Consolidate and expand your expertise in Global Development and join a new generation of ethical global citizens and change-makers. You’ll be on the forefront of new ideas, as JCU’s central, tropical location gives Global Development graduates a unique platform for engaging with pressing global development issues.

Develop the knowledge and skills that will allow you to work in priority areas of poverty alleviation, sustainable planning, social justice, climate responsive systems, sustainable resource management and global health — areas identified by the UN as key global challenges for future sustainability.

As you study this Master of Global Development degree, you will gain key conceptual and practical skills to understand and respond to the shifting landscapes of human development. Learn how to critically analyse, evaluate and generate solutions to complex development problems — from infrastructure to systemic issues — for tropical, remote and inter-cultural settings through informed and evidence-based methodologies. Throughout this global development degree, you will learn to integrate and apply advanced theoretical and technical knowledge in global development policy and practice, ensuring your ability to make a difference at both a community and policy level.

In the Master of Global Development, you will study six core subjects and choose additional elective subjects from eight main areas of global development, including: Development and Conservation; Disaster Resilience and Natural Resource Management; Public Health; Sustainable Development Planning and Policy; Indigenous Futures; Governance and Social Change; Development Leadership and Management; and the Development Researcher. Tailor your studies to suit your interests and career goals by specialising or combining knowledge from these eight areas.

Put your knowledge and skills to the test by choosing to undertake either an individual research project or a domestic or international internship that will expand your professional network. If you choose to take on the small-scale research project, you will learn how to plan and conduct reliable, evidence-based field studies and execute substantial research through key methods, techniques and tools. In the industry-based internship, you’ll not only increase your professional development, but you’ll also develop leadership skills by partnering with leading global organisations.

Finish your Master of Global Development faster. With credit for previous study, you can finish your degree in less than two years. Finish 6 months sooner if you have a Bachelor or Graduate Certificate in a related discipline, or 1 year sooner if you have a Bachelor (Honours) or Graduate Diploma in a related discipline.

Create a brighter future for those around you. JCU Master of Global Development graduates have the strong intercultural competencies and self-reflexivity required to work effectively and ethically in developing countries.

View the Handbook for a detailed overview of available subjects.

Inherent requirements

Inherent requirements are the identified abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours that must be demonstrated, during the learning experience, to successfully complete a course. These abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours preserve the academic integrity of the University’s learning, assessment, and accreditation processes, and where applicable, meet the standards of a profession. For more information please review the inherent requirements for the Master of Global Development.

As a graduate of the Master of Global Development, you will have strong skills in project and resource management, leadership, planning, critical evaluation and advanced research as well as extensive practical experience.

The Master of Global Development prepares you for a career with unlimited potential. Your knowledge and skills are highly applicable in many areas of education, welfare and development, allowing you to enter a wide variety of positions. Highly regarded by employers, development graduates are sought after within a range of national and international NGOs, government departments, local councils and private sector operators working in international development.

Your future career will have a national and international scope through JCU’s strong ties across the Asia Pacific and Tropics, which you will first experience in your professional placement. The connections you make with the organisation facilitating your placement could lead to employment opportunities post-graduation. These organisations can include local and state government, such as the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) and the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), international NGOs such as ActionAid and Oxfam, and UN bodies such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

A variety of Scholarships are available to suit different student types.

Learn more about fees and financial support

Complete an online application through our Online Application Portal.