Master of Optometry

Candidates enrolled in the Master of Optometry (MOptom) undertake research on a clinical topic under the supervision of an academic staff member, producing a thesis of approximately 30,000 words in length on their project. All candidates will be examined on the basis of their thesis.

Prospective students elect a general area of interest and the Postgraduate Coordinator and Head of Department will appoint a supervisor who is an expert in that area. Thesis topics are defined through discussion between the student and the supervisor. The following areas of interest and expertise are available in the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences:

Ocular Growth & Myopia Research Laboratory
Vision & Biophotonis Laboratory
Clinical Psychophysics Unit
Retinal Structure & Function Laboratory
Visual & Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory
Optological Laboratory
Visual Functions Laboratory
Eye Movement Laboratory
Clinical Ocular Response Laboratory
The National Vision Research Institute

Detailed information in regards to these research groups is available via the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences website at: http://www.optometry.unimelb.edu.au/

For further information please refer to the Faculty of Science website at: http://graduate.science.unimelb.edu.au/ and the Melbourne School of Graduate Research Master of Science by Research (incl. MOptom & MIS) Candidates Handbook at http://www.gradstudies.unimelb.edu.au/

Research Masters degrees at the University of Melbourne are designed for students to develop advanced skills in carrying out independent and sustained research. The thesis should demonstrate a critical application of specialist knowledge and make an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research.

On completion of the course students should be able to:

• demonstrate advanced learning in research skills and mastery of appropriate techniques, such as the use of archival or primary evidence, analysis of data, judgment of conflicting evidence etc;
• demonstrate specialist knowledge in the area of their research;
• present the results of their research in publishable form or work towards incorporating their findings in further research;
• proceed to a research doctorate if the Masters thesis has demonstrated appropriate research potential;
• gain admission to certain types of employment through this specialist qualification;
• apply the research skills acquired to other projects;
• demonstrate an understanding of, and commitment to, research ethics or code of practice.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Research Masters degrees at the University of Melbourne seek to develop graduates who have a capacity for defining and managing a research project characterised by originality and independence. Their training equips them for more sustained and original work at the doctoral level or for applied research positions in a wide variety of contexts.

The University expects its research masters graduates to have the following qualities and skills:

• an ability to initiate research projects and to formulate viable research questions;
• a demonstrated capacity to design, conduct and report independent and original research on a closely-defined project;
• an ability to manage time to maximise the quality of research;
• an understanding of the major contours of international research in the research area;
• a capacity for critical evaluation of relevant scholarly literature;
• well-developed and flexible problem-solving abilities appropriate to the discipline;
• the ability to analyse research data within a changing disciplinary environment;
• the capacity to communicate effectively the results of research and scholarship by oral and written communication;
• an understanding of and facility with scholarly conventions in the discipline area;
• a profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethics of research and scholarship;
• a capacity to cooperate with other researchers;
• an ability to manage information effectively, including the application of computer systems and software where appropriate to the student's field of study.