Undergraduate & honours qualifications

Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health

Qualification code: 90161
NQF level: 8
Total credits: 120
SAQA ID: 111554
APS/AS: 60
Rules:
This qualification consists of 5 modules. Students should note that during the course of their studies they would be required to have access to a computer or laptop, printer and the internet.
Purpose statement:
The purpose of this qualification is to enhance the capacity of people working in the health field to practice Public Health in order to improve the health status of the people of South Africa and other developing countries. Successful candidates will provide the skills and expertise to assess, plan, monitor, implement, and manage relevant health programmes at district, regional and provincial levels. The focus of the qualification is on health measurement to enable students to assess the health status of populations, plan appropriate interventions and monitor the outcomes of intervention strategies. Important determinants such as infectious disease, including HIV and Aids and populations trends will be an integral part of the programme. A module on the principles and theory of health research will ensure that students will obtain the skills to provide evidence-based solutions to health priorities.
This qualification will be presented using both online and distance learning modes.

Who can register?

  • Applicants (new applicants & Unisa students who applied for admission to a new qualification) may only register if they have received an offer of placement from Unisa and have accepted the offer online. Unisa reserves the right to not process and / or to cancel your registration if it is found that you were incorrectly admitted to a qualification. 
  • Re-registering students may register for the 2024 academic year once the registration period opens.

Please note: Should you wish to start a new qualification, please apply online for the alternative qualification during the prescribed application period.


How to choose your modules

Each Unisa qualification is structured in such a way that you need to pass a certain number of NQF level credits within a certain amount of time in order to graduate.

  • Co-requisite: Module A is a co-requisite for Module B. You want to register for Module B, but have not yet passed Module A. You must then register for both Modules A and B simultaneously. You may NOT cancel your registration for Module A unless Module B is also cancelled.

  • Pre-requisite: If Module A is a pre-requisite for Module B, you must pass Module A before you may register for Module B.

You may not register for more than the allowed maximum number of credits / modules per academic year and / or semester: 60 credits per semester or 120 credits per academic year.

The maximum number of credits do not include supplementary and / or aegrotat examinations from a previous semester. Modules taken for non-degree / non-diploma purposes also count towards the maximum number of credits allowed.

You must take your available time into consideration when choosing your modules, as this will impact your academic performance. You need approximately

  • 6 to 8 hours per week for semester modules.
  • 4 to 6 hours per week for year modules.

Click here for more information on managing your studies.

Curriculum for this qualification

While you are deciding on the modules for which you will be registering, write down the module names and codes so that you have something to refer to when completing your registration.

Please click on the modules below to see further information (eg semester/year module, NQF level)

Module (Please click on the module to see further information) Pre-requisite/Co-requisite/Recommendation
Group A. Compulsory
PPH4804 - Introduction to Population Studies and Reproductive Health
PPH4805 - Principles and Methods of Health Research
PPH4806 - Health Systems
PPH4811 - Applied Health Statistics
PPH4813 - Epidemiology of Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases