Bachelor of Applied Science (Health Protection) - AUT University

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Are you interested in protecting people and communities from environmental hazards such as pollution, unsafe food, infectious diseases and poor living conditions? Health protection is a growing industry and Health Protection and Environmental Health Officers are in high demand throughout New Zealand.

AUT’s Health Protection major prepares you for work in this varied field, covering environmental health, pollution control, food safety, environmental and public health law, risk assessment, toxicology and communicable disease control.

Graduates are qualified to work as Health Protection or Environmental Health Officers.

ENTRY REQUIREMENT 

• University Entrance (UE) is the minimum entry requirement and science subjects are useful but not required.
• Preferred subjects at Level 3 on entry: Biology, Chemistry, Statistics and Modelling.

THE KEY SKILLS YOU WILL ACQUIRE

You will acquire the competencies required by the Ministry of Health for designation as a Health Protection Officer. You will also be able to work as an Environmental Health Officer. You will acquire skills to identify and respond to environmental health issues so as to protect the health of people and communities.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Health Protection Officers work for either a public health unit of a District Health Board or within a local council (where they are called Environmental Health Officers) making sure the community lives in a healthy environment. They look after the environment to look after the health of its people. Graduates may find themselves working in areas such as:

• Environmental health enforcement
• Pollution control
• Food safety
• Communicable disease investigation
• Resource management.

After gaining experience in New Zealand, there is an opportunity to obtain international positions in disaster relief with organisations such as the Red Cross.

PAPERS

Required Path
Please note, in order to fulfil the competencies required for designation as a Health Protection Officer, no minor specialisation can be included with this major.

FIRST YEAR
145611 Scientific Communication
555338 Health in the Context of Aotearoa
715184 Statistical Models 5**
775111 Microbiology
775112 Systematic Microbiology
775313 Environmental Science
775411 Food Technology I
775617 Introduction to Epidemiology
Plus three electives at Level 5 (or above) including either
775214 General Chemistry or
775215 Introductory Chemistry

SECOND YEAR
776113 Environmental Microbiology
776313 Environmental Law
776317 Environmental Monitoring and Risk Assessment
776318 Environmental Health / 777313 Natural Resource Management*
776319 Communicable Diseases / 776616 Health Protection Techniques*
776412 Food Microbiology I
Plus ONE elective at Level 6 (or above)

THIRD YEAR
776318 Environmental Health / 777313 Natural Resource Management*
776319 Communicable Diseases / 776616 Health Protection Techniques*
777003 Research Project
777411 Food Microbiology II
777413 Food Industry Legislation
*Each offered in alternate years
Students who have not achieved 14 credits at Level 3 NCEA in Statistics, Chemistry and Biology are strongly recommended to enrol in the Introductory papers in these subjects.

TE ARA HAUORA MĀORI – OPTIONAL PAPERS
Students who seek careers with a Māori development perspective should select:
555339 Māori Health and Development (instead of 555338 Health in the Context of Aotearoa/New Zealand) and both
527872 Māori Health Promotion AND
567431 Applied Primary Māori Mental Health as electives or alternative course of study.
Te Ara Hauora Māori students are supported to form relationships with Māori health providers and communities, and AUTMäori staff and students.