Program start date | Application deadline |
2025-02-01 | - |
2025-07-01 | - |
Program Overview
Graduate Certificate of Global Development
Overview
Analyse, evaluate and generate solutions to complex social and environmental problems within the Tropics and globally. Engage with diverse communities as you apply specialist knowledge to real-world scenarios across local, national, and international policy and practice. Emerge with the skills and know-how to implement projects and initiatives that can improve the lives of many.
Fast Facts
- Location: JCU campuses or study centres where you can study this course. 'Online' means the course can be studied off-campus using a combination of online resources, printed material or other technologies. Some online courses include on-campus workshops and travel for professional placements.
- Online
- Cairns
- Commencing: The month(s) you can start the course. For courses offered at JCU Singapore and JCU Brisbane, see 'How to Apply'.
- Online: February, July
- Cairns: February, July
- Mid-year entry: Not available for full-time students
- Fees:
- Indicative, annual cost of your course. Some courses are supported by the Australian Government with the government paying some of your fees. This is the Commonwealth Supported fee. The tuition fee is the fee payable if Commonwealth Support does not apply. You can defer your fees if eligible with HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP. The Student Services & Amenities Fee is a required payment from most students.
- $6,455.00+ (total estimated Commonwealth Supported Fee)
- $16,083.00^ (total estimated tuition fee)
- Plus Student Services and Amenities fee
- Fee deferral and scholarships available if eligible
- Duration: The time it will take you to complete the course as a full-time student. Also specifies if the course is available part-time. This section will indicate if some online courses may have a longer duration due to their different delivery method.
- 6 months full-time
- Entry Requirements: This is usually a score given to Year 12 students upon completion of their studies. Non-school leavers can have their qualifications and work experience assessed to obtain an equivalent score. The score displayed is the minimum adjusted ATAR/rank that was required for entry. Some subjects are required for entry into a course. Whereas assumed knowledge indicates a minimum level of knowledge
- AQF level 7 bachelor degree; or equivalent
- Course Code: The course code is JCU's unique identifier for this course.
Course Detail
What to Expect
Cultivate the interdisciplinary skills and expertise required to address pressing development issues relevant to tropical Australia and the Asia-Pacific. JCU’s Graduate Certificate of Global Development is highly attuned to both current and future decades and its subjects align with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly conservation and restoration, and economic and sustainable resource management. Gain an in-depth understanding of the urgent issues facing vulnerable communities through JCU’s unique position as a university for the Tropics that has worldwide impact.
As you study this Graduate Certificate of Global Development degree, you will gain 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 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.
Develop the knowledge and skills that will allow you to work in the 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.
In the Graduate Certificate of Global Development, you will study two core subjects — Development in Practice and Critical Issues in Global Development — and two elective subjects that align with your interests and passion. Elective subjects cover a broad range of topics including development and conservation, disaster resilience and natural resource management, public health, sustainable development planning and policy, Indigenous futures, governance and social change, leadership and management, and research techniques specific to development.
Help build a brighter tomorrow and improve global, social and cultural wellbeing. Global Development graduates are innovative world-changers who make a difference in many contexts and settings.
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 Graduate Certificate of Global Development.
Career Opportunities
JCU Global Development graduates are multi-skilled and are employed in various local and global settings.
Graduates pursue careers in a range of industries, including national and international non-government organisations, local councils, multilateral organisations, and global governance institutions.
You could find employment as an advocate, business planner and developer, fundraiser, disaster recovery specialist, research assistant, teacher, engineer, or health professional.
For a more advanced qualification, go on to study the Master of Global Development.
Fees and Scholarships
Estimated annual Commonwealth Supported fee: $AUD6,455.00
Estimated annual tuition fee: $AUD16,083.00
A variety of Scholarships are available to suit different student types.
Pathways to JCU
JCU offers multiple Pathways to University. If you do not meet the entry requirements for this course, consider exploring our available Pathways options.
How to Apply
Complete an online application through our Online Application Portal.
Program Outline
Outline:
- Core Subjects
- Development in Practice
- Critical Issues in Global Development
- Elective Subjects (Select 6 credit points)
Disaster Resilience, Conservation and Natural Resource Management
- Conservation Biology
- Population and Community Ecology
- Technological Applications in Ecology
- Restoration Ecology
- Wildlife Ecology and Management
- Marine Conservation Biology
- Economics and Sustainable Resource Management
- Human Dimensions of Nature, Environment and Conservation
- International Environmental Policy and Governance
- Principles and Practices of Protected Area Management
- Disasters, Communities and Planning
- Leadership in Disaster Management
- Natural Resource Management
Public Health
- Tropical Public Health
- Environmental Health
- Public Health in Humanitarian Emergencies
- Global Health and Development
- Reproductive Health in Developing Countries
- Public Health Management, Leadership, Planning and Policy
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
- Disaster Health Management
- Public Health Economics
Sustainable Development Planning and Policy
- Climate Change and Biodiversity
- Environmental and Regional Planning
- Environmental Economics
- Sustainability in Practice
- Environmental and Social Impact Assessment
- Urban Geography and Design
- Research Methods for Global Development
- Economics for a Sustainable World
- Policy Analysis and Management
- Sustainable Tourism Management
- Social Policy Analysis
Indigenous Futures
- Indigenous Australians
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People as Colonial Subjects
- Comparative Indigenous Studies
- Navigating the Cultural Interface
Economics, Governance and Social Change
- Cost Benefit Analysis
- Econometrics and Big Data Analysis
- Economic Growth and Sustainable Development
- Macroeconomic Policy
- Economics of Social Policy
- Economics and Sustainable Resource Management
- Regional Environmental History
- Corporate Responsibility and Governance
- International Political Economy
- Political Communication; Ecology and Environmentalism
Development Leadership and Management
- Design Thinking Principles
- Career Planning
- Leadership Futures
- State Society and Governance
- Cross-Cultural Conflict Resolution
- Conflict Analysis
- Conflict Resolution Processes
- Ethical Decision Making and Reflective Practice
- People in Organisations
- Cross-Cultural Leadership
- Negotiation
- Facilitative Mediation Practice
- Sustainable Conflict Management
Entry Requirements:
- Completion of an AQF level 7 bachelor degree; or other qualifications or practical experience recognized by the Dean, College of Arts, Society and Education as equivalent to the above.
- Applicants of non-English speaking backgrounds must meet the English language proficiency requirements of Band 1 – Schedule II of the JCU Admissions Policy.