Master of Health (Research Practice)
Reach your potential and become a leader in health research.
Course essentials
Entry requirements
Credit
Study mode
Duration
Start dates
01 March 2027
19 July 2027
Locations
Course overview
This flexible study option aims to develop critical thinking and research skills that are highly sought after in a competitive employment environment. Engage with contemporary global debates and developments, pursuing an area of interest, and further advance your theoretical knowledge and research skills supporting the discovery and translation of evidence into practice.
Coursework elements will provide you with a solid foundation in research methods and the critical appraisal of literature to inform the application of a research project.
This course is only offered part-time (duration is 4 years).
A range of student services, including childcare, counselling, support for students with disabilities, Learning Resource Centre and cafeteria are available at most campuses. For further information on these services please call 1800 333 864.
The commencement of all courses is subject to available funding and enrolment quotas
IT requirements
To do this course you’ll need a fast and reliable computer and access to high-speed internet. Expect to use about 5GB of data per month for every unit you’re doing. Find out more about the minimum IT requirements for studying with us.
Got questions?
Call us on 1800 333 864, start a live chat or submit an enquiry.
Student support
The support we offer is second to none. Need academic help? No problem. Extra access or financial assistance? Let’s see what we can do. View our student services.
The fine print
The commencement of all courses is subject to available funding and enrolment quotas.
Everything in this course overview is correct at the time of being published. However, the University reserves the right to alter any course, procedure or fee. Please check for changes before you apply or enrol.
Federation University uses Victorian and Commonwealth Government funding (for eligible students) to deliver training.
School department
Nursing
Course co-ordinator
Michael Barbagallo
Career paths
Successful completion of the Master of Health will enhance your professional standing and provide you with advanced level skills and knowledge for application in the health community and may lead to employment opportunities in the tertiary sector. Completion of the research pathway provides a pathway to PhD study.
Professional recognition
The course is recognised as a valuable contribution to the ongoing professional development of practitioners working in a wide range of sectors. Please note that this does not lead to registration as a health professional.
Fees and scholarships
Tuition fee information
Commonwealth Supported Places are subsidised by the Australian Government. The tuition fee is called the student contribution amount. The indicative fee above is based on a typical first-year enrolment for this course and should be used as a guide only. For 0.5 EFTSL (60 credit point) courses the certificate fee is displayed. Your fee will depend on the units you chose, your study load, the time it takes to complete your course and any approved credit you receive.
How it's calculated
The government sets the fee each year. The amount depends on the discipline area and band of each unit. 2026 annual student contribution amounts for 1 EFTSL (equivalent full-time student load) range from $4,738 (Band 1) to $17,399 (Band 4). The sample course structure below link to the EFTSL, Band and fee for each unit or you can use our unit search to find these details.
Other fees
You will also need to pay the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
Fee assistance
If you're eligible for a HECS-HELP loan, you can defer the payment of all or part of your student contribution fee. If you’re also eligible for a SA-HELP loan, you can defer your SSAF payment too. You won’t have to start paying either loan back until your income reaches the compulsory repayment threshold.
Scholarships
There’s a range of scholarships and grants available. Find out what you can apply for.
Course details
Start dates
Semester 2, 2026
20 July 2026
Locations
Online
Semester 1, 2027
1 March 2027
Locations
Online
Semester 2, 2027
19 July 2027
Locations
Online
Information
- Online learning is only an option if you’re not studying on an international student visa. Testing
Contact hours
The course is delivered in an online mode with structured discussion forums and collaboration. A full-time student would be expected to contribute approximately 40 hours / week to the course. A part-time student would be expected to contribute approximately 20 hours / week to the course. The amount of time required will depend to some extent on the elective courses chosen.
Sample course structure
Here’s what the course structure could look like. It’s just an example (so don’t use it for enrolment). Interested in the details? You can find current course structure or select a single unit name below to find out what it’s about and how much it costs.
Electives
- Applied Health Research and Evidence Based Practice15 credit pointsHEALT5000
Electives
- Research Methods for Health30 credit pointsHEALT6001
- Inquiry and Analysis of Literature30 credit pointsHEALT6002
- Qualitative Health Research30 credit pointsHEALT7000
- Quantitative and Mixed Methods Research in Health30 credit pointsHEALT7001
- Research Thesis A30 credit pointsHEALT7002
- Research Thesis B30 credit pointsHEALT7003
Meet us at Open Day
Open Day is your chance to explore all that Federation has to offer. Meet current lecturers and students, ask course questions, learn about our support services and explore campus spaces.
We’ve got heaps of activities, tours and presentations planned. Basically, we want you to get a real feel for Federation. The atmosphere. The opportunities. The community.
Oh – and there’s no need to pack a sandwich. Lunch is on us.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements (non year 12)
Entry into the Master of Health course is predicated on completion of undergraduate study to third year or equivalent.
Advanced Standing: Credit for up to four courses (120 credit points) may be granted to candidates who have successfully completed a fourth year of university study.
English language requirements
Academic IELTS of 7.0 overall with no bands less than 6.5
Extra requirements
Applicants must supply a current resume with their application.
If you’re only applying for this course, do it via direct application.
Ready to fill out your application?
You'll need this code:
Direct application
Federation University code
- Direct application
- Yes
- Federation University code
- HN9
This course has been developed with student flexibility in mind. Students can choose to exit with a Graduate Certificate or Health or a Graduate Diploma of Health, allowing the candidates to complete the course in smaller stages of study.
Applicants who hold a Bachelors degree as their highest level of prior study will be required to undertake 120 credit points of inductor courses prior to progressing to one of the Masters streams.
A student who has successfully undertaken a Graduate Certificate in a Health related discipline would be eligible for advanced standing of 60 credit points towards their introductory courses.
In instances where a student has successfully completed a ‘fourth year’ of higher education studies in a health related discipline (eg. a three year bachelor degree plus one year of honours or a four year undergraduate degree, or a Graduate Diploma) the course for a Master level qualification will be a minimum of 1 year FT study or equivalent. Students who meet these entry requirements would transition directly into the second year of the course and into a stream of their choice.
Students who successfully complete the Master of Health - Research Practice stream may be eligible for entry to a PhD course.
Hear from our staff
Hello, my name is Dr Anne Baker and I'm a lecturer in Occupational Therapy at Federation Uni on the Gippsland campus in Churchill. One thing I really love about teaching here is that we have small class sizes so that I get to really know my students and it means I can work with them to work on their personal learning goals and to help support them to become occupational therapists. An interesting thing about studying here is that we have brand new facilities that were developed in 2020 when the program first started, and we have a great teaching space which includes up-to-date equipment and assessment. So students are really getting the most relevant skills. And as they work to become occupational therapists, we also have excellent relationships with our clinical partners. So students get a great range of placement experiences and develop their skills in a range of different areas. A fun fact about me is that I'm also an occupational therapy driver assessor, which means that I can assess, make recommendations about people's fitness to drive. This is typically not an area that people think about when they think about occupational therapy, but occupation is more than just your job, so it includes things like self-care, so things like sharing and dressing, productive occupations, which does include work, and also things like driving, as well as leisure occupations, which are things that people do to occupy their time and their space. So this means as occupational therapists, we work from early on in people's lives, so pretty soon after birth, all the way through to advanced age and conditions that involve dying. We'd love you to come and study occupational therapy with us. We have a really great teaching team here, fantastic resources and I think you'll enjoy the student experience.