Master of Microbiology

Master degrees like those offered by the University of Tasmania take up to two years of full time study to complete, or up to four years part time. The course offers a variety of units to choose from. Some of these include:

• Microbes and man
• Advanced food safety management
• Foodborne pathogens
• Medical microbiology
• Literature review

In addition to this, a supervised master’s project is taken on an approved topic of the student’s choice. They must address a contemporary problem in the field via a hypothetical experiment, which could theoretically be done in real life.

Employment options

The employment options detailed here make for excellent choices. Whether it’s working for as a microbiologist for companies like Express Microbiology, joining the Australian Nanotechnology Network and leading the charge in nanotechnology innovation or undergoing lifesaving research at the CSIRO, microbiology projects will not find themselves unwanted. In addition to the careers outlined, there are a great deal more to choose from coming into existence all the time. It’s a thriving, ever-changing field.

Scholarships and funding

There are a great deal of funding opportunities available to students of microbiology, both specific to the discipline and more general. Should any of these be unavailable currently, keep an eye on them by saving them to your PostgradAustralia dashboard, because they tend to return annually. If you don’t know how to apply for these or feel uncomfortable about the process, feel free to consult our guide here.

• Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships are worth $69,500 pa, with no subject discipline requirements. This makes them exceptionally competitive. Students of microbiology shouldn’t have much issue arguing the merits of their course in the written statement, however.
• General Sir John Monash Scholarships are similar, offering $65,000 pa to students planning to commence postgraduate study overseas. Entry requirements are similar to Endeavour, with the same level of competition. They require students to argue for why their overseas institution of choice is worthy of their attention. Again, microbiology is rife with reasons.
• Microbiology students can access the John Clauscen Murray Postgraduate Scholarship in Bowel Cancer Research, valued at $7,000 pa. These are based on academic merit primarily.
• Those with an interest in agriculture and wine can apply for ARC Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production scholarships, valued at roughly $32,304 pa. This is another opportunity geared particularly for students of microbiology, among select other sciences.
• The Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship provides $120,000 to students directing their studies toward one of three areas
  • Technology and innovation
  • Strengthening Australia-Asia ties
  • Enabling positive social change

Students of microbiology can certainly make a case for the first option, as technology and innovation is one of the primary motivators of the field. However, in discovering new cures, medicines and quality of life improvements, positive social change is fostered too.

Prerequisites and selection process

Using the University of Tasmania as an example, students are generally able to choose one of two methods of entry.

• Having a bachelor’s degree in a somewhat relevant cognate discipline. A general science degree in any given field, for instance. Entry via this route will result in course completions of about two years full time or four years part. This is due to the need for fundamental, introductory units.
• Having a bachelor’s degree in a directly related discipline. Ideally, this means a Bachelor of Microbiology, or a degree in biology with microbiology as a specialisation. In this case, course completion can be reduced to one and a half years full time or part time equivalent.

Regardless of entry method, applicants must have prior laboratory experience to enter these programs. This means working with cultures or at the very least with the equipment in an unrelated capacity. The greater the relevance to microbiology, however, the stronger the case for entry into the course.