150 Point 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.

Students who complete the Master of Social Policy should:

• enhance their skills in research: through competent use of advanced information sources and retrieval of appropriate information;
• have critical and theoretical thinking: through presentation of research papers, conceptualising theoretical problems, forming judgements and arguments from conflicting evidence, and by critical analysis;
• develop time management and planning: through managing and organising workloads;
• enhance their skills in team work: through small group discussions.

150 point program

Duration: 1.5 years full-time / up to 3 years part-time

The Master of Social Policy 150 point program requires:

• four compulsory subjects (50 points)

Coursework Only Option

• eight elective subjects (100 points)

or

Minor Thesis Option

• minor thesis (37.5 points)
• five elective subjects (62.5 points)

Capstone Requirements:

All students are required to complete the Capstone Requirement for the program (at least 25 points). Students must complete one capstone option:

Capstone Stream 1: PPMN90002 Minor Thesis – Public/Social Policy

Purpose: An opportunity to integrate knowledge and research skills to address a research question; pathway to the PhD.

Capstone Stream 2: PPMN90039 Executive Internship

Purpose: An opportunity to apply knowledge and skills in social policy practice to solve problems that arise in professional contexts and develop an integrated understanding of research and practice.

Capstone Stream 3: PPMN90043 Project-based Policy Analysis

Purpose: An opportunity to work in a team-based project where knowledge and skills are applied to a practical project under the supervision of an academic and practitioner expert.

For policies that govern this degree, see Academic Services Policy in the University Melbourne Policy Framework. Students also should also refer to information in the Student Policy Directory.

Compulsory Subjects

Four compulsory subjects (50 points)

Minor Thesis Option

Minor thesis (37.5 points)

Please note the following prior to enrolling in PPMN90002 Minor Thesis - Public /Social Policy:

• the thesis subject can only be completed in the second hundred points of the program
• students admitted into the 200 point and 150 point program must have completed 25 points of compulsory subjects within the program, with an average of H1 (80%)
• to be eligible to enrol in the thesis, students must submit a 300 word thesis proposal for approval by the course coordinator prior to the semester of enrolment in the thesis
• the minor thesis must be completed over two consecutive semesters

Elective Subjects

Coursework Only Option

• eight elective subjects (100 points)

or

Minor Thesis Option

• five elective subjects (62.5 points)

Please note:

The following elective subjects require subject coordinator approval to enrol:

• MGMT90037 Conflict and Negotiation
• MGMT90049 Strategy, Ethics & Governance
• ECON90047 Macroeconomics 2