A6028 Master of Public Policy

The course comprises 96 credit 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 introduce you to public policy theory and practice at an advanced graduate level. 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 and project work, focused locally or globally, that can contribute to a portfolio of professional development. In this part of the program you can also undertake higher level research.

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 

The focus of these studies is to develop your expertise in a specialisation: Policy studies or Global studies. These will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed for the capacity to work and communicate across the borders of context or discipline.

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 credit points, comprising Part. A, Part. B, Part. C and Part. D.
• If you are admitted at entry level 2, you complete 72 credit points, comprising Part. A, Part. B, Part. C (6 credit points) and Part. D (18 credit points). 
• If you are admitted at entry level 3, you complete 48 credit points, comprising Part. A (24 credit points), Part. B and Part. D (12 credit 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 a capstone unit from Policy studies or Global studies:

Policy studies

You must complete one of the following capstone units:

• APG5856 Research project (12 points)
• APG5044 Professional internship (12 points)
• APG5237 Political, social and economic change in contemporary India (12 points)
• APG5969 Advanced simulation (12 points)

Global studies

You must complete the following capstone unit:

• APG5236 Global policy challenge (12 points)*

* This unit has a study tour component and will first be offered in Trimester 1, 2025.

Part C. Professional enhancement  (12 points)

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

• APG5084 Designing research**
• 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).

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

Part D. Specialist study (36 points)

You must complete elective units from Policy studies or Global studies.

If you are admitted at entry level 1 you must complete 6 units (36 points) from the elective lists available in your specialisation.

If you are admitted at entry level 2 you must complete 3 units (18 points) from the elective lists available in your specialisation.

If you are admitted at entry level 3 you must complete 2 units (12 points) from the elective lists available in your specialisation.

Policy studies

You must complete any combination of units from the list of elective units below.

Note: the units are grouped in themes to aid and inform unit selection. You may also complete units from Parts A, B and C not already completed. 

Criminology

• APG5106 Developing criminal justice policy

Plus the following units:

• 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

• BTF5905 Global Trade Governance
• 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

• APG5092 Human rights in global politics (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)
• APG5163 Global health policy
• APG5164 Inclusive health policy and practice
• 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
• APG5652 Language and intercultural communication
• EDF5625 Educational organisations, culture and change (12 points)
• EDF5626 Ethical leadership and decision making in education
• EDF5627 Relationships and wellbeing in educational leadership
• EDF5661 Designing learning for adults (12 points)
• MGF5130 Managing diversity and inclusion
• MGF5630 Principles of negotiation

Public finance

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

Regulatory policy

• ECX5470 Competition, regulation and policy
• LAW5312 Competition law
• LAW5315 Commercial alternative dispute resolution
• LAW5344 Negotiation: Essential skills for dispute resolution
• LAW5358 Current issues in workplace law
• 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

• APG5122 Corporate sustainability management
• APG5426 Environmental analysis
• APG5434 Sustainability measurement
• APG5428 Environmental governance and citizenship
• BTF5910 Corporate 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
• CIV5302 Traffic engineering and management
• CIV5301 Advanced traffic engineering
• CIV5304 Intelligent transport systems
• CIV5305 Travel demand modelling
• CIV5309 Transport and traffic data
• CIV5316 Fundamentals of urban public transport

Urban policy

• APG5068 Creative cities (12 points)
• UPD4301 Planning study 1: History and theory of planning and urban design
• UPD4302 Planning study 2: Regulating the city
• UPD5301 Planning study 3: Economics and the city
• UPD5302 Planning study 4: Democratic community engagement

Note: Students must complete the unit OHS 1000 prior to enrolling in 'UPD' coded Urban policy units.  OHS1000  is a 'not for credit' unit which involves online modules. 

General electives

• APG5180 Policy and political communication*
• APG5181 Intergovernmental relations*

* These units are not offered in 2023.

Complementary electives

You may take approved Principal or Specialist study units from other Arts Graduate coursework programs subject to meeting individual unit prerequisites. Note: A maximum of 12 points can be completed from the Complementary electives.

Global studies
You must complete units from the elective list below:

Note: Students completing the Global studies specialisation may take up to 12 points of study at Monash Indonesia with permission from your Course coordinator.

Australian units

• APG5092 Human rights in global politics
• APG5164 Global health policy
• APG5170 Social entrepreneurship challenge in the Indo-Pacific
• APG5229 Prosperity, poverty and sustainability in a globalised world
• APG5237 Political, social and economic change in contemporary India (12 points)
• APG5470 Managing multicultural teams
• APG5471 Leadership in intercultural environments
• BTF5905 Global trade governance
• ECF5921 International economics
• MGF5730 International trade policy
• MGF5760 International institutions and organisations
• MGF5911 Geo-politics and business globalisation
• LAW5424 Human trafficking, modern slavery and the law
• LAW5454 Climate change and displacement
• LAW5465 Migration and human rights

Indonesian units

• ATI5020 Policy advocacy and communication
• ATI5021 Special Issues in Public Policy
• ATI5069 Field studies in urban policy and governance
• ATI5081 Comparative health policy and politics
• ATI5083 Digital technology and public policy
• ATI5430 Sustainability and the green economy
• ECI5590 Poverty, inequality and opportunity
• PHI5252 Global health care delivery: principles and challenges

Complementary electives
If you are admitted into entry point 1, you may take approved Principal or Specialist study units from other Arts Graduate coursework programs subject to meeting individual unit prerequisites. Note: A maximum of 12 points can be completed from the Complementary electives.

Research pathway (18 points) - optional

If you wish to complete a research thesis (15,000 – 18,000 words) and are enrolled in entry point 1, you must enrol in APG5084 in Part C. and 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. 

If you are enrolled in entry point 2, you must enrol in APG5084 in Part C. and replace the capstone in Part B (12 points) and one core unit in Part A (6 points) with the following units, in consultation with the coordinator.

If you are enrolled in entry point 3, you replace the capstone in Part B (12 points) and two Specialist study electives in Part D (12 points) with APG5084 and the following units, in consultation with the coordinator.

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

Notes:  The research pathway is only available if you are undertaking the Policy studies specialisation.

APG5084 Designing research is a co-requisite for APG5849 Research thesis A and must be completed in the same semester. Only students with a course WAM of 80 or higher will be eligible to commence the research pathway.