Public Policy - Unit of study table - The University of Sydney
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Public Policy

Unit of study table

This page was first published on 14 November 2024 and was last amended on 19 December 2024.
View details of the changes below.

Master of Public Policy

Students complete 96 credit points, including:
(a) a minimum of 12 credit points of core unit of study as specified; and
(b) a minimum of 30 credit points of selective units of study; and
(c) a maximum of 48 credit points from elective units of study which can include an optional specialisation:
(i) Economics specialisation: 12 credit points in core units of study and at least 6 credit points of elective units of study
(ii) Economic Policy specialisation: 12 credit points in core units of study and at least 6 credit points of elective units of study
(iii) Foreign language specialisation: 18 credit points in elective units of study
(iv) Global Migrations specialisation: 18 credit points in elective units of study
(v) International Law specialisation: 18 credit points in elective units of study
(vi) International Policy specialisation: 18 credit points of core units of study
(vii) Media and Cultural Policy specialisation: 18 credit points of elective units of study
(viii) Peace and Conflict Studies specialisation: 6 credit points in core units of study and at least 12 credit points of elective units of study
(ix) Social Policy specialisation: 12 credit points in compulsory units of study and at least 6 credit points of elective units of study
(x) Social Research specialisation: 12 credit points in compulsory units of study and 6 credit points of elective units of study
(xi) Political Economy specialisation: 18 credit points in elective units of study
(xii) American Foreign Policy specialisation: 6 credit points in core units of study and 12 credit points in elective units of study
(xiii) Human Rights specialisation: 18 credit points of elective units of study
(d) with the permission of the relevant delegate a maximum of 12 credit points can be taken as electives, including units of study offered by other faculties; and
(e) a minimum of 6 credit points from capstone units of study.

Graduate Diploma in Public Policy

Students complete 48 credit points comprising:
(a) 12 credit points of core unit of study; and
(b) 24 credit points from selective units of study and
(c) 12 credit points from elective units of study.

Graduate Certificate in Public Policy

Students complete 24 credit points comprising:
(a) 12 credit points of core units of study; and
(b) 12 credit points from selective units of study.
Unit of study Credit points A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites
C: Corequisites N: Prohibition

Core units of study

GOVT6316
The Politics of Policy Making
6  
GOVT6331
Public Management and Governance
6  

Selective units of study

GOVT6123
Globalisation and Governance
6  
GOVT6135
Global Environmental Politics
6  
GOVT6150
Challenges of Democratic Politics
6  
GOVT6156
Strategy and Civil Society
6  
GOVT6159
Emotions, Agenda Setting, and Public Policy
6  
GOVT6223
Topics in Environmental Politics
6  
GOVT6229
Campaigning: Data, Politics, Strategy
6  
GOVT6301
Public Sector Ethics and Corruption

6  
GOVT6311
Issues in Public Policy
6  
GOVT6313
Leadership in Theory and Practice
6  
GOVT6336
Media Politics

6  
GOVT6358
Comparative Migration Policy
6  
SCLG6910
Comparative Welfare States
6 N SCWK6909
SCWK6949
Global Social Policy
6  

Capstone units of study

(1) Semester-long research project
GOVT6127
Research Project/Essay
6  
(2) Year-long dissertation project
Students wishing to complete the year-long dissertation project must have completed GOVT6139 Research Design
GOVT6340
Dissertation Part 1
6 P Completion of 4 postgraduate units - 75% or above average
GOVT6341
Dissertation Part 2
6 C Recommended: GOVT6340 (if enrolled full-time)

Elective units of study

(i) Students who complete the credit requirements within a single cognate discipline with relevance to Public Policy will have a specialisation as listed below recorded.
(ii) Students must satisfy any prerequisite requirements set by the offering department or centre, as well as any prerequisites set by individual units of study, before they enrol in any unit of study.
(iii) Students may complete up to two units (12 credit points) as electives from outside the Public Policy postgraduate unit of study table in a relevant discipline. Students must obtain approval from the relevant delegate in advance, as well as the approval of the unit of study coordinator.
GOVT6100
Foundations of Comparative Politics
6  
GOVT6357
International Policy Making
6  
SSPS6001
Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences
6  
SSPS6002
Qualitative Methods in the Social Sciences
6  
SSPS6003
Vocational Placement
6
Where appropriate, prior professional experience will be taken into account when assessing eligibility for this unit.
SSPS6004
Social Research Ethics
6 N SCLG6902 or SCLG3003
SSPS6008
Universal Basic Income
6  
WRIT6000
Professional Writing

6  

Exchange units of study

Available to Master of Public Policy students only
FASS6901
Exchange and Study Abroad
6  
FASS6902
Exchange and Study Abroad
6  
FASS6903
Exchange and Study Abroad
6  
FASS6904
Exchange and Study Abroad
6  

Optional Specialisations

The Economics specialisation is suitable for students with an undergraduate major in economics.
12 credit points in the following core units of study
ECON6001
Microeconomic Analysis
6 ECON5001 or ECON5040
ECON6701
ECON6002
Macroeconomic Analysis
6 ECON5002
ECON6702
At least 6 credit points of the following elective units of study
ECON5006
Economics of Law and Public Policy
6 ECON5001 or ECON5040
ECON5007
The Economics of Financial Markets
6 ECON5001 or ECON5040 or ECON6701
ECON5008
Behavioural Economics
6 (ECON5001 or ECON5040 or ECON6701) and (ECMT5001 or ECMT6702 or QBUS5001)
ECON5026
Strategic Business Relationships
6 ECON5001 or ECON5040
ECON6003
Mathematical Methods of Econ Analysis
6 ECON5001 and ECON5002
ECON6703
ECON6006
Market Structure and Strategic Behaviour
6 ECON6001 or ECOF6080 or ECON6701
ECON6008
International Money and Finance
6 (ECON5001 or ECON5040 or ECON6001 or ECON6701) and (ECON5002 or ECON6002 or ECON6702) and (ECMT5001 or QBUS5001 or QBUS5002 or ECMT6002 or ECMT6702)
ECON6009
Economics of the Labour Market
6 ECON6001 or ECON6701 or ECON6002 or ECON6702
ECON6010
Public Economics
6 (ECON6001 or ECON6701) and (ECON6002 or ECON6702)
ECON6016
Trade and Development
6 ECON5001 or ECON5002 or ECON5040 or ECON6701 or ECON6702
ECON6018
Environmental Economics
6 ECON5001 or ECON5040 or ECON6701
ECON6021
Financial Economics
6 (ECON6001 or ECON6701) and (ECON6002 or ECON6702)
ECON6023
International Trade
6 ECON6001 or ECON6701
ECON6025
Strategic Decision Making
6 ECON6001 or ECOF6080 or ECON6701
ECON6029
Health Economics and Policy Evaluation
6 (ECON5001 or ECON5040 or ECON6701) and (ECMT5001 or ECMT6702 or QBUS5001)
ECON6031
International Finance and Globalisation

6 ECON5001 and ECON5002
ECON6101
Special Topic in Economics 1
6 (ECON5001 and ECON5002) or (ECON6701 and ECON6702)
ECON6102
Special Topic in Economics 2
6 (ECON5001 and ECON5002) or (ECON6701 and ECON6702)
The Economic Policy specialisation is suitable for students with little or no background in economics; however, knowledge of mathematics (equivalent to HSC Mathematics Advanced) is assumed.
12 credit points from the following core units of study
ECON5001
Microeconomic Theory
6 ECON5040
ECON5002
Macroeconomic Theory
6 ECON5003
6 credit points from the following elective units of study
ECMT5001
Principles of Econometrics
6  
ECON5004
Communication in Economics
6 BUSS5020
ECON5006
Economics of Law and Public Policy
6 ECON5001 or ECON5040
ECON6016
Trade and Development
6 ECON5001 or ECON5002 or ECON5040 or ECON6701 or ECON6702
ECON6018
Environmental Economics
6 ECON5001 or ECON5040 or ECON6701
ECON6029
Health Economics and Policy Evaluation
6 (ECON5001 or ECON5040 or ECON6701) and (ECMT5001 or ECMT6702 or QBUS5001)
18 credit points from the following elective units of study:
ASNS6010
Asian Language Acquisition 1
6  
ASNS6011
Asian Language Acquisition 2
6  
ASNS6012
Asian Language Acquisition 3
6  
ASNS6013
Asian Language Acquisition 4
6  
EUST7010
European Language Acquisition 1
6  
EUST7011
European Language Acquisition 2
6  
EUST7012
European Language Acquisition 3
6  
EUST7013
European Language Acquisition 4
6  
18 credit points from the following elective units of study:
DVST6901
The Global Politics of Development
6  
FASS6001
Dimensions of Inequality
6  
GLOH5124
Humanitarian Crises and Refugee Health
6  
GOVT6358
Comparative Migration Policy
6  
HRTD6916
Human Rights Simulation
6  
SCLG6700
Global and Regional Migration
6  
18 credit points from the following elective units of study:
LAWS6062
International Law-the Use of Armed Force
6 LAWS3483 or LAWS5183
LAWS6119
The State and Global Governance
6  
LAWS6161
International Human Rights
6 GOVT6117
Available to MLLR students who commenced after Jan 2015.
LAWS6165
Biodiversity Law and Heritage Law
6 N LAWS6055
18 credit points from the following core units of study:
CISS6001
New Security Challenges
6  
GOVT6116
International Organisations
6
GOVT6123
Globalisation and Governance
6  
18 credit points from the following elective units of study
ARCH9081
Heritage Law and Policy
6  
FILM6930
Film Theory: Art, Industry, Culture
6  
ARIN6902
Digital Policy and Governance
6  
GCST6901
Cultural Policy
6  
MECO6913
Public Opinion, Policy and Public Sphere
6  
MHST6901
Museum and Heritage: History and Theory
6 MUSM7033
MUSM7032
Museum and Gallery Administration
6  
MUSM7035
Ethics of Cultural Property

6  
WMST6903
Gender, Media and Consumer Societies

6  
6 credit points from the following core units of study:
PACS6911
Key Issues in Peace and Conflict Studies
6 SCWK6930
12 credit points from the following elective units of study:
PACS6902
Reconciliation and Conflict Transformation
   
PACS6909
Cultures of Violence

   
PACS6914
Conflict-Resolving Media

  SCWK6935
PACS6915
Human Rights, Peace and Justice
  N SCWK6941
PACS6921
Peace of Mind and Peace in the World

   
PACS6931
Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice
   
PACS6934
Conflict-Sensitive Development Practice
   
12 credit points from the following core units of study:
EDPA6018
Social Policy Process
6  
SCWK6948
Social Policy Frameworks
6  
6 credit points from the following elective units of study:
EDPB5016
Global Education and Equity
6  
FASS6001
Dimensions of Inequality
6  
SCLG6910
Comparative Welfare States

6 SCWK6909
SCWK6052
Community and Environmental Change
6  
SCWK6949
Global Social Policy
6  
SCLG6901
Citizenship Rights and Social Movements
6 SCWK6901
SCLG6903
Topics in Rights, Justice and Society
6  
12 credit points from the following core units of study:
SSPS6001
Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences
6  
SSPS6002
Qualitative Methods in the Social Sciences
6  
6 credit points from the following elective units of study:
ECOP6031
Research in Political Economy
6  
FASS6001
Dimensions of Inequality
6  
GOVT6139
Research Design
6  
SSPS6004
Social Research Ethics
6 SCLG6902 or SCLG3003
SSPS6005
Advanced Qualitative Data Analysis
6  
SSPS6006
Data Analytics for Social Research
6 SSPS4102
SSPS6007
Intro to Computational Social Sciences
6  
18 credit points from the following elective units of study:
ECOP6012
Country Risk Analysis
6  
ECOP6016
China in the Global Economy
6  
ECOP6017
Global Inequality
6  
ECOP6018
Economic Development: Growth and Wellbeing
6  
ECOP6031
Research in Political Economy
6  
ECOP6033
Research Project
6 24 credit Points
ECOP6101
Political Economy: A Primer
6  
ECOP6103
Dynamics of Economic Change
6  
ECOP6108
Economy-Environment Sustainability

6  
ECOP6115
History of Australian Capitalism
6  
ECOP6901
Finance and Economic Change
6  
6 credit points from the following core units of study:
USSC6903
US Foreign and National Security Policy
6  
12 credit points from the following elective units of study:
GOVT6359
US-China Relations
6  
USSC6205
Internship Project
6  
USSC6007
Intelligence Agencies and Emerging Tech
6  
USSC6902
US Politics: The World of Washington
6  
USSC6910
Special Topics in US Studies

6  
USSC6922
The US in the Indo-Pacific
6  
18 credit points from the following elective units of study
HRTD6901
Human Rights and the Human Rights System
6  
HRTD6903
Dynamics of Human Rights Violations
6  
HRTD6916
Human Rights Simulation
6  
SCLG6916
Indigenous Rights - Global Issues
6  
SCLG6700
Global and Regional Migration
6  
SCLG6903
Topics in Rights, Justice and Society
6  
PACS6915
Human Rights, Peace and Justice
6 SCWK6941

Post-publication amendments

Date
Original publication
Post-publication amendment
19/12/2024 LAWS6218 was available for selection from:
"International Law specialisation"
LAWS6218 removed from:
"International Law specialisation"