Bachelor of Dementia Care
University of Tasmania - Online
Overview
The Dementia Care Program offers Australia's first degree in dementia care and sets a high standard for the value and knowledge graduates will bring to the aged care and health sectors. It is available to domestic and international students, from carers to health professionals and anyone with an interest in studying dementia.
With the rise in prevalence in dementia and the need to provide quality care in the community, health care centres and hospitals, and in residential care, it is becoming essential that health care workers in aged care develop specialised knowledge in this field so that you can make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia.
This course has been developed by the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, global leaders in dementia education with a mission to transform the understanding of dementia worldwide.
This is a fully online course with no exams, face to face study, or workplace assessment component. Dedicated Student Advisers are on-hand throughout the course, providing support and guidance throughout your studies. Our program can be studied full-time or part-time, offering you a choice to graduate with a:
- Diploma (8 units, completed over a maximum of 3 years)
- Associate Degree (16 units, completed over a maximum of 5 years)
- Bachelor Degree (24 units, completed over a maximum of 7 years)
Students may study part-time (1-2 units) or full-time (3-4 units) per semester. Students are advised to approximately 10 hours of study per week per unit of study. There are no formal examinations, all assessments occur throughout the semester.
Assessments may include assessed discussion boards, quizzes, essays or reports, presentations.
Potential Career Outcomes
Over 400,000 Australians are currently living with dementia; this number increases every year. The impact on communities, families, governments and health professionals will be significant as these numbers increase.
Our workforce is currently ill equipped to help care for such large numbers of people living with dementia – by 2050, it is estimated that there will be over 900,000 people in Australia living with dementia. Graduates from this course may find work in a range of career paths such as in the aged care industry in both the public and private sectors, or as a pathway to undertaking further study in graduate health programs.
In March 2021, Australia’s Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety released its final report (Pagone & Briggs, 2021). “We are deeply concerned that so many aged care providers do not seem to have the skills and capacity required to care adequately for people living with dementia” (Pagone & Briggs, 2021, p. 69). Care, dignity, and respect: Executive Summary and Final report (Volumes 1-5). Australian Government Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Individuals with backgrounds in healthcare, community service and allied health professionals, may find study in this course advantageous – and opportunities for Recognition of Prior Learning (or credit) are available.
There are a growing number of leadership and case management positions in dementia care, which require qualifications higher than aged care certificates. Leadership roles, and specialist positions in the aged care sector are increasingly calling for tertiary level qualifications such as the Dementia Care Program.
The Diploma and Associate Degrees are particularly relevant to aged care workers and health professionals wishing to develop their skills and knowledge in dementia. The Bachelor Degree offers additional learning about research and the understanding of how evidence may be translated into clinical care practice.
To support the development of a career structure for aged care workers in the future we will continually evaluate the course and make representations to government and industry. We know that workers with greater knowledge and skills in dementia care will be critical in delivering enhanced capacity to a sector which is facing an enormous challenge both now and into the future.
ATAR & Selection Rank
The table below shows the ATAR and Selection Rank information for those offered places wholly or partly on the basis of ATAR in 2022.
| ATAR-based offers only, across all offer rounds | ATAR (excluding adjustment factors) | Selection Rank (including adjustment factors) |
|---|---|---|
| Highest rank to receive an offer | 84.6 | 84.6 |
| Median rank to receive an offer | 65.8 | 65.8 |
| Lowest rank to receive an offer | 47 | 47 |
<5 - Less than 5 ATAR-based offers were made
Admission Criteria
Please refer to the University of Tasmania website for admission criteria information.
This information is sourced from Course Seeker, a joint initiative between the Australian Government and the Tertiary Admission Centres. View more information on Course Seeker.
University
University of Tasmania
Campus
Online
Course Type
Bachelors Degree
Study Area
Health Sciences
Indicative ATAR
47.00
Delivery Mode
Online
Duration
Full-time: 3 years, Part-time: Available
Course Link
View Course
- State
- TAS
- Type
- University
- Courses
- 242
- Campuses
-
Australian Maritime College, Launceston Cradle Coast Hobart Sydney
Please note that these statistics simply refer to the information we have in our database. This is not an exhaustive list of courses offered at University of Tasmania. Please refer to the institution's website for the most current information.
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