Master of Arts in Russian (Thesis)

The Masters degree is designed for students to develop advanced skills in carrying out independent and sustained research in Russian language, literature and culture. The thesis should demonstrate a critical application of specialist knowledge and make an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research. Candidates may advance to the Doctor of Philosophy degree after successful completion of the Masters or may apply to convert to the PhD at an earlier stage. An Honours grade of at least 65% (H3) must be attained to qualify for the award of the Masters degree.

Students who complete the masters will:

• produce a thesis of 30,000 words on a research project dealing with an area of Russian studies;
• demonstrate an ability to present, argue and hypothesise on an issue in Russian studies, supported by research and analysis;
• demonstrate aptitude for original research at a higher degree level.

Major Thesis 30,000 words

It is expected that a graduate of the University of Melbourne will be able to engage in academic discourse in English. Therefore a research Masters thesis will normally be written in English. At the same time the Faculty seeks to encourage the acquisition of appropriate levels of linguistic and cultural competency necessary for research of international distinction. Consequently, if a candidate wishes to write a thesis in another language, an application can be made to the Faculty's Research and Research Training Committee at an early stage in the candidature. The Committee will consider such an application if the source material and readership are primarily in that language or the thesis is concerned with the study of language. Where permission is granted, a summary of the thesis (approximately 2,500 words) in English should be bound in the thesis.

A four-year BA (Honours) degree with a research component or equivalent in the appropriate area of study or closely related area. The grade for the honours thesis component must be at least equivalent to an H2A (75%) at the University of Melbourne and the overall honours result must be at least equivalent to an H2B (70%).

Applicants must include with their application a thesis proposal of 2,500 words and a writing sample (this may be an essay from your previous degree, a chapter from your Honours or Masters thesis or a published article). The primary basis for selection is academic merit. Consideration will also be given to the quality of the research proposal, research potential, and the availability of adequate supervision.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this course are articulated in the Course Description, Course Objectives and Generic Skills of this entry.
The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Please refer to the University Graduate Attributes: http://www.unimelb.edu.au/about/attributes.html