In the Master of Public Policy and Management you’ll refine a high-level analytic skillset that meets the demands of complex public policy-making. Use the theoretical and analytical perspectives and debates you learn in public policy, governance and management to generate understandings of the institutions, processes and practices of contemporary government and policy.
With over 30 years of teaching and learning, the Master of Public Policy and Management is the premier degree of its kind in Australia. Understand the challenges and opportunities of interdependence, national and local institutions, diversity and dynamics of global, and appreciate the potential and limits of public policy action.
Prepare yourself for a career in national and international leadership and government roles through this comprehensive postgraduate program. Benefit from hands-on experience in public, private or community sector management and gain the transferrable theoretical and practical skills you need for a mobile career.
Draw on the expertise of senior leaders from state and federal government and public service delivery organisations. The tutors and mentors in the Master of Public Policy and Management have a vast range of experience across government, politics, public service, parliament, the media, academia, and international development organisations.
On graduation from the Master of Public Policy and Management, you will be ready for work in professional fields including:
Learn how the United States, China, the European Union, and the United Nations operate in our global community, and acquire knowledge of key developments within international relations. The Master of International Relations engages with theory, international governance and law, international security, international political economy and international history.
Participate in an international student exchange and study another language to complement your skills. You can transcend theoretical perspectives by applying your expertise in a working environment, such as through an optional internship. Designed to meet your career-oriented goals, your internship can be in international organisations, government, business, media and NGOs.
If you want to open doors in your career in government, the private and NGO sector or academia, the Master of International Relations helps you to understand contemporary issues facing international laws, policies and governance.
Discover the nuanced international politics of climate change, nuclear weapons, genocide, human rights, globalisation, corruption, international trade, and women in global politics. You can train you focus on the Asia-Pacific, Europe, or the Middle East with expert tuition from regional specialists. And there’s always the option to progress to a research higher degree through a minor thesis option.
On graduation from the Master of International Relations, you will be ready for work in professional fields including:
Graduates have also gone on to work in global organisations including:
The Master of Development Studies paves the theoretical grounding that helps you address developing world issues in your practical experience. Refine your transferable skills in critical analysis, communication, cross-cultural understanding, research methods, project design, project management and teamwork.
At professional practice seminars, research workshops, careers events, and alumni get-togethers, you can rub shoulders with top-notch policy makers and experts in the international development sector. While in your studies you can engage with debt and poverty, microfinance, culture and human rights, migration and transnationalism, food and environmental security, civil society organisations, and gender relations.
Think about and implement creative solutions to the challenging and evolving field of development by understanding the needs of all walks of life – from an inner-city office to an isolated village. You can specialise in the optional Gender and Development stream, which guides you through gender and development theory while tackling the practical concerns of planning for gender in development projects within government and non-government organisations.
Undertake an exchange or study abroad with one of our esteemed global partners under the Global Mobility Program, or take an internship placement with a domestic or international development agency.
Career outcomes for the Master of Development Studies have a global reach. As an internationally recognised qualification, you’ll have a head start pursuing roles including:
Make a change in the world. Social policy makers weave the fabric of our society. And with the Master of Social policy program, you can examine key developments in social policy through a global lens, with a strong emphasis on social justice and the ability to influence policy.
As a social policy maker, you can meld the needs of citizens with the roles of government and not‐for‐profit service agencies in contentious fields like employment, income support, education, health and climate change.
The Master of Social Policy enables you to understand the respective roles of government, private and not‐for‐profit sectors in meeting the needs of citizens. Understand and critique the key developments in social policy through a global lens, aiming to find ethically sustainable solutions, while considering the competing factors of social policy and the economy.
People with an interest in analysing key areas of contemporary social policy, including governance, inclusion and exclusion, social capital, and globalisation. You can engage with the social dimensions of social policy – race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability and age – and understand social policy as a contested process. Apply your research skills to a range of organisational contexts and explore real world experiences through the School’s partnership with the Brotherhood of St Laurence social research team. You can also activate your knowledge through an Executive Internship placement over two semesters.
The Master of Social Policy develops you professional knowledge and prepares you for work in fields including:
As an emerging leader in your field, studying the Master of Public Administration (MPA) will ground your theoretical and practical understanding of public administration. The MPA is a cross-faculty program exclusively available to experienced professionals.
Whether you want to update your knowledge, enhance your professional expertise, or embark on a change of career, this globally-focused MPA activates the contemporary skillset you need to achieve your career goals in the public, private or community sectors. By working with the Director of the MPA program, you can tailor your study to access the full breadth of offerings from the University of Melbourne.
The Melbourne Law Masters is a graduate law program of the highest quality, available to law and non-law graduates.
Effective legal frameworks and institutions are pivotal in tackling inequality, alleviating poverty and creating a sustainable environment. The specialisation in law and development offers a choice of subjects examining the legalisation of development and the role of international and regional actors in law reform projects. Also offered is an investigation and analysis of both international law and the ‘rule of law’ in a developmental context. Subjects take a range of practical, historical, critical, applied and theoretical perspectives. This program is ideal for those working in international development from a government, non-government or not-for-profit background, as well as for those who wish to undertake specialist study in the area in preparation for a research degree.
Graduates of the Master of Law and Development will:
Intensive subjects are ideal for busy professionals and provide an excellent opportunity to immerse in the subject content.
Subjects are typically taught over five days, either from Monday – Friday or Wednesday – Tuesday, excluding the weekend. This format enables students from interstate or overseas to fly to Melbourne to attend class.
Semester-length subjects are generally taught for two hours in the evening each week during the semester.
Comprehensive reading materials are provided approximately four weeks prior to the commencement of an intensive class. It is expected that students undertake substantial reading before classes begin. Teachers and students are likely to be in contact with each other electronically from the time reading materials are released to the time assessment is due.