Welcome to Avondale » Courses » Postgraduate (Research) » Master of Arts (Research)

Master of Arts (Research)

Course coordinator: Assoc. Prof. Daniel Reynaud
Course code 2075

Master of Arts (Research) is a research masters degree offered in the Faculty of Arts, that provides students with or without an Honours degree an opportunity to conduct a supervised independent research project on a topic of their choice. This degree may be done entirely by written thesis or by a combination of creative and/or performance practice and written thesis. Creative or performance practice could take the form of substantial creative writing; musical or theatrical composition or performance; artistic, graphic, video or multi-media works; or other practice-based research. Students are supervised by a principal supervisor and normally an associate supervisor, and undertake research in the field of education. In addition, the Master of Arts (Research) aims to develop appreciation, understanding and application of research knowledge, skills and abilities, in order to make an original contribution to existing knowledge. It allows free choice of topic (within the constraints of the availability of supervisors, resources, infrastructure and the broad discipline of education), to cater for students interests and professional requirements.

Candidates may conduct research in areas such as Communication, English, Geography, Graphic Design, History, International Poverty and Development Studies, Music, Religion, and Visual Arts. Consultation with the Course Coordinator for the Master of Arts (Research) and Dean of the Faculty of Arts will assist applicants to determine eligibility for admission, to identify proposed topics for research, and to ascertain the availability of suitable supervisors.

The course is designed to enable students to explore and develop new knowledge in a wide variety of Arts-based disciplines through both traditional thesis and through creative and performing practice.

Duration

This course can be taken full-time over a minimum of three academic semesters (18 months full-time), or three years maximum full-time enrolment, from a four-year undergraduate degree, or two years minimum to four years maximum from a three-year undergraduate degree. Students who elect to undertake the degree part-time must be enrolled for a minimum of three years or a maximum of six years from a four-year undergraduate degree, or four to eight years from a three-year undergraduate degree. Students who are granted a period of leave-of-absence during their candidature must complete their degrees within seven years from course commencement. Students who move from part-time to full-time candidature will have minimum and maximum periods of enrolment calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Mode of delivery

Study is offered in full-time or part-time mode, by distance education or on campus (Sydney Campus or Lake Macquarie Campus, depending on area of study). Click here to decide which mode is right for you.

Title

Master of Arts (Research)
Abbreviation: MA(Res)

Accreditation

The course is accredited by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training to 28 February 2015 and may be offered to Australian students or international students (CRICOS Number 070747K). International students are subject to regulations outlined in the ESOS Act (2007) and the National Code.

Entry requirements

The Master of Arts (Research) requires the student to have attained from a university or accredited higher education provider either (a) an undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Arts at an average of high Credit in the area of study in which the applicant wishes to proceed; or (b) satisfy the Research Committee that they are a suitable candidate for a Research Masters either by interview or written submission demonstrating their capacity to complete thee research.

Course content and structure

To a large extent the conceptual framework for the course is individually constructed by the candidates themselves who form a theoretical framework particular to their individual study within a field of the Arts. However, in general, the aim of the program is to develop scholarly researchers skilled at discovery-type scholarship and who are capable of using the research process in problem solving.

The Master of Arts (Research) is comprised of two subjects (12 credit points, .25 EFTSL, or 17% of the degree) and major thesis (60 credit points, 83% of the degree). The Master of Arts (Research) is consistent with the requirements of a research masters degree as outlined in the Australian Qualifications Framework (http://www.aqf.edu.au). It is intended that graduates will have:

• a high degree of mastery in their chosen area of study;
• advanced knowledge of a specialist body of theoretical and applied topics;
• higher order skills in analysis and critical evaluation through the planning and execution of a piece of scholarship or research;
• creativity and flexibility in the application of knowledge and skills to new situations; and
• the ability to solve complex problems and think rigorously and independently.

Students are required to: differentiate known from unknown knowledge; critically analyse the existing knowledge; understand the dimensions of the unknown and from this understanding focus on a manageable field of endeavour; understand and use various ways of locating new knowledge; select from a range of options, a methodology appropriate to the purpose of their individual study; collect and accumulate data pertinent to the research question; merge new knowledge with existing concepts; interpret and make sense of the new knowledge and communicate the findings of this process to assist others to merge the new knowledge into existing conceptual schema in a field of education; and envisage the implications of findings.

The unit sequence for full-time students is as follows:

Part time students normally are enrolled at 50% the normal full-time load and undertake the following sequence:

Supervisors

Advanced standing and credit transfer

Prospective students applying for credit transfer or advanced standing in the Master of Arts (Research) are encouraged to consult Avondale's Advanced Standing/Credit Transfer policy located on the College website (http://www.avondale.edu.au). Students who consider that prior completed studies should be taken into consideration with their application for candidature, then complete the Credit Transfer/Advanced Standing Form and attach documentary evidence in support of their claim. This application, supporting evidence, and the current policy will be considered at the time students apply to enrol in the degree, and students shall be advised of the outcome of the decision in the Letter of Offer.

Avondale's policy on Advanced Standing and Credit Transfer together with the processing form is located in Section 5. It should be noted that the greatest amount of Advanced Standing and/or credit transfer that may be awarded towards the Avondale College Master of Arts (Research) is 12 credit points for those candidates who have successfully completed 2 subjects equivalent to MARE60100 Research methodologies in the Arts and MARE60200 Research Project Proposal.

In every case, the Faculty Research Committee and the Avondale College Research Committee review all such requests for advanced standing, prior to the awarding of advanced standing. This evaluation might include review of subject outlines, text materials, and the perusal of examination and course materials. Generally, marginal grades or requests for transfer credit from universities outside of Australia are not accepted.
Application for admission
Prospective students must make application to study in the Master of Arts (Research) through the normal application processes (click here to download the application form). The Course Co-ordinator and Dean of Faculty review all applications and accept or reject applications based on the applicant's ability to meet the entry criteria as stated above, the capacity of the faculty to supervise the student, and the capacity of the library and other resources required. Associate supervisors or co-supervisors may be appointed to supplement faculty expertise. For those applicants who meet all of the criteria above, the Dean and the Course Coordinator recommend acceptance of the student to the Faculty Research Committee and the Research Committee.

Research topics

Prospective candidates are invited to contact the Course Coordinator to discuss possible topics for research.

English language proficiency requirements

Courses at Avondale College are delivered in the English language. In order to complete the courses successfully, applicants from a country where English is not the first language must demonstrate proficiency in English in one of the following ways:

• Provide documentary evidence that a significant part of the education was conducted in the English language; or
• Successful completion of at least two years of tertiary study conducted in the English language in Australia or in another country in which English is the official language within the last two years; or
• Provide documentary evidence that an IELTS score of 7.0 has been achieved with no individual band score less than 6.5.

International students

Overseas applicants are required to satisfy the Australian Government visa requirements (see Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).

The MA(Res) thesis

A Thesis reporting the results of the student’s research is to be presented to the student’s research committee for approval. The Thesis may be composed of a Dissertation of 30,000-40,000 words (maximum 50,000 words), or of creative or professional practice forming 33% or 66%, supported by a Dissertation of 20,000-30,000 words to 12,000-18,000 words respectively. The Thesis is expected to demonstrate some originality, critical insight, and a capacity for independent research. A contribution to knowledge is expected.

Academic regalia

To be advised.

Enquiries

For any postgraduate study enquiries, please contact the Course Coordinator on 61 02 4980 2196 or the Faculty Secretary on 61 02 4980 2198. Email enquiries to daniel.reynaud@avondale.edu.au