Deakin University
Master of Leadership
- Delivery: Online
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 12 months
- Course Type: Master's
Acquire the modern skills, knowledge, and experience required to be a business leader of tomorrow.
Course overview
The Deakin Master of Leadership equips you with the skills to thrive in dynamic environments. Learn to apply contemporary leadership theories, boost team performance, and make ethical decisions that drive success. Gain industry-recognised credentials that validate your expertise, reflect on your achievements, and uncover growth opportunities. This program empowers you to inspire change, take on larger roles, and shape the future as a confident and visionary leader.
Key facts
July, 2026
November, 2026
What you will study
You will complete four core units, two Professional Practice Credentials and four stackable short courses, or four core units, four Professional Practice credentials and two stackable short courses.
Please note: As part of any master’s degree at Deakin University, you need to complete the compulsory, zero-credit-point unit Academic Integrity. This unit requires you to pass an online multiple-choice test.
Course-work units
- Leadership Practice with Impact
- Leadership Research Methods
- The Deakin Advantage: Leadership and Professional Development
- Leadership Research Project
Professional practice credentials
Stackable short courses
Entry requirements
Entry into the Master of Leadership degree will be based on one of the following:
- Bachelor's degree in any discipline and at least three years of relevant work experience.
- Deakin's Graduate Certificate of Leadership.
Applicable to applicants with a bachelor's degree. Work experience must be full-time (or equivalent part-time) senior managerial leadership with high operational and strategic leadership responsibilities.
Students have the opportunity to fast-track the course in as little as one year by completing units in three consecutive trimesters and all other components within the first two trimesters of study. Completion time is dependent on the individual study path and unit availability.
Recognition of Prior Learning
You may be able to get credit for your course based on prior formal, non-formal or informal learning. To apply, you will need to provide supporting documentation outlined by the university. Contact the university for more information.
Outcomes
Learning outcomes
- Demonstrate an advanced and integrated understanding of contemporary leadership theory and practices, creating new discipline knowledge through applied research methods.
- Demonstrate advanced communication skills using tools, techniques and media to gather data and engage and inspire others.
- Discover, analyse, synthesise and disseminate complex information, data and ideas to stakeholders, strategic partners and professional colleagues using various digital technologies and channels.
- Systematically and critically analyse and test leadership styles, models and theories to optimise leadership impact within a specific cultural and operational context to drive strategy.
- Apply advanced problem-solving skills to conceptualise, design, construct and advocate for recommended innovative solutions for complex leadership-related issues.
- Advance personal development and leadership capacity to proactively drive and take responsibility for strategic results.
- Work across various professions, functions, contexts and teams to optimise collaborative outcomes and improve strategic outcomes.
- Define and reinforce the vision and values that orient collective effort, social responsibility and ethical decision making.
Career outcomes
This course prepares you for leadership positions in fields as diverse as:
- Business
- Education
- Entertainment
- Government
- Healthcare
- Not-for-profits
- Politics
- Religious organisations
- Retail businesses
- Sports
Fees and FEE-HELP
Estimated first-year tuition fee in 2025: $23,825 to $27,335 (domestic full-fee paying place).
The 'Estimated tuition fee' is provided as a guide only based on a typical enrolment of students completing this course within the same year as they started.
A student’s fee may vary in accordance with:
- The number of units studied per term.
- The choice of major or specialisation.
- Choice of units.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.