Key details
Duration
Locations
Entry requirements
View full entry requirementsCredit points required
80Course code
Overview
The Graduate Diploma of Indigenous Policy Development, will build on your professional knowledge and experiences by providing you with a critical understanding of important aspects of Indigenous economic and policy development in modern Australia.
You will examine key issues of Indigenous policy development and implementation, economic development and participation, traditional and modern governance structures, and intellectual and cultural property rights in current social and political contexts.
This course is an essential foundation for respectful and accountable engagement with Indigenous people and the current social and political issues they face in Australia and internationally.
This is an important course, if you want to develop your knowledge and understanding of:
- the workings of government and policy
- the structures and functions of governance in relation to Indigenous people
- the practice of cultural engagement with and between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people
- the culture and language of Yolngu people.
Career opportunities
A Graduate Diploma of Indigenous Policy Development will open up opportunities for you by adding a new dimension of knowledge and skills to your existing qualification. Graduates from this course working in a range of different government and other professional roles enhance their employability by strengthening and deepening their understanding of the interface between policy-related aspects of their work and the needs and aspirations of the broader Indigenous community.
Graduates can credit their studies in the graduate diploma towards a Master of Public Policy.
Potential employment opportunities include roles in government and non-government organisations related to Indigenous affairs in areas such as research, policy development, or media and communications and academia.
Credit transfers and advanced standing
Pathways
Pathways for Higher Education to Higher Education
For information about credit transfer available to students with complete or incomplete study at this or other Institutions refer to Pathways for Higher Education to Higher Education
Credit transfer
For further information on credit transfer and how to apply visit ASK CDU
Credit transfers and advanced standing
Credit transfer
For further information on credit transfer and how to apply visit ASK CDU
Fees
Both Commonwealth supported (CS) and full fee (FF) places are available for this course. If you would like to apply for a CS place use the SATAC code 1GD021. If you would like to apply for a FF place you will need to use the SATAC code 1GD521.
Commonwealth supported places
Commonwealth Supported places are available in this course to students who meet one of the following residency requirements:
(a) be an Australian citizen, who will complete some of your course of study while resident in Australia; or
(b) a New Zealand citizen; or an Australian permanent visa holder; or an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder; who studies the entire course while living in Australia.
Further information about fees and charges can be found at Fees and Payments.
Non-Commonwealth supported places
Full fee paying places are available in this course.
Information about fees and charges can be found at Fees and Payments.
International tuition fees
The annual tuition fee for full time study in 2026 is AUD $37,672.00. This equates to $4,709.00 per 10 credit point unit (0.125 EFTSL).
These fees are subject to increases annually, effective at the start of each calendar year.
You can find a list of International fees and payments you can expect to pay as part of your studies in Australia. See 2026 Higher Education International Annual Tuition Fees.
CDU offers a number of scholarships to international students to assist with the cost of study.
Why study Indigenous knowledges at CDU?
Study Indigenous knowledges at CDU to ensure the advancement and preservation of Indigenous knowledge systems. We're uniquely positioned to offer learnings from cultural experts so you can make change through careers in Indigenous policy, advocacy, research, or more.
- Relevant to Indigenous and non-Indigenous students
- Strong relationships with Indigenous community groups
- Choose to study online, on campus, part-time or full-time as it suits you
Why study a postgraduate degree at CDU?
Study a postgraduate course at Charles Darwin University, the #2 Australian university for postgraduate employment outcomes (GUG 2024).
- Top 100 university globally for quality education (THE Impact Rankings 2021)
- Our graduates enjoy higher than average employment rates and starting salaries
Why study Indigenous knowledges at CDU?
Study Indigenous knowledges at CDU to ensure the advancement and preservation of Indigenous knowledge systems. We're uniquely positioned to offer learnings from cultural experts so you can make change through careers in Indigenous policy, advocacy, research, or more.
- Relevant to Indigenous and non-Indigenous students
- Strong relationships with Indigenous community groups
- Choose to study online, on campus, part-time or full-time as it suits you
Why study a postgraduate degree at CDU?
Study a postgraduate course at Charles Darwin University, the #2 Australian university for postgraduate employment outcomes (GUG 2024).
- Top 100 university globally for quality education (THE Impact Rankings 2021)
- Our graduates enjoy higher than average employment rates and starting salaries
What will I study?
Your graduate diploma studies will require the completion of 80 credit points of study including four core units and up to four units offered at a 500 level in the offerings in the College of Indigenous Futures, Arts and Society.
Course structure
You will be able to complete a 20-credit point dissertation and can complete up to 20 credit points of study outside the offerings of the College or cross-institutionally so long as they are able to meet the dual requirements of being at an advanced level of study and approved by the course coordinator.
A candidate must successfully complete units totalling 80 credit points (cp) as detailed below. All units are valued at 10 credit points unless otherwise indicated.
| Unit type | Credit Points | Specific requirements |
| Core Units (4 units) | 40cp | Compulsory Core units totalling 40 credit points as detailed below. IAS530 Neocolonialism, Advocacy and the Critique of Development (replaced ATI501 2020) IAS531 Indigenous Policy Agendas in Federal and State Politics (replaced ATI502 2020) IAS532 Indigenous Knowledges, Property Rights and Economic Participation (replaced ATI503 2020) IAS533 Indigenous Knowledges and Epistemologies (replaced ATI504 2020) |
| Specialist Elective (2-4 units) | 40cp | Unit totalling 40 credit points selected from the list of available units detailed below. Indigenous Policy Research Indigenous Policy Engagement Yolngu Languages and Culture |
| 80cp | Total Credit Points |
Course Rules (unless otherwise indicated in the above course structure)
- See the Higher Education Course Rules (Award Requirements) in the Units and Courses Policy.
COURSE CHANGES AND TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS - 2022
Unit Changes:
The following units are no longer available for enrolment as part of this course. Students who completed these units prior to 2022 may continue to count the units towards Specialist Electives.
| Previous Unit Code | New Unit Code | New Unit Title |
| ATI501 | IAS530 | Neocolonialism, Advocacy and the Critique of Development |
| ATI502 | IAS531 | Indigenous Policy Agendas in Federal and State Politics |
| ATI503 | IAS532 | Indigenous Knowledges, Property Rights and Economic Participation |
| ATI504 | IAS533 | Indigenous Knowledges and Epistemologies |
| ATI720 | IAS512 | Humanities and Social Science Project |
| ACH401 | IAS501 | Research Methods 1 |
| IND500 | IAS535 | Indigenous Peoples in the Context of Colonised Australia |
| IND501 | IAS537 | Building Relationships in Indigenous Contexts |
| IND590 | IAS523 | Indigenous Research Project |
| IND503 | IAS538 | Challenging Educational Paradigm |
| ATI505 | IAS534 | Partnerships and Engagement in Indigenous Land and Sea Management |
| CAS501 | IAS521 | Yolngu Languages and Culture 1 |
| CAS502 | IAS542 | Yolngu Languages and Culture 2 |
| CAS511 | IAS543 | Yolngu Literature |
| CAS521 | IAS545 | Yolngu Conversation 1 |
| CAS522 | IAS546 | Yolngu Conversation 2 |
COURSE CHANGES AND TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS - 2018 GCP501 has been replaced by IND500. Students who have completed GCP501 should not complete IND500.
COURSE CHANGES AND TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS - 2016 Students who started this course prior to 2015 may continue to include 300 level undergraduate units as part of their course but can also include any of the new postgraduate units as part of their Specialist Elective study. Students who started this course in 2015 can also include any of the new postgraduate units as part of their Specialist Elective study. Students who have started the course prior to 2016 can still use LGA501 (repeatable recoded from LGA400 in 2016, not offered in 2017) (no longer available) to study Central Australian Languages. If students are seeking to study Yolngu Languages and Culture, they should enrol in the specific, appropriate Yolngu Studies units from the list included in the above course structure. Unit Code Changes
|
Study plan
STUDENTS COMMENCING IN SEMESTER 1
The Recommended Study Plan provided below is suitable for a student enrolling in a full-time study load. Students entering this course with advanced standing, or wishing to vary their study plan due to work, personal, financial or other reasons should use the table as a guide to create an individual study plan.
When designing an individual study plan:
- maintain the basic order in which units are to be attempted; and
- check the prerequisite and assumed knowledge for each unit as some units assume you have completed foundation unit/s in the unit area at a lower level.
| Legend: | CO = Core Unit | SE = Specialist Elective |
Full-Time Study Plan
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 | ||
| Year 1 | |||
| IAS531 Indigenous Policy Agendas in Federal and State Politics (replaced ATI502 2020) | CO | IAS530 Neocolonialism, Advocacy and the Critique of Development (replaced ATI501 2020) | CO |
| IAS533 Indigenous Knowledges and Epistemologies (replaced ATI504 2020) | CO | IAS532 Indigenous Knowledges, Property Rights and Economic Participation (replaced ATI503 2020) | CO |
| Specialist Elective* | SE | Specialist Elective* | SE |
| Specialist Elective* | SE | Specialist Elective* | SE |
_____________________________________
STUDENTS COMMENCING IN SEMESTER 2
The Recommended Study Plan provided below is suitable for a student enrolling in a full-time study load. Students entering this course with advanced standing, or wishing to vary their study plan due to work, personal, financial or other reasons should use the table as a guide to create an individual study plan.
When designing an individual study plan:
- maintain the basic order in which units are to be attempted; and
- check the prerequisite and assumed knowledge for each unit as some units assume you have completed foundation unit/s in the unit area at a lower level.
| Legend: | CO = Core Unit | SE = Specialist Elective |
Full-Time Study Plan
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 | ||
| Year 1 | |||
| IAS530 Neocolonialism, Advocacy and the Critique of Development (replaced ATI501 2020) | CO | ||
| IAS532 Indigenous Knowledges, Property Rights and Economic Participation (replaced ATI503 2020) | CO | ||
| Specialist Elective* | SE | ||
| Specialist Elective* | SE | ||
| Year 2 | |||
| IAS531 Indigenous Policy Agendas in Federal and State Politics (replaced ATI502 2020) | CO | ||
| IAS533 Indigenous Knowledges and Epistemologies (replaced ATI504 2020) | CO | ||
| Specialist Elective* | SE | ||
| Specialist Elective* | SE | ||
Entry requirements
Admission criteria
Successful completion of a recognised bachelor degree, graduate certificate, graduate diploma, masters degree or equivalent international qualification in a relevant field.
Consideration will also be given to those who do not have one of the above qualifications, but who have at least five years relevant professional experience, for example in policy development, research, governance or service delivery. Applicants must provide further documentation in the form of a curriculum vitae (CV) with their application.
Essential requirements
English language requirements
DOMESTIC STUDENTS
To be eligible for admission to this course, applicants must meet the standard English language proficiency requirements for Higher Education courses at Charles Darwin University (CDU) and provide evidence as part of their application.
You can meet the minimum English language requirement by providing evidence of one of following:
| Previous study in English |
|
| AHPRA Registration | Current registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). |
| English Test^ | Completion of an approved English Test within two years of commencement, with the minimum scores shown below. |
| Primary language pathway | Completion of six years of primary and/or secondary schooling in a recognised English-speaking country*, including at least two years between years 7-12. |
Additional information about accepted tests and the evidence requirements is available on the English language proficiency requirements page.
^English tests - approved tests and minimum scores
| Undergraduate and postgraduate pathway program requirement | Postgraduate requirement (HDR and coursework) | |
| CDU ELICOS - English for Academic Purposes | Successful completion of EAP003 | Successful completion of EAP004 |
| International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic test | Overall minimum: 6.0 No band below: 6.0 | Overall minimum: 6.5 No band below 6.0 |
| Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic | Overall minimum: 50 No score below: 50 | Overall minimum: 58 No score below: 50 |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) | Overall minimum: 60 Minimum writing score: 21 | Overall minimum: 79 Minimum writing score: 21 |
| Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) | Overall minimum: 169 No skill below: 169 | Overall minimum: 176 No skill below: 169 |
Information about test validity, accepted combined test results, IELTS One Skill Retake and evidence requirements is available on the English language proficiency requirements page.
*Recognised English-speaking countries:
| Standard List | Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States of America. |
| Extended List | Bermuda, Botswana, Cayman Islands, Fiji, Kenya, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Seychelles, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe. |
All previous studies must have been delivered in English (medium of instruction was English). Applicants who have studied at an institution from a coutnry on the extended list must provide confirmation that their study was completed within the last five years.
For further details on the English requirements for CDU courses, please refer to the CDU English Language Proficiency Policy.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
To gain entry into Charles Darwin University, all Higher Education applicants must satisfy the University's English Language Proficiency Requirements for their chosen course of study.
The minimum English language requirement for this course is met by either undertaking previous education from an English-speaking country or undertaking one of the following English language tests and obtaining the minimum requirements listed below.
| CDU English for Academic Purposes 4 (ZEAP40) | Successful completion of EAP004 English for Academic Purposes 4 |
| IELTS Academic Module (including One Skill Retake) | A minimum overall score of 6.5 with no band less than 6.0. |
| Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) | A minimum overall score of 176, with no skill below 169. |
| Common European Framework Certificate of English Proficiency | A minimum overall grade of C1, valid for three years from the date of the test to the date of commencement at CDU. |
| Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic module | A minimum overall score of 58 with no score lower than 50. |
| TOEFL Internet-based Test (iBT) | A minimum overall score of 79 with a minimum writing score of 21. |
* All tests are valid for two years from the date of the test to the date of commencement at CDU, unless otherwise specified.
* Where applicable, international applicants must also satisfy the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) English language requirements for student visa applications.
Do you have a question regarding English requirements at CDU? Please email: international@cdu.edu.au.
The Arts courses at CDU are flexible and adaptable, with the option to choose from a wide range of both practical and specialised majors or study themes. We encourage students to ask about how a program can be tailored to fit their interests and career goals. Don’t be afraid to ask that question.
Professor Ruth Wallace
The Arts courses at CDU are flexible and adaptable, with the option to choose from a wide range of both practical and specialised majors or study themes. We encourage students to ask about how a program can be tailored to fit their interests and career goals. Don't be afraid to ask that question.
Professor Ruth Wallace
The Arts courses at CDU are flexible and adaptable, with the option to choose from a wide range of both practical and specialised majors or study themes. We encourage students to ask about how a program can be tailored to fit their interests and career goals. Don’t be afraid to ask that question.
Professor Ruth Wallace
The Arts courses at CDU are flexible and adaptable, with the option to choose from a wide range of both practical and specialised majors or study themes. We encourage students to ask about how a program can be tailored to fit their interests and career goals. Don't be afraid to ask that question.
Professor Ruth Wallace
Course details
Accreditation
This course is accredited by the University in accordance with the Higher Education Standards.
Australian qualification framework
This course is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 8.
Additional information
Contact details
For further information about the course, enrolment procedures, closing dates and other administrative issues please contact Student Central on:
You make CDU
Together we are a positive force for change in our communities and the world.
You make CDU
Our students choose to study with us because we share the same vision – to make a positive change. Whatever your motivation is, we can guide you in the right direction.
You make CDU
Together we are a positive force for change in our communities and the world.
You make CDU
Our students choose to study with us because we share the same vision – to make a positive change. Whatever your motivation is, we can guide you in the right direction.
How to apply
There are many ways to apply to CDU. The method you use depends on your course type, where you live and whether you are a new or returning student to CDU.
Remember to apply early for your best chance at securing an offer to study with us.
SATAC
SATAC is the application channel for residents of NT, ACT, SA, WA, QLD, VIC, NSW or TAS.
International applications
Applications must be submitted online through our application portal, Studylink. You'll need a valid email address to create your online account. Once you have started your application, you will be able to save it and resume it later. There is no application fee when you apply online.
You may be able to lodge a direct application; however, there may be restrictions on your geographic location. If you cannot submit a direct application via the application portal, please apply through one of our registered agents.
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