Your experience counts
Get formal recognition for the skills and expertise you've acquired in the workplace.
Reflect, apply and learn
Deakin’s unique credential model enables you to learn through reflection and application.
Online and fast-tracked
Apply your knowledge to finish sooner. Earn an online master’s degree in as little as 12 months while you work.
About Professional Practice degrees
Learning doesn’t stop when you finish school or university. We accumulate huge amounts of applied skills and knowledge as we progress through our careers – but this isn’t always visible to our prospective employers.
Professional Practice degrees are an innovative and flexible way to get formal recognition for the abilities you’ve gained during your career.
Not a traditional master’s degree
Earn a world-class master’s degree in a fraction of the time and cost needed to gain a traditional master’s. You will complete four core units, two Professional Practice Credentials and four stackable short courses, or four core units, four Professional Practice credentials and two stackable short courses.
Introducing Professional Practice credentials
Credentialling is different from other kinds of study you may have completed. It’s not about attending lectures or taking in new information. It’s about credit for the leadership techniques you’ve already developed and applied within your field or industry. It’s also about deepening those capabilities through a process of constructive self-analysis, understanding where you are in your career and where you want to go.
Credentials are designed to be completed between work and other commitments, and you can work on them at any time throughout the year.
To earn a credential, you’ll go through a six-step process to identify and document your skills, experience and knowledge. Each credential assesses a capability that’s highly valued in leaders, such as adaptive mindsets and driving strategic results.
Units of study
To complete your master’s degree, you’ll study four core units and a combination of Professional Practice Credentials and stackable short courses.
The course begins with two coursework units, followed by two Professional Practice Credentials and two stackable short courses.
Next, you’ll have the opportunity to choose to study two further Professional Practice Credentials, or two further stackable short courses.
The final two coursework units are then completed – Leadership Research Methods and the Leadership Research Project (Capstone).
How it is structured
To complete a Professional Practice degree, you’ll complete four core units, two Professional Practice Credentials and four stackable short courses, or four core units, four Professional Practice credentials and two stackable short courses.
I thoroughly enjoyed my study time and my experience, which was enriched through the support of my Course Adviser and Academic Supervisor.
Odette Meli, Deakin Graduate
The online platform used by Deakin University is of a very high standard. It offered various options to engage with classmates and tutors.
Danette Oughton, Deakin Graduate
I know no other University which acknowledges and credits you for the leadership skills you exhibit in your job.
Brian William O'Neill, Deakin Graduate
The online Master of Leadership at Deakin University provided the perfect platform to refine my leadership skills.
Franci Buljat, Master of Leadership Graduate
I would highly recommend studying through Deakin University Online. The program is well-structured, the faculty is supportive.
Liesl Freeman, Master of Leadership Graduate
