Postgraduate - CourseMaster 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 multidimensional challenges require professionals with the practical skills and analytical capacity to help address economic, political and environmental vulnerabilities at the community, national and global levels.

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 and social sciences, medicine, business and economics, education and law, this course delivers rigorous research training along with project management and leadership skills development within an interdisciplinary core curriculum. Foundation theory and practice units address questions ranging from the causes of wealth disparity, and the growth of development thought and practice, to the impact of politics, economics, culture, history and natural resources on inequality.

Students may elect to specialise in one of four streams:

• democracy, justice and governance
• gender, conflict and security
• crisis, change and management
• sustainable resource management.

Opportunities for fieldwork, study abroad and internship engagement is a strength of the course 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://monash.edu/pubs/handbooks/alignmentofoutcomes.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 may be eligible for credit to a maximum of 50 per cent of the course requirements for previous graduate-level studies.

Credit or exemptions up to a maximum of 24 points is available for a bachelor degree level qualification in a related discipline, and a further 24 points is available for honours degree level qualification in a related discipline.

Therefore, students who have completed an:

• undergraduate degree and a graduate certificate (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline* must complete 72 points as outlined in Structure 2 under 'Requirements'.
• honours degree with a major in a relevant discipline* must complete 48 points as outlined in Structure 3 under 'Requirements'.

* Relevant disciplines include humanities or social sciences.

48 credit points

This course consists of core and elective units, including capstone units which allow the student to demonstrate their understanding of the course and the skills they have acquired.

Students complete one of the following structures as determined by any credit granted for prior studies:

• Structure 1: 96 points over two years full-time, or part-time equivalent
• Structure 2: 72 points over one and a half years full-time, or part-time equivalent
• Structure 3: 48 points over one year full-time, or part-time equivalent.

Note: Students eligible for credit for prior studies may elect not to receive the credit and complete one of the higher credit-point options if they choose.

All students must complete a minimum of 48 credit points at level 5, and so should take care when choosing between units offered at level 4 and 5 (where this option is offered).

Units are 12 credit points unless otherwise stated.

Structure 1 - 96 credit points

Students must complete:

(a.) in their first year of study, two of the following 6-point preparatory units (12 points):

• ATS2378 Anthropology of development
• ATS2490 Advanced professional writing or ATS3743 Build your career: Planning and strategies for employability
• ATS2624 Global governance
• ATS2628 Power and poverty: International development in a globalised world
• ATS2694 International political economy

(b.) the following core units (24 points):

• APG5054 Research methods for development practice and change
• APG5805 Project planning and management in international development

(c.) the following unit (12 points):

• APG5628 Doctrines of development

(d.) one of the following capstone/research options (24 points):

(i.) a capstone unit chosen from the following:

• APG5044 Professional internship
• APG5045 Gender and development
• APG5856 Research project

plus:

• 12 points of electives from the list below

(ii.) the following research unit/s:

• APG5848 Research thesis (24 points) or APG5849 Research thesis A (12 points) and APG5850 Research thesis B (12 points)

(e.) electives chosen from one of the four streams below, or from the range of elective units below including (f.) or (g.) to create a general program of study (24 points).

Note: Any capstone unit not completed as part of (d.) can be taken as an elective.

Electives

Democracy, justice and governance

• APG5065 Governing migration: Refugees, borders and development
• APG5092 Human rights in global politics
• APG5097 Politics of international justice (6 points)
• APG5337 Governance and democratisation
• LAW5304 Overview of international human rights law (6 points)
• LAW5383 International refugee law and human rights (6 points)
• LAW5418 Transitional justice (6 points)
• MGF5760 International Institutions and organizations (6 points)
• MGX5300 Governance (6 points)
• MGX5370 Policy analysis (6 points)
• MGX5730 International trade policy (6 points)

Gender, security and conflict

• APG4287 War and peace: Models of conflict resolution
• APG5064 Gender, security and conflict
• LAW5359 International human rights law and women (6 points)
• MPH5248 Primary health care in developing countries (6 points)
• MPH5250 Health of women and children in developing countries (6 points)
• MPH5255 Health and human rights (6 points)

Crisis, change and management stream

• APG5655 Theories and principles of international crisis management
• APG5656 International crisis management in action
• EDF5636 Leading organisational decision making
• EDF5637 Inner leadership: Understanding self and others
• MIR4110 Introduction to disaster preparedness and management (6 points)
• MIR5120 Research and evaluation in disaster preparedness and management (6 points)
• MPH5248 Primary health care in developing countries (6 points)
• MPH5251 Communicable diseases control in developing countries (6 points)
• MPH5254 Nutrition in developing countries (6 points)
• MPH5258 Effective responses to HIV in developing countries (6 points)
• MPH5260 Health policy and prevention in a global world (6 points)

Sustainable resource management stream

• APG4553 Field studies in regional sustainability
• APG4554 Resource evaluation and management (6 points)
• APG4556 Urbanisation and regional development in the Indo Pacific rim (6 points)
• APG5609 Sustainable tourism development and planning
• APG5067 Cultural economy and sustainable development
• APG5229 Prosperity, poverty and sustainability in a globalised world (6 points)
• APG5390 Contemporary tourism and development in emerging economies
• APG5433 Corporate sustainability management (6 points)
• APG5627 Research in political ecology (6 points)
• APG5804 Environmental revolutions (6 points)

(f.) Electives that apply to each stream above

• APG5045 Gender and development
• APG5372 Community development in a globalising world (6 points)

(g.) 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.

• APG5201 Intensive Intermediate Indonesian for fieldwork (6 points)
• APG5202 Intensive Introductory Indonesian for fieldwork (6 points)
• APG5207 Intensive Introductory Spanish for fieldwork (6 points)
• APG5208 Intensive Intermediate Spanish for fieldwork (6 points)

Structure 2: 72 points

Students must complete from the requirements listed in structure 1:

• units in (b.), (c.), (d.)(i.) or (ii.) and 12 points of electives

Structure 3: 48 points

Students must complete from the requirements listed in structure 1:

• units in (b.), one capstone unit and 12 points of electives

Master of International Development Practice