Diploma in Health Sciences

University of Canterbury

Subject area

Health Education, Promotion, Counselling

Qualification

Check out Fees Free to see whether you are eligible for a year of fees-free study or two years industry training. Contact your provider to confirm your study options meet the criteria.

Entry requirements

A New Zealand university entrance qualification or equivalent.

About the course

What can I expect out of this qualification?

Graduates will be equipped with the knowledge to make a positive contribution to the field of health promotion. They will have an understanding of key models and concepts in health promotion and be able to identify why equality is a core value in health promotion. They will understand the determinants of health and apply these to concepts to explain disparities shaping Maori health outcomes. They will have applied health education skills within communities and developed tools for working with Maori communities. Graduates will have an understanding of key health challenges facing New Zealand, including our ageing population and the impact of chronic diseases. They will have gained emerging analytical and evaluative capabilities and demonstrated knowledge and awareness of the determinants of health and inequities in Aotearoa/New Zealand. They will have applied health education strategies. They will also have acquired an understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi and its importance in the health context and have examined a number of key on-going health trends, influences and issues impacting on Maori health and be able to describe Maori health concepts and models. They will have knowledge and skills relevant to sector-defined competencies such as the New Zealand generic public health competencies (PHANZ 2007) and the New Zealand health promotion competencies (Health Promotion Forum 2012). Graduates will have in depth knowledge of health promotion and have demonstrated ability functioning effectively as a health educator. They will have accessed, evaluated and synthesised information to address health-related problems. They will have a strengths-focussed orientation of health in the New Zealand context and will be contextualised in international knowledge bases. Graduates will have an understanding of how to effectively engage with communities as a health promoter, and have applied health education facilitation skills with a community of peers.