Masters (Coursework)
The Master of Phillosophy in Medical Biotechnology provides students with a unique opportunity to undertake original research and gain in-depth knowledge in their particular scientific field. Students have access to staff that are leading researchers and experts in their field. Undertaking this course allows students to explore their research potential and develop research skills. This course is designed to provide a scholarship pathway to the PhD program.
The course contains a compulsory core of professional subjects relevant to all science disciplines. The subjects in the core provide a backbone of skills important to a professional scientist; be they engaged in research, science businesses, industries or government organisations. These are the skills of communication, critical analysis, project management and innovation and commercialisation. The professional stream has options for specialised professional skills development and is complemented by medical biotechnology study.
The second half of the course comprises a substantial research component, giving students an opportunity to undertake original, cutting-edge research. For students with suitable achievement levels, this provides a direct pathway to a PhD, and carries points that can be used in the scholarship application process.
All graduates have training in the professional attributes that employers seek. The skills learnt expand career horizons and enhance prospects for promotion in the rapidly evolving science professions. Graduates may also proceed to a career in research through entry to a PhD.
The course requires 96 credit points of study, comprising 32 credit points of core subjects, 16 credit points of professional stream subjects, and a 48-credit-point intensive research component.
This honours component of the course is a research project that extends over the final year and normally takes the form of an experimental, analytical or theoretical investigation. Candidates may also be required to undertake one or more critical reviews of the literature in the area of their project. During the course of their research project, candidates are also offered workshops to help with the writing and interpretation of results. The results of the project are presented in an oral seminar and in a written thesis, both of which are formally assessed.