Study a Government degree in Australia

Why study a Government degree at Flinders University?

Flinders University’s government degrees give you a range of tools to understand and drive political, social and economic change. You will learn how policies are developed and implemented, preparing you for careers in government, non-government and not-for profit organisations in Australia and abroad.

No.1 in SA
for learner engagement, skills development, student support and starting salary.

The Good Universities Guide 2022 (undergraduate), public SA-founded universities only.

Research above world standard
Policy and Administration research.

Excellence in Research for Australia, 2018.

No.1 in SA
for overall educational experience and full-time employment.

The Good Universities Guide 2022 (postgraduate), public SA-founded universities only.

Graduate career ready

Get graduate career ready by experiencing a range of internship opportunities available locally, nationally and internationally.

Gain from our experience

Flinders has over 40 years’ expertise the field of international relations with the US, China, Asia and Africa.

Highly sought after
academics

Learn from academics who have advised and provided analysis for local and national political leaders, and whose commentary is widely sought.

Study abroad

Study across Australia and US and graduate with a Master of Public Policy and Management from Flinders and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Arizona.

Combine your degree

Combine your degree with business, commerce, laws and legal practice, languages, arts and other areas to enhance your career opportunities..

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Combine your degree

Combine your degree with business, commerce, laws and legal practice, languages, arts and other areas to enhance your career opportunities..

Learn more

Courses available in Government

New course Midyear entry

Undergraduate

Majors

Honours

Postgraduate

Higher degree by research

Learn from our experts

Anthony Langlois
Associate Professor in International Relations

The seeds of Anthony’s academic career in Political Science and International Relations were sown early. As a year 11 student he lived in Canberra, where he experienced the 200th anniversary of Australian colonial settlement and a national constitutional referendum – he has great memories of his year 11 politics teacher pushing students to think politically!

"I come from a background where social justice and the wellbeing of others was a formative ethos", he explains. "All of these elements together sparked an interest in studying politics."

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A quarter of a century later, Anthony's scholarship on human rights is widely recognised internationally including two sints as a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Advanced International Theory (CAIT), at the University of Sussex, and at the Centre for International Studies (London School of Economics and Political Science).

One of the highlights of Anthony's career was a recently ended five-year involvement with the INU Hiroshima Summer School on Global Citizenship and Peace and its United Nations simulation, a program through which students from around the world came and worked together intensively, often with life altering consequences.

"Inequality, oppression, disadvantage and discrimination riddle the worlds, and make life a dark misery for countless numbers of people," says Anthony. "And then there are those who fight to change this- through activism, politics and the law, education and research, and a great many by simply helping the person next to them in need. These people are truly inspiring."

Passionate and philosophical, he is an engaging teacher, inspiring students to understand the world, challenge themselves and change this for the better. "As a human rights theorist, it's always a thrill when my students directly engage with questions of human wellbeing" he enthuses.

Anthony's current research focus is the different political and social responses to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer rights claims in the Southeast Asian region.

Rob Manwaring
Director of Studies for Bachelor of Government and Public Management

Rob believes political science research tells us how politics is changing and when citizens might want a new kind of politics.

“There’s so much we don’t yet know about political science,” he says. “Democracy is changing with the upsurge of populism, the decline in trust and the rise of China. Centre-left political parties are experiencing a period of retreat and decline. The modern party system in many countries is changing beyond recognition.”

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“There are political problems we’re not even close to fully understanding or solving yet," Rob adds. “Our whole society depends on future knowledge and scholarship to help us better understand political change, especially in the face of the mounting climate emergency.”

Rob's current primary research, therefore, looks at the crisis of social democracy, trying to draw lessons and understanding about the decline of the family of centre-left parties. He co-wrote a collection – ‘Why the Left Loses’ CNN used for a special edition program.

He employs humour as a learning tool in class to make students think differently about political science, earning him a 2014 faculty citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning. The interplay between Batman and the Joker helps teach the concept of ‘governance’ and each year he crowns a student monarch of the class to help discuss the sources of political legitimacy.

Rob’s inspired by the quiet fortitude of many MPs, citizen activists, human rights defenders and advocates, his students and Chelsea Football Club, decent coffee, his family, and their ridiculous dog, Mr Brown.

Rodrigo Praino
Associate Professor in Politics and Public Policy and Director, Graduate Program in Public Administration

At age 7, Rodrigo's family suspected he'd have a career in research. During a trip to Venice, his father videoed him asking endless questions about what made Venice a Republic and how exactly its political system worked.

It's this natural curiosity for politics and discovering things nobody else knows that has resulted in Rodrigo's award-winning career. In 2018, he was the first Australian political scientist to win the prestigious Young Tall Poppy Science Award. In the same year, he also won the Vice-Chancellor's Innovation in Teaching Award and the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Early Career Researchers.

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Rodrigo is currently researching how voters choose leaders in advanced democracies. He has found that a candidate's looks or involvement in scandal can play an important role in the decision-making process, particularly if voters have little information about politics, candidates and elections. His research has a compelling role to play in helping people understand the consequences of their choices and therefore make better decisions.

An inspiring, supportive and innovative lecturer, Rodrigo has been invited to present his work in all corners of the globe. His research is often used by mainstream media in Australia and overseas to explain current events, allowing him to reach a wider audience beyond academe. His best advice to future researchers and students is: “Choose your path carefully. The only way to succeed is to do something you really love and that excites you!”

Learn about International Relations & Political Science at Flinders University with students Shannon McSkimming and Christina Matheison.

“For me International Relations is the intersection between politics, history, culture and languages and in this increasingly globalised world that we live in this study is extremely important.

At Flinders we have such a large number of internationally recognised experts in different fields as well as opportunities such as the Flinders University Washington Internship Program, where I was lucky enough to intern with the US Congressman Jim McDermott. This really consolidated my learnings.”

Jesse Barker Gale
International Relations Student

“For me International Relations is the intersection between politics, history, culture and languages and in this increasingly globalised world that we live in this study is extremely important.

At Flinders we have such a large number of internationally recognised experts in different fields as well as opportunities such as the Flinders University Washington Internship Program, where I was lucky enough to intern with the US Congressman Jim McDermott. This really consolidated my learnings.”

Jesse Barker Gale
International Relations Student