Public Policy
| This page was first published on 13 November 2025 and was last amended on 11 May 2026. View details of the changes below. |
|---|
Unit of study table
Master of Public Policy |
|---|
| Students complete 96 credit points, including: |
| (a) 24 credit points of core unit of study |
| (b) a minimum of 42 and a maximum of 66 credit points of selective units of study; and |
| (c) a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 12 credit points from capstone units of study; and |
| (d) a maximum of 24 credit points from elective units of study; and |
| (e) may elect to take an 18 credit point optional specialisation, from: |
| (i) Economic Policy |
| (ii) Social Policy |
| (iii) Political Economy |
| (f) Students may complete up to 12 credit points of elective units of study outside the Public Policy postgraduate Unit of Study table, with permission of the relevant delegate. |
Graduate Diploma in Public Policy |
| Students complete 48 credit points comprising: |
| (a) a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 24 credit points of core units of study; and |
| (b) a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 36 credit points from selective units of study and |
| (c) a maximum of 12 credit points from elective units of study. |
Graduate Certificate in Public Policy |
| Students complete 24 credit points comprising: |
| (a) a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 24 credit points of core units of study; and |
| (b) a maximum of 12 credit points from selective units of study. |
| Unit of study | Credit points | A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition |
|---|---|---|
Core units of study | ||
| GOVT6139 Research Design | 6 | |
| GOVT6311 Policy Problems in Turbulent Times | 6 | |
| GOVT6316 The Politics of Policy Making | 6 | |
| GOVT6331 Public Administration and Governance | 6 | |
Selective units of study | ||
| GOVT6123 Globalisation and Governance | 6 | |
| GOVT6135 Global Environmental Politics | 6 | |
| GOVT6150 Challenges of Democratic Politics | 6 | |
| GOVT6156 Strategy and Civil Society | 6 | |
| GOVT6159 Emotions, Agenda Setting, and Public Policy | 6 | |
| GOVT6223 Topics in Environmental Politics | 6 | |
| GOVT6229 Campaigning: Data, Politics, Strategy | 6 | |
| GOVT6301 Public Sector Ethics and Corruption | 6 | |
| GOVT6313 Leadership in Theory and Practice | 6 | |
| GOVT6336 Media Politics | 6 | |
| GOVT6357 International Policy Making | 6 | |
| GOVT6358 Comparative Migration Policy | 6 | |
| SCLG6910 Comparative Welfare States | 6 | N SCWK6909 |
| SCWK6949 Global Social Policy | 6 | |
Capstone units of study | ||
(1) Semester-long research project | ||
| GOVT6127 Research Project/Essay | 6 | |
(2) Year-long dissertation project | ||
| Students wishing to complete the year-long dissertation project must have completed GOVT6139 Research Design | ||
| GOVT6340 Dissertation Part 1 | 6 | P Completion of 4 postgraduate units - 75% or above average |
| GOVT6341 Dissertation Part 2 | 6 | C GOVT6340 |
Elective units of study | ||
| ECMT5001 Principles of Econometrics | 6 | |
| ECON5001 Microeconomic Theory | 6 | N ECON5040 |
| ECON5002 Macroeconomic Theory | 6 | N ECON5003 |
| ECON5004 Communication in Economics | 6 | N BUSS5020 |
| ECON5006 Economics of Law and Public Policy | 6 | P (ECON5001 or ECON5040) and ECMT5001 |
| ECON6018 Environmental Economics | 6 | P ECON5001 or ECON5040 or ECON6701 |
| ECON6029 Health Economics and Policy Evaluation | 6 | P (ECON5001 or ECON5040 or ECON6701) and (ECMT5001 or ECMT6702 or QBUS5001) |
| ECOP6012 Country Risk Analysis | 6 | |
| ECOP6016 China in the Global Economy | 6 | |
| ECOP6017 Global Inequality | 6 | |
| ECOP6018 Economic Development: Growth and Wellbeing | 6 | |
| ECOP6101 Political Economy: A Primer | 6 | |
| ECOP6103 Economic Policy | 6 | |
| ECOP6108 Economy-Environment Sustainability | 6 | |
| ECOP6115 History of Australian Capitalism | 6 | |
| ECOP6901 Finance and Economic Change | 6 | |
| EDPA6018 Social Policy Process | 6 | |
| EDPB5016 Global Education and Equity | 6 | |
| FASS6001 Dimensions of Inequality | 6 | |
| GOVT6100 Foundations of Comparative Politics | 6 | |
| GOVT6138 Gender, Family and the State | 6 | |
| SCLG6903 Topics in Rights, Justice and Society | 6 | |
| SCLG6901 Citizenship Rights and Social Movements | 6 | N SCWK6901 |
| SCLG6910 Comparative Welfare States | 6 | N SCWK6909 |
| SCWK6052 Community and Environmental Change | 6 | |
| SSPS6001 Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences | 6 | |
| SSPS6002 Qualitative Methods in the Social Sciences | 6 | |
| SSPS6003 Vocational Placement | 6 | Where appropriate, prior professional experience will be taken into account when assessing eligibility for this unit. |
| SSPS6004 Social Research Ethics | 6 | N SCLG6902 or SCLG3003 |
| SSPS6008 Universal Basic Income | 6 | |
| WRIT6000 Professional Writing | 6 | |
| USSC6007 Intelligence Agencies and Emerging Tech | 6 | |
| USSC6205 Internship Project | 6 | |
| USSC6902 US Politics: The World of Washington | 6 | |
| USSC6903 US Foreign and National Security Policy | 6 | |
| USSC6910 Special Topics in US Studies | 6 | |
| USSC6922 The US in the Indo-Pacific | 6 | |
Exchange units of study | ||
| Available to Master of Public Policy students only | ||
| FASS6901 Exchange and Study Abroad | 6 | |
| FASS6902 Exchange and Study Abroad | 6 | |
| FASS6903 Exchange and Study Abroad | 6 | |
| FASS6904 Exchange and Study Abroad | 6 | |
Optional Specialisations
| The Economic Policy specialisation is suitable for students with little or no background in economics; however, knowledge of mathematics (equivalent to HSC Mathematics Advanced) is assumed. | ||
| 12 credit points from the following core units of study | ||
| Unit of study | Credit points | A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition |
|---|---|---|
| ECON5001 Microeconomic Theory | 6 | N ECON5040 |
| ECON5002 Macroeconomic Theory | 6 | N ECON5003 |
| 6 credit points from the following selective units of study | ||
| ECMT5001 Principles of Econometrics | 6 | |
| ECON5004 Communication in Economics | 6 | N BUSS5020 |
| ECON5006 Economics of Law and Public Policy | 6 | P ECON5001 or ECON5040 |
| ECON6018 Environmental Economics | 6 | P ECON5001 or ECON5040 or ECON6701 |
| ECON6029 Health Economics and Policy Evaluation | 6 | P (ECON5001 or ECON5040 or ECON6701) and (ECMT5001 or ECMT6702 or QBUS5001) |
| 12 credit points from the following core units of study: | ||
| Unit of study | Credit points | A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition |
|---|---|---|
| EDPA6018 Social Policy Process | 6 | |
| SCWK6948 Social Policy Frameworks | 6 | |
| 6 credit points from the following selective units of study: | ||
| EDPB5016 Global Education and Equity | 6 | |
| FASS6001 Dimensions of Inequality | 6 | |
| SCWK6052 Community and Environmental Change | 6 | |
| SCLG6901 Citizenship Rights and Social Movements | 6 | N SCWK6901 |
| SCLG6903 Topics in Rights, Justice and Society | 6 | |
| 18 credit points from the following selective units of study: | ||
| Unit of study | Credit points | A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition |
|---|---|---|
| ECOP6012 Country Risk Analysis | 6 | |
| ECOP6016 China in the Global Economy | 6 | |
| ECOP6017 Global Inequality | 6 | |
| ECOP6018 Economic Development: Growth and Wellbeing | 6 | |
| ECOP6101 Political Economy: A Primer | 6 | |
| ECOP6103 Economic Policy | 6 | |
| ECOP6108 Economy-Environment Sustainability | 6 | |
| ECOP6115 History of Australian Capitalism | 6 | |
| ECOP6901 Finance and Economic Change | 6 | |
Post-publication amendments
| Date | Original publication | Post-publication amendment |
|---|---|---|
| 11/05/2026 | ECOP6103 title published as: "Dynamics of Economic Change" | ECOP6103 title amended to: "Economic Policy" |