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University of Melbourne

  • 37% international / 63% domestic

Ethics and Integrity in Government Practice micro-credential

  • Non-Award

Gain essential skills to handle ethical dilemmas in the public sector, focusing on integrity and ethical practices. This micro-credential introduces key concepts and practical experience, suitable for professionals at AQF Level 9.

Key details

Degree Type
Non-Award
Duration
6 - 6 weeks full-time
Study Mode
Online

About this course

Overview

Gain essential skills to handle the challenging ethical dilemmas facing public sector employees.

The ability to act ethically and with integrity is essential for policymakers and public managers. Whether it's advising senior decision-makers, working effectively with small groups, or building support for initiatives among stakeholders, a strong understanding of ethical practice helps public-sector professionals overcome complex government challenges.

This micro-credential will provide you with essential skills to apply an integrity mindset to your career. You'll be introduced to key concepts and ideas underpinning ethics and integrity in government practice, and gain valuable practical experience in the process.

Ideal for professionals working throughout the public sector, learning on this course is equivalent to Level 9 of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

Entry requirements

There are no formal eligibility requirements to enrol in this course, but it is recommended you have either an undergraduate degree or at least three years of professional experience in a relevant field (such as policy design/development, program implementation, management, evaluation, or corporate services).

Study locations

Online

What you will learn

What you will learn

Gain contemporary skills and knowledge for your job now.

The ability to act ethically and with integrity is essential for policymakers and public managers. Whether it's advising senior decision-makers, working effectively with small groups, or building support for initiatives among stakeholders, a strong understanding of ethical practice helps public-sector professionals overcome complex government challenges.

This micro-credential will provide you with essential skills to apply an integrity mindset to your career. You'll be introduced to key concepts and ideas underpinning ethics and integrity in government practice, and gain valuable practical experience in the process.

Ideal for professionals working throughout the public sector, learning on this course is equivalent to Level 9 of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

Explore the foundations of ethics and integrity in government

Examine the core social, theoretical, historical, and disciplinary factors that underpin applied ethics in professional practice. You'll access key case studies to analyse and discuss how these factors apply directly to ethical work within governments.

Analyse key concepts and frameworks relevant to ethical theory

Explore key methodologies and concepts relevant to ethics and integrity, including public integrity, and moral and political theory. Analyse how these approaches intersect with a professional practice framework to drive policy actions that address ethical and managerial challenges public sector leaders often face in government.

Develop a policy brief that demonstrates your understanding of ethics and integrity

Draw on your new knowledge to develop a policy brief that tackles an important ethical challenge you've examined during the course. You'll broaden your understanding of how key debates in ethics and integrity impact the decisions taken by public sector leaders and gain valuable feedback on your work.

Course structure

Course details

This micro-credential runs over six weeks, including four weeks of delivery and two weeks for you to complete assessment tasks.

Your total time commitment is approximately 42 hours, which includes:

  • 7 hours of guided learning (including five 1.5-hour synchronous workshops)
  • 13 hours of self-directed study
  • 22 hours of assessment tasks.

Assessment:

  • Case study: Identify a personal example from your career that exemplifies the putative tension that exists between the rightful aims of bureaucracy and the values of democracy. Consider how you would resolve such tensions (30%).
  • Policy Brief on a Key Ethical Challenge: Develop a policy brief that examines how key ethical and integrity-based theoretical debates intersect with public sector leadership and management (70%).

Once you've successfully completed this course, you will be awarded your Ethics and Integrity in Government Practice micro-credential. This digital certificate will warrant the achievement of knowledge, skills and capabilities outlined in the learning outcomes. It may also include artefacts (such as videos and written material) related to both experiential and work-integrated learning, including translatable assessment that is practical to your professional life. You can also share your micro-credential digitally and via social media by adding it to your personal platforms, such as LinkedIn. See example certificate.