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  • A global top 20 university

    Ranked =19th in the world in the 2024 QS World University Rankings

  • =2nd in Australia

    Ranked =2nd in the world in the 2024 QS World University Rankings

Overview

About this course

The Master of Project Leadership will enable you to acquire the skills required to establish and tailor sophisticated interdependent project frameworks. You will develop an understanding of high-level concepts of open-systems innovation, dynamic social networks and design thinking.

This program is designed for experienced project managers and senior managers seeking to develop the critical complex thinking and communication skills required for successful project leadership.

An innovative and challenging program, it will develop your strategic thinking capability and broaden conventional concepts of leadership, management, governance, risk, resilience and sustainability. You will focus on the importance of interpersonal skills to develop effective leadership, and learn how to apply the principles of emotional intelligence to influence and manage successful project outcomes.

Subject areas

This course does not have a specialisation or major.

Shared pool

Entry, fees, funding & how to apply

Depends on your qualification, citizenship status
The details on this page based on your selections are a guide only, and are subject to change.

Your entry requirements

English language proficiency

Find out if you need to prove English language proficiency (depends on your country of origin and educational background).

For academic requirements check the ‘Admission requirements’ section on this page.

Your fee

How to apply

You can apply online via the application portal. When you are ready to apply, select the ‘Apply’ button on this course page. Visit the How to apply page for other important information. 

Standard closing dates:

Semester 1 - 31 January of the commencing year
Semester 2 - 15 July of the commencing year

We strongly encourage applicants to apply as early as possible, offers are made on a rolling basis and places are limited. Separate scholarship deadlines apply - check the scholarships website for details.

Starting date

Semester 1 (February) and Semester 2 (August)

You can apply online via the application portal. When you are ready to apply, select the ‘Apply’ button on this course page. Visit the How to apply page for other important information. 

Standard closing dates:

Semester 1 - 15 January of the commencing year
Semester 2 - 25 June of the commencing year

We strongly encourage international applicants to apply as early as possible to allow time for visa and travel arrangements. Separate scholarship deadlines may apply - check the scholarships website for details.

Starting date

Semester 1 (February) and Semester 2 (August)

What you'll study

Study plan for this course

The course comprises a combination of core units and elective units. Core units include: Project Innovation Management; Project Risk Management; Disaster Project Management; Sustainability and Intelligence in Project Management; and a Project Leadership Thesis.

Elective units include: Complex Project Leadership; Leadership in Organisations; Organisational Change and Development; Strategic Delivery of Change. Refer to the unit of study link for a full study plan.

Units of Study

Admission criteria

To be eligible for admission, an applicant is required to have:

  • an Australian bachelor's degree in any discipline with a credit average (65 percent) or equivalent qualification and five years professional work experience with a middle to senior project management position or similar or
  • a University of Sydney Graduate Diploma in Project Leadership with a credit average (65 percent). Units completed in the graduate diploma/graduate certificate can be credited to the master's degree.

For qualifications awarded outside Australia, equivalencies and entry requirements are determined based on the country, institution and qualification.

Credit for previous study

For more information about the University’s credit policy, please see the Credit for Previous Studies page.

Professional accreditation

The Master of Project Leadership is accredited by the Project Management Institute Global Accreditation Centre (GAC) for Project Management Education Programs.



Career Pathways

As a graduate of the Master of Project Leadership you will have the knowledge to apply a range of relevant models and theories across projects at an organisational level. The Master of Project Leadership deepens your understanding of the dynamics of delivery, adaptation and change, and of managing the connected complexities of decision making and taking. The Master of Project Leadership will provide you with innovative ways of treating projects as dynamic and adaptive systems. You will understand how applying the principles of complexity thinking will enable you to manage large-scale initiatives successfully.
Future study options

The University of Sydney is a research intensive institution with a strong track record of technology transfer and commercialisation. The research of the Centre for Complex Systems Research (CCSR) focuses on social networks theory and analytical methods, coordination theory in organisations, complex adaptive systems theory, chaos theory and complexity theory and its applications in domains such as computer supported cooperative work; human and computer interactions; modelling disaster preparedness, exploring safety and standard practice of global mining teams, modelling self organised fraud claims in insurance and finance in capital markets, and understanding the impact of social networks on innovation and diffusion. If you would like to be part of the project management research community at the University of Sydney, you may consider applying for admission to a research degree. Students completing a research degree undertake supervised research and submit a written thesis at the completion of their studies in the degree of Master of Philosophy or Doctor of Philosophy.

Domestic students

International students

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.