Monash University: University handbooks: Postgraduate handbook: Units indexed by faculty
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Research masters degrees - on-campus and external

A research masters degree is defined as having a research/thesis component of 66% or 100%.

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.

Monash University Malaysia

From 2006, Monash University Malaysia will offer a 100% research Master of Arts program available to Malaysian and international candidates. Students enrolling for this degree will be subject to the same entry and research requirements as students at Australian campuses. The degree is not available by external mode.

Entry requirements

The entry requirement for a research masters degree is 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 degree by coursework where at least three quarters of the results are a distinction or above may be admitted to a 66% 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), Master of Bioethics (course code 2704) and Master of Environmental Science (course code 3902) are available by 100% thesis. The 100% Master of Arts research program is offered at the Clayton, Caulfield, Gippsland and Monash University Malaysia campuses, while the Master of Bioethics and Master of Environmental Science research programs are only offered at the Clayton campus.

Candidates undertaking these degrees by 100% 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% research masters degree can start their candidature at any time of the year.

66% research

The Master of Arts (course code 2846) and the Master of Environmental Science (course code 2702) degrees are 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%).

Part-time students would normally complete their coursework units first, before starting their research. Full-time students can either complete their coursework units first, or enrol for one coursework unit and simultaneously work on their research in their first two semesters of work, and then enrol full-time for research for the final semester.

The period of candidature is one-and-a-half years full-time or three years part-time.

Refer to the individual discipline entries for details of the masters degrees available by coursework and research.

Students enrolled in a research degree prior to 2006

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 Monash website.

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 candidate. There are three qualifying grades: honours 2B (60--69), honours 2A (70--79) and honours 1 (80--100).

In cases where a candidate has undertaken a thesis combined with coursework units, the marks for the thesis will constitute 66% and the units 34% of the overall qualifying grade for the degree.

Note that the minimum grade for the thesis and core units in the Master of Environmental Science is a credit (60) or above and a credit average for electives.

Disciplines

Refer to the table ‘Areas of study in postgraduate programs’ for a comprehensive list of study areas available to research students.

External masters candidature

The following research degrees offer external candidature:

• Master of Arts
• Master of Arts (Music Composition)
• Master of Bioethics

Candidates undertaking a 66% 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% 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 two-way communication - at least on a fortnightly basis - can take place with their supervisor. This communication can take the form of telephone, video conference, email or other means.

Review of candidature for masters students

Students undertaking a 100% research load will have a review after three months of full-time or six months of part-time candidature.

Students undertaking a 66% research load will be subject to a review three to six months after starting 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.

Full details can be found in the Arts faculty Research Survival Guide, available on the web at www.arts.monash.edu.au/research/survival/index.html.

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% 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 recommendation 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 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. 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, visit the website at www.arts.monash.edu.au/research/.

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