A research masters degree is defined as having a research/thesis component of 66 per cent or 100 per cent.
The Faculty of Arts offers three research masters degrees: Master of Arts, Master of Bioethics and Master of Environmental Science. The Master of Arts is offered in a wide range of disciplines.
The minimum entry requirements for a research masters degree are a four- year bachelors degree with honours H1 or H2A or equivalent, or a masters qualifying with a research component with an overall grade of H2A or above. With both honours and masters qualifying, applicants are expected to have achieved a distinction or above in the research component, or an equivalent qualification in an appropriate discipline. Applicants should check the entry requirements detailed under the various programs for more specific details. Applicants without previous research experience who have a postgraduate degree such as a graduate diploma or a masters by coursework with distinction average grades or above may be admitted to a 66 per cent research degree, and as part of the required 24 points of coursework units enrol for a 12-point supervised research project.
The Master of Arts (course code 2695) and Master of Bioethics (course code 2704) are available by 100 per cent thesis. Candidates undertaking these degrees by 100 per cent thesis are expected to submit a thesis of 30,000 to 40,000 words. The period of candidature is two years full-time or four years part-time. Minimum candidature for all research students is one year full-time or two years part-time. Research students, whether full-time or part-time, must be able to attend the university regularly. Students enrolling for a 100 per cent research masters degree can start their candidature at any time of the year.
The Master of Arts (course code 2846) is also available by coursework and research. Candidates must complete 24 points of coursework at level five and are expected to submit a thesis of 20,000 to 25,000 words (weighted at 66 per cent).
The period of candidature is one-and-a-half years full-time or three years
part-time. The Master of Environmental Science degree is offered by coursework
and research. Candidates are required to successfully complete 24 points of
coursework and an integrated research folio weighted at 66 per cent. The normal
duration of the Master of Environmental Science is one-and-a-half years
full-time or three years part-time.
Refer to individual discipline entries for details of the masters degrees
available by coursework and research.
There have been a number of changes to the requirements for research degrees over the years in respect to duration, thesis length and coursework units. To find out the requirements for their research degree, students are referred to the handbook of the year of their enrolment. Handbooks are available on the web.
The minimum pass grade for masters coursework units and for the thesis is 60 C (credit). The Faculty of Arts also gives an overall grade to each successful research masters candidates. There are three qualifying grades: honours 2B (60-69), honours 2A (70-79) and honours 1 (80-100). A candidate who fails to qualify for the award will obtain the grade of fail (NN).
In cases where a candidate has undertaken a thesis combined with coursework
units, the marks for the thesis will constitute 66 per cent and the units 34
per cent of the overall qualifying grade for the degree. For Master of Arts
degrees commenced prior to 1998, the overall qualifying grade will be based on
the thesis and results of units taken in part two of the course only.
Note that the minimum grade for the research folio and core and foundation
units in the Master of Environmental Science is a credit (60) or above and a
credit average for electives.
Refer to the table under the heading `Areas of study for postgraduate programs' for a comprehensive list of study areas available to research students.
The following research degrees offer external candidature:
Candidates undertaking a 66 per cent research load in all disciplines, apart from linguistics, will be required to enrol for all of the units in the coursework component on Clayton campus and may then apply for transfer to external candidature. Candidates undertaking a 66 per cent MA in linguistics will normally enrol for either both or only one of the coursework units on campus and then apply for transfer to external candidature.
External applicants are subject to the same entry requirements as on- campus applicants.
External mode applicants will need to satisfy both the school and the faculty's Arts Research Graduate School that their research environment has facilities and resources suitable for the proposed research, such as library and internet access, which will enable them to carry out their proposed research program.
Students will have to attend a Monash University campus to meet with their supervisor(s) for 21 residential days over the period of candidature. This requirement may be filled in either one block of time or in several blocks.
The students must be able to demonstrate to the school and the Arts Research Graduate School that regular interactive communication - at least on a fortnightly basis - can take place with their supervisor. The interactive communication can take the form of telephone, video conference, email or other means.
Students undertaking a 100 per cent research load will have a review after three months of full-time or six months of part-time candidature.
Students undertaking a 66 per cent research load will be subject to a review
three to six months after they started their research.
In addition, for both categories, an annual progress report, which will include
comments on residential attendance and the student's ability to maintain
interactive communication with their supervisor, will be called for.
Progress in team research is reviewed as part of ENV505C (Environmental research frameworks), in which the candidate is concurrently enrolled.
The review of the individual research for full-time candidates will take
place at the end of the first year of enrolment. For part-time candidates, the
review will be for as for full-time candidates except that it will normally
occur in the second year of candidature when the research component is
commenced.
Full details can be found in the Arts faculty Research Survival Guide, also
available on the web at http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/research/survival/
Current on-campus students may change to external mode, subject to fulfilling the same requirements as outlined for new students.
Advanced standing will not normally be granted for the coursework component in a 66 percent masters research degree.
Students contemplating an upgrade from research masters must allow roughly two months for the upgrading process, a point to be noted especially by students approaching the time limit for masters candidature. Except in circumstances deemed exceptional, a transfer should occur after nine but before 24 months full-time equivalent candidature has elapsed. Students should discuss a potential upgrade with their supervisor in the first instance, after which the graduate coordinator or the head of the academic unit or centre should be consulted to make the necessary arrangements.
The decision to recommend an upgrade or not (or to postpone a decision) is
made by a panel that includes the school graduate coordinator and the
supervisor as well as other relevant academic school members.
The panel will base its decision on an oral presentation and a written
submission by the candidate, plus any other information deemed relevant by the
panel.
The candidate's written case for upgrading will provide details on the proposed
research, report progress to date and provide a timetable for completion of
each phase of the research program.
After the candidate has made an oral presentation and submitted the written
statement, the review panel will meet to consider its decision. In normal
cases, the panel's decision should be made known to the candidate within one
month. If the panel is in favour of the upgrade, a PhD candidature application
form, together with the upgrade form and the candidate's written submission,
are forwarded to the faculty and, if approved, to the university's Research
Graduate School Committee for final approval.
For further information about the Arts Research Graduate School and research in
the Faculty of Arts, refer to the website at
http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/research/.
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