Master of Politics and Policy

2025 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2025 course information
Award granted	Master of Politics and Policy
Deakin course code	A702
Faculty	Faculty of Arts and Education
Online	Yes
Duration	The time and cost could be reduced based on your previous qualifications and professional experience. This means you can fast track the masters degree from 1.5 years down to 1 year duration. See entry requirements below for more information.
Course Map - enrolment planning tool	These course maps are for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2025: Minor Thesis Professional Experience Research Paper Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9

Course sub-headings

Course overview

In the 21st century, the world faces an array of complex political problems including climate change, disease pandemics, ethnic and religious conflict, refugee crises and new forms of populism and authoritarianism. Deakin’s Master of Politics and Policy will equip you with the knowledge and practical skills needed to understand these complex global challenges and develop policy that will bring about positive social change.

Are you committed to meeting the big challenges of the 21st century and to improving our society for the better?

Deakin’s Master of Politics and Policy is one of the few courses in Australia that combine the two disciplines. In doing so, we unpack the political context in which public policy is developed.

You’ll gain real-world skills that reflect current industry practices, such as how to prepare policy briefing papers and how to develop political communication strategies. You’ll also explore how differing political perspectives shape the dynamics between government, the private sector and community.

The course equips early-to-mid stage career professionals with highly valued skills in leadership, critical thinking, problem-solving and communication. Prepare to graduate a more politically aware, socially conscious and policy driven individual.

You’ll undertake a wide range of study units that cover public policy analysis, development and implementation. The core units you will focus on include:

Policy lessons from overseas
Challenges to democratic governance
Research design.

A highlight of the course is having the freedom to choose your own elective units. This allows you to create a degree built for your interests and career goals. Your elective unit options include:

Governing the economy
Political competition
Intergovernmental relations
Political values and public policy
Making policy
Rethinking democracy
Governance and accountability.

We offer flexibility in being a fully online course via our premium online learning platform, making it possible for those living anywhere in Australia or overseas, or those wishing to balance other personal and work commitments, with postgraduate study.

Career opportunities

You’ll graduate ready to become involved in politics and policy making within the public, community and business sectors, domestically and internationally.

If you’re already in industry, your acquired skills, knowledge and qualifications will improve your career standing and equip you for senior roles that take a bigger-picture approach to policy-making.

As a graduate of the masters, you will have the expertise and practical skills to confidently enter a role as policy officer, analyst, consultant or adviser in a variety of professional fields, including:

local, state and national government
political office
international relations
industry and the private sector
stakeholder engagement
communication and training

An early exit of this course still awards you the Graduate Certificate of Politics and Policy, ensuring you have a solid foundation of knowledge to begin your political and policy-making journey. Completion of the course can be used as a pathway to PhD through research training and a two-credit point research minor thesis.

For more information go to DeakinTALENT.

Participation requirements

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.

Mandatory student checks

Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, Working with Children Check or other check.

Alternate exits

Graduate Diploma of Politics and Policy (A602)

Research information

Students will complete a research pathway in 1 of the 3 following options:

Minor Thesis - PhD Pathway
Research Paper – non PhD Pathway^
Professional Experience – non PhD Pathway^.

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Use advanced knowledge of, and expert, specialised cognitive skills in Politics and Policy in professional practice or scholarship and apply this knowledge and skills to different contexts. Gain an advanced understanding of Public policy analysis frameworks and the development and implementation of public policy under conditions of democratic governance and accountability within contemporary contexts characterised by rapid change and globalisation
Communication	Acquire communication skills to design, evaluate analyse and disseminate the findings of research that deploys political concepts, theories and technical knowledge, in a selection of written, digital and oral formats, to a range of specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Digital literacy	Employ a range of generic and specialist politics-specific digital communication technologies to apply political knowledge, to conduct political research, and to deliver reports and presentations to a diverse range of specialist and non-specialist audience.
Critical thinking	Analyse and critically evaluate different interpretations of political phenomena. Demonstrate mastery of the research methods used to investigate political phenomena and technical skills in the design, evaluation, analysis of developments that contribute to professional practice or scholarship in governance and policy.
Problem solving	Utilise advanced understanding of the process of government and public sector management in professional practice and/or scholarship to generate approaches and solutions to complex problems of politics and governance. Demonstrate advanced skills in investigating and analysing complex political phenomena using qualitative methodologies including textual, discursive and historical analysis, process tracing, and ethnographic techniques.
Self-management	Demonstrate the application of skills and knowledge in Politics and Policy with high level personal autonomy, responsibility, accountability in situations of professional practice and/or for further learning.
Teamwork	Work and learn collaboratively with others in the field of political science and from different disciplines and backgrounds while still maintaining responsibility for one’s own learning.
Global citizenship	Analyse and address political issues in both domestic and global contexts as a reflective scholar and practitioner, taking into consideration cultural and socio-economic diversity, social and environmental responsibility and the application of the highest ethical standards.

Approved at Faculty Board October 2015

Course rules

To complete the Master of Politics and Policy students must pass 8 or 12 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate: The exact number of credit points you study depends on how much credit you receive as recognition of prior learning (RPL).

DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
2 credit points of core units
6 or 10 credit points of study (depending upon entry point), from the following:
- one pathway option:
  - Minor Thesis - PhD Pathway
  - Research Paper - non-PhD Pathway
  - Professional Experience - non-PhD Pathway
- any remaining credit points can be chosen from the course electives list

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. See the enrolment codes and terminology to help make sense of the University’s vocabulary.

Course structure

Core units

AIP740

Policy Lessons From Overseas

AIP746

Challenges to Democracy

Pathways

Minor Thesis - PhD Pathway

AIX706

Research Design

Plus 2 credit points of research units:

AIX704

Minor Thesis A

AIX705

Minor Thesis B

Plus 3 or 7 credit points (depending upon entry point) chosen from the course electives

Research Paper – non PhD Pathway^

AIX701

Research Paper

Plus 5 or 9 credit points (depending upon entry point) chosen from the course electives

Professional Experience – non PhD Pathway^

APE701

Internship Capstone

Plus 4 or 8 credit points (depending upon entry point) chosen from the course electives

^ The Research Paper and Professional Experience options are not PhD Pathways.

Course Electives

AIP704

Making Policy

AIP748

Intergovernmental Relations: Federalism, Power and Multi-Level Governance

AIP773

Governance and Accountability in Turbulent Times

AIP781

Political Communication: Public Watchdog Or Propaganda Machine?

AIP780

The Politics of Australia's Economy

AIP783

Rethinking Democracy: Past, Present and Future

AIP785

Political Competition: Rules, Actors and Dynamics

AIX706

Research Design

ADH717

Climate Change and Sustainability

AIR712

Australian Foreign Policy

APE700

Internship A

Work experience

Elective units may provide the opportunity for Work Integrated Learning experiences.

Course duration

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.

Further information

Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.

Contact Student Central

Other learning experiences

There are options for WIL and study tours across many of the SHSS courses.

Research and research-related study

Independent research components are embedded across a number of units.

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, and their study discipline or your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Estimate your fees

For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.