The course includes the following awards:

Doctor of Health Science DHlthSc

Course Study Modes and Locations

Doctor of Health Science (4901HS)

Distance Education - Uni Wide
On Campus - Uni Wide

Availability is subject to change, please verify prior to enrolment.

Normal course duration

Doctor of Health Science

Full-time 3.0 years (6.0 sessions)

Part-time 6.0 years (12.0 sessions)

Overall duration: 3.0 FTE - Part-time: 6 years minimum/8 years maximum*

*This degree is available part-time only, as it is designed for health professionals who are working at least part-time within their chosen profession.

Normal course duration is the effective period of time taken to complete a course when studied Full-time (Full-time Equivalent: FTE). Students are advised to consult the Enrolment Pattern for the actual length of study. Not all courses are offered in Full-time mode.

Admission criteria

CSU Admission Policy

The Research Advisory Committee (RAC) of the University holds the delegated authority to approval for admission to a research higher degree programs. 

Doctor of Health Science

Basis of Approval for Admission to the Doctor of Health Science
The RAC shall base its decision on admission to a proposed Doctor of Health Science candidature upon the following evidence, that:

• the proposed program of study and research is at a level appropriate to the degree being sought;
• the  proposed  area of research  falls  within  an  approved University  field  of  research  for  admission  to  a higher degree by research;
• the proposed supervisors are sufficiently expert in the area of research, and have the time and commitment to be able to provide appropriate supervision, and that adequate physical resources are available;
• the applicant has the appropriate background and ability to undertake the proposed course (refer also to Entry Qualifications, below);
• the applicant has given the necessary commitment to work regularly on the approved program of study and research and maintain regular contact with the supervisor(s).

Entry Qualifications for Doctor of Health Science

The entry qualifications required for admission to a Doctor of Health Science program are:

• working in an appropriate field within, or relevant to, the health professions and can demonstrate they have the opportunity and facilities to complete the applied research/investigation components of the course; and either
  • qualified for the award of a Master by Research; or
  • hold an appropriate Bachelor degree with class 1 or class 2(i) Honours from an Australian university or an equivalent overseas tertiary institution, taken over a minimum of four years (full-time equivalent).

Credit

CSU Credit Policy

N/A

Graduation requirements

To graduate students must satisfactorily complete 192 points.

Course Structure

Students will undertake the following components of this degree to obtain a combination of advanced coursework and research training relevant to their current clinical/professional practice:

• Coursework component – 32 credit points;
• Research component – 160 credit points.

Coursework component
This component is comprised of 32 credit points of coursework subjects:.

HLT710 Clinical Issues in Health (8 points)
HLT711 Clinical Judgement and Decision Making (8 points)
[ ] Elective (8 points), to be approved at a suitable level for doctoral study by the Associate Dean (Research, Honours & Graduate Studies)

Plus one of:

BMS500 Biomedical Research Methods (8 points) or
HLT505 Research Methods in Health Sciences A (8 points)

Research component
This component requires students to work with their supervisory team to complete all aspects of their research project. The supervisory team will be comprised of one principal supervisor and at least one co-supervisor who are both permanent academic staff at Charles Sturt University. Supervisory teams may include additional co-supervisors who are adjuncts or external to the University, and may include appropriately qualified staff in the professional workplace of the candidate. All supervisors will be required to meet minimum qualification and professional experience standards and have been formally registered on the CSU Supervisor Registry.

Under the guidance of their supervisors, students will determine an appropriate area of study that aligns with the Faculty’s designated fields of research, where appropriate, gain ethics and other approvals, conduct a detailed research investigation, and write and submit a portfolio with exegesis for examination. The research project is guided through enrolment in a series of research-related shell subjects with milestones being required before students can progress to the next subject. These subjects are as follows:

HSC700 Research Critique and Publication (16 points)
HSC701 Reflective Practice in Health Sciences (16 points)
HSC712 Proposal for Applied Research Investigation (32 points)
HSC703 Research Project and Report (64 points)
HSC704 Health Science Portfolio and Exegesis (32 points)

Enrolment Pattern

By Part-time study

Session 1 (30)
HLT710 Clinical Issues in Health
PLUS one of:
BMS500 Biomedical Research Methods
HLT505 Research Methods in Health Sciences A

Session 2 (60)
HLT711 Clinical Judgement & Decision Making
[ ] Elective

Session 3 (30)
HSC700 Research Critique and Publication (16 points)

Session 4 (60)
HSC701 Reflective Practice in Health Science (16 points)

Session 5 (30)
HSC712 Proposal for Applied Research/Investigation (32 points) (commenced)

Session 6 (60)
HSC712 Proposal for Applied Research/Investigation (32 points) (completed)

Session 7 (30)
HSC703 Research Project and Report (64 points) (commenced)

Session 8 (60)
HSC703 Research Project and Report (64 points )(continued)

Session 9 (30)
HSC703 Research Project and Report (64 points) (continued)

Session 10 (60)
HSC703 Research Project and Report (64 points) (completed)

Session 11 (30)
HSC704 Health Science Portfolio and Exegesis (32 points) (commenced)

Session 12 (60)
HSC704 Health Science Portfolio and Exegesis (32 points) (completed)