FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
FOR MAE APPLICANTS
The answers to these questions should be read in conjunction with the MAE Application Pack and the Information Booklet, both available at: http://nceph/Study/MAE/mae_info.php/
1. What is the MAE?
2. Why apply to study the MAE?
3. What career paths are open to me on completion of my MAE
4. What will I actually study in the program?
5. What qualifications do I need to apply?
6. I have some questions about the application process: who should I discuss this with?
7. I have some questions about the selection process, including timing: who should I discuss this with?
8. Do I have to pay tuition fees?
9. Am I liable for any other fees?
10. What other costs may I need to meet?
11. Do I receive a living allowance under the sponsorship arrangements?
12. Will I be required to move interstate to attend my field placement?
13. Will I receive any financial assistance should I need to move interstate?
14. How often do I need to attend the University campus during the program, and for how long?
Or: what is the total amount of time I will have to spend on campus during the program?
1.What is the MAE?
The Master of Applied Epidemiology (MAE) is a learning by doing program which develops high level expertise in applying epidemiological methods to outbreak investigations, health information systems, and health problems with a strong emphasis on prevention, intervention, evaluation and policy development.
The MAE aims to contribute to the public health workforce in Australia by providing high quality practitioners with a range of practical experiences which are directly applicable to the needs of employers, including State and Territory health departments, community controlled health services, national research and regulatory bodies, research institutions and the World Health Organisation.
How does the program achieve this?
Students learn with their colleagues in short periods of intensive, on campus courseblocks in an academic setting twice a year, combined with learning by doing at a field placement (workplace) over the four semesters of the program.
2. Why apply to study the MAE?
Do you:
- have a background in a medical, health or one of the social sciences fields?
Have you:
- worked in a health-related setting for at least two years?
Are you committed to:
- acquiring the skills to improve public health outcomes in Australian communities?
- solving real-time problems in disease control?
If yes, then you should consider the MAE
3. What career paths are open to me on completion of my MAE?
MAE graduate career paths can take you in a variety of directions. You could, for example, be working:
- within community controlled health services
- in areas addressing risk factors of diseases to prevent disease outbreaks
- in HIV research and prevention
- on reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease,
- in child health, on developing effective front-line treatments for chronic diseases such as otitis media
- at improving infection surveillance systems
- on understanding the potential impact of vaccinations to prevent cervical cancer
- to help neighbouring communities in the Asia-Pacific region by applying your skills and knowledge
4. What will I actually study in the program?
Information on the content of the MAE can be found in the Information Booklet that is on the web, at: http://nceph/Study/MAE/mae_info.php
You will also find other useful information there, such as field placement descriptions.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS
5. What qualifications do I need to apply?
Students are selected on the basis of their academic qualifications, work experience, and communication skills. The minimum academic requirement is normally a graduate qualification in a health-related discipline and at least two years’ previous experience in a health-related setting.
If you are unsure as to whether you meet these criteria, please contact the Student Office:nceph.student.office@anu.edu.au
6. I have some questions about the application process: who should I discuss this with?
Please contact the NCEPH Student Office in the first instance. (You may be referred to academic staff in the program if your questions are unable to be answered by Student Office staff). The Student Office email is: nceph.student.office@anu.edu.au and the telephone contact is: 02 6125 2790.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
7. I have some questions about the selection process, including timing: who should I discuss this with?
Please refer to the answer to Q. 6.
FEES
8. Do I have to pay tuition fees?
No. Under current arrangements, if you are selected for admission to the MAE program in 2007, your Domestic Tuition Fees are sponsored for the duration of the program (4 semesters) in accordance with the sponsorship arrangements agreed by the University with the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.
9. Am I liable for any other fees?
No. With the introduction of Voluntary Student Unionism, students are no longer required to pay the General Services Fee, a fee previously paid on enrolment at ANU.
COSTS
10. What other costs may I need to meet?
The program provides a per diem for attendance at intensive residentials on campus and also pays you a stipend or living allowance of approximately $37454 (2010 rate). Please refer to the Information Booklet on the web page at: http://nceph.anu.edu.au/Study/MAE/mae_info.php for further details.
11. Do I receive a living allowance under the sponsorship arrangements?
Yes, if you are selected, you will receive a stipend of approximately $35,404per annum (2007 rate).
Refer also to Field Placements.
FIELD PLACEMENTS
12. Will I be required to move interstate to attend my field placement?
Not necessarily. Whether or not you are required to move to a field placement will depend upon a number of factors, including your own preferences, the field placements that are available to you in the selection round and the preferences of the field placements as to which student they prefer to select from those short-listed.
13. Will I receive any financial assistance should I need to move interstate?
A limited amount of financial assistance is available for students moving interstate. If you are contemplating accepting an offer of a field placement that requires you to move interstate, you should discuss this carefully with the NCEPH Student Office staff in the first instance, as there are a number of factors you will need to consider.
ATTENDANCE ON CAMPUS
14. How often do I need to attend the University campus during the program, and for how long?
Or: what is the total amount of time I will have to spend on campus during the program?
Attendance at intensive residentials occurs twice a year in 3 week blocks, except the first residential, which is 4 weeks’ duration. The residentials generally are held twice a year (once a semester) in February/March and August/September. Attendance at intensive residentials is compulsory. The total amount of time over the four semesters that you will attend residentials is approximately 3 months (i.e. 4 weeks initially, plus 3 x 3 weeks, under current arrangements).
The information provided in the FAQs is correct at the time of posting on this website, but may be subject to change.
