Master of Community Development

This course will introduce you to the community development ideas and practices used to create and foster community-led change in settings around Australia and beyond, like Anastasia who took her learnings from the course to make change in her home country, Indonesia. 

This course is designed for community work practitioners and graduates with an interest in moving into emerging fields that embrace the ideas and practices of community development, and want to broaden their knowledge substantially through further postgraduate studies.

You'll study real and living community projects that build on cultural strength in remote areas, urban agriculture and sustainability projects, grassroots creative arts projects, activism work and much more. Combine case studies, documentaries, films and other creative digital forms that showcase examples of community work and attend workshops designed to teach creative ways of getting the community involved.

3 reasons to study a Master of Community Development at Murdoch

1. Put theory into practice by undertaking a community development internship in a migrant resource centre, state or local government offices, an international development agency or through an alternative education project or community arts project.
2. Be taught by leading academics who have themselves worked for community organisations and still carry out research on community-based projects including work with local government authorities, Indigenous Australian groups and in the cultural development, arts and film industries.
3. Undertake an independent research project or dissertation under the supervision of experienced researchers, in an area of community practice relevant an important to you.

• Community development in Indigenous communities
• Building links between community, industry and local government
• Social policy activism and community change
• Sustainable and ecological community development
• Understanding the dynamics of cultural diversity in the workplace and community

For admission into one of our postgraduate degrees, you must provide evidence of the successful completion of a relevant degree from a recognised university, in addition to meeting Murdoch’s prescribed English Language requirements. At a minimum, to qualify for one of our postgraduate degrees, you must meet one of the following requirements.

Please note that entry requirements are dependent on the course you wish to study and as such, your specific course may have different entry requirements:

• A qualification equivalent to an AQF Associate Degree
• Bachelors degree of AQF Level 7 in relevant discipline
• Bachelors degree of AQF Level 7 with relevant work experience
• Bachelors degree of AQF Level 7 with specific professional registration
• Postgraduate qualification of AQF Level 8 or above
• Submission of a Portfolio and/or substantial work experience

• Community Arts, Development or Service Coordinator
• Federal or State Government Policy Advisor
• International Aid Worker
• Engagement Officer
• Place and Activations Officer.