Culture Health and Medicine

Whether you're a clinician or social scientist, teacher or aspiring global health worker, this program will help you understand the foundations of health, illness, and medical practice in a culturally diverse world, and give you the skills to bring about change. 

The Master of Culture, Health and Medicine (M CHAM) is the only program of its kind in Australia. Drawing on anthropological and other social science perspectives and technical expertise in health-related research and practice, it will provide you with a nuanced understanding of the nature of health, sickness, and healing in a local and global context. You will emerge with the skills to undertake social and cultural analysis of health policy and practices.

This interdisciplinary program is taught by leading academics, clinicians, and global health practitioners from across the university.

Five specialisations are available for you to choose from, according to your interests:

• Global health and development
• Health and environment
• Health and gender
• Health and Indigenous Australia
• Health policy and ethics

Career Options

Employment Opportunities

The M CHAM will advance your career in health-related fields in development, policy and education, in government, non-government, and international organisations, and can lead to further PhD research.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the skills and knowledge to:

1. engage in informed debate demonstrating a critical understanding of the historical, political, institutional and cultural factors that frame health, illness and medical care;
2. synthesise research, literature and other texts from a range of disciplinary perspectives to develop insight into contemporary health and medical issues; and
3. develop a practical research plan in the fields of clinical care, public health or health promotion, incorporating a range of methodologies and theoretical perspectives.

The Master of Culture, Health and Medicine requires completion of 96 units, which must consist of:

12 units from completion of the following compulsory courses

CHMD8004 Qualitative Methodologies for Health Research

CHMD8014 Perspectives on Culture, Health and Medicine

24 units from completion of introductory courses from the following list:

ANTH6004 Religion, Ritual and Cosmology

ANTH6009 Culture and Development

ANTH6017 Indigenous Australians and Australian Society Today

ANTH6025 Gender and Cross-Cultural Perspective

ANTH6026 Medical Anthropology

ANTH6057 Culture and Person

ANTH6064 Anthropology of Environmental Disasters

ANTH6514 Anthropology of Media

ANTH6515 Crossing Borders: Diasporas and Transnationalism

ANTH6516 Violence and Terror

ANTH6518 Food for Thought: Anthropological theories of food and eating

ANTH6519 Social Animals: anthropological perspectives on animal-human relationships

BIAN6013 Human Evolution

BIAN6115 Race and Human Genetic Variation

BIAN6119 Nutrition, Disease and the Human Environment

BIAN6120 Culture, Biology & Population Dynamics

BIOL6106 Biosecurity

BIOL6141 Infection and Immunity

BIOL6144 Molecular Immunology

BIOL6191 Biology, Society and Ethics

ECON6013 Behavioural Economics: Psychology and Economics

ENVS6005 Sustainable Systems: Urban

ENVS6012 Sustainable Systems: Rural

ENVS6013 Society and Environmental Change

ENVS6025 Complex Environmental Problems in Action

ENVS6033 International Environmental Policy

ENVS6101 Environment and Society: Geography of Sustainability

ENVS6103 Introduction to Environmental and Social Research

ENVS6104 Australia's Environment

ENVS6108 Sustainable Development

ENVS6302 Sustainable Agricultural Practices

ENVS6306 Human Futures

GEND6021 Trauma, Memory and Culture

HIST8018 A Globalising World

LING6015 Language, Culture and Translation

LING6021 Cross Cultural Communication

POLS6100 The Politics of Empire

POLS6101 Refugee Politics: Displacement and Exclusion in the 20th and 21st Centuries

SCOM8014 Communicating Science with the Public

SCOM8024 Presenting Science to the Public

SOCY6008 Sociology of Disaster

SOCY6045 Third World Development

Either:

24 units from completion of one of the following specialisations:

Global Health and Development

Health and Indigenous Australia

Health and Environment

Health and Gender

Health Policy and Ethics

12 units from completion of courses from the following list:

ANTH6005 Indigenous Australian Societies and Culture

ANTH8007 Key Concepts in Anthropology of Development

ANTH8029 Introduction to Australian Indigenous Policy

ANTH8030 Critically Assessing Contemporary Development Practice

ANTH8038 Critical Issues in Gender and Development

BIAN6512 Ancient Health & Disease

BIAN6519 Ancient Medicine

BIOL8021 Health and Disease in a Changing World

CHMD8001 Directed Readings in Culture, Health and Medicine

CHMD8005 Representing Medicine: Performance, Drama and Identity

CHMD8006 Global Health and Development

CHMD8008 Medicine and Society in History

CHMD8009 Anthropological Approaches to Health Interventions

CHMD8010 Anthropological Concepts for Health Research: From Risk to Suffering

CHMD8011 Refugee Health: From Displacement to Resettlement

CHMD8015 Cultural Epidemiology: Theory and Methods

CHMD8016 International Migration of Health Workers: Sociological and Ethical Aspects

CHMD8019 Culture, Health, Medicine Internship

CHMD8020 The Future of Food and Human Health

DEMO8079 Health Demography

EMDV8001 Environmental Sustainability, Health and Development

GEND6025 Gender, Health and Embodiment

GEND6501 Technoculture and the Body

MEDI8111 Custodial Medicine Elective

MEDI8203 Introduction to Health Policy and Administration

NSPO8013 Disease, Security and Biological Weapons

POPM8001 Mental Health

Or:

36 units from completion of courses from the following list:

ANTH6005 Indigenous Australian Societies and Culture

ANTH8007 Key Concepts in Anthropology of Development

ANTH8029 Introduction to Australian Indigenous Policy

ANTH8030 Critically Assessing Contemporary Development Practice

ANTH8038 Critical Issues in Gender and Development

BIAN6512 Ancient Health & Disease

BIAN6519 Ancient Medicine

BIOL8021 Health and Disease in a Changing World

CHMD8001 Directed Readings in Culture, Health and Medicine

CHMD8005 Representing Medicine: Performance, Drama and Identity

CHMD8006 Global Health and Development

CHMD8008 Medicine and Society in History

CHMD8009 Anthropological Approaches to Health Interventions

CHMD8010 Anthropological Concepts for Health Research: From Risk to Suffering

CHMD8011 Refugee Health: From Displacement to Resettlement

CHMD8015 Cultural Epidemiology: Theory and Methods

CHMD8016 International Migration of Health Workers: Sociological and Ethical Aspects

CHMD8019 Culture, Health, Medicine Internship

CHMD8020 The Future of Food and Human Health

DEMO8079 Health Demography

EMDV8001 Environmental Sustainability, Health and Development

GEND6025 Gender, Health and Embodiment

GEND6501 Technoculture and the Body

MEDI8111 Custodial Medicine Elective

MEDI8203 Introduction to Health Policy and Administration

NSPO8013 Disease, Security and Biological Weapons

POPM8001 Mental Health

24 units from completion of elective courses offered by ANU

Specialisations

• Global Health and Development
• Health and Environment

• Health and Gender
• Health and Indigenous Australia

• Health Policy and Ethics

A Bachelor degree or international equivalent with an average mark of at least 65 per cent

All applicants must meet the University's English Language Admission Requirements for Students

Applicants with a Bachelor Degree or Graduate Certificate in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 24 units (1 semester) of credit.

Applicants with a Graduate Diploma or Honours in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 48 units (1 year) of credit.

Cognate disciplines

Anthropology, Area Studies, Biological Sciences, Education, Environmental Studies, Geography, History, International Relations, Law, Language and Literature, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Philosophy, Physiotherapy, Politics, Psychology, Public Health, Social Work, Sociology.

Want to improve your English level for admission?
Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• Flexible study schedule
• Experienced teachers
• Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to current and future students to assist with the cost of their studies. The University is committed to enabling all students, regardless of their background, to achieve their best at ANU and realise their potential. 

Eligibility for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.