UoN announces a “world-first” university degree, where students follow their passion

The university will offer a new bachelor of public and community health, based on the Big Picture Education philosophy. This engages students by basing learning on their particular interests in a discipline, using research and work-experience to establish the context for the curriculum they study in-class or on-line. “Students are more likely to be more interested in the rest of the curriculum because there is something they have just done or are looking forward to, something they are passionate about,” course champion Interim PVC John Fischetti said in a 2017 Uni Newcastle interview.

The Big Picture method started in schools – Uni Newcastle takes students from two that use it, but this is the first undergraduate degree.

The course will offer eight majors and draw on disciplines including, public health, statistics, health economics, Indigenous studies and business administration. The programme also has embedded externally accredited certificates in public health-related subjects, including first aid, child protection and disaster response.

It will start next year at the university’s new Central Coast Clinical School and Research Institute at Gosford, between Sydney and Newcastle.