Monash University: University handbooks: Postgraduate handbook: Units indexed by faculty
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Geosciences

Coordinators: Professor Ray Cas (MSc programs) and Dr Ian Nicholls (PhD programs)

Candidates in geosciences may enrol for studies toward a masters on the basis of a research project alone or a combination of a research project and coursework (typically >70% research). A wide range of coursework units in two or five-day formats suitable for masters candidates is offered by the member departments/schools of the joint La Trobe University/University of Melbourne/Monash University cooperative Victorian Institute of Earth and Planetary Sciences (VIEPS). The PhD program is based on a thesis research project alone, but participation in seminar series is expected. PhD candidates may also take, not for credit, recommended short courses offered by VIEPS. Both masters and PhD candidates may take part in courses offered by other groups, such as the G3 centres for ore deposits studies (University of Western Australia and the University of Tasmania, and James Cook University), under arrangements of the Minerals Council of Australia-funded National Geosciences Teaching Network.

Masters and PhD projects are often, but not exclusively, associated with the recognised areas of research strength within the School of Geosciences:

Geophysical exploration, mapping and analysis
Physical volcanology and magmatic ore deposits
Isotope and trace element geochemistry
Environmental geoscience
Vertebrate palaeontology
Geodynamics, tectonics, structural geology and basin analysis
Earth process simulation

The last two research strengths are emphasised within the Australian Crustal Research Centre (ACRC), recognised as a Science faculty research centre and partly supported by Monash University central funds and the minerals exploration industry.

A wide range of geophysical, geochemical, and computing facilities is available to postgraduate candidates. These are either housed within Monash Geosciences (geophysics equipment; stable isotope, and ICP-MS based trace element analysis facilities and sample preparation laboratories) or are accessible within other VIEPS-member departments/schools (electron microprobe and analytical scanning electron microscope facilities; noble gas laboratory; multi-collector ICP-MS laboratory; and thermal ionisation mass spectrometry laboratory).

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