COURSE CURRICULUM

The Master of Public Policy consists of 48 credit points, all of which are core to completing the degree. Students first complete 30 credit points of required units that build foundational expertise in policy analysis, public administration and governance. These include Governance, Public Policy, and the Transforming State (GOV602); Political Communication: Actors, Challenges, and Digital Cultures (GOV603); Public Sector Management (GOV605); Policy and Program Evaluation (GOV606); and Public Policy Perspectives (GOV613), each worth 6 credit points. Students then complete 18 credit points through one of two pathways: the Specialist Knowledge Pathway or the Thesis Pathway. The Specialist Knowledge Pathway requires students to take Policy Research: Strategies, Methods and Design (GOV600) and choose up to 12 credit points from themed elective clusters. These clusters allow students to specialise in areas such as Global Governance, Sustainability and Climate, Professional Practice, Development and Society, Health Governance or Crime and Justice Policy. Electives across these clusters cover topics including international law, environmental policy, organisational management, Indigenous community development, health leadership, corruption prevention and crime policy. Students may select units from any cluster to tailor their expertise. The Thesis Pathway is intended for students seeking a research-focused direction and includes a 12-credit supervised research thesis (GOV617) plus an additional 6 credit points from research-oriented electives such as Research Proposal and Design (ART504), Literature Review (ART505) or Design Thinking Tools (GRD503). Together, the program structure provides a balance of core policy foundations, flexible specialisation options and the opportunity to pursue either professional or academic research pathways suited to diverse careers in government, nonprofits, consulting and public sector leadership.