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CRICOS code (International applicants): 078596M

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Program aims

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 Objectives

Astronomy 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

Admission requirements

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; and

  have knowledge of mathematics at least equivalent to that found in and have appropriate communication skills equivalent to those covered in .

  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 course and others may require introductory knowledge of optimisation skills, such as those addressed in course, basic knowledge of Algebra and Calculus I at the level of or course, and statistics skills equivalent to STA2300 Data Analysis course.

International Applicants

Domestic and International Applicants from a non-English speaking background are required to satisfy .

If you do not meet the English language requirements you may apply to study a University-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, Applicants may be admitted to an Award Program.

Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of your higher education and you as a student pay a , which varies depending on the courses undertaken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .
Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called .

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the
Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.
Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for .

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

Program structure

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 and Research Project Dissertation courses and achieve a GPA of 5.5 or higher in the Masters.

Astronomy Major

The program consists of the following courses:

Environment and Sustainability Major

The program consists of the following 14 core courses which are all available in external mode.

Mathematics and Statistics major

The Mathematics and Statistics major consists of sixteen courses which are all available in external mode.

Required time limits

Students have a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 8 years to complete.

IT requirements

Students should visit the USQ to check that their computers are capable of running the appropriate software and versions of Internet web browsers and to check the minimum and recommended standards for software.

Other program requirements

To qualify for the award of Master of Science (Environment and Sustainability) students must pass 16 units of courses, at least eight of which are to be Level 8 courses listed in the Recommended Enrolment Pattern section. Students who have completed the same courses or similar courses at USQ or elsewhere may replace these with additional electives with the approval of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences.

In order to complete the Mathematics and Statistics major students must pass 16 units of courses, at least eight of which are to be at Level 8 courses listed in the Recommended Enrolment Pattern section. A maximum of 3 elective courses of Level 3 or above may be taken from courses not appearing in the Recommended Enrolment Pattern section with the approval of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences. The maximum number of courses other than Mathematics/Statistics courses to be credited must not exceed the number of elective courses (3).

Exit points

Students in the Astronomy or Environment and Sustainability majors may exit with the Graduate Certificate of Science on successful completion of four units of study.

Students exiting the Master of Science (Math/Stat) major after passing at least four courses may be awarded, upon application, the Graduate Certificate of Science provided that at least three of the courses passed are listed in the Recommended Enrolment Pattern section and approved by the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences.

Students exiting the Master of Science (Math/Stat) major after passing at least eight courses may be awarded, upon application, the Graduate Diploma of Mathematics, provided that at least seven of the courses passed are listed in the Recommended Enrolment Pattern section; and the other is from a related area and has been studied with the prior approval of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences as contributing to the Masters program.

Students wishing to exit as above must discuss the procedures with the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences.

Credit

Astronomy major: Students who have a bachelor's degree in physical sciences may apply for up to 4 units of credit.

Environment and Sustainability major: exemptions may be granted for a maximum of eight units on the basis of successful completion of relevant and equivalent graduate study from a recognised institution. Students with a Level 8 (Graduate Diploma or Honours Degree) qualification in the environmental sciences or related discipline may qualify for up to eight units of exemption; students with a Level 7 (Bachelor degree) qualification in the environmental sciences or related discipline or a Level 8 qualification in a different discipline may qualify for up to four units of exemption.

Maths/Stats major: Exemptions from courses in the Math/Stat major may be granted for a maximum of six units on the basis of successful completion of relevant and equivalent graduate study from a recognised institution. Students who hold a Graduate Diploma in Mathematics/Statistics may be granted up to a maximum of four units.

Elective courses

For the Mathematics and Statistics major a maximum of 3 elective courses at Level 3 or above can be taken from other discipline areas with the prior approval of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences.

Enrolment

In this section:

• Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Astronomy Major Full-time (4 Semesters, S1 or S2 commencement)
• Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Astronomy Major Part-time (8 Semesters, S1 or S2 commencement)
• Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Environment and Sustainability Major Full-time (4 Semesters, S1 or S2 commencement
• Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Environment and Sustainability Major Part-time (8 Semesters, S1 or S2 commencement)
• Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Mathematics and Statistics major Full-time (4 Semesters, S1 or S2 commencement)
• Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Mathematics and Statistics major Part-time (8 Semesters, S1 or S2 commencement)

Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Astronomy Major Full-time (4 Semesters, S1 or S2 commencement)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, distance education or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Astronomy Major Part-time (8 Semesters, S1 or S2 commencement)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, distance education or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Environment and Sustainability Major Full-time (4 Semesters, S1 or S2 commencement

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, distance education or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Environment and Sustainability Major Part-time (8 Semesters, S1 or S2 commencement)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, distance education or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Mathematics and Statistics major Full-time (4 Semesters, S1 or S2 commencement)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, distance education or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Recommended elective courses for the Master of Science (Mathematics and Statistics):

(Semester 1, Online Offer

EDU8421 (Semester 3, Offer)

(Semester 3, Online Offer)

Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Mathematics and Statistics major Part-time (8 Semesters, S1 or S2 commencement)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, distance education or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

Recommended elective courses for the Master of Science (Mathematics and Statistics):

(Semester 1, Online Offer

EDU8421 (Semester 3, Offer)

(Semester 3, Online Offer)