Program Overview

Our Postgraduate Qualifying Program is a 5-unit course taught over one trimester. It has been designed as a pathway to a master’s degree for international students who don’t meet the entry requirements for a master’s degree.

This course is suited to you if you:

• don't have the desired results to gain entry to your chosen master’s degree
• need to adapt to the academic requirements in the master’s degree studies
• need additional English language support

After successful completion of this program, you will be able to commence your postgraduate degree studies with confidence at Murdoch University, which has achieved a QS Stars five-star rating.

Course Structure
You will need to complete five units in one trimester. These units are designed to develop your learning techniques, bridge gaps in your unit knowledge, and prepare you for your master’s studies at the University. You can start the program in any trimester during the year. You may extend your program period if you fail a unit and need to re-enrol.

• Academic English - This unit is aimed at providing students from a range of educational backgrounds and cultures with the academic language skills necessary to successfully study at a postgraduate level. These skills will be developed through real-world contexts to specifically prepare students for their postgraduate units. It equips students whose first language is not English with the necessary skills to successfully engage in group work, become more effective communicators when collaborating with others, and gain confidence in building productive relationships.
• Study and Research Skills - This unit aims to develop many of the written and oral presentation skills that students need in preparation for postgraduate study. This unit will develop generic writing and thinking skills that will equip students for success in any tertiary learning environment. Skills include how to begin writing assignments; how to give writing a strong structure; and how to improve the clarity and power of what is written through appropriate word choices.
• Critical Thinking Skills - This unit aims to enable students to develop the critical and analytical thinking skills essential for studying at postgraduate level. Students will learn to critically engage with academic reading material to examine and evaluate the argument of others. Students will learn to identify the difference between critical analysis and description and be able to better formulate an argument effectively in their own writing. Students will participate in interactive workshops to develop confidence in their ability to apply critical thinking strategies. Students will analyse differing viewpoints, challenge the views of others and clearly communicate their own position.
• Quantitative Studies - This unit aims to introduce students to the important quantitative skills that provide a sound understanding in mathematics and statistics that are used in postgraduate study. The principles of data analysis and quantitative techniques will discuss sampling, representations of data, measures of central tendency and dispersion, distributions, correlation, and regression.
• Intercultural Studies - This unit will provide students with an understanding of how to interact, participate and communicate effectively in Australia. Emphasis will be placed on providing students with opportunities to understand their own culture, develop meaningful and empathic understandings of other cultures (with reference to Australia) and how they relate to each other. This unit will also develop knowledge, understanding and intercultural communication skills that will enable students to participate effectively in a range of personal and professional contexts.

Leading to: Master of Development Studies
You’ll examine the connections between politics, governance and development, social and environmental sustainability, food and health security, gender and empowerment, and state building and conflict, as well as evaluating different approaches to policy and practice.

You can choose from professional-based electives, including financial administration, leading and managing not-for-profit organisations, effective leadership, strategic health care management and project management. 

You can also choose policy-based electives to specialise in global public health, public sector economics, security and conflict, environmental policy and more, or add up to two language units in either Indonesian or Japanese.

3 reasons to study a Master of Development Studies at Murdoch

1. Undertake a case study project, supervised internship or research thesis to put your learning into practice.
2. Travel to Indonesia as part of the Study Indonesia Australian Consortium for 'In-Country' Indonesian Studies (ACICIS) program to pursue a semester or summer development practicum.
3. Choose full-time or part-time options to help you fit study into your working and or family life. If you’re an international student, you’ll need to study full-time to meet your visa requirements.

What you'll learn
Build essential skills and knowledge to meet your career or study goals. Topics you’ll cover include:

• Public policy and international affairs foundations
• Critical approaches to development
• Development and sustainability
• States, social forces and development
• Policy research and evaluation