Master of Women's Health (Coursework)

Course 827-WD (2008)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2008. Search for this in the current handbook

Year and Campus: 2008
Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Level: Graduate/Postgraduate

Contact

Course Coordinator: Dr Heather Rowe Key Centre for Women's Health in Society School of Population Health Tel: +61 3 8344 4059 Email: h.rowe@unimelb.edu.au Course Administration/Enquiries: Ms Jennifer Sievers Key Centre for Women's Health in Society School of Population Health Tel: +61 3 8344 4333 Email: enquiries-kcwhs@unimelb.edu.au
Course Overview:

The Master of Women's Health provides students with a sophisticated understanding of the various dimensions of effective women's health practice, including health promotion and the multiple determinants of women's health. The course enhances the students' professional knowledge and skills in women's health and offers the opportunity for students to engage with new and emerging fields of study in women's health.

Objectives: Students completing the Master of Women's Health will be expected to understand and critique:
  • the gendered nature of the attribution and burden of health and illness
  • the significance and nature of evidence
  • the intersection of biology with social and cultural contexts
  • gendered approaches to health services and technologies
  • human and reproductive rights discourses
  • gender and health inequalities
  • women's health in an international context
  • the historical, theoretical and political contexts of women's health discourses
  • the principles and processes of research design
  • gender-sensitive design and evaluation of health care policies and programs
  • gender sensitive approaches to health care practice
Course Structure & Available Subjects: OPTION 1: Coursework Only

Students undertaking coursework subjects only must complete:

  • Three 12.5-point core subjects, AND
  • 62.5 points of elective subjects of which 25 points of approved subjects may be taken from outside the Key Centre for Women's Health in Society.

OPTION 2: Coursework and Research:

Students undertaking coursework and the research report option must complete:

• 505-948 Research Project Development (12.5 point subject)
• 505-947 Research Project in Women's Health (8,000-word, 25 point subject)
AND:
• Three 12.5 point core subjects in Women's Health
• Two 12.5 point elective subjects

Subject Options:

CORE SUBJECTS:

Students must complete the following three CORE subjects for both option 1 and option 2:

Subject
Study Period Commencement:
Credit Points:

ELECTIVE SUBJECTS:

Option 1: Students must complete FIVE electives for this Option of which TWO may be taken from outside the Key Centre for Women's Health in Society with approval.

Option 2: Students must complete THREE subjects from the following list one of which must be 505-948 Research Project Development.

Subject
Study Period Commencement:
Credit Points:

ADDITIONAL CORE SUBJECT - OPTION 2

Students who choose Option 2 must also complete the following subject:

Subject
Study Period Commencement:
Credit Points:
Semester 1, Semester 2
25
Entry Requirements:
  • an undergraduate degree in medicine;
  • a 3 year undergraduate degree in a health related field or the social sciences, or equivalent cognate discipline and at least 50 credit points towards the Postgraduate Diploma in Women's Health with at least H2B (70%) average and one year of documented relevant work experience;
  • a four year degree in a health related field or the social sciences, or equivalent.

The Selection Committee may conduct interviews and tests and may call for referee reports and employer references to elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

Core Participation Requirements:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Graduate Attributes: The Melbourne Experience enables our graduates to become: Academically excellent: have a strong sense of intellectual integrity and the ethics of scholarship have in-depth knowledge of their specialist discipline(s) reach a high level of achievement in writing, generic research activities, problem-solving and communication be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning be adept at learning in a range of ways, including through information and communication technologies Knowledgeable across disciplines: examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a broad range of disciplines expand their analytical and cognitive skills through learning experiences in diverse subjects have the capacity to participate fully in collaborative learning and to confront unfamiliar problems have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment Leaders in communities: initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions and workplaces have excellent interpersonal and decision-making skills, including an awareness of personal strengths and limitations mentor future generations of learners engage in meaningful public discourse, with a profound awareness of community needs Attuned to cultural diversity: value different cultures be well-informed citizens able to contribute to their communities wherever they choose to live and work have an understanding of the social and cultural diversity in our community respect indigenous knowledge, cultures and values Active global citizens: accept social and civic responsibilities be advocates for improving the sustainability of the environment have a broad global understanding, with a high regard for human rights, equity and ethics
Generic Skills: On completion of the degree of Master of Women's Health students will be expected to have gained the following knowledge and skills:
  • Highly-developed capacity to critical apply a social model of women's health to women's heath issues
  • Sophisticated understanding of the key issues and social processes that influence the health of women
  • Capacity to critically appraise evidence related to the health of women
  • Advanced knowledge of the health status of women in national and international contexts
  • Detailed understanding of the key principles that inform women's policy, practice and program development
  • Ability to apply a range of methods to the investigation of women's health problems
  • Knowledge of the ways in which women's health problems are constructed historically and in contemporary biomedical and public health practices
  • Basic skills in data analysis
  • Highly-developed oral and written communication skills
  • Highly-developed skills in searching bibliographic databases and synthesizing evidence
  • Profound respect for truth, intellectual integrity and the ethics of scholarship

Graduates of the Master of Women's Health will have professional skills enabling them to work effectively at a senior level in health services, health promotion, health policy and program development and research related to the health of women both nationally and internationally. The Master of Public Health provides graduates with advanced training in quantitative data analysis and epidemiological approaches to public health. In contrast the Master of Women's Health will equip graduates with critical capacity to integrate, synthesise and apply a range of evidence in a gendered approach to health practice, policy and program design.

Links to further information: http://www.sph.unimelb.edu.au
Notes:

This course is taught by face-to-face teaching in classrooms.

Mid-Year entry is available.

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