Advance and enhance existing health care with this exciting, innovative postgraduate degree - the only one of its kind in Australia offered under a school of medicine.
What to expect
Health care professionals can enhance their careers by expanding their expertise with lifestyle medicine. Benefit from new research, technology and multi-disciplinary healthcare education in this fast-growing discipline. You will gain the skills to manage lifestyle-related health problems, and prevent and reverse common chronic physical and mental health illnesses.
Experience high-quality teaching and programs, with opportunities to engage with innovation and entrepreneurship in the health, community and industry spaces. Critically investigate and assess lifestyle-related disease, including diverse models of care. You will learn to apply theories in psychological, medical, nutritional and addiction science in a variety of health contexts.
This flexible, online course takes two years to complete part-time. You will study four core subjects, plus choose from electives in research, public health, business and health professional education to align with your career goals. Build your network with connections to high profile clinicians, researchers, industry experts and innovators in the field of lifestyle medicine.
With studies indicating that the majority of chronic disease burden is preventable with lifestyle interventions, the demand for lifestyle medicine professionals will only increase.
Graduates of JCU's Graduate Diploma of Lifestyle Medicine are sought-after leaders with the skills to improve health care innovatively and holistically. All health professionals are encouraged to apply.
Students who complete the Graduate Diploma of Lifestyle Medicine will be eligible for a Fellowship of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine. You can also go on to complete the Master of Lifestyle Medicine.
Inherent requirements
Inherent requirements are the identified abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours that must be demonstrated, during the learning experience, to successfully complete a course. These abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours preserve the academic integrity of the University's learning, assessment, and accreditation processes, and where applicable, meet the standards of a profession. For more information please review the inherent requirements for the Graduate Diploma of Lifestyle Medicine.
Career Opportunities
There is an increasingly high demand for lifestyle and public health expertise in almost all healthcare industries, including primary care and tertiary hospital settings, community projects, industry, not-for-profit and government sectors. Graduates of JCU's Graduate Diploma of Lifestyle Medicine will have the skills to consult and lead clinical and research programs in a variety of healthcare settings.
This course provides qualifications to support careers in clinical practice, public health, research, teaching, consultation for health care systems, occupational programs, industry and community programs.
*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please
July 2025
*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please
February 2025
Completion of at least an AQF level 7 bachelor degree in a health discipline from this or another University.
IELTS - 7 (no component lower than 6.5); TOEFL (internet based) - 94 (no component less than 23); Pearson (PTE Academic) - 65 (no component less than 58).
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
James Cook University (JCU) is ranked among the top 2 per cent of universities in the world (THE World University Rankings 2023).