Postgraduate
Master of Public Policy
Contact us
Address
Student Central
The University of Western Australia(M355) 35 Stirling Highway Perth Western Australia 6009
Telephone
(+61 8) 6488 3939
International
1800 653 050
Frequently asked questions
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Careers and further study
Take your studies to a new level with a postgraduate degree and discover what career opportunities lie ahead.
Career Pathways
The Master of Public Policy is designed to nurture current and future leaders of government, non-profit, and private sector organisations that are aimed at pursuing the public interest. Graduates may be employed in a wide variety of public areas, ranging from policy analysis, through to management of departments and agencies.
This course is particularly useful for people with a range of skills in other areas (such as science or engineering), as it will complement your skills in these areas, and enable you to progress through to senior levels of policy or management positions in the public sector.
Career Opportunities
Analyst
Business Administration Manager
Chief Executive
Chief Information Officer
Further Study
Fees and scholarships
Learn more about the fees that apply to you for this course. For fee type definitions and further assistance, see the Fee Calculator Help page. You can also search our database for scholarships that are relevant to you or this course.
Postgraduate - fee paying students
The Annual Fee is an estimate only based on a standard annual study load of 48 points.
For Commonwealth Supported Places, student contribution amounts are charged by unit. For an accurate fee estimate, go to the Fee Calculator and select “I want to price my units”.
For Full Fee Paying places, students are charged an annual course fee. Visit the Fee Calculator and select your course to see the annual and total course fees.
Industry partner discount
Scholarships
Scholarships are available to students from a diverse range of backgrounds, including academic achievement, financial need, educational disadvantage, leadership and community service, artistic or sporting achievements, and being from a rural or remote area.
Cost of living
Postgraduate – onshore students
Annual course fees are calculated based on a standard annual study load of 48 credit points.
Scholarships
Scholarships are available to students from a diverse range of backgrounds, including academic achievement, financial need, educational disadvantage, leadership and community service, artistic or sporting achievements, and being from a rural or remote area.
Cost of living
Admission requirements
If you’re interested in furthering your career by studying this postgraduate degree, find out the admission details below.
Admission Requirements
(a) a Bachelor's degree, or an equivalent qualification, as recognised by UWA; and either:
(b) the equivalent of a UWA weighted average mark of at least 50 per cent;
or
(c) at least two years professional experience in a relevant occupation; or
(2) completed a Graduate Certificate in Public Policy at UWA.
Ranking and Selection Process
English competency
How to apply
Ready to apply for this postgraduate course? Follow the steps and you’ll be on your way to joining us at UWA.
Course details
About the course
The Master of Public Policy at UWA will give you the necessary multidisciplinary understanding of these roles, and help you to understand, design and evaluate economic and public policies and regulation and the law.
Choose your specialisation
Within the Master of Public Policy, you are able to focus on one (or two) of the following specialisations:
- Public Administration and Governance (PAG)
- Economics
- Law
The Public Administration and Governance stream focuses on the governance aspects of public policy. It's designed to give you a solid academic foundation to enable you to formulate, implement, and evaluate public policies, providing you with a wealth of knowledge to respond proactively and strategically to public, economic and social needs.
You’ll be taught by lecturers working at the cutting edge of public policy analysis. You’ll explore the political, economic and social forces that shape contemporary public policy issues.
This will enable you to think creatively about public policy design and delivery, and your role within it.
The Economics stream focuses on the economic consequences of public policy and builds upon a strong theoretical base designed to give you the skills to think about the design of public policy, the economic causes and consequences of these policies, and the skills to evaluate these policies. This emphasises the vital importance of using evidence-based research and evaluation in order to determine how well policies are being implemented, and the impact they are having on citizens. It also focuses on economic theories of governance and institutions, and how types and systems of government can influence economic outcomes.
The Law stream provides students with knowledge of policy development and application within the context of specific areas of law and legal institutions. The course investigates these issues from theoretical, doctrinal and practical perspectives, through a critical lens.
Quick details
- Available
- Perth (Crawley campus)
- Full-time
- Part-time
- On-campus
- Semester 2, Semester 1
- Up to 12 contact hours per week, plus additional time for study and group work
- Postgraduate
- 42580
- 093562G
Course structure
Postgraduate coursework degrees and combined (coursework and research) degrees comprise a number of units. Refer to the course structure for more information.
Thomas Emery
Thomas Emery
I have always enjoyed politics and wanted to transition from engineering into policy making. The masters program allowed me to incorporate a lot of my prior knowledge into what I was learning, as well as give me the tools to do my own research into topics of interest.
UWA has a good reputation for teaching from first principles, which is important if you want to be able to develop new theories and ideas, rather than just replicating the ideas of others.
My favourite aspect of studying has been the ability to interact with peers who have the same enjoyment of learning, and have different ideas. It's nice to be able to have a good-natured debate with friends and strangers, who are generally well informed and open to ideas, which happens a lot at UWA. The campus is also situated in a great location and has a well-developed social calendar.
I am currently working as a research assistant for one of my former lecturers, and hope to begin a PhD in the USA next year.
Get practical
Students can take a number of unique practical units, including:
-
PARL5599 WA Parliamentary Research Program: students act as a research assistant for a Member of Parliament at the Western Australian Parliament.
-
WILG5001 Professional Development Practicum A: students undertake a relevant professional placement.
-
SVLG5001 McCusker Centre for Citizenship Internship: students undertake an internship with a not-for-profit, community or government organisation.
-
SVLG5003 Wicked Problems: students form small interdisciplinary teams and work with staff, the McCusker Centre for Citizenship and stakeholders on complicated or wicked problems.
Flexibility
We understand that life is busy. That's why our postgraduate courses are designed so you can balance your work and studies. Our flexible postgraduate experience includes the opportunity to study part time, a range of units that are taught after hours, and the option to learn via intensive units. Ask our Student Central team for advice on choosing the right postgraduate route for you. Find out more here.
UWA Public Policy Institute
Industry partner discount
Accreditation
The UWA Business School is accredited through both EQUIS, the European Quality Improvement System, and AACSB, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. These are the leading business school accreditations in Europe and North America respectively, meaning that your business degree will be recognised by employers around the world.
Stephen Davenport
Stephen Davenport
I chose to study the Master of Public Policy (Public Administration & Governance) because I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the policy process and develop my ability to think critically about what makes good public policy.
UWA was the perfect choice for my studies. I knew from my undergraduate degree that it had great teaching staff and the program covered all of the core elements a policy practitioner needs, with the flexibility to pursue further study in the areas that interested me most.
There have been so many aspects of the course that I’ve enjoyed and it has been invaluable for my personal development and career aspirations. Most of all, I loved that class discussion and assessments had an emphasis on applying theory to real-world issues and case studies, ranging from evaluating negative gearing through to examining alternatives in child care policy. I really valued that the program was a practical and well-rounded experience.
The Master of Public Policy has helped to launch my career and I’m now preparing to make the move to Canberra to take up a role in the Australian Public Service (APS).
Business School
Why study postgrad?
Political Science and International Relations 
Economics single major 
Law and Society 
Philosophy, Politics and Economics