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Diploma of Environmental Health

Course code C54

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Important

This course is not offered for study on-campus to international students with a student visa.

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About this Course

Prepares students to make a positive contribution to the health of communities.

Students graduate with the ability to think critically about prevention and control of communicable and environmental disease and a range of other environmental health issues, to work independently and as part of a team, and plan and coordinate environmental health projects.

Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level

This course has been accredited by ECU as an AQF Level 5 Diploma Award.

Course code C54

Entry requirements

ECU admission and English language requirements apply.

See Course Entry for further information.

Admissions

Course admission profile

ECU admission profile

Fees

Commonwealth supported - estimated 1st year indicative fee AUD $9,350

See Fees and Scholarships for further information.

Duration

1 year full-time or part-time equivalent

See Course Details for further information.

Availability & Campus

Location Semester 1 Semester 2
Joondalup FT PT PT
Mount Lawley
South West FT PT PT
Online FT PT PT
*FT = Full-time study PT = Part-time study

Timetable

This course has a modified timetable. See Course Notes.

Enquire Apply

Course Entry

Admission requirements you'll need to meet for this course.

  • All applicants must meet the academic admission requirements for this course. The indicative or guaranteed ATAR is as published (where applicable) or academic admission requirements may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

    • Year 12 completion or equivalent.

    For international students, requirements include your secondary school results.

  • English competency requirements may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

    • Year 12 General English grade C or better;
    • Special Tertiary Admissions Test; or*
    • Other tests, courses or programs defined on the English Proficiency Bands page.

    * Further information can be found on the Study course entry page.

Course Details

Semester availability

Semester 1: Study full-time at Joondalup, South West or Online

Semester 1: Study part-time at Joondalup, South West or Online

Semester 2: Study part-time at Joondalup, South West or Online

Course Structure

Year 1 - Semester 1
Unit Code Unit Title Credit Points
HST1111Population Health15
HST1109Epidemiology15
SCI1193Introduction to Environmental Science15
HST1152Introduction to Occupational Health and Safety15
Year 1 - Semester 2
Unit Code Unit Title Credit Points
HST2116Environmental Health Professional Practice15
HST1160Occupational and Environmental Health Regulation15
HST2184Communicable Disease Control15
HST2220Health Promotion Planning and Administration15

Students commencing this course mid-year will need to complete the course on a part-time basis, and should contact Student Hub for a personalised study schedule.

C54|6

For more detailed unit information for this course take a look at our Handbook. To organise your life for next semester visit the Teaching timetable.

Student handbook

Course notes

Important course notes

  • On-campus students: HST2184 is only available to study online.

    Online and On-campus students: All students will be required to attend a 200 hours of practicum with Local Government Authorities, and State Government Agencies.

  • Students undertake a professional placement unit which comprises a 200 hour placement in an environmental health department.

    Attendance requirements

    200 hours to be conducted in a workplace.

    Clearances and/or Risk Management Protocols Required

    A placement host may have vaccination and other requirements, including vaccination against COVID-19 unless you have a medical exemption. Please consider this requirement before enrolling in this Course, and speak with the Course Coordinator if this raises any concerns. You may not be able to complete placement units if you are unable to meet the placement requirements, which may impact your ability to complete this course.

    Students will be required to sign contracts and ensure duty of care and insurance issues are covered.

    Due to the practical nature of the Environmental Health professions and protection of the public, there are inherent requirements applicable to this course that may impact upon the success of some potential students. Applicants and students with a disability or other issue likely to impact on their ability to perform in practice are encouraged to contact the Access and Inclusion Service to discuss their situation.

    More information can be found at https://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/medical-and-health-sciences/placements/inherent-requirements

    Professional practice rules

    HST2116 Environmental Health Professional Practice forms part of the professionally-accredited degree in Environmental Health and details, skills and competencies need to be covered.

Course learning outcomes

  1. Apply specialised environmental health knowledge to technical and theoretical situations.
  2. Communicate environmental health knowledge, theoretical concepts and ideas to others.
  3. Show initiative and personal responsibility to plan, coordinate and evaluate environmental health projects and perform complex technical operations with independence.
  4. Think critically to analyse and synthesise environmental health information from multiple sources to evaluate unpredictable problems.

Fees and Scholarships

Fees

  • AUD $9,350 - Commonwealth supported estimated 1st year indicative fee 1

Note

1 The 'estimated 1st year indicative fee' is provided as a guide only, based on a typical enrolment of students undertaking the first year of this course. At ECU, you pay for the individual units you enrol in, not an overall course fee, so the total cost of your course will vary, depending on what units you choose. An indicative fee will be provided with your course offer, however you can use our Course Fee Calculator to estimate the actual amount you'll need to pay. ECU fees are adjusted annually.

Some units require the payment of a fee for incidental goods or services required to complete those units. For more information and the full list of incidental fees for courses and units, visit What are Incidental Fees.

Scholarships

ECU has a scholarship program that provides many opportunities each year to students undertaking studies here.

Find a scholarship

Career Opportunities

Graduates will be employable in State Government, Shire and City health departments in a support role to Environmental Health Officers.

Possible future job titles

Environmental Health Assistant, Environmental Health Cadet, Environmental Health Technical Officer

Courses you can consider if you are interested in progressing further in this area.

  • Bachelor of Health Science
    Students who complete the Diploma of Environmental Health can go on to study the Bachelor of Health Science - Environmental Health major and receive 8 units of credit.

Need some help deciding what to study?

Our future student events include a mix of on-campus and online sessions designed to help you decide what to study at ECU.

Creative thinkers start here

Full accreditation for Environmental Health at ECU

Whether visiting illegal backyard drug labs or the local café, the job of an Environmental Health Officer is a varied one. Environmental Health Officers help to keep people safe – this includes testing water quality, ensuring food is handled hygienically, and checking that houses used to produce illicit drugs are safe for occupation after police have finished their investigation.

The good news is there's strong demand for professionals in this discipline and our Bachelor of Health Science offers qualifications through an Environmental Health major.

It's the only undergraduate course in WA, and only one of five nationally to be fully accredited by Environmental Health Australia (EHA).

Student stories

A work placement was one of the best learning experiences I have had.

Taking a work placement as part of my course was probably one of the best learning experiences I have had so far. I have now completed 200 hours of work experience related to my studies and this has provided me with the necessary knowledge, skills, and personal characteristics that employers seek, like time management, teamwork and communication skills.

Patricia Kouakou

Quick guide to uni-speak

    • The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the national regulator of qualifications in the Australian education and training system. The AQF defines the essential characteristics, including the required learning outcomes, of the different types of qualifications issued across the higher education systems in Australia.

    • ATAR is the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate university courses in Australia. The ATAR is a percentile score which denotes a student's ranking relative to their state-wide peers upon completion of their secondary education.

    • CRICOS is the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students. A CRICOS code is allocated to education institutions (like ECU) who are approved to recruit, enrol and deliver education to overseas students. Courses with a CRICOS code are available to international students who meet the entry requirements.

    • A major, or unit set, is your chosen area of in-depth study in an undergraduate course. It usually involves 8 units of study, or one-third of the units in a 3-year degree. Talk to your Student Information Office if you need help choosing a major subject.

    • Minors include between 4 and 6 study units in a specific discipline. Not all courses require you to complete a minor. Your minor subject doesn't appear on your printed degree (parchment), but is part of your academic transcript.

    • If you're enrolled in 3 or more units in a semester this is considered full-time study. To complete most 3-year degrees studying full-time you'll need to complete 4 units per semester, i.e. 24 units over 3 years.

    • If a course is available to study part-time you can generally expect it to take twice as long to complete as it would in full-time mode. Part-time students are enrolled in 1 or 2 units maximum per semester.

      Note: International students who hold a student visa can only choose the full-time study option for our courses. This is to ensure the course is completed within the duration of the student visa.

    • Most courses start in Semester 1 each year, usually in the last week of February. Some courses can be started in Semester 2 (we call this mid-year). There's a week of Orientation before each semester to help you get used to uni life.

    • A lot of our courses start in Semester 2 each year, usually in the last week of July. We call this mid-year. There's a week of Orientation beforehand to help you get used to uni life.

    • We use a points system to make it easier for you to understand your study progress. Most Bachelors degree study units are allocated 15 credit points. If you're studying a 3-year full-time degree you'll need to successfully complete 360 credit points - that's 24 units x 15 points per unit.

    • These are compulsory units you have to successfully complete as part of your course.

    • An elective is a unit you choose to study that counts towards your course requirements, but isn't compulsory. For some courses we recommend elective units. In some situations, a course coordinator may approve an elective unit as a replacement for a compulsory one.

Do you have any questions about the Diploma of Environmental Health?

The Important Things

Things you should know about if you're thinking about studying here.

Course Entry

There's more than one admission pathway into an ECU course. It depends on what you've studied already, or your work or life experience.

Fees & Scholarships

Course tuition fees can change, but we can give you an estimate of your costs. If you're eligible, a scholarship or student loan can help too.

Applying

Applying for a course is a fairly simple process, especially if you have scanned copies of qualifications, your resume or other paperwork, ready to upload.

ECU Experience

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