Are you interested in how governments can work to create a better future? A successful government must design and implement policies that will further the economic, social and legal interests of its citizens. You will be equipped with a multidisciplinary understanding of the role of government in economic activity, public administration and governance, and legal decision-making.
Those who study public policy are driven to serve the public interest, and graduates of this course will work in all levels of government, in the not-for-profit sector, in consulting firms and in international organisations. They can be social entrepreneurs, policy analysts, consultants to government or hold public office.
The Master of Public Policy will give you a multidisciplinary understanding of the role of government in economic activity and public administration and governance. The course focuses on how government interacts with the economy, law and society. Topics taught include: economic growth, stability, taxation, infrastructure provision, regulation, health, defence, education, comparative law, theories of justice and punishment, public international law and social security.
Course structure
Postgraduate coursework degrees and combined (coursework and research) degrees comprise a number of units.
Why study this course?
You can take units in Public Administration and Governance, Economics and Law. It’s a unique combination.
You can take advantage of unique opportunities to put what you have learned into practice in real-life situations.
If you take the Public Policy or Economics streams, you can undertake a dissertation in Public Administration and Governance.
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.
Further Study
Graduates may choose to undertake higher degree research, such as Master of Philosophy or Doctor of Philosophy. After three years' relevant work experience, students may choose to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution
3 February 2025, 30 June 2025
More details
Start date
24 February 2025, 21 July 2025
Crawley Campus
35 Stirling Highway,
CRAWLEY,
Western Australia,
6009, PERTH, Australia
(1) To be considered for admission to this course an applicant must have— (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.
English language requirements:
TOEFL (paper-based): 570 with a Test of Written English (TWE) of no less than 4.5
IBT TOEFL (Internet-based test score): 82 with 22 for writing, 20 for speaking, 20 for listening, and 18 for reading
IELTS (Academic): 6.5 (no band lower than 6.0)
Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English: C pass
Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English: B grade
Pearson Test of English (PTE) (Academic): Overall score of 64 with a minimum score of 64 in the Reading and Writing sections, 59 in the Speaking section and 54 in the Listening section
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
Students can set themselves apart with a globally recognised degree from a world top 100 university.