Study public health and health promotion

"I am honoured to serve as a Ministerial Adviser at Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand, and I credit my journey to the transformative power of studying public health and health promotion at MIT.

Public health and health promotion are important fields that focus on improving and protecting the health of populations. These areas of study aim to prevent diseases, promote healthy behaviours, and address various health challenges on a broader scale.

Embracing the principles of public health, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the New Zealand health sector. Through my studies, I have developed a keen understanding of health determinants and have actively worked towards addressing health inequalities faced by diverse communities, including Māori and Pasifika.

MIT offers an online study program that effectively enabled me to pursue full-time employment while simultaneously engaging in academic pursuits. The online format has proven to be highly conducive to my circumstances, allowing me to seamlessly integrate work and study. I found the teaching process to be exceptional, characterized by high-quality instruction and an effective learning environment.

This program provided me with the opportunity to engage in comprehensive learning while managing other commitments. I have also leveraged my learnings to create my own impactful health promotion project, which showcased my ability to innovate and apply evidence-based approaches.

The unwavering support I received from the Manukau campus, including the invaluable guidance of teachers, a dedicated Pasifika support person, and the nurturing environment of the whānau has played a pivotal role in my success.

The qualification from MIT not only bolstered my professional credentials but also instilled in me the confidence and expertise necessary to navigate the complexities of health governance and provide valuable advice to decision-makers in the ministry.

Use your education to advocate for equitable access to healthcare and work towards reducing disparities in health outcomes among different population groups. As I continue to tread this path, my commitment remains unwavering—to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals and communities. I express heartfelt gratitude to MIT for providing me with the platform to realize my aspirations.

Together, let us forge a healthier and more equitable Aotearoa."

Obaid Durrani
MIT graduate

“This programme is value-based and aligned with my personal and professional ambitions. I have always taken an interest in health and I want to give back to the community that helped me flourish. I believe that more Rangatahi are needed in these spaces to help reconstruct a health workforce that is fair.

A career in public health and health promotion offers a wide scope of job opportunities. You can work in different spaces such as in education, communities, the public sector, hospitals, research, policy, and healthcare organisations. If empowering communities, promoting health initiatives, and preventing health inequities and diseases are important to you – this programme would be the perfect fit for you.

I chose MIT when I learned of their blended learning approach and MIT’s Category One rating. It is flexible, practical and logical which enabled a successful learning journey for me. I definitely valued and embraced the multi-ethnic learning space which introduced me to different worldviews and quality discussions. The smaller classroom environments allow more engagement and effective learning; one-on-one time with the lecturer is guaranteed. My lecturer in particular was very supportive, inspiring, and brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to this programme. The learning content was exceptional – it kept me engaged, challenged, and helped fuel my passion for public health and health promotion. No day was the same which was exciting because it kept me curious. We gained invaluable insights from guest speakers (Mental Health Foundation, Child Poverty Action Group, and Work Safe) – community engagement, health and safety, strong policy submissions and a human rights-centred approach were a few of the significant takeaways.

I enjoyed my last project the most because I was able to hone my creative skills by designing a health promotion campaign. Graphics and marketing are key when displaying health information. I developed my professionalism, interpersonal skills, problem-solving and time-management skills. The industry placement is an opportunity to improve your skillset and engage in meaningful work.

I made good use of the academic learning support services at MIT. I got to know my lecturers which made it easier to communicate concerns about the learning content or meeting deadlines. The team of librarians, the Career and Employment Services (CES) and Te Ara Oranga were super helpful. They offer effective learning tools to help you manage your time and workload. If you need help with writing your resume or cover letter and preparing for an interview – CES will help you. Also, there are counsellors if you need advice or someone to talk to.

The staff are amazing and actually care about your wellbeing and studies.

It is the best learning institute in South Auckland.”

Elizabeth Manu
MIT graduate

“I wholeheartedly endorse the MIT certificate in public health and health promotion as supporting vital skills for the health and wellbeing of Aotearoa/NZ.

The skills and perspectives the certificate offered equip students to contribute across the range of activities that support communities.

As a leader in the sector, I have happily employed MIT graduates and watched them blossom in the workforce.

We will never solve health issues by waiting for people to become unwell and trying to ‘fix them’ one person at a time – we need strong connected communities based on fair equitable systems and the certificate in public health and health promotion supports students to help make that happen.”

Shaun Robinson
Chief Executive | Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand

“I am now a peer support coordinator, coordinating peer group facilitators and a drop-in centre to help create a safe space for rainbow rangatahi. I support the planning and organising of events and activities, and community education on gender and sexuality.

I chose to study at MIT as the certificate was a convenient way to be introduced to the topics of public health and health promotion. It was part-time study that I could complete while working. I really liked that it was online study with some in-person days, the combination of flexibility with some face-to-face instruction was great. It is a very broad and valuable subject that introduces you to new perspectives on health that you may not have considered. The knowledge and skills you gain are widely applicable, the lecturers were all lovely and knowledgeable on the topics, and the assignments were varied and interesting.

Before the certificate, I was working as a receptionist at a holiday park. I was very interested in learning more about health promotion as I wanted to work in sexuality education and sexual health. I had no knowledge of the determinants of health or different models of health and wellbeing. What I learned has been extremely helpful in peer support and helping young people set goals and connect to services that will help them in all areas of wellbeing. It has also helped with the education and health promotion aspect of my job as a peer support coordinator. I also learned a lot of transferable skills such as writing and communication skills, improved my abilities with PowerPoint and Canva, and learned about effective evaluation of programmes and initiatives.

While studying I completed a work placement with Dear EM. MIT found the placement for me after asking what I was interested in. I learned valuable skills and gained insight into how organisations work. I was given the freedom to help out in a lot of areas including social media posts, research, briefing papers, and helping at a stall at a university event. It was very helpful in applying learned skills.

Having the knowledge I gained from studying at MIT has just helped me to feel more confident in my role. I have theoretical knowledge and practical skills to apply to different aspects of my role.  This certificate in public health was a great foundation for this further study. In 5 years’ time, I’d love to be working for the Ministry of Health in a policy or advisory position to do with community wellbeing with a focus on rainbow communities, sexual health, and reducing sexual violence. Or in a planning/programme development role in sexuality/relationship education.

I say go for it! Make yourself a schedule and study plan, especially if you will be working while you study, and stick to it!”

Leanne Fry
MIT graduate