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Master of Computing (MCOP) - MComp

CRICOS code (International applicants): 066847G

 On-campus*External*Online
Semester intake:Semester 1 (February)
Semester 2 (July)
Semester 1 (February)
Semester 2 (July)
Semester 1 (February)
Semester 2 (July)
Campus:Toowoomba Toowoomba -
Fees:Commonwealth supported place
Domestic full fee paying place
International full fee paying place
Commonwealth supported place
Domestic full fee paying place
International full fee paying place
Standard duration:1.5 years full-time, 3 years part-time, 4.5 years maximum 
Program articulation:

From: Graduate Diploma of Information Technology

Footnotes
*Please consult the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences for more information about articulation from the Graduate Diploma of Information Technology

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Contact us

Future Australian and New Zealand students  Future International students  Current students 

Freecall (within Australia): 1800 269 500
Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 5315
Email: study@usq.edu.au 

Phone: +61 7 4631 5543
Email: international@usq.edu.au 

Freecall (within Australia): 1800 007 252
Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 2285
Email: usq.support@usq.edu.au 

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Professional accreditation

This program is accredited at Professional level by the Australian Computer Society.

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Program objectives

The general objective of the Master of Computing is to produce graduates who possess high-level skills in computing theory, practice and research, who are attractive to employers, and are able to contribute to an appropriate professional body. Graduates will be able to pursue further studies, such as a Doctor of Philosophy , will be able to contribute to the discipline of computing, take advantage of research literature, and have an understanding of how to undertake their own research.

Graduates will be able to:

  • design, manage and develop complex software systems in an effective manner

  • understand a broad range of topics in theoretical computer science

  • undertake a study of the literature in an area of computer science and make an assessment of that area

  • apply theoretical concepts from computer science to appropriate computing problems

  • identify computing problems requiring further research and develop research methods for those problems.


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Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 09. Graduates at this level will have specialised knowledge and skills for research, and/or professional practice and/or further learning.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting .

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Admission requirements

To qualify for entry to the program applicants must:

  • hold a Bachelor's degree from an Australian ¾«¶«´«Ã½app in the field of computing; OR

  • hold a Bachelor's degree from a recognised ¾«¶«´«Ã½app in the field of computing; OR

  • have completed either the Graduate Diploma of Information Technology , the Graduate Diploma of Professional Computing or the Graduate Diploma of Advanced Computing through USQ; OR

  • have an approved qualification at least equivalent to one of the above.


All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

If you do not meet the English language requirements you may apply to study a ¾«¶«´«Ã½app-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, you may be admitted to an award program.

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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 .

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Program structure

To be eligible for the award of Master of Computing, each student is required to complete a four unit research project ( and ), , , and at least six units found in the coursework table below. Any courses completed as part of an undergraduate program for which an award has been given, will not attract credit for the Master of Computing. Exemptions or credit for previous study will not be permitted except for incomplete studies.

Students seeking Skill Accreditation, or other accreditations from professional bodies such as the Australian Computer Society, should seek advice from the professional bodies before they apply for credits or exemptions.

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Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 4.5 years to complete this program.

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Coursework

The coursework will consist of six courses chosen from those in the table below.

At least three courses will be Group 1 Courses. Exemptions or credit for previous study will not be permitted except for incomplete studies. However, if deemed appropriate with the aims of the program, and subject to approval by the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences, students may include up to three units of other study at the appropriate level.

Students seeking Skill Accreditation, or other accreditations from professional bodies such as the Australian Computer Society, should seek advice from the professional bodies before they apply for credits or exemptions.

Coursework 
Group 1 Courses 
Semester 1  Semester 2 
   
 
   
   
  †&²Ô²ú²õ±è;
   
Group 2 Courses
Semester 1  Semester 2 
   
   
   
   

Footnotes
#This course replaces CSC8409 which has been discontinued.
† will not run in 2016
^From S2, 2016 CSC3400, CSC3403, CSC3412, CSC3407, CSC3413 and CSC3427 will be replaced with Level 8 courses.

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Research

In addition to the coursework, each student is required to complete a four-unit research project. To satisfy this requirement, students will complete both of the two-unit courses, and . Subject to approval by the Postgraduate Coordinator, these courses may be taken in Semester 1 or 2.

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IT requirements

All students are required to have access to the Internet and to a personal computer running Microsoft Windows and Linux. The Department provides assistance with installing Linux for students who may not have done so before.

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.

Compliance with these recommendations will ensure students receive the computing help needed if experiencing problems.

Macintosh computers are acceptable but not recommended due to the software used in the courses.

Software is specified on a course-by-course basis and, in some instances, it is provided with the textbook required for the course.

The ¾«¶«´«Ã½app has installed a wireless network for students' computers. In order to take advantage of this facility and further enhance their on-campus learning environment, students should consider purchasing a notebook/laptop computer with wireless connectivity. A notebook/laptop may be required for some courses.

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Articulation

Upon successful completion of the GDTI Graduate Diploma of Information Technology, students may articulate into the Master of Computing (MCOP) with up to a maximum of four credit units transfer from the GDTI to MCOP in accordance with the MCOP requirements.

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Exit points

Students enrolled in this Master's program who wish to exit without completing the program may be awarded the Graduate Diploma of Advanced Computing (GDAC) if they have completed, in accordance with the requirements of the Master of Computing, at least eight units or the Graduate Certificate of Advanced Computing (GCAC) if they have completed, in accordance with the requirements of the Master of Computing, at least four units.

PhD program entry requirements

Students wishing to enrol in the USQ Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program may satisfy the entry requirements for that program in one of the following two ways:

  • Complete the Master of Computing, and achieve a GPA of 5.5 or higher;

  • Exit the MCOP via the Graduate Diploma of Advanced Computing (GDAC) having completed 4 level 8 courses and 4 units of research with a GPA of 6.0 or higher.


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Credit

Exemptions or credits for previous study other than those listed in the Articulation section will not be permitted in the Master of Computing except for incomplete studies.

Students seeking Skill Accreditation, or other accreditations from professional bodies such as the Australian Computer Society, should seek advice from the professional bodies before they apply for credits or exemptions.

Recommended enrolment patterns

In this section:

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Recommended enrolment pattern - Semester 1 intake

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

The following enrolment pattern represents possible plans and may be modified to suit individual needs. Students should plan their enrolment making sure that they have fulfilled all requirements as shown in the program structure information. Enrolment requirements must be satisfied before enrolling in a course. If unsure about a suitable enrolment pattern, students should contact the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences.


CourseYear of program and semester
in which course is normally studied
Enrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem

First Year

Choose two of the following::

     1111Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN or GCSC or GDSI or MSCN.
     1111Pre-requisite: or enrolled in at the same time as or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN
     1111Pre-requisite: Some experience with a Unix Operating System and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN
     1111Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN

Choose two of the following::

     1111Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     1111Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     1111Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     1111Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     1111Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE

Choose one of the following::

     1212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN
     1212Pre-requisite: or and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN
     1212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     #1212Pre-requisite: and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     1212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE
     1212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     â€ 1212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     1212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE
*1212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCTN or MCOP or MCTE or BSCH or MSCN or have the approval of their program coordinator
1212

Second Year

*2121Pre-requisite:
2121Pre-requisite: and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN or MCOP or MSCN (Applied Data Science)

Choose one of the following::

     2121Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     2121Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     2121Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     2121Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     2121Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE

Footnotes
#This course replaces CSC8409, which has been discontinued.
† will not run in 2016
*2 units

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Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Semester 2 intake

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

The following enrolment pattern represents possible plans and may be modified to suit individual needs. Students should plan their enrolment making sure that they have fulfilled all requirements as shown in the program structure information. Enrolment requirements must be satisfied before enrolling in a course. If unsure about a suitable enrolment pattern, students should contact the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences.


CourseYear of program and semester
in which course is normally studied
Enrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem

First Year

1212

Choose one of the following::

     1212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN
     1212Pre-requisite: or and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN

Choose two of the following:

     1212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     #1212Pre-requisite: and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     1212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE
     1212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     â€ 1212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     1212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE

Second Year

*2121Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCTN or MCOP or MCTE or BSCH or MSCN or have the approval of their program coordinator
2121Pre-requisite: and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN or MCOP or MSCN (Applied Data Science)

Choose one of the following::

     2121Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN or GCSC or GDSI or MSCN.
     2121Pre-requisite: or enrolled in at the same time as or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN
     2121Pre-requisite: Some experience with a Unix Operating System and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN
     2121Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN
     2121Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     2121Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     2121Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     2121Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     2121Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE
*2222Pre-requisite:

Choose one of the following:

     2222Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN
     2222Pre-requisite: or and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDTI or GCSC or MCTN

Choose one of the following:

     2222Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     #2222Pre-requisite: and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     2222Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE
     2222Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     â€ 2222Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE or MSSC or MENC or MEPR or MENS or METC or MSST or MCTN
     2222Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MCOP or MPIT or MCOT or MCTE

Footnotes
#This course replaces CSC8409, which has been discontinued.
† will not run in 2016
*2 units