Postgraduate - Course4108 - Master of International Development Practice

Equitable and environmentally sustainable development remains a pressing global concern. Complex political, economic, cultural and ecological challenges contribute to extreme poverty, reduced health, environmental vulnerability and fragile governance affecting the well-being of millions of people worldwide. These multi-dimensional challenges require professionals with the practical skills and analytical capacity to help build resilience to economic, political and environmental vulnerabilities both nationally and at the community level.

The Monash Master of International Development Practice offers a multi-disciplinary applied approach to the theory and practice of sustainable development. Delivered by specialists from the humanities, social sciences, medicine, business and economics, education and law, the program enables project management, leadership skills development and research training within an interdisciplinary core curriculum. Foundation theory and practice units address questions ranging from the causes of wealth disparity among nations to the impact of politics, economics, culture, history and natural resources on inequality.

Students create a general program from the diverse elective options available or can specialise in one of four streams:

• Democracy, justice and governance
• Gender, conflict and security
• Crisis, change and management
• Sustainable resource management

Required fieldwork, study abroad and internship engagement is a strength of the program which includes options to engage in field-schools at sites of significant development practice such as South Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. Options to include language extension in individual programs are available.

Graduate employment opportunities may include human rights advocacy, aid agencies in government and non-government sectors, the Fair Trade business sector, community organisations, and international institutions such as the United Nations and the World Bank.

These course outcomes are aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework level 9, the Bologna Cycle 2 and Monash Graduate AttributesAustralian Qualifications Framework level 9, the Bologna Cycle 2 and Monash Graduate Attributes (http://opvclt.monash.edu.au/curriculum-by-design/aligning-course-outcomes-with-aqf-bologna.html).

Upon successful completion of this course it is expected that graduates will be able to:

• demonstrate a critical understanding of the political, economic, cultural and environmental challenges contributing to human inequalities
• articulate and apply knowledge of best practice within the broad realm of international development practice, policy, governance and research
• identify complex sustainable development challenges and debates across diverse cultural and geo-political contexts
• understand and critically appraise the range of organisations and institutions involved in international development, their working culture and funding processes
• demonstrate an ability to successfully apply theoretical learning in practical contexts
• demonstrate advanced reading and communication skills, both written and verbal
• demonstrate a thorough understanding of research methodology and ethics, and an ability to plan and conduct, an independent research project in one of the aspects represented in the program.

Students can apply for credit for elective units in this course as follows:

• up to 24 points if they have completed a bachelor's degree in a cognate area, or an honours degree in a non-cognate area
• up to 48 points if they have completed an honours degree in a cognate area.

To be eligible for credit, previous study must have been completed within ten years prior to the year of application for credit.

Recognised prior learning is assessed on the basis of equivalent learning outcomes or competencies. Assessments will be evidence-based and the faculty will determine the variety of methods and instruments to establish equivalence.

This course consists of 24 points of core units; a 12 or 24-point capstone unit comprising an internship, research project or research thesis; and up to 60 points of elective units. Electives are chosen from one of four specialisation streams or from a generalist stream.

All units are 12 points unless otherwise stated.

Core units

Students must complete:

• APG4090 Contemporary issues in development practice
• APG4628 Doctrines of development (6 points)
• APG5805 The art and business of international development (6 points)

Capstone units

Students must complete one of:

• APG5020 Development practice internship
• APG5053 Research project
• APG5054 Research methods
• APG5058 Research thesis (24 points)

Note: Students who complete a 12-point capstone unit are required to complete an additional 12 points of elective units.

Elective units

Students must complete 48 or 60 points of elective units depending on the capstone unit taken. Electives are to be chosen from one of the four specialisation streams, or from the range of elective units to create a general program. Depending on the capstone unit taken, students who have received credit for prior studies to the value of:

• 24 points only need to complete 24 or 36 points of electives
• 48 points only need to complete 12 or 24 points of electives.

Students intending to take fieldwork requiring knowledge of Indonesian or Spanish are encouraged to take language units as part of their electives if they do not have a background in these languages

Democracy, justice and governance stream

• APG4657 Beyond conflict: Democracy, electoral management and civil society
• APG4898/APG5898 The European Union and the developing world
• APG5065 Governing migration: Refugees, borders and development
• LAW7026 Overview of international human rights (6 points)
• LAW7425 International refugee law and human rights (6 points)
• LAW7482 Transitional justice (6 points)
• MGX5300 Governance (6 points)
• MGX5370 Policy analysis (6 points)
• MGX5760 International organisations and institutions (6 points)
• MPH5260 Health policy and prevention in a global world (6 points)

Gender, conflict and security stream

• APG4287 War and peace: Models of conflict resolution
• APG4337 Conflict resolution and Islam in the Middle East
• APG5064 Gender, security and conflict
• ATS4910 Global justice: Civil and human rights after 1945
• LAW7026 Overview of international human rights (6 points)
• LAW7311 International human rights law and women (6 points)
• LAW7343 The use of force in international law (6 points)
• MPH5254 Nutrition in developing countries (6 points)
• MPH5255 Health and human rights (6 points)
• MPH5258 Effective responses to HIV in developing countries (6 points)

Crisis, change and management stream

• APG4655/APG5655 Theories and principles of international crisis management
• APG4656/APG5656 International crisis management in action
• EDF5680 Leading and transforming organisations
• EDF5636 Leading and managing change
• EDF6863 Fostering learning in practice
• MIR4110 Introduction to disaster preparedness and management (6 points)
• MDM4030 Disaster response (6 points)
• MIR4160 Disaster resilience and community safety (6 points)
• MPH5254 Nutrition in developing countries (6 points)
• MPH5258 Effective responses to HIV in developing countries (6 points)

Sustainable resource management stream

• APG5067 Cultural economy and sustainable development
• APG4427 Frontiers in sustainability and environment (6 points)
• APG4429 Prosperity, poverty and sustainability in a globalised world (6 points)
• APG4554 Resource evaluation and management (6 points)
• APG4556 Urbanisation and regional development in the Indo Pacific rim (6 points)
• APG4627 Research in political ecology (6 points)
• APG4709 Sustainable tourism development and planning
• APG4710/APG5710 Cultural tourism and special events
• APG4772 Community development in a globalising world (6 points)
• APG5428 Environmental governance and citizenship (6 points)
• APG5433 Corporate sustainability management (6 points)
• APG4553 Field studies in regional sustainability

Language units

• APG4201/APG5201 Intensive intermediate Indonesian for fieldwork (6 points)
• APG4202/APG5202 Intensive introductory Indonesian for fieldwork (6 points)
• APG4207/APG5207 Intensive introductory Spanish for fieldwork (6 points)
• APG4208/APG5208 Intensive intermediate Spanish for fieldwork (6 points)

Master of International Development Practice