Clayton campus
This section concerns the Master of Engineering Science (Coursework and Minor Thesis) - MEngSc(C'wk&MinThes).
For admission to full candidature for the degree of MEngSc(C'wk&MinThes) there must be clear and irrefutable evidence that a candidate has (a) a university honours degree in engineering or (b) a university pass degree in engineering or similar degree plus honours-equivalent experience appropriate to the field of study.
A candidate who seems to have the potential but is deemed to be inadequately prepared for MEngSc studies may be considered for preliminary candidature. Such a candidate would be required to pass a preliminary prescription recommended by the head of the department; this will normally consist of undergraduate units for which credit towards the MEngSc will not be allowed. Admission to full candidature will follow on receipt of an appropriate recommendation from the head of department certifying that the preliminary prescription has been passed.
Candidates for MEngSc(C'wk&MinThes) are admitted without specifying full-time or part-time status. The minimum period for duration of the course is eighteen months with a maximum of fifty-four months. Intermissions are allowed which would add to this time limit.
Level of enrolment is determined by central administration on the basis of the actual subjects undertaken.
The work requirement of the coursework degree is specified in terms of credit points. Two credit points require one contact hour per week for one semester, ie thirteen contact hours. The number of credit points for the subject is indicated by the figures appearing after the decimal point in the subject classification number. A candidate must gain seventy-two credit points before becoming eligible for award of the MEngSc(C'wk&MinThes) degree.
Any candidate who requests an intermission of candidature which during the whole period of candidature leads to the total length of all such intermissions exceeding twelve months, will be advised to seek `withdrawal in good standing.'
It is the faculty's policy to encourage candidates to complete in minimum time. It should be noted that although regulations allow for the course to be completed in one year in exceptional circumstances, any candidate attempting to do so is required to complete the equivalent of eighteen months full-time study (ie seventy-two credit points) during this period. International students should particularly note that completion of the course in one year would still attract a financial liability for eighteen months of study.
The coursework component is normally fifty-four credit points. The remaining eighteen credit points are to be earned by a minor thesis. Enrolment in the minor thesis is done on a percentage basis and candidates must enrol in at least one-third of the value of the thesis in any semester in which the thesis is undertaken.
Up to thirty-six credit points can be earned by satisfactorily completing approved graduate-level coursework subjects offered outside the university and up to eighteen credit points may be earned from approved graduate level coursework subjects from other faculties at Monash. The minor thesis component must be completed at Monash. Candidates for the degree with the departments of Civil Engineering and Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering are expected to take graduate subjects offered by the department to the value of at least thirty credit points.
Each candidate will have a member of the faculty's academic staff as a supervisor. The supervisor will advise the candidate in the selection of coursework subjects and their sequence, help in the selection and specification of a candidate's project, and supervise the project.
The Faculty of Engineering operates a two-semester system for its graduate coursework program. Each semester is of thirteen effective teaching weeks. The first semester commences in the first week of March and the second semester commences in the third week of July.
As far as possible, coursework is held within the period 4 pm to 8 pm on weekdays, except for level four undergraduate subjects approved for graduate study. Each coursework subject is self-contained, including examining. There are no supplementary examinations for candidates who fail a subject.
Graduate subjects are postgraduate in nature and are clearly advanced relative to normal undergraduate subjects and to refresher-type extension courses. Subject sizes are arranged as thirteen, twenty-six or thirty-nine contact hours. That is, subjects rate between two and six credit points. A contact hour requires attendance of students and instructor. A thirty-nine contact-hour subject normally contains no more than twenty-six hours of formal lectures, the remaining time being spent in tutoring, laboratory, etc. A similar ratio applies to smaller subjects.
Subject offerings may not be repeated every year and, whenever possible, long-term notification will be given of subject offerings. Sufficient subjects will be offered so that candidates may pursue reasonable specialisation. The yearly course prescription of each candidate must be approved by the Head of the department in which the candidate is enrolled.
Each subject in a particular semester is completed and its candidates assessed or examined before the next semester starts. Final examinations can, if required by a department, be held after the completion of the semester, but before the start of the next semester. In the case of second semester, the final examination must be held within three weeks of completion of the thirteen-week semester.
Candidature may be terminated if progress is regarded as unsatisfactory. Performances will be reviewed at the end of each semester and if they do not reach the required standard, students will not be permitted to continue with the course. Students will be given their results by marks and grading of high distinction (HD), distinction (D), credit (C), pass (P) or fail (NN) in each subject.
Section 5 of the Master of Engineering Science (Coursework and Minor Thesis) regulations reads as follows:
The faculty board may review the academic progress of a candidate and, after taking into account any recommendation from the head of the department concerned and the supervisor, and after giving the candidate an opportunity to be heard, may terminate the candidature, on the grounds of unsatisfactory performance.
All engineering higher-degree-by-coursework candidates are required, subsequent to attempting subjects to the value of eighteen credit points, to pass at least two-thirds (67 per cent) of all credit points attempted. Should a candidate not achieve this level of academic performance, his or her academic progress should be reviewed by the Graduate Affairs Committee who will decide whether or not candidature should be terminated on the grounds of unsatisfactory progress.
The administrative officer (graduate studies) will be responsible for examining results for higher-degree candidates at the end of each semester and identifying those candidates who have not passed at least two-thirds of all coursework attempted. This calculation will be made according to the weight of each subject so that allowance is made for coursework subjects which are allocated a non-standard weighting. Candidates identified according to this procedure will then have their case referred to the Graduate Affairs Committee who will review the academic progress of the candidate concerned.
Any student referred to the Graduate Affairs Committee for this purpose is entitled to an opportunity to be heard, and in the event that the student is excluded, provision exists for an appeal to the Exclusion Appeals Committee of the Academic Board.
Each department of the School of Engineering at Clayton offers coursework subjects but reserves the right to withdraw an offered subject if an insufficient number of students choose it. If this occurs, there will be, generally, ample alternative subjects available. The subjects offered need not be the same each year, although repetitions of the more sought-after subjects can be expected. It is intended that a candidate can look ahead at least to the following year when selecting subjects.
Coursework candidates with interdisciplinary interests may include a selection of postgraduate subjects from other faculties within the university, eg Business and Economics. Credit for such subjects is limited to eighteen credit points. Initial inquiries should be directed to the faculty offering the subject(s) concerned, followed by consultation with the engineering department in which the student registers as a masters candidate.
Graduate coursework subjects are offered in the area of pulp and paper technology. The subjects available are listed below.
The Master of Engineering Science (Coursework and Minor Thesis) in the Department of Civil Engineering has been developed in response to a growing need for higher professional training in the engineering disciplines. In our rapidly advancing technological society it is no longer possible to reach the forefront of technical and professional training in engineering undergraduate courses. Avenues must therefore exist for the leaders and future leaders of the profession to have access to further professional engineering knowledge and experience.
By suitable selection of subjects, candidates for the Master of Engineering Science degree by coursework can obtain a useful and satisfying understanding of the more advanced areas of civil engineering theory, application and technology.
In order to qualify for the degree a candidate must accrue a total of seventy-two credit points of which, in this department, fifty-four are to be obtained by an approved program of coursework subjects, and eighteen by completing a minor thesis.
Candidates for the degree may specialise in a particular area of civil engineering: structural engineering, water resources/environmental engineering, transport engineering or offshore engineering. Candidates wishing to specialise in one of these sub-disciplines are advised that they should complete at least thirty credit points and their thesis in their chosen area. Within these guidelines candidates are free to select their course of study from subjects offered by the Department of Civil Engineering, other engineering departments and, where appropriate, other faculties within the university. However, the availability of subjects is dependent upon the level of enrolments.
The coursework programs in each of the four fields are outlined below.
Structural engineering
The program in structural engineering recognises the need for practising engineers to keep abreast of technical as well as non-technical developments in and related to the field of structural engineering. The following subjects are available in structural engineering; a wide choice of related subjects from other streams in the Department of Civil Engineering and from other departments is also available. Two of the subjects listed are provided by the geomechanics staff especially for candidates in the structural engineering stream.
The program in water resources/environmental engineering is designed to meet the rapidly growing need for engineers with formal training in water resources engineering and the related environmental aspects. The program emphasises the application of the most recent developments and draws on the resources of several departments of the university.
The major section of the course covers the area of water resources planning, hydrology, hydraulics, public health engineering, coastal engineering, and water law. Related subjects such as regional planning, transport engineering, air pollution modelling, acoustics, and solar energy can also be taken. In addition a minor thesis in the candidate's special field of interest is required.
This course should be of particular interest to persons who are working in water resources, and who wish to further their skills and knowledge by formal study. Consultants in water engineering, engineers working for water authorities or local government, and others with an interest in the water-related aspects of environmental engineering will find the course to be of benefit.
The following subjects are available in water resources/environmental engineering; a wide choice of related subjects from elsewhere in the Department of Civil Engineering, and from other departments, is also available.
The program in transport engineering is a response to the growing need for engineers with broad awareness of the characteristics and significance of transport, including its technological, economic and social impact.
At the same time, the program outlines the state of the art of transport engineering, as it may be applied to the solution of real problems in the planning, design, management and operation of transport facilities.
The course is aimed at giving the student a thorough understanding of the nature of transport demand and the role of transport in the modern community, a familiarity with the characteristics of modern transport technology, and an ability to appraise and evaluate solutions to transport problems. To achieve these aims, the development of appropriate analytical skills and practical knowledge is stressed, together with a recognition of the role of other disciplines in tackling transport-related issues.
For these reasons, the program will have particular appeal to people with a few years postgraduate experience in transport who wish to have formal education in this field. Engineers working with road, traffic, or public transport authorities, or in local government, and people with an interest in transport planning or research will find the course to be of benefit.
The Master of Engineering Science program in transport engineering is designed and administered with the assistance of a Department of Civil Engineering advisory committee on transport education. Through this committee, which includes representatives of government departments, local government, research institutions and private firms with an interest in transport, the department is kept abreast of needs and opportunities related to transport education. The Monash University Higher Education Advisory and Research Unit assists with advice on course goals and objectives, teaching methods and assessment.
The following subjects are available in transport engineering; a wide choice of related subjects from other streams in the Department of Civil Engineering, and from other departments and faculties, is also available.
A program of continuing education in offshore engineering has been established to serve national needs for further education. The subjects cover a number of disciplines with most of the emphasis in civil and mechanical engineering. The subjects are generally designed to give a comprehensive introduction to particular facets of offshore engineering. The following subjects have been established:
The degree of Master of Engineering Science (Coursework and Minor Thesis) consists of a coursework component worth between thirty-six and fifty-four credit points and a project (minor thesis) component worth between eighteen and thirty-six credit points, the total accumulating to seventy-two credit points. With the approval of the head of the department, the project (minor thesis) component may be increased up to a maximum of thirty-six credit points while the coursework component is correspondingly decreased to make a total of seventy-two credit points for the degree.
Current regulations allow for the degree to be completed in a minimum time of eighteen months. Due to limited availability of graduate subjects each year, however, it is likely that most candidates will take between three and four years to complete the course on a part-time basis. It should be noted that all candidates are required to complete the equivalent of eighteen months full-time study (ie seventy-two credit points) over any period of time and that completion of the course in one year would still attract a financial liability for eighteen months of study.
Graduate coursework subjects are listed in the areas of bioengineering, computer systems engineering, intelligent robotics, telecommunications, and power engineering.
However, not all of the subjects will be offered in any one year, although most combinations will be accommodated over a two-year cycle provided that sufficient student interest exists.
Candidates are expected to take electrical and computer systems engineering graduate subjects worth at least thirty credit points (excluding the project). It is possible to take graduate subjects from other engineering departments or other faculties worth up to eighteen credit points. Depending on their background preparation, candidates may be required to take certain additional subjects (eg a selection of topics in engineering mathematics) that are not listed below and for which appropriate credit points will be given.
The project may involve an experimental or theoretical research problem, a substantial design or computational exercise, an industrial problem, a field study or the design and construction of an experimental facility within the department.
A supervisor is appointed for each candidate and approval for a project topic must be obtained from the head of department. Approval may be given for a project to be undertaken at a candidate's place of employment, providing satisfactory supervision arrangements can be made.
The Department of Materials Engineering offers a part-time program of study leading to the degree of Master of Engineering Science in polymer engineering. In order to qualify for this degree, a candidate must obtain seventy-two credit points (forty-eight by coursework and twenty-four by a project leading to a minor thesis). This course is only provided if there is sufficient demand and will not be offered in 1997.
The Master of Engineering Science degree within the Department of Mechanical Engineering is suspended until further notice.
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