Graduate Diploma of Executive Leadership (Policing and Emergency Services) 2026 

The AIPM Graduate Diploma is a personal and organisational commitment to education and leadership development. 

Leadership development through academic study builds a leader's maturing capability for high levels of critical thought and enables them to be a more discerning user of research. The AIPM Graduate Diploma focusses on the role of executives in organisational leadership. 

Recent design changes to the residential session shift the focus from individual completion to group based collective achievement. The residential session actively nurtures a diversity of leadership thinking and innovation in practice for achieving better organisational outcomes. 

Who should attend? 

To be eligible participants must have completed the AIPM Graduate Certificate or equivalent to progress to the successful completion of distance and residential academic learning. 

Program Structure 

The Graduate Diploma of Executive Leadership (Policing and Emergency Services) consists of eight units. These units include the four units of the Graduate Certificate in Applied Management (Policing and Emergency Services), and four additional units completed as part of the Graduate Diploma of Executive Leadership (Policing and Emergency Services). 

Program Learning Outcomes 

• Review historical and contemporary theoretical literature on leadership. 

• Analyse behaviours and skills required for effective strategic decision making and problem solving. 

• Apply high level executive communication, critical analysis and policy advocacy skills including political acumen. 

• Apply creativity via innovative leadership and strategic reframing. 

• Demonstrate a range of leadership skills and techniques required to lead within Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous, Novel environments. 

• Analyse and synthesise national and international global trends in literature and practice pertaining to effective leadership. 

• Using foresight methodology project and analyse key future public safety and emergency service issues. 

Unit learning outcomes  

Unit 1 Strategic thinking 

• Develop strategic thinking and foresight techniques.  

• Apply strategic thinking techniques to authentic tasks typical of an era of exponential change/strategic issues in public safety and emergency services. 

• Demonstrate an understanding of the application of a range of complex decision making, problem solving and ethics applications at an enterprise level. 

• Develop a critical understanding of a range of skills and techniques required to think strategically while leading at a multi-agency level in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous, Novel environments.  

Unit 2 Global leadership and management 

• Critically compare and contrast leadership in public and private sector organisations in the context of global, national and community trends and influences. 

• Review and synthesise key shifts in leadership theory and practice. 

• Critically reflect on the application of leadership theory. 

• Critically discuss effective leadership, and how it can transform an organisation. 

• Apply strategic planning to public safety issues and scenarios to develop strategy and enhance organisational effectiveness. 

• Develop techniques to adapt and respond to environmental change and strategic issues in public safety and emergency services. 

Unit 3 Critical systems and policy 

• Demonstrate an understanding of the essential features and dynamics of critical systems and their interaction with the policy environment. 

• Evaluate trends in the relationship between police, other emergency services and government and in the exercise of power in the development of policy. 

• Develop a critical understanding of the link between strategic leadership capabilities and policy formulation. 

• Develop a critical understanding of how strategic leadership and effective policy contribute to achieving societal outcomes.  

Unit 4 Meta-leadership 

• Review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise multi stakeholder leadership behaviours and skills to engage in personal, interpersonal, organisational and political levels of interaction. 

• Critically reflect on and evaluate your own leadership style and identify areas for further Development. 

• Demonstrate executive communication skills. 

• Demonstrate a range of leadership skills and techniques required to lead within Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous, Novel environments. 

Applications for credit 

For information on applying for credit visit aipm.gov.au/credit 

Key dates 

Onboarding commences January 2026
HEEP program: Monday 16 February–Friday 13 March 2026
Residential: Sunday 29 November–Friday 11 December 2026
Nominations due: 30 October 2025

*HEEP - Higher Education Enabling Program, compulsory before the GD formally begins 

Price 

$14,950 + GST