Master of Science (Earth Sciences) (MC-SCIEAR)

You’re currently viewing the 2020 version of this course

Overview

Award title	Master of Science (Earth Sciences)
Year & campus	2020 — Parkville
CRICOS code	094596M
Fees information	Subject EFTSL, level, discipline and census date
Study level & type	Graduate Coursework
AQF level	9
Credit points	200 credit points
Duration	24 months full-time or 48 months part-time

The Master of Science (Earth Sciences) 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.

The program includes collaboration between Earth Sciences/Geosciences departments from at least two other institutions (originally Monash and La Trobe universities, under our Victorian Institute of Earth and Planetary Sciences or ‘VIEPS’ legal agreement and partnership) expanding in the last decade to involve cooperation between several institutions (including Melbourne). Cooperation at this national level provides students from all participating institutions with the opportunity to access the best and broadest array of advanced coursework in the Earth Sciences discipline.

Links to further information

http://science.unimelb.edu.au/

Entry requirements

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

an undergraduate degree with a major in Agricultural Science, Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences, Biochemistry, Botany, Chemistry, Engineering, Environmental Science, Food Science, Genetics, Geography, Geology, Mathematics, Microbiology, Physics, Plant Science or Zoology, with a weighted average mark of at least H3 (65%) in the best 50points in that major or relevant discipline studies at third year.

Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.

2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

prior academic performance.

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

4. Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for graduate 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.

Note:

Quotas may be applied and preference may be given to applicants with evidence of appropriate preparation or potential to undertake research.
Entry into this 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.

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (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 providingsupport 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/

Intended learning outcomes

This course aims to:

equip students with discipline-specific knowledge and expertise appropriate for post-graduate research in the Earth Sciences field;
exercise critical judgement;
undertake rigorous and independent thinking; and
adopt a problem-solving approach to new and unfamiliar tasks.

Graduate attributes

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;
be able to initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions and workplaces.

Course structure

Students must complete 200 pts including:

Discipline Core subjects (50 points);
Discipline Elective subjects (0 - 12.5 points);
Professional Skills subjects (12.5 - 25 points);
Research Project (125 points).

Two streams are offered in the Master of Science (Earth Sciences program): the Atmospheric Science stream and the Geology stream.

Subject options

Discipline Core - Atmospheric Science stream

Students must take 50 points of the following:

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
ATOC90002	Climate Science for Decision-Making	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
ATOC90004	Current Topics in Atmospheric Research	Semester 2 (Off Campus)	12.5
ATOC90005	Atmosphere Ocean Interaction and Climate	Not available in 2020	12.5
ATOC90006	Climate Analysis and Modelling	Not available in 2020	12.5
ATOC90007	Mesoscale Atmospheric Dynamics	Winter Term (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
ATOC90010	Statistics in Climate Dynamics	Not available in 2020	12.5
ATOC90011	Convective Clouds and Storms	Not available in 2020	12.5
ATOC90012	Advanced Dynamical Meteorology	Not available in 2020	12.5
ATOC90013	Atmospheric Modelling	Not available in 2020	12.5
ATOC90014	General Circulation of the Atmosphere	Semester 1 (Extended) (Off Campus)	12.5
ATOC90015	Data Assimilation and Model Improvement	February (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
EVSC90033	Air Quality Monitoring	Not available in 2020	12.5
ERTH90026	Climate Modelling and Climate Change	Not available in 2020	12.5

* Students who satisfy the mathematics prerequisites for the 3rd-year subjects of the Atmospheric Science major are permitted to substitute one 3rd-year or level 9 Atmospheric Science subject in place of any core discipline subject, after first obtaining the permission of the Masters Coordinator.

Discipline Elective - Atmospheric Science stream

Students must choose a further 12.5 points from level 9 Earth Sciences subjects, Professional Skills subjects or 300-level Science subjects. One elective from another stream within the Master of Science, Master of Environment or the Master of Energy Systems may also be approved on a case-by-case basis.

Discipline Core - Geology stream

Students must take 50 points of the following subjects, 25 points of which are required to correspond to their thesis topic:

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
ERTH90029	Environmental Geochemistry	Not available in 2020	6.25
ERTH90031	Regolith Geoscience	No longer available
ERTH90032	Interpretation of Satellite Images	Summer Term (Off Campus)	6.25
ERTH90033	Geology from Geophysics	Summer Term (Off Campus)	6.25
GEOL90005	Hydrogeology/Environmental Geochemistry	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
GEOL90027	Advanced Structural Mapping	Not available in 2020	6.25
GEOL90028	Geochronology and Thermochronology	March (On Campus - Parkville)	6.25
GEOL90029	Geology of Gold	March (On Campus - Parkville)	6.25
GEOL90030	Coastal Environmental Geomorphology	Not available in 2020	6.25
GEOL90031	Ore Reserve Estimation	Semester 2 (Off Campus)	6.25
GEOL90032	Introduction to Mineralogy	May (On Campus - Parkville)	6.25
GEOL90033	Mine Safety and Engineering	Semester 2 (Online)	6.25
GEOL90034	Practical Igneous Petrology	Not available in 2020	6.25
GEOL90035	Geodynamics	Not available in 2020	6.25
GEOL90036	Australian Coal Basins	No longer available
GEOL90038	Igneous Geodynamics and Ore Deposits	June (Online)	6.25
GEOL90043	Fundamentals of Geological CO2 Storage	Winter Term (On Campus - Parkville)	6.25
GEOL90044	Ore Deposit Models	May (Off Campus)	6.25
GEOL90045	Exploration Skills Mapping	Summer Term (Off Campus)	6.25
GEOL90046	Environmental Geology Field Techniques	Not available in 2020	6.25
ERTH90051	Python for Earth Sciences	Not available in 2020	6.25
ERTH90034	Advanced Hydrogeology	June (Online)	6.25
GEOM90044	Geographic Information Systems	Summer Term (Off Campus)	6.25
GEOL90047	Basin Evolution & Sequence Stratigraphy	Not available in 2020	6.25
GEOL90049	Introduction to Structural Geology	September (On Campus - Parkville)	6.25
GEOL90048	Sedimentary Basins and Resource Analysis	Not available in 2020	6.25
GEOL90050	Field Geology of New Zealand	Summer Term (Off Campus)	12.5

Discipline Elective - Geology stream

Students must also take a further 12.5 points of approved coursework subjects, selected either from the above subjects, professional skills subjects, or from 300-level geology subjects. Electives from another stream within the Master of Science, Master of Environment or Master of Energy Systems may also be approved on a case-by-case basis. Students who satisfy the prerequisites for the 3rd-year subjects of the Geology major are permitted to substitute one 3rd-year subject in place of any core discipline subject, after first obtaining the permission of the Masters Coordinator.

Professional Skills

Students must take one to two subjects:

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
BUSA90403	Business Tools: Money People & Processes	September (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
MAST90045	Systems Modelling and Simulation	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
SCIE90005	Ethics and Responsibility in Science	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
MAST90044	Thinking and Reasoning with Data	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
MAST90007	Statistics for Research Workers	Winter Term (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
SCIE90013	Communication for Research Scientists	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) Winter Term (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
EDUC90839	Science in Schools	Not available in 2020	12.5
SCIE90017	Science and Technology Internship	Summer Term (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
SCIE90012	Science Communication	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
COMP90059	Introduction to Programming	Summer Term (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
COMP90072	The Art of Scientific Computation	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
PHYC90045	Introduction to Quantum Computing	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5

Research Project

Students enrolled in this program are required to complete a 125 point Research Project. Students will gain research experience in Earth Sciences by completing an original research project in their main field of interest. The amount of work completed in this project should be comparable to that undertaken for a published journal article, and students will be encouraged to submit their work for publication. Although the assessment weighting for the literature review may be viewed as low given the word limit, particularly when compared with the final thesis, the former is largely a ‘reading topic’, from which the student is expected to place their research project into a broader context. In contrast, and as noted above, the final thesis is expected to be a far more rigorous scientific document, showing an appropriate level of insight and scientific interpretation of results, and be of publishable quality.

Assessment is based on the sequential completion of:

a research presentation of the research project (3%) within the study period leading to the completion of the first 50 points;
a literature review of no more than 4,000 words (5%) within the study period leading to the completion of the first 50 points;
a project-related oral presentation within two months of the completion of 125 points, i.e. the conclusion of the project (7%);
a concise thesis of no more than 25,000 words (85%) due at the completion of 125 points, i.e. at the end of the final research project subject part; and
research project reviews at the end of each semester (hurdle)

These assessment requirements are applicable to the entire 125 point Research Project.

The research project subject will be taken over consecutive semesters each worth 12.5, 25, 37.5 or 50 points depending on a full-time or part-time study commitment. Each semester will begin on the Monday of semester of entry (semesters 1 or 2) and the project will continue until the 125 points are achieved. The student is entitled to a total of 4 to 8 weeks of recreational leave for the 125 point subject. 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 Research Project will be due for submission by the end of the formal examination period if an earlier date is not specified.

Research Project (125 points)

Students may enrol in a combination of research project subjects and coursework subjects during their enrolment as long as once the Research Project is commenced, the consecutive enrolment requirement is met and they have completed a total of 125 points for the research project by the end of their course.

*Note: in the case of part-time studies, students will first enrol in Earth Sciences Research Project Pt1, and then progress through to Pt2, Pt3, Pt4 Cnt. and Pt5.

Students may only progress through Earth Sciences Research Project subjects upon successful completion of the earlier project component.

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
ERTH90035	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt1	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
ERTH90036	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt1	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	25
ERTH90037	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt1	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	37.5
ERTH90038	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt1	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	50

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
ERTH90039	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt2	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
ERTH90040	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt2	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	25
ERTH90041	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt2	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	37.5
ERTH90042	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt2	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	50

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
ERTH90043	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt3	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
ERTH90044	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt3	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	25
ERTH90045	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt3	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	37.5
ERTH90046	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt3	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	50

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
ERTH90047	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt4	Semester 1 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
ERTH90048	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt4	Semester 1 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville)	25
ERTH90049	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt4	Semester 1 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville)	37.5
ERTH90050	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt4	Semester 1 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville)	50

For Part Time Course Enrolments:

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
ERTH90055	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt4 Cnt.	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
ERTH90053	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt4 Cnt.	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	25
ERTH90054	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt4 Cnt.	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	37.5
ERTH90052	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt4 Cnt.	Semester 1 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Extended) (On Campus - Parkville)	50

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
ERTH90057	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt 5	Semester 1 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
ERTH90056	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt 5	Semester 1 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville)	25
ERTH90058	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt 5	Semester 1 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville)	37.5
ERTH90059	Earth Sciences Research Project Pt 5	Semester 1 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville) Semester 2 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville)	50

Further study

The Master of Science offers a pathway to a PhD.

Last updated: 11 November 2022

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