Master of Social Policy

The Master of Social Policy offers a curriculum that reflects cutting edge theory in a number of professional development fields. Graduates will be equipped with the skills necessary for advanced community sector management and policy making, including the skills to:

• analyse key areas of contemporary social policy: governance, inclusion\exclusion, social capital, globalisation etc;
• engage with the social dimensions of social policy: race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, age etc;
• understand social policy as a contested process and apply research skills to a range of organisational contexts;
• draw on a range of disciplines and take a comparative and global focus.

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Duration: 2 years full-time / up to 4 years part-time

• two compulsory subjects (25 points)
• six elective subjects (62.5 points)

Second 100 points:

• four compulsory subjects (62.5 points)
• three elective subjects (37.5 points), at least one of which must be selected from List A

Total 200 points. Subjects are 12.5 points unless otherwise stated.

Duration: 1 year full-time / up to 2 years part-time

Refer to the second 100 points of the 200 point program

First 100 points

Compulsory subjects:

Elective subjects:

Note: Written permission is required from the MSP Coordinator prior to enrolment in the thesis. To be eligible to enrol in the minor thesis students must have completed at least 37.5 points within the program with an average of H1 (80%) and have submitted a written proposal of 300 words for approval by the MSP Coordinator.

Students cannot do both the thesis and the individual research topic (166-522).

Second 100 points

Students in the 100 point program need to complete the second 100 points.

Compulsory subjects:

List A elective subjects:

• at least one elective suibject must be completed from List A

List B elective subjects:

1. The Selection Committee will evaluate the applicant’s ability to pursue successfully the course using the following criteria –

For the 200 point program
• an undergraduate degree with a major area of study related to social policy with a grade average of at least H2B (70%) in the relevant subjects, or equivalent; or
• an undergraduate degree in any field with an overall grade average of at least H2B (70%) and at least one year of full time documented relevant professional work experience, or equivalent.

For the 100-point program
• an honours degree with a major area of study related to social policy with a grade average of at least H2B (70%) in the relevant subjects, or equivalent; or
• an undergraduate degree in any field and at least two years of full time documented relevant professional work experience, or equivalent.

2. The Selection Committee may conduct interviews or tests and may call for referee reports and employer references to elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

Documented evidence of relevant professional experience:
Applicants seeking admission into 100 program must provide the following documentation in support of their application for the recognition of prior professional experience:
• brief curriculum vitae, detailing work experience;
• contact details of two referees ;
• a covering letter outlining the applicants professional background and how this prepares them to successfully undertake the program.
In some cases, an interview and/or two reference letters from employers/managers detailing the period of employment and areas of responsibility, and/or evidence of written work or reports undertaken during the period of employment may be requested.

Admission process

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Students who complete this course should develop a number of generic skills that should help them with future study and employment. Students will enhance their skills in:

• Research: through competent use of advanced information sources and retrieval of appropriate information;
• Critical and theoretical thinking: through presentation of research papers, conceptualising theoretical problems, forming judgements and arguments from conflicting evidence, and by critical analysis;
• Time management and planning: through managing and organising workloads;
• Team work: through small group discussions