Put simply health promotion involves activities to improve individual and community’s health and prevent disease. Health promotion activities offer solutions to many of the health problems facing society through developing skills and knowledge, community action, supportive environments, healthy public policy and reorienting health services. Health promotion works towards enabling people to increase control over, and improve, their health.

With a significant proportion of ill-health related to choices about nutrition, exercise, the use of legal and illegal substances, interpersonal relationships and other social behaviours, health promotion can help us make choices that support well-being.

The innovative and cutting edge Health Promotion courses at Curtin University offers students a combination of studies in health science with the theory and practice of health promotion, advocacy, and communication skills.

The programs have been designed to suit the needs of students wishing to pursue careers in community health promotion, community development, research and evaluation.

The first course of its type in Australia, three decades of cutting-edge experience offers an undergraduate program that combines biological and psycho-social science with the principles and the processes of planning, implementing and evaluating health promotion programs in various settings including the media, schools, work sites and the community.

The health promotion courses consist of specialist health promotion studies as well as support units. Each course includes studies of appropriate theoretical components with a strong emphasis on health promotion practice. Professional practice units provide opportunity for further development of practical skills.

Graduate programs in Health Promotion help to develop students' research skills to enable them to plan, implement and evaluate health promotion programs in various settings.

Upon completion of a postgraduate diploma there are a number of study options that students can undertake. Students pursuing studies by higher degree may apply for scholarships. Information about Australian and International student scholarships, and closing dates, can be found on the Curtin Scholarship website.

Students also undertake professional practice placements. Professional practice placements can be in government and non-government health promoting organizations in urban, rural and international locations. Professional placements have been completed in outback Australia, Vietnam, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, to name a few.

Students are taught by expert practitioners and have the opportunity to participate in the research undertaken in the internationally renowned WA Centre for Health Promotion Research, which is affiliated with the Health Promotion Program.