Monash University: University Handbooks: Postgraduate Handbook 2003: Units indexed by faculty
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Research masters degrees - on campus and extended


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.

Entry requirements

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.

100% research

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.

66% research

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.

Students enrolled in a research degree prior to 2002

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.

Grades for the award of a research masters degree

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.

Disciplines

Refer to the table under the heading `Areas of study for postgraduate programs' for a comprehensive list of study areas available to research students.

External masters candidature

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.

Entry requirements

External applicants are subject to the same entry requirements as on- campus applicants.

Facilities/resources required

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.

Attendance

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.

Communication

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.

Master of Arts review of candidature

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.

Master of Environmental Science review of candidature

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/

Transfer to external candidature

Current on-campus students may change to external mode, subject to fulfilling the same requirements as outlined for new students.

Advanced standing

Advanced standing will not normally be granted for the coursework component in a 66 percent masters research degree.

Upgrading from research masters to PhD

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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