MPH5214 Demographic methods
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
MPH5214 Demographic methods is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, offered in 2026 in Semester 2 at Alfred Hospital. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 2
- Alfred Hospital
- Assessment
- No exam
- 5 tasks
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before MPH5214
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After MPH5214
No unit lists MPH5214 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Overview
This unit gives you a solid foundation in formal demography, where quantitative data and techniques are used to calculate demographic measures.
Topics include sources of demographic data and assessment of their quality; calculation and interpretation of basic measures of fertility, mortality and migration; population dynamics, growth and ageing; life tables; Indigenous demography; and population projections. Learning activities include hands-on calculation and interpretation of demographic measures using real-world data.
You are expected to be familiar with Microsoft Excel.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Alfred Hospital | Online |
Assessment
- Standardisation (600 words or equivalent)Written10%
- Lexis diagrams and life tables (900 words or equivalent)Written15%
- Migration and family formation (1,500 words or equivalent)Written25%
- Indigenous demography and models of population structure (1,500 words or equivalent)Written25%
- Population projections (1,500 words or equivalent)Written25%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Identify, locate and critically evaluate quality of different types of population data.
- 2
Choose appropriate demographic methods to calculate demographic measures.
- 3
Calculate and graphically present demographic measures. .
- 4
Interpret demographic measures in the context of changing populations.
- 5
Effectively communicate demographic measures and their interpretation in written, tabular and graphical form to a lay or policy audience.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures-
- Teaching approachActive learning
6 hours of teacher directed learning activities and 6 hours of self-directed study per week.
12 hours of self-directed study per week.
For full details of the teaching approach to this unit, please refer to Moodle.
Learning resources
Required resources
See Moodle for details about required resources.
Where it fits
MPH5214 is part of 1 area of study in the 2026 handbook.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Jedidiah Morton
- Unit Coordinators
- Jedidiah Morton
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for MPH5214?
MPH5214 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is MPH5214 offered?
In 2026, MPH5214 runs in Semester 2 at Alfred Hospital, with an online option.
Does MPH5214 have an exam?
No. MPH5214 has 5 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include MPH5214?
MPH5214 is part of Policy studies.