Wicking Dementia Research & Education Centre
The fully online Master of Dementia Program at University of Tasmania provides a global perspective of this key public health area. It offers a Graduate Certificate in Dementia, a Graduate Diploma of Dementia and a Master of Dementia.
This program is aimed at graduates and professionals currently working within, or building their expertise in, a field related to dementia. The rising prevalence of dementia is creating new challenges and a pressing need for change in the way our systems and practices support people who live with dementia – equip yourself with the expertise to lead transformation, based on the latest evidence.
The courses offer a comprehensive understanding of dementia from the perspectives of individuals, families, communities, health care systems and governments, and cover the neurobiology of dementia, including pathology, biomarkers and therapeutics.
Join an international community of highly motivated professionals in our postgraduate dementia program.
Duration:
Graduate Certificate in Dementia (4 units – full-time 6 months or part-time equivalent)
Graduate Diploma of Dementia (8 units – full-time 12 months or part-time equivalent)
Master of Dementia (11 units – full-time 18 months or part-time equivalent)
Study Load: Full-time or Part-time
Intake: February – Semester 1 intake only
Study mode: Fully online, available for Australian and international students
Entry requirements: Any completed bachelor degree
About the program
Our postgraduate courses focus on four core disciplines: neurobiology, public health, health care systems and policy, and health and social support for living with dementia. It is fully online, and available for Australian and international students.
An international perspective threads all units with global examples and statistics, including national approaches to common problems as well as cross-cultural and indigenous people’s views and experiences. Learn about best practice dementia-healthy communities around the world and how you can implement transformative change in your workplace or personal context. Students’ personal perspectives will be highlighted throughout the course in assessments which link acquired knowledge to individual contexts.
Our Master of Dementia Program offers a Graduate Certificate in Dementia, a Graduate Diploma of Dementia and a Master of Dementia. This flexible, fully online program features modular content suitable for a wide range of study approaches. It is easy to navigate and accessible across a range of devices. Your personal perspectives will be highlighted throughout the course in assessments which link acquired knowledge to individual contexts, making the program relevant and up-to-date.
“Thank you for all the support during this unit, the learning and depth of knowledge imparted has been an incredibly rewarding experience and I feel so inspired and prepared to go forth and speak out with evidence and compassion”.
Leanne, Graduate Certificate student 2019
Your Course Coordinators:
Dr Matthew Kirkcaldie
Matthew is a Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience, with 20 years’ experience in neuroscience and dementia education and research supervision. He has a national profile in neuroscience education and outreach and is one of the original contributors to the Wicking Dementia Centre’s Understanding Dementia MOOC. His research interests include the neuronal cytoskeleton and plasticity, the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, the development, structure and function of the cerebral cortex, and the similarities between the brains of different animal species.
Fees
This course is Commonwealth Supported for domestic students and HECS-HELP loans are available.
International student tuition fees are payable on acceptance into the course.
Domestic students studying this course can be provided with a Commonwealth Supported Place, allowing for access to HECS-HELP loan. For more information please visit the StudyAssist website.
Detailed tuition fee information for domestic students is available at the Domestic Student Fees website, including additional information in relation to a compulsory Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
Domestic students enrolled in certain postgraduate coursework programs may not be eligible for student payments through Youth Allowance and Austudy. Visit the Department of Social Services website to find out more about eligibility for Centrelink support and the list of eligible courses.
Course structure
Core domains
- Health and Social Care in Dementia – Explores a range of approaches aimed at supporting people living with dementia to maintain healthy lives. Critical factors in quality of life, such as assessment, intervention and therapeutics, communication, and social and care environments, are used to support a human rights-based approach to meeting the needs of people living with dementia.
- Neurobiology of Dementia – The function and dysfunction of the brain are examined to provide a deep understanding of the diseases which cause dementia. The roles of disease biomarkers in diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation are reviewed, along with the strengths and weaknesses of current laboratory-based and clinical research in these areas.
- Policies and Systems in Dementia – The needs of people with dementia are highlighted in an examination of the ways that health care systems and government policy affect health and social care provision. In particular, the ways that different policies and systems can affect the experiences of people living with dementia, and the people who care for them.
- Public Health and Dementia – The evidence for dementia prevention, and the rise of dementia-friendly communities, are examined in the context of public health strategy aimed at reducing dementia incidence through health education, behaviour change, awareness raising and adapting public spaces and facilities to accommodate the needs of people living with dementia.
- Research in Dementia – At the Graduate Diploma level, all units engage with the primary research literature in their respective fields, and a dedicated unit examines research techniques in the major domains. At the Master’s level, a major project unit allows the student to explore a topic of particular interest at greater depth.
Course Website
( https://www.utas.edu.au/wicking/mdem )
