A6028 Master of Public Policy

The course comprises 96 points structured into four parts: Part A. Principal study, Part B. Applied study , Part C. Professional enhancement and Part D. Specialist study.

Part A. Principal study 

These studies will immerse you in public policy studies at graduate level. The units address the essential elements of public policy – policy processes, policy analysis, implementation, evaluation, governance – as well as the context of contemporary public policy. Throughout these studies, you will gain practical knowledge and skills that will provide a solid foundation for the specialist studies units undertaken in the program.  

Part B. Applied study 

The focus of these studies is professional or scholarly work that can contribute to a portfolio of professional development.

Part C. Professional enhancement

Designed in association with industry experts, select from this suite of professional enhancement offerings to build essential competencies for your career pathway

Part D. Specialist study 

Select from a range of options designed to enhance specific knowledge and skills in public policy and related fields. 

Master's entry points

Depending on prior qualifications you may receive entry level credit (a form of block credit) which determines your point of entry to the course:

• If you are admitted at entry level 1, you complete 96 points, comprising Part. A, Part. B, Part. C and Part. D.
• If you are admitted at entry level 2, you complete 72 points, comprising Part. A, Part. B, Part. C (6 points) and Part. D (18 points). 
• If you are admitted at entry level 3, you complete 48 points, comprising Part. A (24 points), Part. B and Part. D (12 points).

Note: Students eligible for credit for prior studies may elect not to receive the credit and complete one of the higher credit-point options.

Course progression maps

The course progression map provides guidance on unit enrolment for each semester of study.

If you are eligible to enrol in the 1.5-year entry point, you have the option of completing this course intensively over a 12-month period by following the intensive course progression map.

The course comprises 96 points structured into four parts: Part A. Principal study (36 points), Part B. Applied study (12 points), Part C. Professional enhancement (12 points) and Part D. Specialist study (36 points).

Units are 6 points unless otherwise stated.

Part A. Principal study (36 points)

You must complete six units (36 points) from the list below*:

• APG5101 Foundations of public policy 
• APG5102 Governance 
• APG5103 Policy analysis 
• APG5104 Public sector reform 
• APG5129 Evaluation 
• APG5195 Implementation and service delivery 

*Note: Entry level 3 is only required to complete four units (24 points).

Part B. Applied study (12 points)

You must complete one of the following capstone units:

• APG5856 Research project (12 points)
• APG5044 Professional internship (12 points)
• BSA5904 Political, economic and business dynamics in Chile and Latin America (12 points)
• APG5969 Advanced simulation (12 points)
• APG5125 Oxford criminology study tour (12 points)*

* Available to students who have completed criminology units APG5088 and APG5106

Part C. Professional enhancement  (12 points)

You must complete one or two units (12 points) from the list below*:

• APG5084 Designing research**
• APG5100 Mentoring for development practice and professional development
• APG5966 Academic and professional presentation skills
• APG5470 Managing multicultural teams
• APG5471 Leadership in intercultural environments
• APG5967 Professional enhancement A
• APG5968 Professional enhancement B (12 points)

*Note: Entry level 2 is only required to complete one unit (6 points) and Entry level 3 is not required to complete any units from Part C.

** If you intend to pursue the research pathway, please note that APG5084 is a pre-requisite for APG5849 Research Thesis A.

Part D. Specialist study (36 points)

You must complete six units (36 points) chosen from the lists below*:

*Note:  Entry level 2 is only required to complete three units (18 points) and Entry level 3 is only required to complete two units (12 points). 

You may choose one area in which to specialise from the lists below or choose units across the range of elective streams.  You may also complete units from Parts A, B and C not already completed. 

Criminology

• APG5088 International and comparative criminal justice policy
• APG5106 Understanding, designing and delivering criminal justice policy

Plus 24 points from the following:

• APG4223 Gender, violence and society: Understanding social patterns
• APG4224 Gender, violence and society: Criminal justice solutions
• APG5667 Terrorism, fringe politics and extremist violence
• LAW5353 Cybercrime
• LAW5451 Indigenous people and the law
• LAW5424 Human trafficking, modern slavery and the law
• LAW5356 Corporate and white collar crime
• SWM5121 Criminology and social work

Cultural and creative industries

• APG5067 Cultural economy and sustainable development 
• APG5068 Creative cities (12 points)
• APG5082 Creative entrepreneurship in cultural industries (12 points)
• APG5662 Cultural and creative industries (12 points)
• APG5900 Cultural economy (12 points)

Diplomacy and international trade

• BTF5919 International trade law
• MGF5730 International trade policy
• MGF5760 International institutions and organisations
• MGF5911 Diplomacy and statecraft

Family violence prevention

• APG4223 Gender, violence and society: Understanding social patterns
• APG4224 Gender, violence and society: Criminal justice responses
• APG5075 Using data to understand family violence
• APG5076 Health and family violence
• LAW5469 Family violence, gender and law
• SWM5127 Family Violence and social work practice 

Global Migration

• APG5086 Governing migration: Refugees, borders and development (12 points)

Plus the following units:

• LAW5454 Climate change and displacement
• LAW5465 Migration and human rights
• LAW5424 Human trafficking, modern slavery and the law
• MPH5214 Demographic methods 

Health and social policy

• APG4223 Gender, violence and society: Understanding social patterns
• APG4224 Gender, violence and society: Criminal justice responses
• APG5045 Gender and development 
• APG5078 Gender-based policy and planning (12 points)
• APG5730 Bioethics, public policy and the law (12 points)
• HEC5970 Introduction to health economics
• MPH5269 Foundations of health policy
• MPH5272 Principles of health systems
• MPH5266 Clinical leadership and management
• MPH5267 Principles of health care quality improvement
• SWM5109 Critical social work 4: Social policy, social change and community practice
• SWM5132 AOD (drug and alcohol) and social work
• SWM5124 Social work practice in post disaster sites
• SWM5126 Longevity and social work practice
• SWM5127 Family violence and social work practice
• SWM5133 The Australian welfare state and social policy

Organisational leadership

• APG5470 Managing multicultural teams
• APG5471 Leadership in intercultural environments
• APG5481 Language for professional purposes - Part 1
• APG5482 Language for professional purposes - Part 2
• APG5483 Language for professional purposes - Part 3
• APG5652 Language and intercultural communication
• EDF5625 Educational organisations, culture and change (12 points)
• EDF5626 Ethical leadership and decision making in education
• EDF5627 Emotions in educational leadership
• EDF5661 Designing learning for adults (12 points)
• MGF5130 Managing diversity and inclusion
• MGF5630 Principles of negotiation
• MGF5921 Foundations in human resource management

Public finance

• ACF5903 Accounting for business
• APG5229 Prosperity, poverty and sustainability in a globalised world
• CIV5315 Applied transport economics (NB off campus)
• ECF5921 International economics
• HEC5970 Introduction to health economics (NB off campus)
• MPH5268 Financial issues in healthcare management

Regulatory policy

• LAW5312 Competition law
• LAW5315 Commercial alternative dispute resolution
• LAW5344 Negotiation: Essential skills for dispute resolution
• LAW5358 Current issues in workplace law
• LAW5361 Foundations of regulation: Policy, principles and practice
• LAW5362 Regulatory methods
• LAW5367 Energy law, regulation and policy
• LAW5370 Discrimination law and human rights at work
• LAW5411 Advanced mediation: Skills and theory A
• LAW5412 Advanced mediation: Skills and theory B
• LAW5461 Entrepreneurship and the law

Sustainability and the environment

• APG5433 Corporate sustainability management
• APG5426 Environmental analysis
• APG5434 Sustainability measurement
• APG5428 Environmental governance and citizenship
• BTF5910 Sustainability regulation
• ENS5020 Perspectives on sustainability (12 points)
• ENS5510 Process to influence change
• ENS5520 Understanding human behaviour to influence change
• ENS5530 Leading change for sustainable environment

Transport 

• CIV5314 Planning urban mobility futures
• CIV5315 Applied transport economics (NB off campus)
• CIV5302 Traffic engineering and management
• CIV5301 Advanced traffic engineering
• CIV5304 Intelligent transport systems
• CIV5309 Transport and traffic data
• CIV5310 Infrastructure project and policy evaluation

Urban policy

• APG5068 Creative cities (12 points)
• UPD4201 Planning study 1: Regulating the city
• UPD4202 Planning study 2: Economics and the city
• UPD5201 Planning study 3: Critical debates - histories and theories of urban planning
• UPD5202 Planning study 4: Democratic community engagement

General electives

• APG5180 Policy and political communication
• APG5181 Intergovernmental relations

Complementary Electives:

In part D, entry level 1 may be able to undertake up to 12 points of approved units from other Arts Graduate coursework programs, subject to meeting individual unit prerequisites.  These units must be selected from Principal study and/or Specialist study.

Research pathway (18 points)

If you wish to complete a research thesis (15,000 – 18,000 words), you replace the capstone in Part B (12 points) and one elective in Part D (6 points) with the following units in consultation with the coordinator.

• APG5849 Thesis A*
• APG5850 Thesis B (12 points)

*Notes: APG5084 Designing research is a pre-requisite for enrolment in APG5849 Research thesis A and must be taken as the Part C. unit for this pathway. Only students with a course WAM of 80 or higher will be eligible to commence the research pathway.