Take an important role in community development with leadership skills gained in real-world settings, by studying the Graduate Diploma in International Community Development.

This unique and practical postgraduate course offers you personalised education, specialising in community development at a local or international level.

The program is open to graduates with a bachelor degree, who wish to further their career in community development.  

If you are already employed in community development and wish to advance your career, this program will give you the skills to achieve your goals.

You’ll gain expertise in key community development theories, building your knowledge and skills in these main areas:

• community development theories and practices
• project design
• planning and management
• social research and evaluation
• understanding globalisation and its impacts on communities
• peace and conflict resolution
• building capacity and mobilising communities
• advocacy of gender rights and human rights
• leadership in community development
• governance of international organisations.

When assessing your application, we consider your education, work experience, current skills and personal attributes (where relevant).

Applicants for this course will need to meet the entry criteria outlined below. If you don’t meet the entry criteria, you may be able to gain entry by first completing a different course. We call this a ‘pathway’.

For PhD applicants, we offer a related ‘Integrated PhD’ which allows you to establish relevant skills before beginning your research.

You may also be eligible for course ‘credits’, where you are granted a unit or units towards your qualification for equivalent previous study or work experience, so you can graduate sooner.

Entry Criteria

To be considered for postgraduate study, you will need to have specific academic qualifications, as outlined below. We also consider non-academic research and work experience for our research candidates.

Admission criteria

Completion of an Australian Bachelor degree (or equivalent) in any discipline OR Completion of an Australian Graduate Certificate (or equivalent) in a similar discipline PLUS IELTS (or equivalent): Overall score of 6.5 (with no band less than 6.0 in Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking)

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Interpret community development theoretical concepts and related knowledge to think critically on appropriate approaches to address sociocultural problems in contemporary societies;
2. Utilise critical analytical skills to interrogate and interpret different schools of thought on globalisation and development and their impacts on communities, including through critical engagement with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
3. Deconstruct the role of civil society and grassroots social movements in relation to international community development;
4. Critique global and regional political structures, and their impact upon community development;
5. Creatively employ advanced skills in research and project management in international community development contexts.

Graduates of this course work in many related areas, including international humanitarian work and development aid.

Career possibilities include:

• international and regional consultant in human rights, gender, poverty reduction and project evaluation
• project manager with international, government and local organisations such as Australian Red Cross, Save the Children, Asylum Seekers Resource Centre
• leaders and advisers in government
• community development educator and trainer
• journalist
• activist
• academic and researcher.