Our international development courses provide conceptual frameworks and skills to understand and tackle complex challenges affecting the well-being of people and societies worldwide. The courses offer a diverse set of knowledge to understand the factors that lead to issues such as extreme poverty, gender inequality, reduced health, environmental vulnerability and fragile governance. You will have opportunities to develop critical thinking, policy analysis, data evaluation and research skills and gain a unique skill-set through team projects, interactive learning, practicums and online collaboration.

Students have the opportunity to put theory into practice within local and international internship experiences.

Our integrated program can be tailored to suit people seeking or consolidating careers in international development as well as practitioners wishing to put their experience in a broader academic context.

Core areas of study include:

• development theories
• sustainable development and the environment
• development policies
• politics of development
• gender and development
• research practice.

This core international development program is delivered by an interdisciplinary team of international development experts in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. Elective topics are also available from related disciplines including environment, geography, international relations, public policy, political studies, population studies, public health, and regional area studies.

International development is a significant industry that offers a diverse range of employment opportunities. These include non-government organisations specialising in development, government departments (eg. foreign affairs, trade, development assistance), multilateral development agencies, international development institutions, development consultancy and managing contractors.

Potential occupations include:

• international development officer
• non-government organisation manager
• strategic analyst
• project officer
• international development policy advisor
• social enterprise development manager.