Social Justice (Development Studies)
Overview
| This page was first published on 13 November 2025 and was last amended on 12 January 2026. View details of the changes below. |
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In the field of development studies, students grapple with the challenges of achieving sustainable human development on local, national, and global scales. This concentration brings the unique perspective of anthropology and its methodologies to bear on practical problems and the policies and programs that address them. It introduces students to critical theories of poverty, health, development, and social change and provides students with opportunities for practice-based understanding of development policy and programs.
The Social Justice program comprises a full master’s degree as well as shorter courses, allowing students the flexibility to enter or exit at any level, subject to meeting the relevant criteria:
- Graduate Certificate in Social Justice (24 credit points, no stream);
- Graduate Diploma in Social Justice (48 credit points, including a stream); and
- Master of Social Justice (72 credit points, including a stream and capstone).
In addition to Development Studies, the Graduate Diploma and Master’s are available in the following streams:
Students complete units of study in the following categories, as appropriate to their level of study:
- Core: provides students the opportunity to study together in the same classes and gain the same conceptual grounding, relating to all three stream topics and also environmental justice. It is recommended that students take these units early (first and second semesters) in their course.
- Stream core: covers conceptual material and empirical examinations, as well as considerations of possible effective responses.
- Stream selective: related units, including those from other stream cores, that allow students to draw links between various social justice dynamics.
- Elective (optional): choice of units in Gender and Cultural Studies, International Politics, Political Economy, and Sociology and Criminology.
- Capstone: application of the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the master’s to a choice of:
- (i) independent research project: students pursue a specific topic of interest to them, assisted by an academic supervisor.
- (ii) vocational placement: one or two units in which students can deepen insights into the social justice work environment or undertake a vocational placement, or both. While gaining a vocational placement is not guaranteed, we make every effort to place students.
- (iii) supervised dissertation: provides a pathway to higher degree by research (e.g., PhD) studies. This option is only available to high-achieving students with a strong research proposal.
Admission criteria and course requirements
Please refer to the course resolutions for admission criteria and course requirements.
The requirements of the Development Studies stream are listed in the unit of study table.
Contacts and further information
School of Social and Political Sciences
Program Director: Associate Professor Susan Banki
Phone: +61 2 9351 4279
Email: msj.coordinator@sydney.edu.au
Post-publication amendments
| Date | Original publication | Post-publication amendment |
|---|---|---|
| 12/01/2026 | Development Studies overview section published as: [...] In the field of development studies, students grapple with the challenges of achieving sustainable human development on local, national, and global scales. This concentration brings the unique perspective of anthropology and its methodologies to bear on practical problems and the policies and programs that address them. It introduces students to critical theories of poverty, health, development, and social change and provides students with opportunities for practice-based understanding of development policy and programs. Students undertake a capstone in which they intern at a local or overseas organization relevant to development studies, or complete a research-based, supervised dissertation or independent research project relevant to development studies |
Development Studies overview section amended to: [...] In the field of development studies, students grapple with the challenges of achieving sustainable human development on local, national, and global scales. This concentration brings the unique perspective of anthropology and its methodologies to bear on practical problems and the policies and programs that address them. It introduces students to critical theories of poverty, health, development, and social change and provides students with opportunities for practice-based understanding of development policy and programs. The Social Justice program comprises a full master’s degree as well as shorter courses, allowing students the flexibility to enter or exit at any level, subject to meeting the relevant criteria:
In addition to Development Studies, the Graduate Diploma and Master’s are available in the following streams:
[...] |
| 12/01/2026 | Admission criteria and course requirements section published as: [...] Please refer to the course resolutions for information on the admission criteria for the Master of Social Justice and Graduate Diploma of Social Justice. The requirements of the Development Studies stream are available in the unit of study table. The Master of Social Justice and Graduate Diploma of Social Justice are also available in the following streams:
|
Admission criteria and course requirements section amended to: [...] Please refer to the course resolutions for admission criteria and course requirements. The requirements of the Development Studies stream are listed in the unit of study table. [...] |
| 12/01/2026 | Contacts and further information section published as: [...] Website: School of Social and Political Sciences |
Contacts and further information section amended to: [...] School of Social and Political Sciences |
