Overview
The Master of Science (MSc) is a two-year degree which encompasses both coursework and research. The first year involves mainly coursework and preliminary research preparation. Students will have the opportunity to contribute to existing fields of research, or to begin to develop new areas.
The MSc can be studied in any of the subjects listed below, and may be taken by a combination of coursework and thesis, or by thesis only. Students who have a Bachelor's degree will complete the MSc by papers and thesis (at least two years of full-time study). Students who have an Honours degree or postgraduate diploma can complete the degree by thesis only (minimum of one year of study).
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Subjects
View the list of subjects offered for the Master of Science (MSc) and the Master of Applied Science (MAppSc).
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Master of Science (MSc) in Anatomy
Master of Science (MSc) in Biochemistry
Master of Science (MSc) in Bioengineering
| Papers and Thesis |
- BIOE 401 Research Methods
- BIOE 404 Medical Devices and Technology
- BIOE 495 Master's Thesis Preparation
- Two further approved papers at 400-level which may include:
- BIOE 403 Bioengineering Design
and/or - BIOE 405 Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells
- Thesis: BIOE 5
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Master of Science (MSc) in Botany
| Papers and Thesis |
BTNY 495 Master's Thesis Preparation - Four of:
Note: With the approval of the Head of Department, another 400-level paper may be substituted for one of BTNY 461-470. Thesis: BTNY 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Chemistry
Master of Science (MSc) in Cognitive Science
Master of Science (MSc) in Computational Modelling
No new enrolments are currently being accepted for this subject.
| Papers and Thesis |
COMO 401 (this paper is not currently offered) MATH 495 Master's Thesis Preparation Three further approved papers at 400-level from MATH, STAT, COSC, or ELEC Thesis: COMO 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science
| Papers and Thesis |
COSC 480 Applied Project, or COSC 490 Dissertation Four of :
COSC 402, COSC 410, COSC 411, COSC 412, COSC 420, COSC 421, COSC 422, COSC 430, COSC 431, COSC 440, COSC 441, COSC 450, COSC 470, COSC 471 Thesis: COSC 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Consumer Food Science
| Papers and Thesis |
|---|
FOSC 495 Master's Thesis Preparation Four further papers from FOSC 421, FOSC 422, FOSC 423, FOSC 424, FOSC 425, Topics in Advanced Consumer Food Science 1-5 approved by the Head of the Department of Food Science Note: With approval from the Head of the Department of Food Science, FOSC 460 or one 400-level paper from another relevant subject may be substituted for one elective 400-level FOSC paper. - Thesis: FOSC 5
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Master of Science (MSc) in Ecology
| Papers and Thesis |
ECOL 495 Master's Thesis Preparation ECOL 411 Reading Ecology Three of BTNY 465, BTNY 467, ECOL 450, GEOG 454, GEOG 459, GEOG 460, GEOG 461, MARI 403, MARI 425, ZOOL 410, ZOOL 411, ZOOL 415, ZOOL 416, ZOOL 417, ZOOL 418, or other papers approved by the Course Director Thesis: ECOL 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Economics
Master of Science (MSc) in Electronics
No new enrolments will be accepted for this subject.
| Papers and Thesis |
40 points from: - Thesis: ELEC 5
Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Energy Science and Technology
| Papers and Thesis |
EMAN 490 Dissertation Three 400-level EMAN papers One further paper at 400-level approved by the Programme Director Thesis: ENST 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Environmental Management
| Papers and Thesis |
GEOG 495 Master's Thesis Preparation GEOG 471 Impact Assessment and Sustainability GEOG 472 Developments in Environmental Management Two further approved papers at 400-level Thesis: ENVM 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Environmental Science
| Papers and Thesis |
ENVS 495 (this paper is not currently offered) Four 400-level papers from appropriate subjects approved by the Programme Director Thesis: ENVS 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Food Science
| Papers and Thesis |
|---|
FOSC 495 Master's Thesis Preparation - Four of FOSC 401, FOSC 402, FOSC 403, FOSC 404, FOSC 405 Topics in Advanced Food Science 1-5, approved by the Head of the Department of Food Science.
Note: With approval from the Head of the Department of Food Science FOSC 460 or one 400-level paper from another relevant subject may be substituted for one elective 400-level FOSc paper.
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Master of Science (MSc) in Genetics
| Papers and Thesis |
GENE 411 Current Topics in Genetic GENE 412 Current Topics in Genetics GENE 495 Master's Thesis Preparation - Two of:
Note: With approval from the Programme Director, another 400-level paper may be substituted for one of the papers listed above. Thesis: GENE 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Geographic Information Systems
Master of Science (MSc) in Geography
| Papers and Thesis |
GEOG 495 Master's Thesis Preparation Four 400-level GEOG papers Thesis: GEOG 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Geology
| Papers and Thesis |
GEOL 401 Current Topics and Advanced Methods in Geoscience or (GEOL 402 Advanced Research Methods in Geoscience 1 and GEOL 403 Advanced Research Methods in Geoscience 2) GEOL 495 Master's Thesis Preparation Six further 400-level GEOL papers Thesis: GEOL 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Geophysics
| Papers and Thesis |
GEOL 401 Current Topics and Advanced Methods in Geoscience or (GEOL 402 Advanced Research Methods in Geoscience 1 and GEOL 403 Advanced Research Methods in Geoscience 2) GEOL 495 Master's Thesis Preparation Further 400-level papers worth a total of at least 60 points from GEOL, MATH, PHSI, or SURV Thesis: GEPX 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Human Nutrition
Master of Science (MSc) in Immunology
| Papers and Thesis |
IMMU 495 Master's Thesis Preparation MICR 461 Molecular Microbiology MICR 462 Microbiology and Immunology Research MICR 463 Trends in Microbiology MICR 464 Medical Microbiology and Immunology Thesis: IMMU 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Information Science
Master of Science (MSc) in Marine Science
| Papers and Thesis |
| Note: With approval from the Head of Department, one MARI 400-level paper may be replaced with a 400-level paper from another relevant subject. Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Mathematics
| Papers and Thesis |
MATH 495 Master's Thesis Preparation Four 400-level MATH papers Thesis: MATH 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Microbiology
| Papers and Thesis |
MICR 495 Master's Thesis Preparation MICR 461 Molecular Microbiology MICR 462 Microbiology and Immunology Research MICR 463 Trends in Microbiology MICR 464 Medical Microbiology and Immunology Thesis: MICR 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Neuroscience
| Papers and Thesis |
NEUR 495 Master's Thesis Preparation Papers worth 80 points from:
ANAT 454, COSC 420, NEUR 452, NEUR 453, NEUR 455, NEUR 459, NEUR 461, NEUR 462, NEUR 463, NEUR 471, NEUR 472, NEUR 473, PHAL 423, PHSL 472, PHSL 474, PSYC 429, PSYC 430, PSYC 431, PSYC 437, PSYC 438, PSYC 439, ZOOL 412 Thesis: NEUR 5 Notes:
(i)Papers with PSYC codes are worth 10 points each and all other papers are worth 20 points each,
(ii)PHSL 474 may be taken only by students supervised in the Department of Physiology.
(iii)With approval from the Neuroscience Programme Director, one of the listed papers may be replaced by another 400-level paper.
(iv)PSYC 432 may count toward these subject requirements if taken during years during which it was offered as Special Topic: Social and Affective Neuroscience. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Pharmacology
| Papers and Thesis |
PHAL 495 Master's Thesis Preparation PHAL 421 General Pharmacology and Toxicology - Three of:
Thesis: PHAL 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Physics
Master of Science (MSc) in Physiology
| Papers and Thesis |
PHSL 495 Master's Thesis Preparation PHSL 471 Systematic Physiology PHSL 472 Neurophysiology PHSL 473 Cellular Physiology PHSL 474 Research Topics Thesis: PHSL 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Plant Biotechnology
Master of Science (MSc) in Psychology
| Papers and Thesis |
PSYC 495 Master's Thesis Preparation Papers worth 80 points from PSYC 401-442 Thesis: PSYC 5 Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Sport, Exercise and Health
Master of Science (MSc) in Statistics
Master of Science (MSc) in Surveying
Master of Science (MSc) in Toxicology
| Papers and Thesis |
PHAL 495 Master's Thesis Preparation PHAL 428 Current Research Literature in Toxicology Three further 400-level papers approved by the Programme Director Thesis: PHAL 5B Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis. |
Master of Science (MSc) in Wildlife Management
Master of Science (MSc) in Zoology
| Papers and Thesis |
ZOOL 495 Master's Thesis Preparation Four of: ZOOL 410, ZOOL 411, ZOOL 412, ZOOL 413, ZOOL 414, ZOOL 415, ZOOL 416, ZOOL 417, ZOOL 418, ZOOL 419, ZOOL 420, ZOOL 421, ZOOL 422, ZOOL 423 |
Regulations for the Degree of Master of Science (MSc)
Admission to the Programme
- Admission to the programme shall be subject to the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sciences).
- Every applicant must either
- be a graduate with an average grade of at least B for the appropriate 300-level papers, or
- have alternative qualifications or experience acceptable to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sciences).
- An applicant seeking admission to the thesis-only option of the programme (see regulation 2(c) below) on the basis of the degree of Bachelor of Science with Honours or the Postgraduate Diploma in Science or equivalent must have achieved a grade of at least B+ for the research report, thesis preparation, or dissertation requirement of the qualification concerned.
- In considering an applicant's qualifications, regard will be had to the detail of the course of study followed to gain the qualification, as well as the applicant's performance in the programme.
Structure of the Programme
- The degree may be awarded in any of the subjects listed above. With the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sciences) the degree may be awarded in a subject not listed above.
- The programme of study shall be as prescribed for the subject concerned.
- A candidate whose qualification for entry to the programme is the degree of Bachelor of Science with Honours or the Postgraduate Diploma in Science or equivalent may achieve the degree after a minimum of one year of further study, normally by completing a thesis or equivalent as prescribed in the MSc Schedule.
- A candidate may be exempted from some of the prescribed papers on the basis of previous study.
- A candidate shall, before commencing the investigation to be described in a thesis, secure the approval of the Head of the Department concerned for the topic, the supervisor(s), and the proposed course of the investigation.
- A candidate may not present a thesis which has previously been accepted for another degree.
- A candidate taking the degree by papers and thesis must pass both the papers and the thesis components.
- For the thesis, the research should be of a kind that a diligent and competent student should complete within one year of full-time study.
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Duration of the Programme
A candidate achieving the degree by papers and a thesis shall normally follow a programme for the equivalent of not less than two years of full-time study and not more than three years of full-time study, and a candidate achieving the degree by thesis alone shall normally follow a programme of study for the equivalent of not less than one year of full-time study and not more than two years of full-time study. Exceptions shall be permitted only with the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sciences).
Withdrawal from the Programme
- A candidate undertaking both papers and thesis whose paper results are not satisfactory, as defined by the department or subject area concerned, or who does not achieve a grade of at least B+ for the research report, thesis preparation, or dissertation requirement of the programme shall be required to withdraw from the programme.
- Where a candidate withdraws from the programme, whether voluntarily or otherwise, after completing the prescribed papers, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sciences) may recommend the award of the Postgraduate Diploma in Science or determine which papers shall be credited towards the Diploma.
Examination of the Thesis
- The thesis shall be assessed by at least two examiners, at least one of whom shall be external to the University.
- The candidate's supervisor shall not be an examiner but may make a report on the work of the candidate to the Convener of Examiners.
- Each examiner shall supply a written report on the thesis and recommend a mark and grade on the basis of the thesis as submitted, and an overall result selected from the options specified in clause (d) below.
- The examiners may recommend that a thesis:
- be accepted without requiring amendments;
- be accepted subject to minor corrections being made at the discretion and to the satisfaction of the Convener of Examiners;
- does not meet the criteria for the award of the degree, but may be revised and resubmitted for examination;
- does not meet the criteria for the award of the degree, and should be rejected without right of resubmission.
- Amendments 5(d)(ii) and revisions 5(d)(iii) shall be completed by a specified date to be determined by the Convener of Examiners.
- A candidate shall be permitted to revise and resubmit a thesis for examination once only.
- If a revised and resubmitted thesis is finally accepted, the result shall be either Pass or Fail (i.e. ungraded) and without eligibility for the award of the degree with credit or distinction.
- Where examiners cannot agree on a result, the Convener of Examiners should so report to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sciences) or nominee who shall arrive at a decision after consulting a referee who should normally be external to the University.
Level of Award of the Degree
The degree may be awarded with distinction or with credit.
Variations
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sciences) may in exceptional circumstances approve a course of study which does not comply with these regulations.
Note: The due date for applications for first enrolment in the programme is 10 December. Late applications will be considered.
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