¾«¶«´«Ã½app

CRICOS code (International applicants): 083407A

Back to top

Contact us

Back to top

Professional accreditation

This program has conditional accreditation at Professional level by the Australian Computer Society. As a new program, the conditional accreditation will be reviewed for renewal at the end of 2015.

Back to top

Program aims

The Master of Computing Technology aims to produce graduates coming from any discipline who can work as web information professionals, system and network administrators, database administrators, database designers, IT managers or software engineers.

Back to top

Program objectives

Successful completion of the program will enable graduates to:

• work as a professional in the Information Technology industry

• acquire specific knowledge and skills in information technology in one or several of the following areas:

  • web information systems

  • software engineering

  • networking, or

  • network commerce

  
  

• understand a broad range of topics in information technology

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

• lead discussions relating to the computing aspects of their workplace

• become better problem solvers and innovative thinkers, with the ability to learn new skills independently and efficiently, and consequently to succeed in a competitive professional environment

• identify information needs appropriate to their area of specialisation, and apply the techniques required to gather and interpret such information

• demonstrate skills in the analysis and determination of technological issues at management level

• identify, analyse and solve problems in one or more areas of technology by selecting and using either quantitative or qualitative techniques appropriate to the resolution of technological problems

• satisfy academic admission requirements for membership of relevant professional bodies

• identify, interpret and evaluate major issues in a range of contemporary business information technology areas

• apply acquired knowledge associated with their studies to work environments

• articulate the principal theories, concepts and applications associated with their selected business information technology area(s)

• understand and act in accordance with the ethics of their profession.

Back to top

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 .

Back to top

Admission requirements

To qualify for entry to the program, applicants must:

1. hold a Bachelor's degree from an Australian university or equivalent and

2. have introductory knowledge of computing, consistent with that found in:

   • and

   • and

   
   

This knowledge and skills can be acquired by:

• completing these courses as a USQ student in an award or non-award program; or

• studying equivalent courses at other universities; or

• work experience, in which case applicants will need to provide suitable evidence of the acquisition of the skills and knowledge.

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.

Back to top

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 .

Back to top

Program structure

Master of Computing Technology (MCTN) consists of 16 units of courses from the following three course groups subject to the following restrictions:

• four units of research skills and training ( and )

• two mandatory courses ( and )

• at least four units of Level 8 courses from the following Group 3 CSC courses

• no Level 1 courses will be credited towards the program

• no more than three units of courses may be at Level 2

• with approval of the program coordinator, no more than two units of courses at Level 2 may come from outside the following Group 1 CSC courses.

Students who want to select courses from outside the following table need approval from the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences.

These tables of courses may vary from time to time as the range of courses offered within the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app changes. Courses which are relevant to the goals of a student and consistent with the purposes of this program may be allowed at the discretion of the Program Coordinator.

Students may undertake a specialisation in one of the fields shown in the following table by completing the associated courses. A specialisation represents a grouping of related courses. Note that it is not compulsory to undertake a specialisation in this program.

Back to top

Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 6 years to complete the MCTN.

Back to top

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. Software is specified on a course-by-course basis and, in some instances, it is provided with the textbook required for the course. The use of Macintosh computers may require the installation of virtualisation software and guest OSes.

Back to top

Articulation

Upon successful completion of the GDTI Graduate Diploma of Information Technology or GCSC Graduate Certificate of Science, students may articulate into the Master of Computing Technology (MCTN) with up to a maximum of eight units of credit in accordance with the MCTN requirements.

Students may apply to enrol in the USQ Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program upon completion of the Master of Computing Technology if they have achieved an overall GPA of 5.5 or higher.

Back to top

Exit points

Students enrolled in the MCTN program who wish to exit without completing the program may be awarded:

• the Graduate Diploma of Professional Computing (GDPC) if they have completed at least eight units, including 4 units at Level 8, (excluding exemptions and credit transfers); or

• the Graduate Certificate of Professional Computing (GCPC) if they have completed at least four units, including 2 units at Level 8, (excluding exemptions and credit transfers) in accordance with the GCPC requirements.

Back to top

Credit

Candidates for admission to the Master of Computing Technology program are eligible to seek credit, in accordance with ¾«¶«´«Ã½app regulations. The maximum number of credits permitted will be four (4) undergraduate units and four (4) postgraduate units from group 2 courses listed in the Program Structure. Studies used as the basis for claims for credit will normally have been completed within a period of five years prior to the date of application for credit.

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

Back to top

Enrolment

Students should select their own courses, using the list provided at Program structure keeping in mind the requirements to graduate outlined also in the Program structure. If unsure about a suitable enrolment pattern, students should contact the Program Coordinator.

Students wishing to specialise should follow one of the recommended enrolment patterns below.

Recommended enrolment patterns

In this section:

• Software and the Web specialisation recommended enrolment pattern - Semester 1 intake
• Software and the Web specialisation recommended enrolment pattern - Semester 2 intake
• Networking and System Security specialisation recommended enrolment pattern - Semester 1 intake
• Networking and System Security specialisation recommended enrolment pattern - Semester 2 intake

Back to top

Software and the Web specialisation 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.

Back to top

Software and the Web specialisation 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.

Back to top

Networking and System Security specialisation 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.

Back to top

Networking and System Security specialisation 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.