The Master of Public Administration (Policy) is a 72-unit program which is part of the Graduate Program in Public Administration offered by the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. Entry is available at three levels - basic, progressive and advanced.
The course is available on campus or by online study and students may move between mode of study on a topic by topic basis. It requires two years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time).
Admission requirements
- Basic level entry, requiring the completion of 72 units of work, is normally available to applicants who hold an approved degree or an equivalent qualification from an approved tertiary institution. However, the Faculty Board may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature.
- Progressive level entry, requiring the completion of 54 units of work, is available to applicants who have completed the 18-unit Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Management or the 18-unit Graduate Certificate in Public Policy*, or an approved equivalent. Credit may be granted, on application, for relevant work already completed in other approved programs. Progressive level entrants can undertake 18 units of the 54-unit program to complete the graduate diploma.
- Advanced level entry, requiring the completion of 36 units of work, is available to applicants who have completed the Graduate Diploma in Public Administration, or an approved equivalent with an acceptable GPA. Approved equivalents include an honours degree of the University in a field acceptable to the Board.
* Students who have completed one of the graduate certificates or an approved equivalent but not an undergraduate degree must have achieved an acceptable GPA.
Course aims
The Master of Public Administration (Policy) aims to provide a broad overview of issues in public administration and management and a strong foundation in understanding, knowledge and skills in the practice of public policy.
Learning outcomes
Graduates with a Master of Public Administration (Policy) will be able to:
- understand contemporary trends and developments in public policy and the process of public policy making
- understand contemporary trends and developments in the field of public policy and appreciate the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in assessing and analysing policy outcomes
- demonstrate skills in policy analysis and engage in informed debates on policy issues and their impacts.
International English language pathway
Students who are admitted to the course under the International English language pathway are required to enrol in one or both of the following English tuition topics based on their IELTS’ entrance score.
English tuition topics
POAD8005 English Language Tuition 1 (0 units)
POAD8006 English Language Tuition 2 (0 units)
To be eligible to complete the requirements of the course, students must complete the required English tuition topics.
Except with the permission of the Director of Studies, enrolment in the English tuition topics must be undertaken concurrently in the first semester of study with core topics POAD9014 Public Policy and POAD9022 Public Management.
Program of study
To qualify for the Master of Public Administration (Policy) a student must complete 72 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the following program of study:
Core - Year 1 & 2 topics
36 units comprising:
POAD9005 Contemporary Cases in Public Policy (4.5 units)
POAD9014 Public Policy (4.5 units)
POAD9017 Contemporary Public Policy: Theoretical Perspectives (4.5 units)
POAD9022 Public Management (4.5 units)
POAD9137 Ethics in Public Administration (4.5 units)
POAD9138 Governance and Public Policy (4.5 units)
Select two topics from:
POAD9130 Toolkit for Public Management (4.5 units)#
POAD9139 Organisational Politics, Culture and Management (4.5 units)
POAD9142 Leading and Managing Change (4.5 units)
# students who have completed previous studies in organisational behaviour may substitute an alternative management elective.
plus 36 units of elective topics
Elective - Group A topics
Select at least 22.5 units from Group A topics:
INTR9054 The Alliance and the Rise of China (4.5 units)
POAD9015 Economics and Public Policy (4.5 units)
POAD9018 Housing Policy (4.5 units)
POAD9030 Indigenous Issues in Public Policy (4.5 units)*
POAD9043 Selected Issues in Public Policy (4.5 units)
POAD9119 Regionalism, Decentralisation and Governance (4.5 units)
POAD9129 Environmental Policy and Governance (4.5 units)
POAD9132 Action Learning Project (9 units)
POAD9133 Critical Systems Thinking and Practice (4.5 units)
POAD9134 Democracy and Sustainability (4.5 units)
POAD9136 Culture and Public Policy (4.5 units)
POLI9004 The Politics of Climate Change (4.5 units)*
SOAD9109 Social Development (4.5 units)
WMST8008 Engendering Justice, Rights, and Representation: Gender, State and Citizenship (4.5 units)*
*= not available in distance mode
Elective - Group B topics
Select up to 13.5 units from Group B topics to make a total of 36 units of elective topics:
EDUC9601 Strategic Thinking and Planning (4.5 units)
EDUC9605 Knowledge Management for Organisational Learning (4.5 units)
POAD9026 Management in Non-Government Organisations (4.5 units)
POAD9028 Evaluation Methods (4.5 units)
POAD9034 Risk Management - Principles and Practice (4.5 units)
POAD9037 Financial Management (4.5 units)
POAD9044 Selected Issues in Public Management (4.5 units)
POAD9056 Asset Management (4.5 units)
POAD9118 Managing Human Resources in the Public Sector (4.5 units)
POAD9130 Toolkit for Public Management (4.5 units)
POAD9131 Development Administration (4.5 units)
POAD9135 Project Management (4.5 units)
POAD9139 Organisational Politics, Culture and Management (4.5 units)
POAD9140 Public Policy Internship (13.5 units)
POAD9142 Leading and Managing Change (4.5 units)
A maximum of two topics from any other post-graduate program within the University may be taken with the approval of the Director of Studies.
