International Relations
Unit of study table
| This page was first published on 13 November 2025 and was last amended on 10 December 2025. View details of the changes below. |
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Master of International Relations |
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| Students complete 96 credit points, including: |
| (a) 30 credit points of core units of study; and |
| (b) a minimum of 42 credit points and a maximum of 60 credit points of selective units of study; and |
| (c) a minimum of 6 credit points and a maximum of 12 credit points of capstone units of study; and |
| (d) a maximum of 18 credit points of elective units of study; and |
| (e) may elect to take an 18 credit point optional specialisation, from: |
(iii) Political Economy |
| (f) Students may complete up to 12 credit points of elective units of study outside the International Relations postgraduate Unit of Study table, with permission of the relevant delegate. |
Graduate Diploma in International Relations |
| Students complete 48 credit points, including: |
| (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 of selective units of study |
| (c) a maximum of 12 credit points of elective units of study |
Graduate Certificate in International Relations |
| Students complete 24 credit points, including: |
| (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 of selective units of study. |
| Unit of study | Credit points | A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition |
|---|---|---|
Core |
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| GOVT6137 Forces of Change in Int Relations |
6 | |
| GOVT6147 Foundations of International Relations |
6 | |
| GOVT6116 International Organisations |
6 | |
| GOVT6119 International Security |
6 | |
| GOVT6123 Globalisation and Governance |
6 | |
Selective units of study |
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| GOVT6100 Foundations of Comparative Politics |
6 | |
| GOVT6109 Political Regimes and Regime Transition |
6 | |
| GOVT6111 Chinese Politics |
6 | |
| GOVT6135 Global Environmental Politics |
6 | |
| GOVT6138 Gender, Family and the State |
6 | |
| GOVT6139 Research Design |
6 | |
| GOVT6150 Challenges of Democratic Politics |
6 | |
| GOVT6156 Strategy and Civil Society |
6 | |
| GOVT6314 Terrorism and International Security |
6 | |
| GOVT6358 Comparative Migration Policy |
6 | |
| GOVT6359 US-China Relations |
6 | |
| CISS6001 New Security Challenges |
6 | |
| CISS6002 Strategy and Security in the Asia-Pacific |
6 | |
| CISS6006 Intervention and 'Fragile' States |
6 | |
| CISS6011 Special Topic in International Security |
6 | |
| CISS6013 Middle East Conflict and Security |
6 | N GOVT6154 |
| CISS6016 Chinese Foreign and Security Policy |
6 | |
| CISS6018 Nuclear Arms Control and Non-proliferation |
6 | |
| CISS6019 War and Strategy |
6 | |
| CISS6022 Cybersecurity |
6 | |
| USSC6903 US Foreign and National Security Policy |
6 | |
Capstone units of study |
||
| Students completing a Masters of International Relations are required to complete at least 6 credit points of capstone units of study. Students complete either of the following two capstone options: | ||
(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 |
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| ECOP6010 International Trade: Theory and Practice |
6 | |
| 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 | |
| GOVT6223 Topics in Environmental Politics |
6 | |
| HRTD6901 Human Rights and the Human Rights System |
6 | |
| HRTD6903 Dynamics of Human Rights Violations |
6 | |
| HRTD6916 Human Rights Simulation |
6 | |
| PACS6909 Cultures of Violence |
6 | |
| PACS6911 Key Issues in Peace and Conflict Studies |
6 | N SCWK6930 |
| PACS6914 Conflict-Resolving Media |
6 | N SCWK6935 |
| PACS6915 Human Rights, Peace and Justice |
6 | N SCWK6941 |
| PACS6934 Conflict-Sensitive Development Practice |
6 | |
| SCLG6700 Global and Regional Migration |
6 | |
| SCLG6916 Indigenous Rights - Global Issues |
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. |
| SSPS6006 Data Analytics for Social Research |
6 | N SSPS4102 |
| USSC6007 Intelligence Agencies and Emerging Tech |
6 | |
| USSC6205 Internship Project |
6 | |
| USSC6902 US Politics: The World of Washington |
6 | |
| USSC6910 Special Topics in US Studies |
6 | |
| USSC6922 The US in the Indo-Pacific |
6 | |
Optional Specialisations
| A minimum of 12 credit points from the following selective units of study | ||
| CISS6001 New Security Challenges |
6 | |
| CISS6002 Strategy and Security in the Asia-Pacific |
6 | |
| CISS6006 Intervention and 'Fragile' States |
6 | |
| A maximum of 6 credit points from the following selective units of study: | ||
| CISS6011 Special Topic in International Security |
6 | |
| CISS6013 Middle East Conflict and Security |
6 | |
| CISS6016 Chinese Foreign and Security Policy |
6 | |
| CISS6018 Nuclear Arms Control and Non-proliferation |
6 | |
| CISS6019 War and Strategy |
6 | |
| CISS6022 Cybersecurity |
6 | |
| GOVT6314 Terrorism and International Security |
6 | |
| 6 credit points from the following core units of study: | ||
| PACS6911 Key Issues in Peace and Conflict Studies |
6 | N SCWK6930 |
| 12 credit points from the following elective units of study: | ||
| HRTD6916 Human Rights Simulation |
||
| PACS6909 Cultures of Violence |
||
| PACS6914 Conflict-Resolving Media |
N SCWK6935 | |
| PACS6915 Human Rights, Peace and Justice |
N SCWK6941 | |
| PACS6934 Conflict-Sensitive Development Practice |
||
| 18 credit points from the following selective units of study: | ||
| ECOP6010 International Trade: Theory and Practice |
6 | |
| 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 Dynamics of Economic Change |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 10/12/2025 | Optional specialisations published on this page. | Optional specialisations removed from this page and added to separate pages: |
