Bachelor of Dementia Care

What is the Dementia Care Degree Program?

The Dementia Care Program is Australia's first degree specifically focused on dementia. It is available to domestic or international students, from caregivers to health professionals and anyone with an interest in learning more about dementia. With the rise in prevalence in dementia and the need to provide quality care in the community, healthcare centres and hospitals, and in residential care, it is becoming essential that healthcare workers in aged care develop specialised knowledge in this field so that they can make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia.

This is a fully online course with no face-to-face or workplace assessment component. It 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's Degree (24 units, completed over a maximum of 7 years)

The Diploma and Associate degrees are particularly relevant to those wishing to develop their skills and knowledge in dementia, and the full Bachelor's Program includes an additional year focused on research and how evidence is used to translate into clinical and care practice. Students may study part-time (1-2 units) or full-time (3-4 units) per semester. Students are advised to allocate 8 hours of study per week per unit of study. There are no formal examinations, all assessments occur throughout the semester.

Assessments can be:

• quizzes
• assessed discussion boards
• essays or reports
• presentations

Why study Dementia - Career Opportunities

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. Individuals with backgrounds in healthcare, community service and allied health professionals, may find study in this course useful to broaden your knowledge base and scope of practice. Graduates may provide an excellent standard of care and advice, provide care directives and peer to peer training, in varied roles within the community, health care centres and hospitals, and in residential care.

Healthcare workers and professionals 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 with the increasing prevalence of dementia. The Associate Degree or Diploma may be a particularly advantageous qualification for the growing number of healthcare positions that include a dementia focus, as well as leadership in care organisations. Read some of our graduate stories.

Did You Know?

There are almost 450,000 people in Australia who are living with dementia. Without a medical breakthrough, the number is forecast to rise to almost 1 million by 2050. (Dementia Australia 2018)

Course Structure

All students will need to initially enrol in the Bachelor of Dementia Care course. Depending on how much you may wish to study and the skills and knowledge that you wish to develop, you will have three options 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's Degree (24 units, completed over a maximum of 7 years)

Following a review of all university courses, the structure of the Bachelor of Dementia Care will change from Semester 1, 2021. Students will now have 16 core units of study ( 159.8 KB) with the ability to choose eight elective units during their degree. These elective units can be chosen from any course within the University of Tasmania subject to meeting any prerequisite requirements or enrolment quotas or restrictions. When you commence your study with us, we will be able to advise on the relevant elective units that you may be interested in for your study including an optional Major in Ageing Studies and Services (8 units). Existing students will be invited to transfer to the new course structure and will not be disadvantaged by these changes.

Additional information about individual units may be found in the Course and Unit Handbook.

To enrol in the Dementia Care Program

• You must be willing to devote approximately 8 - 10 hours per week for each unit of study
• You must be able to access a computer, current software and a reliable connection to the internet

Entry Requirements for all students

• Completion of Senior Secondary Studies or equivalent OR
• Certificate III OR
• Previous university experience (min. 2 units) OR
• Personal competency statement
• Completion of the Diploma of Dementia Care will count as year 1 toward the Associate Degree in Dementia Care and the Bachelor of Dementia Care
• Completion of the Diploma of Ageing Studies and Services will enable articulation into year two of the Bachelor of Dementia Care (with an optional major in Ageing Studies and Services), or articulation into a range of degree programs with some recognition of prior learning.

Additional requirements for international students

• You may need to provide evidence of your English language ability if you live in a country where English is NOT the official language.

Completed a Wicking Dementia Centre MOOC?

If you have successfully completed the Understanding Dementia MOOC and/or the Preventing Dementia MOOC you may now be interested in building on knowledge gained in the MOOC and undertaking further study towards a university qualification.

Our Dementia Care Degree Program offers you the option to increase and formalise your dementia knowledge, and offers graduation points at a Diploma (after 8 units), Associate Degree (after 16 units) and Bachelor of Dementia Care (after 24 units).

What to expect as a Bachelor of Dementia Care student versus a MOOC participant

For international students and students residing in New Zealand who have successfully completed a Dementia MOOC, we are pleased to offer you significantly discounted fees.

HOW TO APPLY

• How to apply

Please note you can either apply for a place in the Diploma of Dementia Care (8 units) or the Bachelor of Dementia Care (24 units). In the Bachelor of Dementia you can choose to graduate early with a Diploma after completing 8 units, or an Associate Degree after completing 16 units, or after 24 units you can complete the full Bachelor's Degree.

If you have further enquiries about the Dementia Care Degree Program, including how to apply for advanced standing (Recognition of Prior Learning) if you have already completed tertiary qualifications, please contact Dementia.Care@utas.edu.au or 1800 982 600.