, advocacy and research to prevent, minimise and respond early to health issues and their underlying causes.
Want an internationally recognised qualification that opens the door to a career that builds strong and just communities?
Health promotion contributes to social change for improved health outcomes, especially for marginalised and disadvantaged communities. Preventative action saves health dollars as well as promoting wellbeing. With a Master of Health Promotion, you can be a key player in creating social and environmentally just and equitable communities. You’ll graduate with a valuable set of analytical, creative, advocacy, planning and communication skills that prepare you to lead the way in health promotion, locally and globally. Plus, the course’s practical learning opportunities ensure you’re ready for both the current and emerging health challenges of the 21st century.
The course explores evidence-based health promotion strategies that improve the health of individuals, families, communities and countries. These are strategies that empower people to take control of their own health and advocate for just and equitable policies, strengthen community action and create environments that are more supportive of good health. Get hands-on practice developing these initiatives from start to finish, while gaining a deep understanding of the social, environmental, political and economic conditions that impact health. Whether you see yourself working on the prevention of violence against women, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, or promotion of positive mental health and wellbeing for youth, you will have the skills and experience to not only manage, but thrive.
Some of the course’s core study areas include:
health communication
evidence-based health program planning
health program evaluation
health equity and human rights
contemporary health issues and policies
health research.
You can customise your degree to your interests by choosing from a broad range of elective units. Choose from topics such as, nutrition, global health policy, environmental protection and obesity prevention to create a unique degree that takes your career further. The course also gives you the option of undertaking a major or minor project. These projects allow you to apply the knowledge and skills developed in the course to a contemporary health issue through either a critical a literature review, industry-linked project, policy proposal/review or an applied research project.
A strong focus of the course is professional development through practical experience. In particular, the course’s new work-integrated learning elective allows you to undertake 150 hours of valuable industry experience. This can be an agency-based work placement with one of our many industry partners, or agency-sponsored work based at the Deakin Freelancing Hub. These projects give you the chance to develop and apply your new skills in real-world contexts. They also allow you to work alongside leading health promotion practitioners and build professional networks that unlock new career pathways.
Our academics are renowned for their contributions to social and environmental justice, equity and the promotion of community wellbeing. Their project work and research feed into the course, ensuring content is authentic, relevant and responsive to the needs of an evolving sector. There are also opportunities for students to join academics and their colleagues on projects that address current health issues of global importance. We have academics embedded in many renowned healthcare organisations, institutes and health and environmental settings across many different roles, so you will have access to the perfect mentor no matter your interests and career aspirations.
Indicative student workload
As a student in the Faculty of Health you can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include lectures, seminars, practicals and online interaction. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.
Professional recognition
This course is accredited by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE). Graduates can register with IUHPE as a registered Health Promotion Practitioner, securing you global and Australian recognition. Deakin is the first and only Victorian University to hold this accreditation.
Graduates may be eligible to apply for membership of the Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA). All Master of Health Promotion students also have option of obtaining free membership to AHPA for the duration of their studies.
Note: information regarding professional recognition is accurate at the time of publication. Enquiries regarding accreditation and professional membership should be directed to the School of Health and Social Development in order to ascertain the current status of accreditation. Representations about accreditation apply only to the course and the relevant professional body retains discretion as to who they admit as members of their association. Deakin University cannot exercise any control over membership of an external body.
Career opportunities
The health sector is Australia’s largest and fastest-growing. Contemporary health challenges such as obesity, mental health, climate change and an ageing population have increased the demand for skilled health promotion practitioners able to address the underlying social and ecological determinants of ill health and lead in the promotion of wellbeing.
With a Master of Health Promotion you can take advantage of this demand. Health promotion practitioners are employed locally and globally in all levels of government, health services, the education sector, private business and non-government, not-for-profit and community organisations. This also includes national and state-wide peak authorities such as VicHealth, the National Heart Foundation, Asthma Foundation, Gender Equity Victoria and The Cancer Council. Some of the areas you could be working in include:
community development
social planning and activities
health education
program development and evaluation
advocacy
policy development
youth services
aged and disability services
women’s health
migrant, refugee and asylum seeker services
Mandatory student checks
Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a National Police Record Check, a Working with Children Check or other check. Refer the relevant unit guide.
Course Learning Outcomes
Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities
Apply a critical and advanced knowledge in the area of health promotion that includes:
theories of behaviour change, inequalities and inequities in health
the action areas for health promotion
the determinants of health (biological, behavioural and socio-environmental)
the biomedical, behavioural and socio-environmental models of health and their relevance to health promotion practice in general and needs assessment in particular
stages of program planning, implementation, evaluation and sustainability
awareness of how health promotion practice is influenced, such as, ethnicity and Indigenous status, age, gender, society, culture, geography, the environment and socio-economic status.
Communication
Communicate on health promotion issues in an effective and coherent manner, attentive to the needs of the target audience.
Develop effective communication skills relevant for the professional health sector.
Digital literacy
Demonstrate mastery in current technologies to discover, select, analyse, employ, evaluate, and disseminate technical and non-technical information applicable to health promotion.
Critical thinking
Demonstrate critical thinking to evaluate, using appropriate analytical and research methods, health promotion problems and solutions for individuals and communities.
Problem solving
Apply theoretical constructs and critical analysis to real-world and ill-defined problems and develop innovative health promotion solutions.
Self-management
Apply knowledge and skills in creative ways to adapt to new situations in professional practice and/or plan for further learning in the field of health promotion.
Teamwork
Work effectively within health promotion and multi-disciplinary teams with others from a range of backgrounds
Global citizenship
Apply the highest ethical standards in the development, design, construction and management of health promotion programs for Australia or elsewhere.
Course rules
To complete the Master of Health Promotion students must pass 8, 12 or 16 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:
DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
Students must complete a minor or major project option. Any student wishing to do both a Minor and a Major project, may do so with the permission of the Course Director, and will therefore only be required to complete 2 elective units from the Electives list.
Mind, Society and Substance specialisation(SP-H759001) is available to student commencing in 2024 onwards. This specialisation is optional and the units are available as elective unit options or can be combined to complete this specialisation.
Disaster Risk Reduction and Community Led Recovery
Work experience
Students will undertake work integrated assessment tasks in several core and elective units. All students also undertake a capstone minor or major project.
Other learning experiences
Internships are also available to students with WAM 70 and above.
Course duration
Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.
Further information
Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, and their study discipline or your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.
