Overview

As a social policy maker, you can meld the needs of citizens with the roles of government and not‐for‐profit service agencies in contentious fields like employment, income support, education, health and climate change.

The Social Policy program at University of Melbourne enables you to understand the respective roles of government, private and not‐for‐profit sectors in meeting the needs of citizens. Understand and critique the key developments in social policy through a global lens, aiming to find ethically sustainable solutions, while considering the competing factors of social policy and the economy.

This course is for people with an interest in analysing key areas of contemporary social policy, including governance, inclusion and exclusion, social capital, and globalisation. You can engage with the social dimensions of social policy – race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability and age – and understand social policy as a contested process.

You can apply your research skills to a range of organisational contexts and explore real world experiences through the School’s partnership with the Brotherhood of St Laurence social research team. You can also activate your knowledge through an Executive Internship placement over two semesters.

Careers

The Master of Social Policy develops you professional knowledge and prepares you for work in fields including:

Community, state and national government
Policy design
Social administration and welfare work
Policy analysis
Management

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Understanding The Life Course
International Migration
Inclusive Policy Development
Changing Labour Markets and Inequalities
Indigenous Policy Analysis
Social Policy: Special Topics
Feminist Social Policy
Governance and Social Policy

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 24 months
Part-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-07-28 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-05-31 00:00:00 , National
Starting 2027-03-03 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-10-31 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2026-11-30 00:00:00 , National
Starting 2027-07-28 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-03-31 00:00:00 , International

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

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PTE Academic

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IELTS

6.5

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Credits

200 alternative credits

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Melbourne, Australia

Disciplines

Public Policy Social Policy View 14 other Masters in Social Policy in Australia

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

CRICOS code: 049598E

In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:

An undergraduate degree in any discipline with at least an H2B (70%) weighted average, or equivalent

Meeting this requirement does not guarantee selection.

In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

Prior academic performance; and
Relevance of previous studies

Student Insurance via Studyportals Partner

Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items like Additional medical costs, Repatriation, Liability etc. Make sure your student insurance covers your needs.

Studyportals partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.

Get your student insurance now

Starting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.

Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at University of Melbourne and/or in Australia, please visit Student Insurance Portal.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

44992 AUD / year

≈ 44992 AUD / year

Additional Details

Commonwealth supported places (CSP) are available for this course

Living costs

Melbourne

Australia

1501 - 2659 AUD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Social Policy.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

Overview

Careers

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Student Insurance via Studyportals Partner

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Additional Details

Living costs

Melbourne

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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