IIE Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health - (Distance)

Admission requirements

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree: An appropriate HEQSF Level 7 Bachelor’s degree which must include public health, medical or nursing-related modules at the 3rd year level, or the applicant must have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in public health related field
• Advanced Diploma: An appropriate Advanced Diploma which must include public health, medical or nursing-related modules at the 3rd year level, or the applicant must have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in public health related field
• NQF Level 7 Qualification: An appropriate NQF Level 7 qualification which must include public health, medical or nursing-related modules at the 3rd year level, or the applicant must have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in public health related field

For alternative admission options, please click here or reach out to student recruitment.

Please note, requirements for entry to this qualification are correct at the time of publication, however, these may change.

Curriculum

Year 1 – Semester 1

• Principles and Practices of Public Health and Health Promotion 
  This module explores Public Health theory and practice, focusing on health promotion, disease prevention, inequalities, policy, and community preparedness for health issues and emergencies.
• Population Health and Development 
  This module helps postgraduate students understand population dynamics, public health, and their links to societal development, covering determinants of health, demography, development indicators, and how health policies affect poverty and socio-economic progress.

Year 1 – Semester 2

• Managing Health Systems 
  This module introduces students to the business and management aspects of healthcare, focusing on factors shaping health systems, the six building blocks of health systems, and comparing their principles, goals, strengths, and weaknesses.
• HIV and AIDS and the Sustainable Development Agenda 
  This module equips students with knowledge and skills to combat HIV/AIDS, covering its epidemiology, national responses, rights-based approaches, policy issues, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, while addressing challenges in equitable access to care.

Year 2 – Semester 3

• Epidemiology in Public Health 
  This module builds students’ epidemiology skills to find, evaluate, and use evidence for population health, covering research methods, data analysis, statistics, and critical appraisal of literature.
• Planning, Monitoring and evaluation of Health and HIV and AIDS 
  This module covers planning, monitoring, and evaluating health programmes, focusing on data collection, impact analysis, frameworks, indicators, and quality improvement, with emphasis on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care programmes.

Year 2 – Semester 4

• Health Policy, Management, Leadership and Governance 
  This module introduces the development framework for health policy, leadership, governance, and management, equipping students with skills to implement policy, lead, and manage effectively within complex health systems.
• Health Systems Research 
  This module explores Health System Research (HSR), examining how social, economic, and organisational factors affect healthcare access, quality, and cost. It covers conducting HSR, applying findings to policy and practice, and strengthening health systems, with a focus on equity and development.

Articulation options

For the Faculty of Science and Technology, School of Engineering, Science and Health the following qualifications allow you to articulate into the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health (PGDip Public Health) should you meet the requirements:

• The IIE Bachelor of Public Health

For alternative articulation options within our other faculties please contact your campus for further information.

Accreditation

The qualification is accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

The IIE Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health is accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and is registered by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) as a 120-credit qualification on level 8 (SAQA ID: 10152). 

Career opportunities

Graduates of the PGDip Public Health are well-positioned for roles in:

• National and provincial health departments
• NGOs and international development agencies
• Multilateral donor organisations
• Public and private healthcare institutions
• Academic and research institutions

The qualification enables graduates to advance in their current roles or transition into leadership positions in the growing public health sector.

Teaching and Learning strategy

At Emeris, we believe that effective teaching is about creating experiences that foster student growth. Our academic team design activities that challenge students and identify their strengths, allowing for real-time adaptation in the learning journey. By combining subject expertise with teaching insights and digital tools, we extend learning beyond the classroom. This approach ensures students not only keep up but thrive.

On-Campus written examination venue information

For students based in South Africa, online students may select any campus of Emeris as their Examination Centre.

An alternative examination centre is only permissible for students studying abroad and those located in a province of South Africa where there is no Emeris.

If there is no Emeris campus within reach, an alternative venue will need to be sourced by you.

For non-Emeris venues, there is an alternative venue levy per module.

Device and connectivity specifications required for online study

• Reliable internet connection (we recommend 5-10 GB of data per month and an internet speed of at least 0.15 Mbps).
• Desktop PC or laptop with at least an i3 processor and 4GB RAM memory.
• Windows 8 or macOS 10.15 (Microsoft Office 365 is available as a free download for Emeris students), and Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge Chromium or Firefox.
• A working webcam and microphone.
• An uninterrupted power supply is also highly recommended. Exams are written at an exam centre and in some instances online. These details will be specified in your programme assessment schedule.
• Exams are written at an exam centre and in some instances online. These details will be specified in your programme assessment schedule.