Diploma of Health (Higher Education)
Launch your career in health with a direct, supportive pathway into a Bachelor’s degree.
Course essentials
Entry requirements
Credit
Study mode
Duration
Start dates
26 July 2027
Locations
Course overview
Are you passionate about making a difference in the healthcare sector, but need a pathway to get into university? Our Diploma of Health is designed to be your launchpad.
It provides a well designed, flexible and practical program that prepares you for success. Whether your goal is Nursing, Midwifery, Psychology, Allied Health, or Exercise Science, this course gives you the essential foundational knowledge and academic confidence to thrive from day one.
Beyond learning the basics of health and wellbeing, you will master the professional skills that universities require with strong support from experienced educators. You will learn how health practice draws on evidence and develop your professional skills in collaborative teamwork and effective communication and you’ll gain the tools to navigate as a professional in the healthcare environment. We focus on person-centred care and cultural awareness, ensuring you are not just ready for university, but ready to become a compassionate and effective health professional.
This course is your first step into more advanced health studies and your career. By completing this diploma, you earn significant course credit towards your chosen Bachelor’s degree at Federation University.
IT requirements
To do this course you’ll need a fast and reliable computer and access to high-speed internet. Expect to use about 5GB of data per month for every unit you’re doing. Find out more about the minimum IT requirements for studying with us.
Got questions?
Call us on 1800 333 864, start a live chat or submit an enquiry.
Student support
The support we offer is second to none. Need academic help? No problem. Extra access or financial assistance? Let’s see what we can do. View our student services.
The fine print
The commencement of all courses is subject to available funding and enrolment quotas.
Everything in this course overview is correct at the time of being published. However, the University reserves the right to alter any course, procedure or fee. Please check for changes before you apply or enrol.
Federation University uses Victorian and Commonwealth Government funding (for eligible students) to deliver training.
School department
Nursing
Course co-ordinator
Mt Helen (on campus) - Danielle Wagstaff
Career paths
Fees and scholarships
Tuition fee information
Commonwealth Supported Places are subsidised by the Australian Government. The tuition fee is called the student contribution amount. The indicative fee above is based on a typical first-year enrolment for this course and should be used as a guide only. For 0.5 EFTSL (60 credit point) courses the certificate fee is displayed. Your fee will depend on the units you chose, your study load, the time it takes to complete your course and any approved credit you receive.
How it's calculated
The government sets the fee each year. The amount depends on the discipline area and band of each unit. 2026 annual student contribution amounts for 1 EFTSL (equivalent full-time student load) range from $4,738 (Band 1) to $17,399 (Band 4). The sample course structure below link to the EFTSL, Band and fee for each unit or you can use our unit search to find these details.
Other fees
You will also need to pay the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
Fee assistance
If you're eligible for a HECS-HELP loan, you can defer the payment of all or part of your student contribution fee. If you’re also eligible for a SA-HELP loan, you can defer your SSAF payment too. You won’t have to start paying either loan back until your income reaches the compulsory repayment threshold.
Scholarships
There’s a range of scholarships and grants available. Find out what you can apply for.
Course details
Start dates
Semester 1, 2027
1 March 2027
Locations
Mt Helen (on campus)
Semester 2, 2027
26 July 2027
Locations
Mt Helen (on campus)
Information
- Our Mt Helen, SMB, Camp St and Gillies St campuses are located in Ballarat.
Contact hours
You’d be looking at about 25-30 hours per week (if you’re full time), but this includes on-campus classes and self-directed study (i.e. homework).
Sample course structure
Here’s what the course structure could look like. It’s just an example (so don’t use it for enrolment). Interested in the details? You can find current course structure or select a single unit name below to find out what it’s about and how much it costs.
- Academic Writing15 credit pointsFASTP1015
- Introduction to Tertiary Studies15 credit pointsFASTP1011
- Anatomy and Physiology for Nursing and Midwifery 115 credit pointsNURBN1111
Elective
Elective
Entry requirements
Entry requirements (non year 12)
Admission criteria for applicants currently year 12 and recent secondary graduates (past two years)
This course uses the ATAR as part of its selection considerations.
Units 3 and 4: A study score of at least 20 in any English.
Pre-requisities;
- Units 3 and 4: a study score of at least 25 in any English (EAL) or
- Units 3 and 4: a study score of at least 20 in any English other than EAL.
Admission criteria for applications with Higher Education study
Previous higher education studies with results at a pass level or above, including any 'single subjects of study', or successful completion of a tertiary preparatory course such as Federation Access Studies (FAST).
Admission criteria for applications with a Vocational Education and Training study
Compulsory: Successful completion of a relevant VET qualification at Certificate III level or higher.
Admission criteria for applications with work and life experience
Applicants who have not completed secondary education, or undertaken any TAFE or university studies will not be eligible for entry into this course. Applicants in this category should consider a pathway course such as Federation Access Studies (FAST). Applicants who have not met the entry criteria through their academic studies can have their work experience considered. Applicants need to have completed secondary school and have at least 2 years FTE work experience.
English language requirements
Overall Academic IELTS band score of 6.5, with no band less than 6.0, or equivalent.
Extra requirements
Essential requirements for enrolment and graduation
Working with children check
Compulsory: Applicants will be required to hold a valid Working with Children (WWC) Check prior to undertaking professional placements as part of this course. For more information click here
How you apply will depend on your current situation – school leaver, tertiary background or life experience – and whether you’re also applying for courses at other institutions. Visit our how to apply page to find out more.
Ready to fill out your application? You might need these codes:
- Direct application
- Yes
- Federation University code
- HH1
This course recognises relevant non-formal and informal prior learning and experiences, as long as you meet the admission eligibility rules and procedures, and any RPL unit exclusions.
Hear from our staff
Hello, my name is Dr Anne Baker and I'm a lecturer in Occupational Therapy at Federation Uni on the Gippsland campus in Churchill. One thing I really love about teaching here is that we have small class sizes so that I get to really know my students and it means I can work with them to work on their personal learning goals and to help support them to become occupational therapists. An interesting thing about studying here is that we have brand new facilities that were developed in 2020 when the program first started, and we have a great teaching space which includes up-to-date equipment and assessment. So students are really getting the most relevant skills. And as they work to become occupational therapists, we also have excellent relationships with our clinical partners. So students get a great range of placement experiences and develop their skills in a range of different areas. A fun fact about me is that I'm also an occupational therapy driver assessor, which means that I can assess, make recommendations about people's fitness to drive. This is typically not an area that people think about when they think about occupational therapy, but occupation is more than just your job, so it includes things like self-care, so things like sharing and dressing, productive occupations, which does include work, and also things like driving, as well as leisure occupations, which are things that people do to occupy their time and their space. So this means as occupational therapists, we work from early on in people's lives, so pretty soon after birth, all the way through to advanced age and conditions that involve dying. We'd love you to come and study occupational therapy with us. We have a really great teaching team here, fantastic resources and I think you'll enjoy the student experience.