Master of Arts

Why study the Master of Arts at UNE?

The Master of Arts is designed to enable graduates to pursue further studies in an area of personal interest, for professional development, or as a pathway to higher degree research, by studying a number of graduate level units. Whilst completing their major, students are able to tailor a program of study to suit their interests by enrolling in units within the one subject area, or selecting units from a range of subject areas, as listed for this course.

Career Opportunities

A Master of Arts allows you to refine your professional skills, in a relatively unrestricted program of study. Examples of careers that can be assisted through an MA include, but are not limited to: historical archivists, museum curators, criminal justice work, industrial relations, local history, management, policy development and implementation, public relations, public service, foreign affairs, education, business and administration, migrant and multicultural affairs, overseas aid and development agencies, political and social advocacy, journalism, human resources and research.

Employers often look for flexibility in their staff, expecting to retrain staff as work demands change. To meet this need, they tend to seek out people who are intellectually flexible, with analytical minds and good communication skills. Students in an MA are trained to think for themselves, acquire and process information, communicate their thoughts effectively and exercise initiative. These are skills that employers want.

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Degree Snapshot

DURATION

1 or 1.5 or 2 Years Full-time
Up to 6 years Part-time

FEES

CSP (quotas apply)
Full Fee
International

2017 STUDY OPTIONS
Armidale

Trimester 1, Off Campus
Trimester 1, On Campus
Trimester 2, Off Campus
Trimester 2, On Campus
Trimester 3, Off Campus

Official Abbreviation MA
Course Type Postgraduate
CRICOS Code 031796B
Commencing
Location Admission Period Mode of Study
Armidale Trimester 1 Off Campus
Armidale Trimester 1 On Campus
Armidale Trimester 2 Off Campus
Armidale Trimester 2 On Campus
Armidale Trimester 3 Off Campus
Course Duration
  • 1 or 1.5 or 2 Years Full-time
  • Up to 6 years Part-time
Fees CSP (quotas apply) / Full Fee / International
Total Credit Points 96
Intensive Schools

Mandatory intensive schools may be a requirement of some of the units in this course. See Unit Catalogue for specific requirements.

Entry Requirements

A candidate shall:

(a) hold an AQF Level 7 Bachelor qualification; or

(b) hold an AQF Level 7 Bachelor qualification with a major in a relevant discipline; or

(c) hold an AQF Level 8 Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Bachelor with Honours or AQF Level 9 Masters qualification in a relevant discipline.

Relevant Disciplines - include but are not limited to the following:

Please note - not all Majors are available to all candidates. Majors highlighted with an ** are only available to candidates admitted under admission rule (c).

Ancient History: Archaeology; Classical Languages; History; Philosophy; Religious Studies.

Applied Sociology: Criminology; Geography; History; Linguistics; Peace Studies; Politics.

Archaeology**: Ancient History; Classical Languages; History.

Asian Studies: Asian languages; Chinese; Political Science.

Classical World: Ancient History; Classical Languages; History.

Chinese Studies: Chinese language and cultural studies.

English: Communication and Media Studies; Drama and Theatre Studies; Philosophy and Religious Studies; Political Science; Studies in Human Society.

Environmental Advocacy**: Earth and Environmental Sciences; Environmental Studies; Development Studies; Policy Studies; Political Science; Sociology; Studies in Human Societies.

French Studies: French language and culture studies.

Geography: Studies in Human Societies, Earth and Environmental Sciences.

History: Ancient History; Archaeology; Heritage Studies; History; Indigenous Studies; Languages; Philosophy; Religious Studies.

Indigenous Studies**: Archaeology; Curriculum and Education Studies; History; Policy Studies; Political Science.

Indonesian Studies: Indonesian language and cultural studies.

Islamic Studies**: History; Religious Studies.

Italian Studies: Italian language and cultural studies.

Linguistics: English; Languages; or Education with a major in English literacy, LOTE or ESL.

Media and Communications: Communication and Media Studies; Language and Literature; Performing Arts; Philosophy and Religious Studies; Political Science and Policy Studies; Studies in Human Society.

Peace Studies**: Criminology; Law; Policy Studies; Political Science; Social Work.

Philosophy: Religious Studies.

Political and International Studies: Policy Studies; Political Science; Studies in Human Society.

Regional Change Management**: Geography; Political Science; Policy Studies; Studies in Human Society.

Studies in Religion: Ancient History; History; Philosophy.

Theatre and Performance: English; Media and Communications; Performance; Theatre Studies; Writing.

Writing: Communication and Media Studies; History; Literature; Philosophy and Religious Studies; Policy Studies.

Advanced Standing

Candidates admitted under Rule (a) may be granted a maximum of 48 credit points of Advanced Standing, providing units passed have reasonable correspondence to units of coursework available toward the degree and were not part of the degree on which admission was based.

Candidates admitted under Rule (b) shall be granted a maximum of 24 credit points of Block Advanced Standing. Up to a further 36 credit points may be granted based on units that were not part of the degree on which admission was based.

Candidates admitted under Rule (c) shall be granted a maximum of 48 credit points of Block Advanced Standing. Up to a further 24 credit points may be granted based on units that were not part of the degree on which admission was based.

No advanced standing will be granted for research and/or reading units.

Academic Colours

White (BCC 1)

Further Information

You can find instant answers to many of your questions or contact UNE directly via AskUNE

These course rules & plans are ONLY to be used if you commenced, transferred or changed versions in the Master of Arts in 2017.

Admission to Candidature

A candidate shall:
(a) hold an AQF Level 7 Bachelor qualification; or
(b) hold an AQF Level 7 Bachelor qualification with a major in a relevant discipline; or
(c) hold an AQF level 8 Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Bachelor with Honours or AQF Level 9 Masters qualification in a relevant discipline.

Relevant disciplines - include, but are not limited, to the following:

Please note – not all Majors are available to all candidates. Majors highlighted with an ** are only available to candidates admitted under admission rule (c).

Ancient History: Archaeology; Classical Languages; History; Philosophy; Religious Studies.
Applied Sociology: Criminology; Geography; History; Linguistics; Peace Studies; Politics.
Archaeology**: Ancient History; Classical Languages; History.
Asian Studies: Asian Languages; Chinese; Political Science.
Chinese Studies: Chinese language and cultural studies.
Classical World: Ancient History, Classical Languages; History.
English: Communication and Media Studies; Drama and Theatre Studies; Philosophy and Religious Studies; Political Science; Studies in Human Society.
Environmental Advocacy**: Earth and Environmental Sciences; Environmental Studies; Development Studies; Policy Studies; Political Science; Sociology; Studies in Human Societies.
French Studies: French language and culture studies.
Geography: Earth and Environmental Sciences; Studies in Human Societies.
History: Ancient History; Archaeology; Heritage Studies; History; Indigenous Studies; Languages; Philosophy; Religious Studies.
Indigenous Studies**: Archaeology; Curriculum and Education Studies; History; Policy Studies; Political Science.
Indonesian Studies: Indonesian language and cultural studies.
Italian Studies: Italian language and cultural studies.
Linguistics: English; Languages; or Education with a major in English literacy, LOTE or ESL.
Media and Communications: Communication and Media Studies; Language and Literature; Performing Arts; Philosophy and Religious Studies; Political Science and Policy Studies; Studies in Human Society.
Peace Studies**: Criminology; Law; Policy Studies; Political Science; Social Work
Philosophy: Religious Studies.
Political and International Studies: Policy Studies; Political Science; Studies in Human Society.
Regional Change Management**: Geography; Policy Studies; Political Science; Studies in Human Society.
Studies in Religion: Ancient History; History; Philosophy.
Theatre and Performance: English; Media and Communications; Performance; Theatre Studies; Writing.
Writing: Communication and Media Studies; History; Literature; Philosophy and Religious Studies; Policy Studies.

Advanced Standing

Candidates admitted under Rule (a) may be granted a maximum of 48 credit points of Advanced Standing, providing units passed have reasonable correspondence to units of coursework available toward the degree and were not part of the degree on which admission was based.

Candidates admitted under Rule (b) shall be granted a maximum of 24 credit points of Block Advanced Standing. Up to a further 36 credit points may be granted based on units that were not part of the degree on which admission was based.

Candidates admitted under Rule (c) shall be granted a maximum of 48 credit points of Block Advanced Standing. Up to a further 24 credit points may be granted based on units that were not part of the degree on which admission was based.

No advanced standing will be granted for research and/or reading units.

Period of Candidature

For candidates admitted under Rule (a), the period of candidature shall be:
(a) two years as a full-time candidate;
(b) up to six years as a part-time candidate.

For candidates admitted under Rule (b), the period of candidature shall be:
(a) one and a half years as a full-time candidate;
(b) up to six years as a part-time candidate.

For candidates admitted under Rule (c), the period of candidature shall be:
(a) one year as a full-time candidate;
(b) up to four years as a part-time candidate.

Course Requirements

1. To qualify for the award a candidate must pass units to the value of 96 credit points including a minimum of 48 credit points at 500 level. Dissertation, research and reading units may only be undertaken within the same area of study as the nominated Major.

2. To qualify for a Master of Arts, candidates must include units to the value of at least 30 credit points at 500-level from units in their nominated Major.

3.(a) Candidates admitted under Rule (a):
(i) may complete a maximum of 12 credit points at 100-level;
(ii) may complete a maximum of 36 credit points at 200/300/400-level;
(iii) must complete a minimum of 48 credit points at 500-level as identified in the program of study for each Major.

3.(b) Candidates admitted under Rule (b):
(i) may complete a maximum of 24 credit points at 200/300/400-level; and
(ii) must complete a minimum of 48 credit points at 500-level as identified in the program of study for each Major.

3.(c) Candidates admitted under Rule (c):
(i) must complete 48 credit points at 500-level as identified in the program of study for each Major.

Program of Study

Candidates shall complete an approved program of study as outlined in the Course Schedule comprising:

For candidates admitted under Rule (a):
Course Structure Credit Points
One Major/Area of Study 60-78 cps
Elective Units 18-36 cps
Total 96 cps

To view complete Program of Study click here

For candidates admitted under Rule (b):
Course Structure Credit Points
Block Advanced Standing 24 cps
One Major/Area of Study 42-66 cps
Elective Units 6-30 cps
Total 96 cps

To view complete Program of Study click here

For candidates admitted under Rule (c):
Course Structure Credit Points
Block Advanced Standing 48 cps
One Major/Area of Study 30-48 cps
Elective Units 0-18 cps
Total 96 cps

To view complete Program of Study click here

Majors/Areas of Study

For candidates admitted under Rule (a)

Major/Area of Study

   
Ancient History Geography Philosophy
Applied Sociology History Political and International Studies
Chinese Studies Indonesian Studies Studies in Religion
Classical World Italian Studies Theatre and Performance
English Linguistics Writing
French Studies Media and Communications
For candidates admitted under Rule (b)

Major/Area of Study

   
Ancient History French Studies Media and Communications
Applied Sociology Geography Philosophy
Asian Studies History Political and International Studies
Chinese Studies Indonesian Studies Studies in Religion
Classical World Italian Studies Theatre and Performance
English Linguistics Writing
For candidates admitted under Rule (c)

Major/Area of Study

   
Ancient History Geography Philosophy
Applied Sociology History Political and International Studies
Archaeology Indigenous Studies Regional Change Management
Asian Studies Indonesian Studies Studies in Religion
Chinese Studies Italian Studies Theatre and Performance
English Linguistics Writing
Environmental Advocacy Media and Communications  
French Studies Peace Studies  

Award of Degree

Candidates who meet the course requirements and who have successfully completed at least 30 credit points at 500-level in one major of the Master of Arts will have that Major appear on their testamur.

Dissertation

1. A candidate who satisfies the research project entry requirements shall submit a dissertation embodying an original investigation of a topic within their chosen specialisation.
2. Depending on the topic under investigation, the approval of the relevant Ethics Committee must be sought if required.
3. The School will appoint a supervisor who shall be a member of the teaching or research staff of the University or an associate of the University and on the UNE register of supervisors. The supervisor shall advise and supervise the candidate during the period of candidature.
4. Except with the permission of the School, on the recommendation of the supervisor, the dissertation shall not exceed 15,000 words of text, excluding appendices.
5. Candidates shall be required to enrol in and complete the dissertation in 39 weeks from the commencement of enrolment in the dissertation unit.

Submission of Dissertation

1. Electronic submission of the dissertation is required. Candidates should check with the relevant discipline regarding submission of two soft bound and one unbound copy of the dissertation together with a certificate from the supervisor certifying that the dissertation is in a form suitable for examination can be submitted to the School following liaison with the unit coordinator in the relevant School.
2. At least one month prior to the date of submission candidates shall inform the School of their intention to submit a dissertation.
3. The relevant School, on the recommendation of the supervisor, shall appoint two examiners. Normally, at least one examiner shall be external to the University.
4. Each examiner shall be informed of the name of the other examiner. The examiners may consult. They shall inform the relevant School if, before submitting their reports, they have consulted.

Examination of Dissertation

1. (a) Normally within one month of receipt of the dissertation the examiners shall decide whether to recommend that the dissertation be given the grade of Fail, Pass, Credit, Distinction or High Distinction, with the corresponding mark.
(b) The examiners may consult with the supervisor prior to preparing their reports.
(c) The examiners shall submit to the relevant School their report(s) on the dissertation, along with their recommendation(s) on the grade and mark.

2. (a) In the event of a disagreement between the examiners, they may be asked to consult and report to the the relevant School.
(b) If the examiners are unable to reach an agreement, the relevant School shall refer their reports to a sub-committee appointed by the Head of School for a recommendation.

3. (a) After considering the examiner's recommendation(s) and report(s), any comments from the supervisor and any recommendations from the appointed sub-committee, the relevant School may recommend that the dissertation be awarded the grade of Fail, Pass, Credit, Distinction or High Distinction.
(b) The candidate, the supervisor and examiners shall be informed of the decision and the candidate shall be provided with a copy of the examiners report(s).

4. After the relevant School has awarded the grade of Pass or higher, the course coordinator shall be contacted for advice on archival processes for the completed dissertation.

Appeals

Candidates are referred to the Academic Assessment Appeals Policy and the Academic Assessment Appeals Procedures.

Course Progression

Candidates are referred to the Course Progression Rule and the Course Progression Procedures.

Improper Conduct

Candidates are referred to the Student Coursework Academic Misconduct Rule and the Student Coursework Academic Misconduct Procedures.

Course Aims

This course offers those people who have already completed an undergraduate degree the opportunity to continue university study, either to further career or professional aspirations or to pursue a specific area of interest. The course can also provide an avenue into a research degree such as a research Masters or PhD. Students can complete either a specific (ie, badged Major) or non-specific (non-major) degree. The course also provides the opportunity to complete reading and dissertation (research) units. The major subject areas are provided from three Schools within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences: the School of Arts, the School of Humanities and the School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences.

Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
  1. appreciate and apply expert knowledge of specific subject areas, including recent development, research principles and inter-disciplinary approaches and practice;
  2. demonstrate and apply mastery of higher level research and communication skills including theoretical, technical and analytical concepts to their research; and
  3. utilise enhanced critical thinking and analytical skills with creativity and initiative in a variety of academic settings, including a research project and capstone experience, with high level personal output.
Graduate Attributes
Knowledge of a Discipline

Graduates will have detailed and higher level knowledge of selected subject areas and disciplines that will be taught through unit materials, online discussions, guided readings, directed learning and research activities. This will include an appreciation of the processes through which knowledge has evolved. This knowledge is practised and assessed through a variety of discipline relevant assignment tasks.

Communication Skills

Graduates will have advanced skills to communicate and substantiate the results of research and analysis in a variety of written and multi-media formats. These skills are taught through guided learning activities, oral and written feedback on assignments and online discussions. They will be practised through participation in online discussions and through written or other forms of assignments relevant to the area of study with particular acknowledgement of the diversity of communication styles and forms employed by different disciplines and by individuals from different cultural backgrounds. They are assessed through assignment work and against criteria relevant to the specific form of communication and to the subject area being studied.

Problem Solving

Graduates will have a deep knowledge of key problem-solving strategies relevant to their selected subject areas. They will be able to apply their information literacy skills to develop their own responses to particular problems in different environments and contexts.

Information Literacy

Graduates will develop and practice a range of higher level research skills relevant to their selected subject areas and disciplines, including inter-disciplinary approaches. These include awareness of the level and nature of information required and where and how it can be acquired; relevant methods for analysing and evaluating information; and the use of information to demonstrate their understanding of topics and issues and to do so in different forms and media, depending on subject and discipline requirements.

Ethical Conduct and Social Responsibility

Graduates will have advanced understanding of their professional and ethical responsibilities to provide balanced and accurate research; their social responsibility to recognise and address social justice issues; and their need for awareness and action in relation to issues such as the impact of social change, sustainable development, Indigenous rights and occupational risk. These are taught, practised and assessed in accordance with the requirements and understandings relevant to their different disciplinary, inter-disciplinary and professional areas of study and interest.

Lifelong Learning

Graduates will develop lifelong skills to continue to research, evaluate, discuss and present information and issues in a variety of contexts and for a variety of purposes. The skills they will acquire, both disciplinary and inter-disciplinary, will be useful in a range of professional and community settings.

Independence and Collaboration

Graduates will be able to exercise responsibility and accountability for their own learning and professional practice as well as the ability to work collaboratively with others. Through online discussions and teaching and learning activities, graduates are required to work collaboratively and network effectively in the sharing of resources and ideas, and in order to solve problems. They will understand and practise an appreciation of different approaches and styles, be supportive of each other, and assert their own values and opinions while respecting the values and contributions of others. These skills and awareness are reinforced through discipline-specific tasks, discussions and activities relating to strategies for effective collaborative work as students, as community members and in professional contexts.

How to Apply

Domestic Students

All domestic students apply through the link below

For more information, click here

International Students

International students apply direct to UNE through UNE International

For more information, click here

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