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Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Queensland will launch its pioneering Leadership in Global Development MicroMasters course in January - the first of its kind to be offered in Australia.  

The MicroMasters program is a new category of Masters-level online education, delivered on the edX online learning platform founded by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Leaders in Global Development is the first of four online courses offered by Â鶹ÊÓƵx which will go live on 10 January 2017, and teach key leadership skills, concepts and theories to equip the next generation of leaders in international development.

Professor Mark Moran from the said the MicroMasters courses offered a unique opportunity for professionals working in the development sector to establish or enhance their leadership skills.

“Too often, postgraduate offerings in development studies focus on technical skills rather than the leadership skills,” he said.

“As the development sector becomes increasingly complex, and the number of organisations providing assistance to developing countries grows, employers are demanding higher qualifications and leadership skills from their employees.

“The MicroMasters provides people with a cost effective and highly flexible pathway to a 12-month on-campus Masters at Â鶹ÊÓƵ,” he said.

The four courses may be taken individually as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), or if studied together with capstone assessment they form one of the key entry requirements for a Masters degree in Leadership in Global Development at Â鶹ÊÓƵ.

Â鶹ÊÓƵx Director John Zornig said the MicroMasters program was an innovative multi-disciplinary platform. 

“Led by the Institute for Social Science Research, the MicroMasters program at Â鶹ÊÓƵ brings together the development leadership expertise of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Business School, Â鶹ÊÓƵ International Development, International WaterCentre, Sustainable Minerals Institute, Global Change Institute, and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences,” he said.

“The MicroMasters draws upon Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s membership in the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, based in New York, and many practitioners and academics around the globe for first-hand accounts on complex development leadership issues.”

Leadership in Global Development MicroMasters course will begin in January - registration is now open via edX.

Media: John Zornig, Â鶹ÊÓƵx Director, j.zornig@uq.edu.au , +61 7 3365 9131