Abbreviation: MSc + Clayton + Course coordinator: Professor Ray Cas + Prerequisites: credit average in one of the third-year major sequences in geology, geophysics, mathematics, or physics and/or permission of the head of school, and approval of the faculty
The School of Geosciences offers an MSc Preliminary/MSc program designed to provide an alternative to the honours program. A candidate may complete the MSc degree by coursework and minor thesis in two years full-time, or four years part-time. The first two (or four part-time) semesters are designated as an MSc Preliminary. The actual MSc thesis may be submitted 12 months subsequently. (Details of masters preliminary programs are given in a following section.)
In both the MSc Preliminary and the MSc, the course is divided into a number of components. In the MSc Preliminary year, candidates are required to complete five graduate units, an essay, a seminar and a research report. In the following MSc year, each candidate may take up a further three units.
In practice, all full-time candidates are required to be
working on their research topic when they are not involved in formal course or
project units. Suitable units may include:
(a) formal units consisting of two lectures and practical classes over 13 weeks
with essays/assignments approved by the supervisor
(b) postgraduate units - full-time over two weeks with essays/assignments
approved by the supervisor (note that Victorian Institute of Earth and
Planetary Sciences (VIEPS) courses conducted over one week are assigned a
weight of four points)
(c) minor independent project units - assignments/review topics
(d) principal research units - independent thesis topic
(e) other equivalent work (for example mapping/symposia/laboratory classes) assigned by the supervisor.
Candidates wishing to proceed to the MSc from the MSc Preliminary must
present a summary of their MSc Preliminary activities at a research seminar
conducted by the School of Geosciences. To be eligible for admission to the
MSc, MSc Preliminary, candidates must achieve results equivalent to a
BSc(Honours 2A) (an overall grade of 70 per cent or better). Lower grades are
subject to review and may require approval from the dean.
Candidates should consult with appropriate staff members in order to determine
a suitable program of study. MSc Preliminary candidates may take some
third-year geology or geophysics units if the course of study undertaken to BSc
level did not encompass the full range of topics available.
Course units available vary each year depending on the availability of academic
staff. Listed below are course units that have been offered to MSc Preliminary
candidates. Note that not all these units will be available in a given year. In
addition, MSc Preliminary candidates may take courses offered by Monash schools
other than Geosciences as well as departments at La Trobe University and the
University of Melbourne that are members of the Victorian Institute of Earth
and Planetary Sciences (VIEPS). All intending candidates should consult with
the school's MSc coordinator concerning their choice of course units. A full
listing of course units available in 2004 and the times at which they will be
offered will be available from the course coordinator at the beginning of the
academic year.
More detailed information concerning the MSc program will be made available
through the Faculty of Science office and the School of Geosciences, including
detailed scheduling of courses when this information becomes available. Course
units offered can be identified in streams as follows.
Units in this stream include advanced electrical methods, structural analysis of regional geophysics, applied petroleum geology, computers I and II, and hydrogeology.
Units in this stream include introduction to remote sensing, structural analysis of regional geophysics, metamorphism field trip, hydrogeology, deformation microstructures, mesostructural analysis field trip, stable isotopes, strain analysis, tectonics and trace element geochemistry.
Units include ore genesis, hydrothermal geochemistry, stable isotopes, and trace elements and isotopes.
Units include advanced ore deposits, computers I, stable isotopes, trace element and isotopes, hydrothermal geochemistry, thermodynamics and phase petrology.
Units include ore genesis, applied petroleum geology, computers I, hydrogeology, orogenic belts I, palaeobiology of Australasian vertebrates, sedimentary sequence stratigraphy, tectonics and volcanology.
Units include hydrogeology, aqueous geochemistry and environmental studies.
The School of Mathematical Sciences offers a number of MSc by coursework programs, particularly in the areas of statistics and meteorology. See also the `Areas of graduate study' section below.
An MSc degree specialising in meteorology is offered through the Centre for Dynamical Meteorology and Oceanography at Monash University. The course aims to provide a strong background in the fundamentals of meteorology and their practical application.
Current areas of research include, but are not restricted to, climate variability and change; stratospheric dynamics and ozone; bushfire behaviour; mesoscale meteorology; fronts, clouds, convection and aerosols; tropical cyclones; atmospheric gravity waves; nonlinear wave dynamics; physical oceanography; and geophysical fluid dynamics. Candidates may be offered joint supervision with a supervisor from the Bureau of Meteorology or CSIRO Atmospheric Research, and under this arrangement the range of research fields is greatly extended.
An approved honours degree or equivalent relevant experience.
Two years (full-time) or four years (part-time).
This course is run as part of the Key Centre for Statistical Science, a joint program of Monash University, RMIT University, the University of Melbourne, and La Trobe University. To a complete an MSc by coursework, candidates complete six units and a minor thesis.
An approved bachelors degree and honours in statistics.
Two years (full-time) or four years (part-time).
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