A6030 Master of Strategic Communications Management

The course is structured in five parts: Part A. Foundation study, Part B. Principal study: Strategic communication reach and focus, Part C. Applied study, Part D. Professional enhancement and Part E. Specialist study.

Part A. Foundation study 

These studies provide you with foundational knowledge and skills in communications and media disciplines.

Part B. Principal study: Strategic communication reach and focus 

These studies draw on best practices within the broad realm of strategic communications studies practice and research to further your understanding of strategic communications management both locally and globally. Studies focus on the challenges posed and how communication management can play a key role in an increasingly global and digital environment. .

Part C. Applied study 

As tomorrow’s leaders, you will develop a suite of transferable professional skills to respond effectively to pressing strategic communications issues. You will learn the skills to engage necessary stakeholders to allow them to effectively formulate, influence and evaluate communication practices in a variety of professional contexts. The focus of these studies is professional or scholarly work that can contribute to a portfolio of professional development. You will have the skills to work together to analyse and, identify best practices and understand and evaluate their transferability, and develop innovative and impactful solutions with real world applications.

Part D. 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 E. Specialist study

Elective units enable you to further your knowledge of your chosen focus, or strategic communication management more broadly. 

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, Part D, and Part E.
• If you are admitted at entry level 2 you complete 72 credit points, comprising Part B (24 credit points), Part C, Part D (6 credit points) and Part E (30 credit points).
• If you are admitted at entry level 3 you complete 48 credit points, comprising Part B (24 credit points), Part C, and Part E (12 credit points).

Note: If you are eligible for credit for prior studies you may elect not to receive the credit and complete one 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 six parts: Part A. Foundations study (12 points), Part B. Principal study: Strategic communication reach and focus (36 points), Part C. Applied study (12 points), Part D. Professional Enhancement (12 points) and Part E. Specialist study (24 points).

Units are 6 points unless otherwise stated

Part A. Foundation study (12 points)

You must complete the following units:

• APG5050 Doing media and communications research
• APG5365 Principles of global media and communications 

Part B. Principal study: Strategic communications reach and focus  (36 points)

You must complete the following units: 

• APG5197 Media and public affairs management
• APG5366 Strategic communications in a digital era
• APG5367 Campaigns, advocacy and change 
• APG5373  Engaging audiences 
• APG5374 Data analytics in communications 
• APG5381 Effective crisis communications 

Note: Entry level 2 and 3 are only required to complete 24 points.

Part C: Applied study (12 points)

You must complete one of the following capstone units:

• APG5044 Professional Internship (12 points)
• APG5157 Contemporary industry challenges (12 points)
• APG5369 Communications and cultural industries field school  (12 points)
• APG5485 Research portfolio (12 points)
• APG5856 Research project (12 points)
• APG5969 Advanced simulation (12 points)

Part D.  Professional enhancement (12 points)

You must complete 12 points from:*

• APG5084 Designing research**
• APG5129 Evaluation
• APG5136 Mindfulness for workplace wellbeing and productivity
• APG5140 Principles and practices for disaster management, humanitarian action and climate change adaptation 
• APG5170 Social enterprise challenge in the Pacific
• APG5393 Ethical theory
• APG5457 Digital cultures and platforms
• APG5470 Managing multicultural teams
• APG5471 Leadership in intercultural environments
• APG5652 Language and intercultural communication
• APG5805 Project planning and management in international development
• APG5966 Academic and professional presentation skills
• APG5967 Professional enhancement 
• APG5968 Professional enhancement: extended option (12 points)
• MON5750 Monash Innovation Guarantee

*Note: Entry level 2 is only required to complete 6 points.

**If you intend to pursue the research thesis pathway, APG5084 is a co-requisite for enrolment in APG5849 Research thesis A.

Part E. Specialist study (24 points)

If you are admitted at entry level 1 you must complete 24 points from the elective lists below.

If you are admitted at entry Level 2 you must complete 30 points from the elective lists below.

If you are admitted at entry level 3 you must complete 12 points from the elective lists below.

You may also complete additional units from Part B, C and Part D.

Discipline electives

You may choose one area in which to focus from the streams below or complete the required points under the general studies stream to tailor the degree to your interests. 

Public policy and political communication

• APG5101 Foundations of public policy 
• APG5102 Governance
• APG5103 Policy analysis
• APG5189 Monitoring and evaluation
• APG5180 Strategic political leadership and communication 
• MPH5269 Foundations of health policy 
• APG5086 Governing migration: Refugees, borders and development
• APG5458 Digital technology, policy and governance
• APG5450 Cultural policy

Communication for social change and development

• APG5045 Gender and development 
• APG5073 Conflict, security and development
• APG5086 Governing migration: Refugees, borders and development
• APG5140 Principles and practices for disaster management, humanitarian action and climate change adaptation
• APG5156 Human rights in global politics 
• APG5229 Prosperity, poverty and sustainability in a globalised world
• APG5454 Screen and social justice
• APG5628 Understanding development: Discourse, practice and power
• APG5805 Project planning and management in international development

Communication for sustainability and the environment 

• APG5428 Environmental governance and citizenship 
• APG5554 Resource evaluation and management 
• APG5627 Power, politics and development in a changing environment
• ENS5010 Global challenges and sustainability (12 points)
• ENS5020 Perspectives on sustainability (12 points)
• ENS5510  Innovation to influence system change
• ENS5520 Understanding human behaviour to influence change 
• ENS5530 Leading change for sustainable development
• APG5229 Prosperity, poverty and sustainability in a globalised world

Health communication

• APG5081 Public health ethics 
• MPH5002 Foundations of health promotion and program planning
• MPH5022 Evaluating public health programs 
• MPH5269 Foundations of health policy 
• MPH5252 Global health care delivery: principles and challenges
• MPH5255 Health and human rights 
• MPH5272 Principles of health systems

Management, leadership and entrepreneurship

• APG5082 Creative Entrepreneurship in Cultural Industries
• APG5104 Public sector reform
• MGF5928 Strategic leadership
• BEX5411 Creativity and entrepreneurship
• MGF5962 Contemporary management principles and practices
• MGF5020 Business ethics in a global environment 
• MKF5601 Social media marketing 
• MKF5926 Integrated marketing communication 
• APG5389 Tourism industry and marketing
• APG5128 Cultural tourism and events management
• APG5805 Project planning and management in international development
• APG5554 Resource evaluation and management 

Media, production and digital technologies  

• APG5457 Digital cultures and platforms
• APG5458 Digital technology, policy and governance
• APG5107 Digital language: Users and technology
• APG5455 Understanding the screen brain, AI and data futures
• APG5453 Screen cities: Creative contexts
• APG5352 Photography
• APG5095 Journalism practice

General studies

This enables you to tailor unit choices to suit your own interests or needs and may include one or more additional capstone units from Part C of the program.

Arts enrichment units

Note: A maximum of (12 points) can be completed from the Arts enrichment units.

• APG5136 Mindfulness for workplace wellbeing and productivity
• APG5170 Social entrepreneurship challenge in the Indo-Pacific
• APG5470 Managing multicultural teams
• APG5471 Leadership in intercultural environments

Complimentary Electives

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

Research pathway (18 points) - optional

If you are admitted into entry point 1 and 2 and you wish to complete a research thesis (15,000-18,000 words), you must enrol in APG5084 in Part D and replace the capstone in Part C (12 points) and one elective in Part E (6 points) with the following units in consultation with the coordinator.

• APG5849 Research thesis A 
• APG5850 Research thesis B (12 points)

If you are admitted into entry point 3 and wish to complete a research thesis (15,000 – 18,000 words), the replacement units will be determined based on previous study in consultation with the course director.

Note: APG5084 Designing research is a co-requisite for enrolment in 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.