Master of Education Policy (International)

Course 695AA (2010)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2010.

Year and Campus: 2010 - Parkville
Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Level: Graduate/Postgraduate
Duration & Credit Points: 100 credit points taken over 12 months full time. This course is available as full or part time.

Coordinator

Associate Professor John Polesel

Contact

Education Student Centre

Alice Hoy Building

Course Overview: One of the most significant trends in policy development around the world has been the restructuring of education systems in the light of near-universal participation at the secondary level, the growing demand to accommodate vocational education and training in schools and the effects of globalisation on pedagogy and curriculum. It is only through an understanding of these responses and the contexts in which they have occurred that Australian policy formation can occur at the level of international best practice. This course aims to place the analysis of Australian education policy in this broader national and international context of best practice, and will provide a targeted program of study in three international systems. There are no other courses in Australia offering a similar combination of study and overseas experience in this field and very few internationally with a comparative international focus.
Objectives: Students who have completed the Master of Education Policy (International) should be able to:
  • assist the students to critically analyse key contemporary issues in education policy in Australia in the light of international experience and learning and to undertake a review of the relevant research and policy literature;
  • provide the academic foundation for a critical analysis of the international systems targeted for visits;
  • review policy issues in a selection of OECD countries, with a critical emphasis on frameworks of comparison and the quality of a range of current efforts at benchmarking and "league ladders";
  • visit a range of schools in the targeted international systems in order to gain a critical understanding of their mission and clientele and of emerging policy issues as they affect those institutions;
  • visit universities in the targeted nations in order to gain a critical perspective on the main challenges facing policy makers in those countries;
  • enable students to present a critical overview (through written and oral presentations) of education policy issues in a selection of international systems and in their own educational constituency.
Course Structure & Available Subjects: Subjects will be required to take any four subjects but if they want to undertake the Study Tour then they must complete Comparative Education Policy first.
Subject Options:
Subject
Study Period Commencement:
Credit Points:
Entry Requirements: An applicant may be eligible for entry in the Master of Education Policy (International) if the applicant has:
  • an honours degree in education; or
  • a postgraduate certificate or postgraduate diploma in the field of education; or
  • a four-year degree, or equivalent, and at least two years of documented relevant professional experience.
Core Participation Requirements: Attendance at all classes (tutorial/seminars/practical classes/lectures/labs) is obligatory. Failure to attend 80% of classes will normally result in failure in the subject.
Graduate Attributes: Not available
Generic Skills: On completion of this course, students should have:
  • an advanced understanding of the changing knowledge base in education policy;
  • an ability to evaluate and synthesise the research and professional literature on education policy;
  • advanced skills and techniques applicable to education policy;
  • well-developed problem-solving abilities related to education policy, characterised by flexibility of approach;
  • advanced competencies in areas of professional expertise and/or scholarship;
  • a capacity to articulate their knowledge and understanding in oral and written presentations;
  • an advanced understanding of the international context and sensitivities of education policy;
  • an appreciation of the design, conduct and reporting of original research;
  • a capacity to manage competing demands on time, including self-directed project work;
  • a profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethics of scholarship;
  • an appreciation of the ways in which advanced knowledge equips the student to offer leadership in education policy;
  • the capacity to value and participate in projects which require team-work;
  • an understanding of the significance and value of their knowledge to the wider community (including business and industry);
  • a capacity to engage where appropriate with issues in contemporary society.
Links to further information: www.education.unimelb.edu.au

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