Course description
The masters degree is designed for students to develop advanced skills in carrying out independent and sustained research in Islamic studies. The thesis should demonstrate a critical application of specialist knowledge and make an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research. Candidates may advance to the Doctor of Philosophy degree after successful completion of the masters or may apply to convert to the PhD at an earlier stage. An honours grade of at least H2B (70%) must be attained to qualify for the award of the masters degree.
Objectives:
Students who complete the masters will:
* undertake advanced studies in their own areas of interest within the broad field of Islamic studies;
* apply a specific disciplinary approach to investigating a topic in the field of Islamic society and culture.
Course Structure & Available Subjects:
Duration: 1.5 years full-time / 3 years part-time
Major Thesis - 30,000 words (100 points per year)
It is expected that a graduate of the University of Melbourne will be able to engage in academic discourse in English. Therefore a research masters thesis will normally be written in English. At the same time the faculty seeks to encourage the acquisition of appropriate levels of linguistic and cultural competencies necessary for research of international distinction. Consequently, if a candidate wishes to write a thesis in another language, an application can be made to the faculty's Research and Graduate Studies Committee at an early stage in the candidature. The committee will consider such an application if the source material and readership are primarily in that language or the thesis is concerned with the study of language. Where permission is granted, a summary of the thesis (approximately 2,500 words) in English should be bound in the thesis.
Entry Requirements:
A four year BA (Honours) degree with a research component or equivalent in the appropriate area of study or closely related area. The grade for the honours thesis component must be at least equivalent to an H2A (75%) at the University of Melbourne and the overall honours result must be at least equivalent to an H2B (70%).
Applicants must include with their application a thesis proposal of 2,500 words and a writing sample (this may be an essay from your previous degree, a chapter from your Honours or Masters thesis or a published article). The primary basis for selection is academic merit, however, consideration will also be given to the quality of the thesis proposal, research potential, and the availability of an appropriate supervisor. Academic references may be required to assess the applicant's eligibility.
Core Participation Requirements: For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this course are articulated in the Course Description, Course Objectives and Generic Skills of this entry.
