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Course Overview
The Graduate Certificate in Cross-Cultural Practice provides a structured learning experience to navigate different cultural contexts. Throughout this course you will be guided to make sense of your own cross-cultural experiences so you are able to develop an effective cross-cultural practice. This involves reflecting on your own behaviours, attitudes and perspectives to enable you to work and learn in partnership with members from diverse communities. You will learn from your own experiences, those of others, and through applying theories of cultural diversity to promote the co-generation of knowledge within partnerships and communities.
Career Information
Governments and non-government organisations increasingly operate within international and cross-cultural contexts, including international aid, disaster relief, development programs, migrant and refugee health, and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. With a strong emphasis on Indigenous knowledge systems, relational ethics, and community-led approaches, the course fosters the development of respectful, reflective, and effective practitioners who can navigate complex health landscapes with cultural humility and integrity. This Graduate Certificate is designed to deepen health professionals’ understanding of public health, systems thinking, and culturally responsive practice across the health and social service sectors.
| Duration | 0.5 years full-time or 1 years part-time |
|---|---|
| Credit Points that Must be Earned | 24 |
| Number of Units Required | CQUniversity uses the concept of credits to express the amount of study required for a particular course and individual units. The number of units varies between courses. Units in postgraduate courses normally consist of 6 points of credit or multiples thereof (e.g. 12, 18, 24). |
| Expected Hours of Study | One point of credit is equivalent to an expectation of approximately two hours of student work per week in a term. |
| Course Type | Postgraduate Award |
| Qualification (post nominal) | GradCertCrCulPr |
| AQF Level | Level 8: Graduate Certificate |
| Course Fees |
Indicative Year - 2026
Indicative Year - 2025
Indicative Year - 2024
Indicative Year - 2023
Indicative Year - 2022
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Admission Codes
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Domestic Students Tertiary Admission Centre Codes (TAC) Codes |
Not Applicable |
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International Students CRICOS Codes |
Units offered via MIX mode are delivered online and require compulsory attendance of site-specific learning activities such as on-campus residential schools, placements and/or work integrated learning. See Course Features tab for further information. Online units are delivered using online resources only.
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Domestic Availability
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Term 2 - 2027
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Term 1 - 2027
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Term 2 - 2026
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Term 1 - 2026
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Term 2 - 2024
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Term 1 - 2024
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Term 2 - 2023
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Term 1 - 2023
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Term 2 - 2022
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Term 1 - 2022
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Term 2 - 2021
International Availability
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Term 2 - 2027
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Term 1 - 2027
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Term 2 - 2026
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Term 1 - 2026
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Term 2 - 2024
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Term 1 - 2024
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Term 2 - 2023
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Term 1 - 2023
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Term 2 - 2022
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Term 1 - 2022
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Term 2 - 2021
A 3 year Australian Bachelor degree or equivalent qualification in any discipline from a recognised tertiary institution.
International students or domestic students born outside of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, South Africa or USA must meet English Language Proficiency requirements. Minimum scores are:
- IELTS (Academic) score of at least 6.0 (with no band less than 5.5), or
- TOEFL overall score of 75 with no score less than 17, or
- Pearson Test of English Academic overall score of 54 with no score less than 46, or
- Cambridge English Advanced overall test score of 169 (with no individual band score less than 154).
English test results remain valid for no more than two years between final examination date and the date of commencement of study.
This degree is recommended for people who are about to commence an international work or volunteer position and those about to commence or are currently working in any cross-cultural context.
Students may be required to undertake police checks when working in particular situations, such as with children, older adults or vulnerable people.
Students may be required to be fully vaccinated or have other health checks when working in specific contexts.
Awards and Accreditation
| Interim Awards | Not applicable |
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| Exit Awards | Not applicable |
| Accreditation |
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Residential School Requirements
No Residential School for this course.
Practicum/Work Placement
| PBHL20008 - 25 hours of volunteering with a community-based organisation. |
| PBHL20009 - 120 hours of placement with a community-based organisation. |
| PBHL20010 - 120 hours of placement with a community-based organisation. |
Previous and Current Enrolments
| Year | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 |
Please note that in some instances there may be similarities between course, entry and inherent requirements.
If you experience difficulties meeting these requirements, reasonable adjustments may be made upon contacting accessibility@cqu.edu.au. Adjustment must not compromise the academic integrity of the degree or course chosen at CQUniversity or the legal requirements of field education.
- Complying with academic and non-academic misconduct policies and procedures such as CQUniversity’s Student Conduct and Procedure Policy and Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
- Demonstrating the applicable codes of ethics as they apply in the practice of public health.
- Demonstrating an ability to reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues and taking responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour.
- Demonstrating respect for cultural diversity as well as individual differences and capacities in public health practice.
- Being reflective with personal behaviours appropriate for professional performance and being positive and receptive to constructive supervisor/lecturer feedback or criticism.
- Interacting with people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures in a calm and composed manner that shows respect for difference, including when dealing with difficult situations.
- Verbally communicating public health knowledge and skills with accuracy, appropriateness and effectiveness in a wide variety of contexts.
- Actively participating in discussion and course activities with appropriate use and command of language within the context.
- Competently and appropriately producing written assessment work in a logical, coherent manner, and with correct grammar and punctuation to the required academic standards.
- Constructing fluent summarised written text from complex and detailed information.
- Constructing coherent reports in a timely manner to meet professional standards and clearly communicating the intended message.
- Regularly accessing the Internet for research, and email for communication with peers and lecturers.
- Conceptualising and using appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessments.
- Completing academic learning activities and assessment tasks and performing professional skills within reasonable set time-frames.
- Constructing written text proficiently, in English, using appropriate vocabulary and conventions of speech, including being able to paraphrase, summarise and reference in accordance with appropriate academic conventions.
- Competently reading, writing and accurately interpreting information to convey language effectively in a professional setting.
- Completing documentation that is accurate, clear and concise.
- Recognising and responding apropriately to verbal and non-verbal communicative cues.
- Being aware of non-verbal communication and the social and cultural norms that underlie it.
- Using own tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures, and body language to communicate effectively and appropriately in a mutlicultural setting.
- Adhering to timelines for tasks and abiding by deadlines in the context of academic assignments.
- Managing time, stress and relationships to achieve academic goals.
- Allocating an appropriate amount of time to study on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
- Keeping up with demands of collaborative work in the context of group projects and contribution to the teaching and learning environment.
- Demonstrating the skills of collaborating with fellow students and colleagues, modifying and reflecting on practice, or modifying and reflecting on work in response to supervisor feedback.
- Building rapport with colleagues and stakeholders in order to engage them in effective public health practice.
- Critically self-reflecting on situations that may or may not have gone well and learning from those situations.
- Interacting and engaging with individuals and groups in public health practice in a respectful and culturally competent manner in a wide variety of contexts.
- Using a range of word processing programs and applications to produce assignments, reports, presentations, and videos.
- Using the internet to find necessary information to support assignments, group work, and/or placement activities..
- Using the University's Moodle system for autonomous learning and self-directed study and assessment.
- Using Library databases to identify and locate scholarly articles relevant to assignments and personal learning.
- 1. Critically reflect on own cross-cultural experiences, attitudes and perspectives
- 2. Initiate and maintain effective cross-cultural partnerships across a variety of contexts
- 3. Utilise theories of cultural diversity and practice to promote the co-generation of knowledge.
| Course Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Qualifications Framework Descriptors | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1. KNOWLEDGE Have specialised knowledge within a systematic and coherent body of knowledge that may include the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills in a new or existing discipline or professional area | |||
| 2. SKILLS Have cognitive skills to review,analyse, consolidate and synthesise knowledge and identify and provide solutions to complex problems | |||
| 3. SKILLS Have cognitive skills to think critically and to generate and evaluate complex ideas | |||
| 4. SKILLS Have specialised technical and creative skills in a field of highly skilled and/or professional practice | |||
| 5. SKILLS Have communication skills to demonstrate an understanding of theoretical concepts | |||
| 6. SKILLS Have communication skills to transfer complex knowledge and ideas to a variety of audiences | |||
| 7. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to make high level, independent judgements in a range of technical or management functions in varied specialised contexts | |||
| 8. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to initiate, plan, implement and evaluate broad functions within varied specialised technical and/or creative contexts | |||
| 9. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILL Be responsible and accountable for personal outputs and all aspects of the work or function of others within broad parameters | |||
| 10. FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE sufficient to undertake qualifications | |||
| 11. ACQUISITION AND APPLICATION of knowledge in new or existing disciplines or professional areas drawn from higher education units | |||
| 12. FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS sufficient to undertake qualifications | |||
| 13. ACQUISITION AND APPLICATION of skills in new or existing disciplines or professional areas drawn from higher education units | |||
| 14. Course content drawn from higher education units | |||
- Complete the core structure
| Number of units: 4 | Total credit points: 24 |
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All four units of the Graduate Certificate in Cross-Cultural Practice must be completed.
| Available units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
| PBHL20007 | Foundations of First Nations Peoples and Communities Wellbeing in Public Health | |
| PBHL20008 | Culturally Informed Public Health Practice | |
| PBHL20009 | Health and Wellbeing in the Cross-Cultural Community | |
| PBHL20010 | Public Health Practice in the Cross-Cultural Community | |