Skip to main content

Deakin University

Graduate Certificate of Health Economics

  • Delivery: Online
  • Study Level: Postgraduate
  • Duration: 12 months
  • Course Type: Graduate Certificate

Study online to learn how to harness data and become a confident decision-maker.

Course overview

Every healthcare system faces the same fundamental challenge: how can limited resources be used to achieve better health outcomes? Deakin University’s Graduate Certificate of Health Economics introduces the economic thinking and evidence used to answer this question.

Designed for professionals across healthcare, research, policy, management and commerce, the course explores how economic principles can inform decisions about healthcare services and interventions. You will examine economic evaluation, resource allocation and priority setting while considering the relationships between cost, outcomes, efficiency and access.

Your studies will strengthen your ability to evaluate health and health-system data, assess economic evidence and communicate findings to specialist and non-specialist audiences. Electives allow you to explore advanced economic evaluation, global health economics or economics for managers. Course content is informed by active research and industry practice and taught by one of Australia’s largest health economics teams.

Delivered online over one year of part-time study, the course is designed to fit alongside professional commitments. Graduates may apply their expertise across health technology, insurance, healthcare organisations, government, research and consulting or continue into Deakin’s Master of Health Economics.

CSP Subsidised Fees Available

This program has a limited quota of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP). The indicative CSP price is calculated based on first year fees for EFT. The actual fee may vary if there are choices in electives or majors.

Key facts

Delivery
Online
Course Type
Graduate Certificate
Duration
More Information
Not available full-time
12 months (Part time)
Price Per Unit
From $3,825
More Information
The estimated fee is determined by individual units of study and the year the course was commenced.

From $1,489.5 (CSP)
More Information
You may be eligible for CSP where the government pays part of your fees. Fees are determined by individual units of study and the year the course was commenced.
Intake
November, 2026
February, 2027
June, 2027
Units
More Information
You may be required to complete 0 credit point units throughout your course. The university will confirm this as part of your enrolment.

The unit total reflects the number of units required for course completion, not the total credit point weight. Some units may be double- or triple-weighted, so the number of units you complete may be lower.
4
Fees
More Information
FEE-HELP loans and HECS loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university program.
FEE-HELP, HECS, CSP

What you will study

To earn the Graduate Certificate of Health Economics, you must successfully complete units totalling 4 credit points, as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 1 credit point.

Core units

  • Health Economics 1
  • Economic Evaluation 1
  • Resource Allocation and Priority Setting

Elective units

Select 1 credit point from the following:

  • Economic Evaluation - Theory and Practice
  • Health Economics in a Global Context
  • Economics for Managers

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

To be eligible for this course, applicants must meet at least one of the following requirements:

  • Hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
  • Have at least two years of relevant work experience or the part-time equivalent.

Relevant experience may include health outcomes research, health technology assessment, allied health, health services, aged care, youth services, management, commerce or policy.

Academic history, work and life experience and individual circumstances may also be considered. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

English language requirements

Applicants must provide evidence of at least one of the following:

  • A bachelor degree from a recognised English-speaking country.
  • An IELTS overall score of 6.5, with no band score below 6.0, or an accepted equivalent.
  • Other accepted evidence of English-language proficiency.

Contact the university for further information.

Recognition of Prior Learning

You may be eligible for recognition of prior learning if you have previously studied or have relevant work experience. This will help reduce the number of units you need to study to finish your course. Contact the university for more information.

Outcomes

Learning outcomes

  • Analyse the implications of healthcare service delivery from an economic perspective, including consequences for efficiency and access.
  • Communicate health economic issues, including methods and results of economic appraisal, demand and supply of health care, socio-economic influences on health and the rationale for government intervention, using written reports, oral presentations and digital communication technologies to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
  • Locate and critically evaluate digital health and health systems data sources to make health policy recommendations.
  • Critically evaluate applied economic frameworks used in health economics to analyse the effects of monetary policies on health services and community health, emphasising cost, outcomes, efficiency and access to health care.
  • Independently analyse and propose solutions to contemporary health problems from an economic perspective.
  • Demonstrate practical self-management skills, autonomy and accountability that contribute to lifelong learning and professionalism.
  • Collaborate and communicate effectively with others to complete tasks and solve problems.
  • Apply the principles of health economics and evidence-based economic evaluation to strengthen health systems, including universal coverage.

Professional recognition

Graduates may be eligible for membership with the following professional bodies:

  • Australian Health Economics Society
  • Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand
  • International Health Economics Association

Career outcomes

Graduates may explore opportunities across:

  • Pharmaceutical and health technology industries.
  • Health insurance.
  • Hospitals, community health organisations and healthcare management.
  • International health organisations such as the World Health Organization, United Nations Development Programme, OECD, World Bank Group and Asian Development Bank.
  • Government departments and agencies, including Health, Treasury and the Productivity Commission.
  • Non-government organisations, research institutes and think tanks.
  • Corporate consulting firms.

Fees and FEE-HELP

Indicative annual fee in 2027: $5,958 (Commonwealth Supported Place)

Indicative annual fee in 2027: $15,300 (Full-fee paying place)

Indicative annual fees are based on your first year of study.

A student’s annual fee may vary by:

  • The number of units studied.
  • Choice of units.
  • Credit from previous study or work experience.
  • Eligibility for government-funded loans.

Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.

Commonwealth Supported Places

The Australian Government allocates a certain number of CSPs to the universities each year, which are then distributed to students based on merit.

If you're a Commonwealth Supported Student (CSS), you'll only need to pay a portion of your tuition fees. This is known as the student contribution amount – the balance once the government subsidy is applied. This means your costs are much lower.

Limited CSP spaces are offered to students enrolled in selected postgraduate courses.

Your student contribution amount is:

  • Calculated per the course you're enrolled in.
  • Dependent on the study areas they relate to.
  • Reviewed and adjusted each year.

Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.

HECS-HELP loans are available to CSP students to pay the student contribution amount.

FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee-paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.