Master of Information Systems (Research)

The Master of Information Systems by Research (MIS Research) provides students with the opportunity to carry out independent and sustained research under appropriate supervision, to develop advanced research skills and techniques, and present their findings in a documented scholarly form. The thesis should make an independent contribution to learning or offer a critical perspective on existing scholarship or methodology. For more comprehensive details regarding the MIS Research please refer to the SGR Generic Masters Research Handbook at http://www.gradstudies.unimelb.edu.au

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.

All candidates for the MIS (Research) will be examined on the basis of their thesis. A candidate will have one or more research supervisors who, in consultation with the candidate, arranges a course of supervised research designed to suit the individual requirements and interests of the candidate. A candidate may be required to supplement their research program by attendance at or enrolment in additional subjects if considered necessary.

A four-year honours degree with normally a minimum standard of H2A (75%), or a qualification or combination of qualifications considered by the Faculty of Science to be equivalent. Entry is also subject to the availability of appropriate research topics and supervisors.

• 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.