Course Curriculum

The Master of Public Policy requires the completion of 160 credit points and is structured to build advanced capability in policy analysis, development and evaluation. Students begin with 40 credit points of core units, which provide foundational knowledge in Indigenous policy agendas, theoretical approaches to public policy, practical policy processes, and evidence-based evaluation. These core units ensure all graduates share a solid grounding in how policy is shaped, implemented and assessed. Students then undertake 40 credit points of research project units, which must be completed after successfully finishing at least 80 credit points of coursework. These research project units, taken as two 20-credit-point components, enable students to design and carry out an applied or theoretical investigation in a policy-related field, with close supervision and guidance tailored to individual interests and professional goals. Before beginning the research project, students must complete at least 20 credit points in research methodology, selecting from interdisciplinary options such as education research methods, statistics, Indigenous research methodologies, ethnography, realist evaluation, public health research methods and qualitative analysis. The remaining 40 to 60 credit points come from specialist elective units chosen across diverse thematic streams, including Education, Environment and Livelihoods, Health and Social Policy, Indigenous Contexts, Public Management and Governance, and Secure and Safe Communities. These specialist electives allow students to shape their learning to suit professional interests, explore regional and global policy challenges, and build interdisciplinary expertise. Students may also take up to 40 credit points of additional electives from postgraduate offerings across the university, providing further opportunities to broaden or deepen their policy knowledge. This flexible and comprehensive structure ensures graduates develop both the theoretical grounding and practical research capability needed for impactful policy work in government, non-government, and community sectors.