To apply for the online Graduate Certificate in Health Promotion, you are required to have:

• Completed an Australian Bachelor degree (or equivalent) in any discipline OR;
• 5 years of approved work experience.

VU Online provides you with the support you need, when you need it, throughout the course. With four layers of student support, our goal is to ensure you succeed in your studies.

Our highly experienced academics understand how to deliver a quality online learning experience and are highly responsive and accessible.

You will also have access to a dedicated Student Success Advisor, who provides motivation and one-on-one personalised assistance with non-academic matters for the duration of the course. You will experience the support of a community through chat, virtual seminars and discussion board activity. Your support network is only a phone call or email away.

A Graduate Certificate in Health Promotion from VU Online costs $3,200 per unit*, taking the total for 4 units to $12,800*.

This depends on the number of units you study and whether you are eligible for Advanced Standing, which is assessed after you submit your application.

Note that you may be eligible for the Australian Government’s loan scheme, FEE-HELP. The loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying students with the cost of a university program. It can be used for all or part of the tuition. To determine your eligibility, visit the FEE-HELP website.

*2025 student fees are shown and are subject to change.

For more information on fees and student support, download a brochure.

A Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) is a place where the government pays for part of your unit fees. This is a subsidy, not a loan, so you do not need to pay it back. Your remaining fees may also be eligible for FEE-HELP.

This subsidy is available to eligible students completing the Graduate Certificate in Global Health Leadership. It is only applicable to new students commencing their Graduate Certificate in 2025. To find out if you’re eligible for this subsidy, visit the government’s Study Assist. Limited places available.

For more information on fees and student support, download a brochure.

Studying with VU Online means that you can undertake postgraduate study without having to attend on-campus classes. This makes it easy to fit study around existing commitments including work and family. You will be able to access your coursework, resources, assignment details and individual feedback from facilitators, all from your online learning environment, VU Collaborate.

Chat with fellow students, compare research notes and collaborate on group tasks – it’s all possible with our seamless, community-focused platform.

With VU Online, you will study just one unit at a time under the award-winning VU Block Model®. Learn about our postgraduate online Block Model with this YouTube video.

With VU Online, you will receive support from our responsive academics and facilitators, as well as your dedicated Student Success Advisor throughout your study.

VU Online has simplified the application process, involving just three key steps.

1. Speak to one of our Student Enrolment Advisors, who will help you determine your eligibility for the program and whether it suits your career goals. Our advisor will keep you informed of all the application requirements and what to expect during the process. They can also suggest flexible study plans for your circumstances.
2. Begin your online application and submit the required documentation. This may include a copy of your CV and academic transcript.
3. Upon completing your application, you will receive a confirmation email or an email letting you know if you need to provide any additional information.

This unit equips students with the knowledge and skills to navigate challenges associated with contemporary social media and social marketing concepts and theories, and provides the tools to implement health promotion programs which have integrity, focus and ability to reach diverse populations. Through critical analysis of current local, national and global social marketing platforms used for health promotion, students will address the legal requirements, health literacy considerations and traverse the balance of technology, content design and delivery in order to construct innovative and effective health promotions. The strategies of social marketing, analysis, planning, execution and evaluation in health promotion will be critically reviewed. Through examination of behavioural theories to guide social media health promotion programs, students will be supported to utilise the project management cycle to create online health promotion strategies.

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This unit challenges students to propose health promotion strategies designed to further drive change and impact across the social and ecological determinants of health. Students will build health promotion development skills through interrogation of health promotion approaches with vulnerable and diverse populations across the globe. This includes debate focused on the politics and policies which both support and hinder global health promotion strategies. Through a comprehensive critique of leaders in global health promotion and analysis of the strategies implemented to address contemporary global health challenges, this unit entails critical analysis of the health promotion strategies to realise the Sustainable Development Goals. Through cross examination of authentic health promotion actions in global disasters and pandemics, students will gain skills and knowledge to enable innovative, coherent and realistic approaches to advocate for change in global health.

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This unit expands student’s capacity to build substantive practical skills and theoretical knowledge required to become the next generation of health promotion professionals prepared to ensure currency and sustainability in health promotion actions. With attention on modern socio-ecological approaches to disease and injury prevention and health promotion interventions locally, nationally and globally, students will utilise creative methods to navigate health promotion priorities and approaches to promotion to formulate innovative and evidence-based health promotion programs and projects. Recognising that health promotion enables people to increase control over their own health, students will appraise and apply approaches to community engagement and cultural considerations with a strong focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

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The disciplines of Epidemiology and Biostatistics provide the foundation for designing studies to better understand the distribution of exposures and outcomes among specific population groups. In this unit, students are introduced to the basic principles, concepts of descriptive epidemiology and related biostatistics and how to use software to perform analytical research. Students will learn and practice how observational data is collected and analysed using statistical methods and communicated to a variety of audiences. These skills will enable students to evaluate existing epidemiological studies, and undertake basic epidemiological analysis using biostatistical approaches.

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Health planning and evaluation are part of the ongoing cycle of development, improvement and adaptation in public health program management. A public health project represents a single, focused action in public health. A program is a collection of projects that complement each other to assist the program in achieving its overall objectives. This unit examines the principles, frameworks and methods in planning, implementing and evaluating public health programs and projects. It also explores how public health program management is used to improve population health through addressing the social determinants of health. Students will apply concepts and approaches of systems thinking, human rights, and capacity building and participation in the program management cycle. Using case studies students will use program management methods and tools to effectively design, manage and evaluate public health programs. The unit is underpinned by the use of evidence-based program management and the importance of aligning program management with global and national policies and commitments.

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