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This program is currently undergoing discontinuation. If approved, there will be no further intake into this program beyond Semester 2, 2020. For any further information please .

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Program aims

This program is specifically designed for prospective students who require professional development or qualifications upgrade. The program also aims to produce graduates who have an advanced awareness, understanding and appreciation of the complexities of human thought, expression and behaviour as reflected in a specified discipline area. Graduates will also have demonstrated their capacity for specialised study, research and scholarship at a higher level and/or in applying knowledge in employment or community service, and have enhanced further their personal, cultural, creative and intellectual capacities.

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Program objectives

On successful completion of the program students should:

• have advanced their professional knowledge in a manner that is appropriate to career progression

• be able to evaluate and to analyse critically a range of ideas and theories pertaining to the creative arts or humanities

• have acquired advanced knowledge, skills and competency in the content, epistemology and appreciation or practice of a particular discipline

• be able to conceive, plan and execute a project requiring research, scholarship, composition, and interpretation at an advanced level.

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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 be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

• Completion of an Australian Bachelor degree such as a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Creative Arts or equivalent from a recognised institution, with a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 5.0, and

• A minimum of two years professional experience for those seeking entry to the Creative Arts major in the given discipline/field.

• English Language Proficiency requirements for Category 3.

Applicants for the Creative Arts major are advised to also address the following:

• Applicants must have completed a major in their discipline area or have equivalent professional experience. A portfolio of the applicant's creative work is to be made available upon request.

• Applicants must also include a report of no more than five pages, addressing the criteria below, and a 300 word description of the proposed project. Please advise the following:

  • how your proposed research will advance your professional knowledge in a manner that is appropriate to your career progression/aspirations

  • how your proposed research will evaluate and critically analyse a range of theories and methodologies pertaining to your sector/field in the creative arts

  • how your proposed research will be managed and evaluated - detail the resources you will need to complete this project (include equipment, personnel etc)

  • what your perceived outcome is for this research/project and who (other than yourself) stands to benefit from your research/project.

  
  

• Students intending to undertake research or project work should note that selection of any research topic is subject to the availability of an appropriate supervisor, and students must accept school guidance in their selection of a research topic.

• Students who have graduated with USQ's Graduate Certificate of Business and have a minimum of 2 years' full-time (or 4 years part-time) industry/professional work experience, or equivalent, will be considered for admission to the Corporate Communication major only in the Master of Arts.

• Students who have graduated with USQ’s Graduate Certificate of Editing and Publishing will be considered for admission to the Editing and Publishing major only in the Master of Arts .

All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

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

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Program fees

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. Students 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. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

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Program structure

The following majors are available in the Master of Arts:

• Corporate Communication

  Students have the opportunity to undertake a Corporate Communication specialisation with 8 units of coursework and a thesis or exegesis.

• Creative Arts

  The major includes coursework in areas of interest and a thesis or exhibition/performance-based research project with exegesis. The following disciplines can be studied:

  • Film, Television and Radio

  • Music

  • Theatre

  • Visual Arts.

  
  

• Editing and Publishing

  Editing and Publishing gives students the opportunity to further develop their skills and understanding of the theoretical, legal, ethical and practical elements of editing and publishing and of publishing management. ¾«¶«´«Ã½app consists of coursework and a thesis or exegesis.

• Humanities and Communication

  The major includes coursework in areas of interest and a thesis or exegesis. The following disciplines can be studied within this major:

  • Communications and Media Studies

  • History

  • International Relations

  • Journalism

  • Social Sciences.

  
  

Depending on the discipline chosen, Master of Arts students choose 12 units of study comprising either:

• 8 units of coursework and 4 units of supervised research resulting in a thesis (20,000 words) or practice-based project with exegesis (10,000 words). The thesis, or practice-based project with exegesis, must be completed over two semesters.

• 6 units of coursework and 6 units of supervised research resulting in a thesis (30,000 words) or practice-based project with exegesis (20,000 words). The research component must be completed over three consecutive semesters.

The program can be undertaken full-time in 1.5 years, or part-time over 3 to 4 years. Part-time enrolment will normally be coursework in years one and two, and thesis and/or project work in year three, depending on the pathway chosen.

Please refer to the recommended enrolment patterns for further details on offerings from each discipline.

Please note: Students must choose either the Thesis OR Project/Exegesis pathway for Masters enrolment across the degree program. Students will not be able to change from thesis to exegesis in the course of undertaking research within this Masters program.

Semester 3: No courses will be offered in Semester 3 and students will not be able to commence the Masters program in Semester 3.

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Program completion requirements

Students are required to complete 12 unit points within a consistent pattern as described within the Program Structure.

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Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 6 years to complete this program.

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Core courses

Core courses are essential to developing the skills required to conduct scholarly activity and independent research at Masters level.

All students in the Corporate Communication; Editing and Publishing; and Humanities and Communication majors must enrol in the following courses:

All students in the Creative Arts major must enrol in:

Students wishing to undertake the Creative Arts (6-unit thesis or exegesis) or the Humanities and Communication (6- unit thesis or exegesis) for future PhD studies must also enrol in .

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Major studies

A Major ¾«¶«´«Ã½app is a group of courses having 12 units in value within the program, and is designed to provide students with:

• specialised knowledge in selected areas of a particular discipline

• the opportunity to develop research and/or practical skills in a particular discipline.

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Coursework

The Coursework component of the Master of Arts degree program constitutes at least 8 specific units of study in one major. For details, consult the recommended enrolment patterns.

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Research

Intending Master of Arts students should contact the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts during their first semester of study to ensure that appropriate supervision is available for the proposed thesis topic and other projects. As the research and advanced project pathways available within the Master of Arts degree constitute 4 (or 6) of the 12 units required for successful completion of the program, it is essential that students have developed a project plan which is able to be effectively supervised and resourced.

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IT requirements

For information technology requirements please refer to the .

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Exit points

Students who have completed 4 approved units of postgraduate study in the Master of Arts may exit with the award of a Graduate Certificate of Arts (GCAR). Students who have completed 4 courses in the Editing and Publishing major will be eligible to exit from the Master of Arts with a Graduate Certificate of Editing and Publishing. Students who have completed 8 approved units of study in the Master of Arts may exit with the award of Graduate Diploma of Arts (GDAT).

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Credit

Credit may be granted on the basis of completed equivalent postgraduate or undergraduate study (Honours AQF Level 8 only) from a recognised university. The application for credit based on accredited prior learning normally is submitted when applying for admission to the program. In order for a credit to be granted, the claim must meet the following specific requirements:

• the course was passed within five years prior to the application (courses up to 10 years old may be considered if evidence is provided that the applicant has been employed in that field)

• the course passed is equivalent in objectives, content and weightings to a course prescribed in the Master of Arts degree, or alternatively, the course is suitable as an elective

• credit for research activity will be dependent on currency and relevance to the proposed Masters study

• the maximum number of units which may be credited in the Master of Arts program is six

• credits approved in this program will not automatically apply to other programs offered by the USQ.

Claims for credit should be submitted prior to or at the time of enrolment in a course. Each claim will be assessed on individual merit in line with the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app’s credit policies.

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Course transfers

Students should contact the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts for advice.

Recommended enrolment patterns

In this section:

• Corporate Communication recommended enrolment pattern
• Creative Arts recommended enrolment pattern (4-unit thesis or exegesis)
• Creative Arts recommended enrolment pattern (6-unit thesis or exegesis)
• Editing and Publishing recommended enrolment pattern
• Humanities and Communication recommended enrolment pattern (4-unit thesis or exegesis)
• Humanities and Communication recommended enrolment pattern (6- unit thesis or exegesis)

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Corporate Communication recommended enrolment pattern

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.

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Creative Arts recommended enrolment pattern (4-unit thesis or exegesis)

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.

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Creative Arts recommended enrolment pattern (6-unit thesis or exegesis)

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.

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Editing and Publishing recommended enrolment pattern

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.

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Humanities and Communication recommended enrolment pattern (4-unit thesis or exegesis)

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.

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Humanities and Communication recommended enrolment pattern (6- unit thesis or exegesis)

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.