Master of Science (Genetics)

This course will no longer be taking new students from 2016

The Master of Science (Genetics) is a coursework masters degree incorporating a substantial research project.
The Master of Science gives students the opportunity to undertake a substantive research project in a field of choice as well as a broad range of coursework subjects including a professional skills component, as a pathway to PhD study or to the workforce.

Course objectives include:

• extending students' abilities in oral and written scientific communication;
• understanding the way in which experiments in genetics are designed, communicated and interpreted;
• acquiring experience in planning and executing laboratory or field-based experimental research; and
• developing effective skills in data collection and analysis and postulating testable hypotheses based on this data.

Students must complete 200 pts including:

• Discipline Core subjects (25 points);
• Discipline Elective subjects (25 points);
• Professional Skills subjects (25 points);
• Research Project (125 points).

Discipline Core

Students must take:

*Students need not complete Advanced Topics in Genetics A prior to enrolling in Advanced Topics in Genetics B.

Discipline Elective

Students must choose 2 of the following subjects:

OR 12.5 or 25 points of other approved subjects.

Students who have not completed both of GENE30001 and GENE30002 or equivalents will be required to enrol in any of these they have not completed as their Discipline Elective subjects in their first semester of enrolment.

Professional Skills

Students must take one of:

and 12.5 points of another approved subject:

Research Project

The project will be taken over four consecutive semesters and will begin on the first Monday of semester 1 and continue for up to 88 weeks until the end of the fourth semester, minus recreation leave of between 4 and 8 weeks (22 weeks per semester over the four semesters). For how long and at what time within the enrolment the actual period of leave is to be taken needs to be negotiated with a student’s supervisor.

The major thesis will be due for submission by the end of the formal examination period of the fourth semester of enrolment if an earlier date is not specified.

Students may enrol in a combination of research project subjects and coursework subjects over their two years of full-time to ensure they have completed a total of 125 points for the research project by the end of their course. Students cannot enrol in the same subject more than once.

• 50 points of the research project is taken in the first year, and the assessment consists of a research proposal(30%) and minor thesis (70%).

• 75 points of the research project is taken in the second year, and the assessment consists of a major thesis (90%); and an oral presentation (10%).

In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:

• an undergraduate degree in a discipline appropriate to the stream of the Master of Science into which entry is sought, with a weighted average mark of at least H3 (65%) in the best 50 points in appropriate discipline studies at third year; and

• appropriate prerequisite studies for the stream into which entry is sought

For stream specific requirements please click here.

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Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.

In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider prior academic performance.

The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Admission and Selection into Course Policy.

Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for postgraduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required.

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Notes:

• Quotas may be applied to the degree as a whole, or to an individual stream, and preference may be given to applicants with evidence of appropriate preparation or potential to undertake research.

• Entry into a stream of the Master of Science is subject to the capacity of the department(s) or schools(s) offering the program stream to provide adequate supervision in a research project appropriate to the interests and preparation of the individual student and may be subject to the agreement of a member of academic staff to supervise the project module.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements 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/

The Master of Science offers a pathway to a PhD.

Graduates will:

• have the ability to demonstrate advanced independent critical enquiry, analysis and reflection;
• have a strong sense of intellectual integrity and the ethics of scholarship;
• have in-depth knowledge of their specialist discipline(s);
• reach a high level of achievement in writing, research or project activities, problem-solving and communication;
• be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning;
• be able to examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a broad range of disciplines;
• have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment; and
• be able to initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions and workplaces.