Master of Global Development

What you will study

To complete the Master of Global Development, you must complete 48 credit points (CP) comprising core subjects and three study options.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

To be considered for admission into the Master of Global Development program, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• Completion of an AQF level 7 bachelor's degree.
• Other qualifications or practical experience recognised by the Dean, College of Arts, Society and Education as equivalent to the above.

English language requirements

For applicants from non-English speaking backgrounds, contact the university to find further information about English language requirements.

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

Career outcomes

As a graduate of the Master of Global Development, you will have strong skills in project and resource management, leadership, planning, critical evaluation and advanced research as well as extensive practical experience.

The Master of Global Development prepares you for a career with unlimited potential. Your knowledge and skills are highly applicable in many areas of education, welfare and development, allowing you to enter a wide variety of positions. Highly regarded by employers, development graduates are sought after within a range of national and international NGOs, government departments, local councils and private sector operators working in international development.

The connections you make with the organisation facilitating your placement could lead to employment opportunities post-graduation. These organisations can include local and state government, such as the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) and the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), international NGOs such as ActionAid and Oxfam, and UN bodies such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Learning outcomes

• Integrate and apply an advanced body of theoretical and technical knowledge in international development policy and practice, including recent developments in the field.
• Critically reflect on one’s social and cultural positionality to identify biases and assumptions that inform understandings of poverty, development, inequality and wellbeing.
• Investigate, analyse, synthesise and evaluate complex information, concepts and theories from a range of sources across relevant disciplines.
• Plan and conduct ethical and reliable evidence-based field studies and execute a substantial research-based project, by selecting and applying methods, techniques and tools, as appropriate to development practice.
• Communicate complex theoretical propositions, methodologies, development-related data, arguments and conclusions to specialist and non-specialist audiences through advanced written and oral English language skills and a variety of media.
• Analyse, evaluate and generate solutions to complex social and environmental problems, especially related to tropical, remote or Indigenous contexts, by using high levels of initiative, autonomy, accountability and collaboration in the application of development practice knowledge and skills.
• Critically review regulatory requirements, ethical principles and cultural frameworks, to work effectively, responsibly and safely in diverse contexts.
• Model professional leadership skills and work autonomously and collaboratively in the design, implementation and evaluation of development projects and policy-related initiatives.

Fees and CSP

Estimated annual tuition fee (2025): $32,167 (domestic full-fee paying place)

Estimated annual tuition fee (2025): $12,910 (Commonwealth Supported Place)

Student fees 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.

Commonwealth Supported Places

The Australian Government allocates a certain number of CSPs to the universities each year, which are then distributed to students based on merit.

If you're a Commonwealth Supported Student (CSS), you'll only need to pay a portion of your tuition fees. This is known as the student contribution amount – the balance once the government subsidy is applied. This means your costs are much lower.

Limited CSP spaces are offered to students enrolled in selected postgraduate courses.

Your student contribution amount is:

• Calculated per unit you're enrolled in.
• Dependent on the study areas they relate to.
• Reviewed and adjusted each year.

HECS-HELP loans are available to CSP students to pay the student contribution amount.

FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.