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Master of Sustainability (Professional)

Postgraduate coursework

Explore how humanity can meet its growing needs. Gain advanced knowledge and contemporary skills to develop successful sustainability strategies.

Key facts

Duration

2 years full-time

Current Deakin Students

To access your official course details for the year you started your degree, please visit the handbook

Course overview

Explore how humanity can meet its growing needs while ensuring future generations can meet theirs in the Master of Sustainability (Professional). Focusing on multidisciplinary approaches to policy and management, you will acquire the advanced knowledge and skills needed to develop successful sustainability strategies that balance environmental, social, and economic considerations

This flexible course allows you to tailor your degree to suit your career aspirations by providing a choice of options towards the latter part of your studies – advanced research, elective study, or a combination of elective study and industry practice. You will build a solid foundation in sustainability, environmental science, and global change, before specialising in an area of your choosing. Whatever you choose, you will be equipped for a rewarding career effecting positive change. 

Ready to take action for a brighter future?

Issues of sustainability are complex and skilled professionals capable of developing appropriate cost-effective and targeted solutions to these challenges are crucial for our future. That’s why a key focus of the Master of Sustainability (Professional) is developing an in-depth understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals, which every member country of the United Nations is committed to achieving by 2030.

The flexible structure of the course provides you with the opportunity to build the degree for the career you want. You will first acquire a solid foundation in sustainability before broadening your studies through the pursuit of a specialisation that interests you most. Towards the latter part of your studies, you can choose to either undertake a focused research project, industry practice, or broaden your skills with elective units in areas such as climate change adaptation and mitigation, regional development, environmental management, risk assessment and control, health promotion, community consultation and more.

Connections to industry are an integral part of this course. These connections ensure you have the opportunity to gain an industry perspective and establish professional networks prior to graduation. Guest lectures from key industry partners are embedded into the course to provide you with an understanding of sustainability issues in a real-world context.

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Course information

Award granted
Master of Sustainability (Professional)
Year

2025 course information

Deakin code
S728
CRICOS code?
108874H Burwood (Melbourne)
Level
Higher Degree Coursework (Masters and Doctorates)
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition

The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9

Course structure

To complete the Master of Sustainability (Professional), students must pass 16 credit points, which include the following:

  • DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit point compulsory unit)
  • STP710 Career Tools for Employability (0-credit point compulsory unit)
  • 3 core units (3 credit points)
  • 1 specialisation (4 credit points)
  • a 9 credit point pathway in:
    • research pathway (subject to meeting unit requirements)* OR
    • industry practice pathway (subject to meeting unit requirements)^ OR
    • advanced discipline coursework pathway

* Students must have passed 7 level 7 units (6 units must be SLE coded units) and a WAM of 70 to be eligible for the research pathway.

^ Students must have completed STP710 Career Tools for Employability (0-credit point compulsory unit), and passed 8 credit points of study in level 7 units and have a minimum WAM of 70 to be eligible for the industry practice pathway.

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.

3

Core units

4

Specialisation units

9

Pathway units

16

Total units

Core

  • Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0 credit points)
  • Career Tools for Employability (0 credit points)
  • Professional Research Practice
  • Sustainability in the Anthropocene
  • Environmental Science and Global Change
  • Pathway options

    Research pathway

  • Research Project Planning
  • Research Project (4 credit points)
  • Research Project (Advanced) (4 credit points)
  • OR

    Industry practice pathway

  • Industry Practice Planning
  • Industry Practice A (2 credit points)
  • Industry Practice B (2 credit points)
  • plus 4 course elective units (4 credit points) from the course elective list

    OR

    Advanced discipline coursework pathway

    9 course elective units (9 credit points) from the course elective list.

    Course elective units

    Students studying S728 Master of Sustainability (Professional) or  S727 Master of Sustainability  can choose any units from the list below to fill the course elective unit options (subject to meeting unit requirements).

    Course elective units may also be chosen from the remaining specialisations (ie students enrolled in the environmental management specialisation may choose electives from within the health and environment specialisation).

    Students choosing Deakin's microcredentials^ (0.5cp) through our Stackable short courses as electives must take at least 2 microcredentials to equate to 1 credit point of study.

    Environmental management

  • Circular Economy
  • Environmental Protection
  • Risk Assessment and Control
  • Environmental Management Systems
  • Health and environment

  • Principles and Practice of Public Health
  • Health Promotion
  • Health Equity and Human Rights
  • Community Consultation and Participation
  • HMC703-OD Promoting Human and Planetary Health (0.5 credit points)^

    Sustainable regional development

  • Climate Change, Adaptation and Mitigation
  • Regional Development Economics for Sustainability
  • Systems Thinking for Sustainability and Resilience
  • Spatial Analysis and Geographic Information Systems
  • Cities

  • Engineering Sustainability
  • Components of the Circular City
  • Interactions and Enablers of the Circular City
  • Geo-Planning and Design
  • Sustainable Construction Studies
  • Building Systems and Environment
  • Communities and wellbeing

  • Introduction to International and Community Development
  • Community From Participation to Activism
  • Participatory and Community Development Practice
  • Community Capacity Building - Theory and Practice for Inclusion
  • Community Consultation and Participation
  • Communications and attitude formation

  • Cross Cultural Communication and Practice
  • Journalism for Social Change
  • Investigative and Narrative Journalism
  • Public Relations, Activism and Social Change
  • Public Affairs and Opinion Formation
  • Cultural heritage

  • Heritage Practice: Conservation and Managing Change
  • World Heritage
  • Intangible Cultural Heritage
  • Sustainability and Human Rights in Heritage and Museums
  • Data science for sustainability

  • Responsible Artificial Intelligence
  • Foundation Skills in Data Analysis
  • Real World Analytics
  • Statistical Data Analysis
  • Digital tools for online influencing

  • Design and Digital Skills
  • Web and Interactive Design
  • Social Media Content Creation
  • Multimedia Storytelling
  • Energy

  • Energy Efficiency and Demand Management *
  • DMC716-OD Renewable energy microgrid: Integrating green hydrogen (0.5 credit points) ^

    *Must have an engineering background; unit chair approval is required for admission for any students outside of the School of Engineering.

    Food, land and health

  • Food and Water Security
  • Agricultural Health and Medicine
  • Healthy and Sustainable Agricultural Communities
  • Policy and Practice for Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems
  • Global geopolitics and sustainable development

  • Geopolitics and Political Economy of Development
  • China and the World
  • The United Nations and International Organisation
  • International Conflict Analysis
  • Transnational Activism and Policy
  • Human Rights in World Politics
  • Global Political Economy
  • Global Trade and Supply Chains
  • Greening business and industry

  • Ethics of Digital Transformation
  • Ethical Decision Making in Organisations
  • Emerging Issues in International Operations
  • Environmental Sustainability for Business
  • Green Chemistry and Industrial Bioprocessing
  • DMC713-OD Life Cycle Assessment: A Practical Introduction (0.5 credit points)^ 

    DMC714-OD Environmental Cost-Benefit Analysis in Business (0.5 credit points)^ 

    MMC706-OD Change Tools (0.5 credit points)^ 

    MMC705-OD Innovation and Leadership (0.5 credit points)^

    Inclusive and sustainable development

  • Community, Development and Humanitarianism in An Era of Climate Crisis
  • Gender, Race and Culture
  • The Humanitarian World
  • International development

  • Climate Change and Sustainability
  • Introduction to International and Community Development
  • Participatory and Community Development Practice
  • Disaster Risk Reduction and Community Led Recovery
  • Policy and governance

  • Environmental Crime and Regulation
  • Non-Government Organisations and other Development Actors
  • Making Policy
  • Policy Lessons From Overseas
  • Intergovernmental Relations: Federalism, Power and Multi-Level Governance
  • Governance and Accountability in Turbulent Times
  • Governing the Economy: Wealth and Inequality in Australia
  • Private Sector Development: Corporations, Social-Enterprise and Microfinance
  • Professional studies

  • Research Project Planning
  • Industry Practice Planning
  • Specialisations

    Refer to the details of each specialisation for availability.

    Intakes by location

    The availability of a course varies across locations and intakes. This means that a course offered in Trimester 1 may not be offered in the same location for Trimester 2 or 3. Check each intake for up-to-date information on when and where you can commence your studies.

    Trimester 1 - March

    • Start date: March
    • Available at:
      • Burwood (Melbourne)
      • Online

    Trimester 2 - July

    • Start date: July
    • Available at:
      • Burwood (Melbourne)
      • Online

    Additional course information

    Course duration

    Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as accessing or completing work placements.

    Mandatory student checks

    Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, Working with Children Check or other check.

    Workload

    You can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week.  This could include lectures, seminars, workshops, site visits and online interaction.  You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information.  You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.

    Participation requirements

    Elective units may be selected that include compulsory placements, work-based training, community-based learning or collaborative research training arrangements.

    Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.

    Work experience

    Students will have an opportunity to complete work experience as part of the industry practice pathway.

    Entry requirements

    Selection is based on a holistic consideration of your academic merit, work experience, likelihood of success, availability of places, participation requirements, regulatory requirements, and individual circumstances. You will need to meet the minimum academic and English language proficiency requirements to be considered for selection, but this does not guarantee admission.

    Academic requirements

    To be considered for admission to this degree you will need to meet the following criteria:

    • completion of a bachelor degree or higher in any discipline

    English language proficiency requirements

    To meet the English language proficiency requirements of this course, you will need to demonstrate at least one of the following:

    Admissions information

    Learn more about Deakin courses and how we compare to other universities when it comes to the quality of our teaching and learning.

    Not sure if you can get into Deakin postgraduate study? Postgraduate study doesn't have to be a balancing act; we provide flexible course entry and exit options based on your desired career outcomes and the time you're able to commit to your study.

    Recognition of prior learning

    If you have completed previous studies which you believe may reduce the number of units you have to complete at Deakin, indicate in the appropriate section on your application that you wish to be considered for Recognition of prior learning. You will need to provide a certified copy of your previous course details so your credit can be determined. If you are eligible, your offer letter will then contain information about your Recognition of prior learning.
    Your Recognition of prior learning is formally approved prior to your enrolment at Deakin during the Enrolment and Orientation Program. You must bring original documents relating to your previous study so that this approval can occur.

    You can also refer to the recognition of prior learning (RPL) system which outlines the credit that may be granted towards a Deakin University degree.

    Fees and scholarships

    Fee information

    Estimated tuition fee - full-fee paying place

    The tuition fees you pay are determined by the course you are enrolled in. The 'Estimated tuition fee' is provided as a guide only and represents the typical first-year tuition fees for students enrolled in this course. The cost will vary depending on the units you choose, your study load, the length of your course and any approved Recognition of prior learning you have.

    Each unit you enrol in has a credit point value. The 'Estimated tuition fee' is calculated by adding together eight credit points of a typical combination of units for this course. Eight credit points is used as it represents a typical full-time enrolment load for a year.

    You can find the credit point value of each unit under the Unit Description by searching for the unit in the handbook.

    Learn more about international student fees.

    Scholarship options

    A Deakin scholarship might change your life. If you've got something special to offer Deakin – or you just need the financial help to get you here – we may have a scholarship opportunity for you.

    Search or browse through our scholarships

    Postgraduate bursary

    If you’re a Deakin alumnus commencing a postgraduate award course, you may be eligible to receive a 10% reduction per unit on your enrolment fees.

    Learn more about the 10% Deakin alumni discount

    Apply now

    Apply directly to Deakin

    Applications can be made directly to the University through StudyLink Connect - Deakin University's International Student Application Service.

    We recommend engaging with a Deakin Authorised Agent who can assist you with the process and submit the application.

    Need more information on how to apply?

    For information on the application process, including required documents and important dates, see the How to apply webpage.
    If you need assistance, please contact us.

    Pathways

    Graduates will be uniquely positioned to commence a PhD. You will have access to a range of elective units from a variety of relevant discipline areas across the University. This will allow you to tailor a program relevant to your specific interests.  As a pathway to PhD, the course has a key component in the form of a research project. The thesis should offer a significant contribution to knowledge in the discipline concerned and demonstrate your capacity to carry out independent research.  

    Students not wishing to pursue further studies in research will have the opportunity to undertake an industry practice placement or undertake course electives that will allow them to complement their studies with a range of relevant options. 

     

    Alternative exits

    Careers

    Career outcomes

    As a graduate of this course, you will be equipped with the skills to build a rewarding career effecting positive change. You will be well positioned to engage in the development and implementation of practical solutions to complex sustainability challenges. Employment opportunities exist in government, non-government organisations or in the private sector.

    Depending on your area of expertise, management or consultant opportunities exist in areas including environmental protection, cultural and natural heritage management, environmental conservation, land and water management, natural resource management, agriculture, communications, and planning.

    Those choosing to undertake the advanced research study option in the final year of this degree will also be well positioned to pursue further research studies, including a master by research or PhD.

    Course learning outcomes

    Deakin's graduate learning outcomes describe the knowledge and capabilities graduates can demonstrate at the completion of their course. These outcomes mean that regardless of the Deakin course you undertake, you can rest assured your degree will teach you the skills and professional attributes that employers value. They'll set you up to learn and work effectively in the future.

    Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes Course Learning Outcomes
    Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

    Demonstrate mastery and specialist knowledge of natural and social sciences related to sustainability, environmental management, health and environment and sustainable regional development.

    Plan and execute a substantial research or industry based project to demonstrate a deep understanding and mastery within the sustainability, environmental management and sustainable regional development disciplines.

    Demonstrate well-developed judgement and responsibility to review, analyse and develop sustainability strategies based on holistic principles.

    Communication

    Present a reasoned argument that highlights essential details of sustainability, environmental management and sustainable regional development, theory and application, key observations, results and conclusions of scientific research in a professional manner using appropriate style, language and references including local, national, and international contributions or contexts.

    Apply listening skills and effective communication skills to accommodate, encourage and answer questions from a range of audience and to defend research/project findings and sustainability implementation propositions.

    Interpret the boundaries or limits of social and scientific information, data, discuss error, probability, uncertainty, conclusions and arguments to justify theoretical propositions, methodologies, methods, techniques, conclusions and professional decisions.

    Digital literacy

    Use well-developed technical skills, judgement and responsibility to independently locate, analyse, evaluate the merits of, synthesise and disseminate sustainability data, information and literature in the planning and implementation of projects to a range of stakeholders in sustainability, environmental management and sustainable regional development.

    Reflect on information, data and results and develop strategies for disseminating research outcomes in a digital world.

    Critical thinking

    Appraise complex social, economic and scientific methodologies and information from a broad range of interdisciplinary sources using critical, analytical and logical reasoning from multiple perspectives for evaluating and providing solutions to sustainability issues that incorporate the holistic principles.

    Formulate research questions to test and/ or contest ideas, concepts and theoretical propositions through an evidence-based well-structured project.

    Problem solving

    Plan and implement sustainability research investigation by using traditional and emerging techniques and technologies to identify problems and by applying analysis and synthesis skills, and triple-bottom line principles to solve research and/or practical problems.

    Demonstrate complex problem-solving skills by identifying and creating solutions to real world sustainability through social, economic and/or scientific inquiry.

    Contribute to advancements in scientific knowledge through mastery in the use of traditional and emerging instruments and techniques to device an investigation, and in the collection, interpretation, analysis, synthesis and dissemination of issues pertaining to the identification of issues and solutions to improve sustainability in general and/or environmental management and/or sustainable regional development.

    Self-management

    Take personal, professional and social responsibility within changing national and international professional contexts to develop autonomy as researchers and evaluate own performances.

    Work autonomously, responsibly and safely to solve unstructured problems and actively apply knowledge of social frameworks and scientific methodologies to make informed choices based on the triple-bottom line principles.

    Teamwork

    Work independently and collaboratively with advice from the supervisor towards achieving the outcomes of a project and thereby demonstrate interpersonal skills including the ability to brainstorm, negotiate, resolve conflicts, managing difficult and awkward conversations, provide constructive feedback and work in diverse professional, social and cultural contexts.

    Global citizenship

    Apply principles of sustainability and environmental management knowledge and skills with a high level of autonomy, judgement, responsibility and accountability in collaboration with the supervisor to articulate the place and importance of social and scientific inquiry in the local and global context.