Course Catalogue

Master of Public Policy (SPPOL2)

2026

Course Structure

The course comprises of a total of 160 credit points, involving completion of four (4) core units that provide a background and context to the study. Students then select between two (2) to eight (8) units from a variety of specialist streams relevant to their field of employment and/or interest allowing you to tailor your studies to your context by drawing in units from other fields of study including relevant policy units from other tertiary institutions.

The final 40 credit points of research project units are developed and designed in collaboration with your supervisor.

A candidate must successfully complete units totalling 160 credit points (cp) as detailed below. All units are valued at 10 credit points unless otherwise indicated.

Unit type	Credit Points	Specific requirements
Core Units (4 units)	40cp	Compulsory Core units totalling 40 credit points as detailed below. IAS531 Indigenous Policy Agendas in Federal and State Politics MPP501 Theoretical Approaches to Public Policy (unit title change 2023) MPP506 Public Policy Practice MPP507 Evidence and Policy Evaluation
Research Units (2 units)	40cp	Compulsory Research Project units totalling 40 credit points. These units are to be taken following completion of a minimum of 80 credit points of study. MPP610 Public Policy Research Project (20cp) MPP611 Public Policy Research Project (20cp)
Specialist Electives (2-8 units)	40-80cp	Units totalling minimum 20 credit points selected from the list of available Research Methodologies units detailed below. Research Methodologies Select 20cp from the following prior to undertaking MPP610 and MPP611. EMG505 Research Methodologies in Education ENV511 Real-World Statistics and Data Reasoning HGE501 Topics in Human Geography: A 'Remote' Perspective (no longer available 2025) IAS501 Research Methods 1 (20cp) IAS521 Principles of Research in Indigenous Contexts IAS524 Indigenous Representation and Ethical Practice (not offered 2026) MPP502 Evidence-Based Policy Development in Northern and Indigenous Contexts (not offered 2026) MPP503 Realist Research and Evaluation (not offered 2026) MPP505 Ethnography and Policy PHM526 Research Design PHM527 Research, Ethics and Impact PHM588 Qualitative Research Units totalling up to 60 credit points selected from the list of available units detailed above or from the list below. The Specialist Elective units can be taken from one stream or spread across streams. Education EMG502 Philosophies and Ethics (not offered 2026) EMG503 Assessment and Quality Assurance in Learning and Teaching EMG504 Leadership in Education EMG609 Internship (20cp) (no longer available from 2025) IAS538 Challenging Educational Paradigm Environment and Livelihoods ENG519 Sustainability ENV501 Tropical Invaders and Biosecurity ENV503 Ecological Restoration and Conservation ENV507 Fire Ecology and Management ENV509 Ecology and Management of Tropical Forests and Savannas ENV513 Environmental Planning and Policy ENV517 Natural Resources and Indigenous Livelihoods ENV520 Wildlife Management ENV521 Community Engagement for Biosecurity and Natural Resource Management Health and Social Policy PHM516 Indigenous Health PHM517 Public Health Anthropology PHM523 Health Promotion PHM525 Indigenous Health Research PHM536 Health Systems, Planning and Management PHM554 Public Health Economics and Decision Making PHM559 Health Policy PHM567 Public Health Indigenous Contexts ENV517 Natural Resources and Indigenous Livelihoods IAS530 Neocolonialism, Advocacy and the Critique of Development IAS532 Indigenous Knowledges, Property Rights and Economic Participation IAS533 Indigenous Knowledges and Epistemologies IAS536 Indigenous Sovereignty and the Challenges of Reconciliation PHM516 Indigenous Health PHM525 Indigenous Health Research Public Management and Governance HRM504 Organisational Change and Development (replaces BUS504 from 2026) HRM506 Global Human Resources (replaces BUS506 from 2026) BUS508 Business Analytics ENT502 Entrepreneurship (replaces ENT501 from 2026) MAN500 Strategic Management (replaces MAN514 from 2026) PRT551 Project Management, Risk and Reliability Secure and Safe Communities DEM511 Emergency and Disaster Management in Context DEM512 Interdisciplinary Aspects of Emergency and Disaster Management DEM513 Leadership in Emergency and Disaster Management DEM514 Cultural, Social and Psychological Aspects of Emergency and Disaster Management SWK522 Co-Creating Social Justice in Practice (no longer available from 2025) SWK524 Communities, Social Change and Development (no longer available from 2025) SWK526 Leadership in Social Policy SWK558 Cultural Security in Child Protection Practice
Electives (0-4 units)	0-40cp	Units totalling up to 40 credit points may be selected from postgraduate units offered by the University. Students may select units from any of the approved specialisations (as above) as electives or by cross institutional enrolment that is approved by the course coordinator.
	160cp	Total Credit Points

Course Rules (unless otherwise indicated in the above course structure)

See the Higher Education Course Rules (Award Requirements) in the Units and Courses Policy.

COURSE CHANGES AND TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS - 2026

BUS504 Sustainable Enterprise has been replaced by HRM504 Organisational Change and Development (not equivalent)
BUS506 Global Megatrends has been replaced by HRM506 Global Human Resources (not equivalent)
ENT501 Sustainable Entrepreneurship has been replaced by ENT502 Entrepreneurship (not equivalent)
MAN514 Management for the Executive has been replaced by MAN500 Strategic Management (not equivalent)

TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS - 2026

Students who have completed BUS504 Sustainable Enterprise should not complete HRM504 Organisational Change and Development
Students who have completed BUS506 Global Megatrends should not complete HRM506 Global Human Resources
Students who have completed ENT501 Sustainable Entrepreneurship should not complete ENT502 Entrepreneurship
Students who have completed MAN514 Management for the Executive should not complete MAN500 Strategic Management

Further Assistance

For further assistance please contact Student Central on 1800 061 963 (freecall) or student.central@cdu.edu.au. Student Central staff will assist you with applying for or enrolling in a course and provide assistance with timetables, fees, HELP (Higher Education Loan Program), external materials, enrolment changes and many other issues.

Unit Catalogue - provides general information about each unit including a brief description, the semester and mode offered as well as the fees for Commonwealth Supported places.
Timetables - provides information about individual class times for units offered internally. Timetables for the following academic year are published early in December each year.
Bookshop - if text books have been prescribed, recommended or ordered for units in this course, details are available by unit code through the Casuarina Campus Bookshop.