StudyQA — Master: Science — University of Southern Queensland

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Description Contents Requirements

The aim of the Master of Science program is to produce graduates that are equipped with essential scientific knowledge and an appreciation of the latest literature and technologies.

Astronomy major

This major is designed to provide an opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in astronomy and develop scientific research skills. The program thus provides professional development in science for those in educational or science communication careers, and a specialist foundation of knowledge and skills for subsequent higher degree research.

Environment and Sustainability major

Modern environment and natural resource management requires the integration of social, environmental and economic research within an interdisciplinary planning and policy framework. It also requires a capacity to handle complexity and uncertainty and the application of different methods of analysis and different approaches to governance and community engagement. This coursework Masters program addresses these needs by providing important core studies and flexibility in choice of elective studies that will enhance their skills and knowledge in the broad discipline of environment and sustainability. Adaptation to climate change and sustainability science are emphasised in global and regional contexts in this major.

Mathematics and Statistics major

The MSCN (Math/Stat) major is designed to provide an opportunity for graduates from other than mathematics and statistics programs to gain advanced skills and knowledge in key areas of mathematics and/or statistics which relate to their career needs and the needs of their profession or industry. The aim of this program is therefore to provide students with a broad advanced education in mathematical and/or statistical techniques and essential problem solving skills which will meet their career needs and assist them in their professional development.

Program objectives

On completion of the program graduates will be able to:

demonstrate an advanced understanding in their chosen major
conduct scholarly investigations into applications and methodologies in their chosen field
provide scientific literature reports
apply the specialist knowledge and skills acquired in their major

Major ObjectivesAstronomy major

On completion of this major students will be able to:

demonstrate a general professional understanding of the science of astronomy
conduct scholarly enquiries into the research literature in astronomy and astrophysics
apply scientific principles to solve problems with conceptual, observational or computational elements
demonstrate competency in observational techniques, data analysis, and the interpretation of results
demonstrate oral and written communication skills appropriate to a professional scientist
communicate scientific research to a professional audience

Environment and Sustainability major

On completion of this major students will be able to:

understand and apply the principles and approaches of sustainability
integrate the scientific foundations for sustainable development through environmental, social and economic disciplines
demonstrate an in-depth understanding of global environmental changes
describe the functioning of the global climate system
understand global environmental systems and assess the risks of climatic changes and climate variability and their influence on sustainable practices
critically analyse multi-disciplinary information and data to provide informed decision-making in relation to resource management and climate adaptation
evaluate opportunities that may arise from environmental and climate changes
express and communicate scientific knowledge and concepts across a range of professions
critically assess emerging approaches to policy development and institutional arrangements to support sustainability
identify and establish strong links between science, effective community engagement and sound policy
demonstrate, through the breadth of their studies, an advanced understanding of issues, concepts and applications of sustainability in environment and natural resource management

Mathematics and Statistics major

At the completion of the program, graduates will:

be able to demonstrate at least a sound knowledge of some important theories and techniques of applied mathematics and/or statistics
be able to use a wide range of mathematical and/or statistical techniques to formulate and solve problems from science and technology
be able to work with probabilistic, dynamical, algebraic, geometric, and simulation scenarios
be able to extend and apply mathematical or statistical tools in application to scientific and technical research and development
be able to use a range of appropriate computer packages to solve problems in statistics and/or mathematics
have become better problem-solvers and innovative thinkers, who are able to learn new skills independently and efficiently and consequently to succeed in a competitive professional environment
be able to demonstrate good communication skills in the learning areas
satisfy academic requirements for membership of relevant professional bodies

The Master of Science (Astronomy) and Master of Science (Environment and Sustainability) majors consists of 16 units of courses, consisting of those courses listed below in the Recommended Enrolment Pattern section.

The Master of Science (Mathematics/Statistics) major consists of 16 units of courses, selected from those courses listed below in the Recommended Enrolment Pattern section, subject to the following conditions:

at least eight units of courses must be at Level 8
at most three elective courses of study, which are not listed in the Recommended Enrolment Pattern section, may be taken from a related area of interest to the student with prior approval of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences. For example, a student working in bioinformatics might also want to study areas of computing or biology or a student with an interest in Mathematics Education could take suitable courses in the study area of Education.

All courses may be taken in either on-campus or external/online mode.

PhD Program entry requirements

Students wishing to proceed to a PhD must study MSC8001 Research Project Methodology and MSC8002 Research Project Dissertation Research Project Dissertation courses and achieve a GPA of 5.5 or higher in the Masters.

Master of Science (Astronomy)To be considered for entry, applicants must hold a three-year Bachelor's degree from an Australian University or equivalent.A formal process of Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) will be used to assess applicants who wish to gain entry to the program on the basis of equivalent experience or qualifications. Applicants should contact the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences if they wish to be assessed for admission on this basis.Master of Science (Environment and Sustainability)To be considered for entry, applicants should hold a three-year Bachelor's degree from an Australian University or equivalent.A formal process of Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) will be used to assess applicants without Bachelor degrees, who wish to gain entry to the program on the basis of equivalent experience or qualifications. Applicants should contact the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences if they wish to be assessed for admission on this basis. Students who are enrolled or hold a Graduate Diploma of Science or a Graduate Certificate of Science or equivalents in the environmental science, climatology or related areas from a recognised university may apply for credit.Master of Science (Mathematics and Statistics)Applicants may be admitted to the MSCN (Mathematics/Statistics) major if they:hold a Bachelor's degree from an Australian university or hold a degree of a recognised university or an approved equivalent qualification in any discipline; andhave knowledge of mathematics at least equivalent to that found in MAT1102 Algebra and Calculus I and have appropriate communication skills equivalent to those covered in CMS1000 Communication and Scholarship.Students who are enrolled or hold a Graduate Diploma of Mathematics/Statistics or Science or a Graduate Certificate of Science in the Mathematics/Statistics area from a recognised university may apply for credit.Particular choices of courses within this program may require additional pre-requisite or assumed knowledge. For example, some courses have a pre-requisite of basic computer programming skills equivalent to CSC1401 Foundation Programming course and others may require introductory knowledge of optimisation skills, such as those addressed in MAT1200 Operations Research 1 course, basic knowledge of Algebra and Calculus I at the level of MAT1102 or ENM2600 course, and statistics skills equivalent to STA2300 Data Analysis course. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 TOEFL paper-based test score : 570 TOEFL iBT® test: 90