COURSE CURRICULUM

Year One of this program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive foundation in policy concepts, debates, and practices. During the first semester and across the study period, students will complete 96 credit points covering a wide range of subjects. Core courses include an introduction to policy, exploring key concepts, debates, and practical applications, as well as global governance, which examines how international institutions, national governments, and local authorities interact to shape policy outcomes. Social and political theory provides students with critical perspectives on societal structures and policy implications, while courses in policy making and social policy offer practical insights into designing, implementing, and evaluating policies. Research strategies in the social sciences equip students with essential skills to conduct evidence-based policy research, and policy design and implementation courses focus on the practical application of these skills. Additionally, students explore policy making in the context of Indigenous peoples, ensuring an understanding of culturally sensitive and inclusive approaches to governance.In Year Two, students will continue their studies by completing 60 credit points in advanced subjects such as policy impact, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of policy initiatives, evidence, policy and practice, and ethics, values and public policy. An integrated policy and research project allows students to synthesise knowledge and develop practical solutions to real-world policy challenges. Students then select 36 credit points from a variety of option clusters tailored to their interests, including research, public policy, human services, urban and regional planning, environment, international development and global studies, or justice and legal studies. These elective clusters allow students to specialise in a particular area of policy practice, gaining in-depth knowledge and developing expertise relevant to their intended career path. The program equips graduates with the skills, knowledge, and critical thinking abilities necessary to pursue careers as policymakers, advocates, researchers, and managers across government, non-government, and private sector organisations, making them well-prepared to address contemporary societal challenges.