Deakin University

Master of Leadership

  • Delivery: Online
  • Study Level: Postgraduate
  • Duration: 12 months
  • Course Type: Master's

Become a confident, future-focused leader equipped to drive change and lead high-performing teams.

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Download your course guide and connect with a university advisor to explore:

  • Course structure
  • Learning outcomes
  • Fees
  • Entry requirements

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Course overview

The Master of Leadership is an opportunity for you to hone your skills alongside other senior leaders in strategic roles. You will focus on developing contemporary knowledge, and real experience, to ensure you graduate as a business leader.

Through integration of theoretical investigation and professional practice, you will learn to recognise and harness the capabilities of pivotal leaders. You will also put theory into practice through a workplace-based research project. This unique learning opportunity will require you to identify and define a problem, review relevant literature, design a study with appropriate methods, present findings, interpret results and present conclusions and recommendations with the support of a mentor who is expert in the field.

As a graduate you will be primed for leadership roles in all sectors, including corporate, not-for-profit, government, IT, mining, health care, and education.

Key facts

Delivery
Online
Course Type
Master's
Duration
More Information
Can be fast-tracked to complete in 3 consecutive trimesters
12 months (Full time)
Price Per Unit
From $3,219.3
More Information
Up to $29,175. The estimated per-unit fee is calculated using the annual average first-year fee. It is based on a full-time study load of four credit points (four units) per semester or eight credit points (eight units) per year.
Intake
July, 2026
November, 2026
Units
More Information
You may be required to complete 0 credit point units throughout your course. The university will confirm this as part of your enrolment.
10
Fees
More Information
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.
FEE-HELP

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
  • 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 2026: $25,755—$29,175 (domestic full-fee paying place).

All costs are calculated using current rates and are based on a study load of eight credit points (normally eight units) per year.

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.