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Master of Science

Approved Abbreviation: MSc


Western Sydney University Course Code: 3749.2

AQF Level: 9

CRICOS Code: 098472B


Students should follow the course structure for the course version relevant to the year they commenced. This version applies to students whose commencement year in this course is Spring 2020 or later.

For Commencement Year 2018, please refer to: 3749.1 Master of Science

The Master of Science is an advanced course that can be taken in a number of specialisations: Public Health Nutrition, Food Science, Greenhouse Horticulture or Agriculture. The course builds on students’ professional experience and/or prior qualifications to develop advanced expertise and critical understanding in science and in these disciplines. The course is completed with a capstone unit that is designed to integrate the various themes that flow throughout the program and develop research skills in science. Depending on the specialisation, students may find employment at a senior level in a wide range of destinations, including federal, state and local government bodies, universities, research organisations, food and agriculture industries, private companies, health facilities, science-based industries, or private consultancies.

Students should note that travel to different campuses may be required depending on the specialisation chosen.

Study Mode
Two years full-time or the equivalent part-time. Students will be required to attend the Hawkesbury campus for some learning experiences.

Accreditation
On completion of this course graduates with the Food Science Specialisation will be eligible for professional membership of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology. On completion of this course graduates with the Public Health Nutrition Specialisation will be eligible for apply to be an Associate Nutritionist (Anutr) or a Registered Public Health Nutritionist (RPHNutr) if combined with three years of suitable work experience with the Nutrition Society of Australia and/or a Certified Public Health Nutritionist (cPHN) with the World Public Health Nutrition Association. Students may also be eligible to apply for professional membership of Public Health Association of Australia and Australian Health Promotion Association. On completion of this course with graduates with the Greenhouse Horticulture specialisation, will be eligible to apply for membership of Protected Cropping Australia and the Hydroponic Farmers Federation.

Admission

Applicants must have successfully completed an undergraduate degree, or higher, in natural or physical science, medical science, environmental studies, agriculture, horticulture, food science, food technology, nutrition or dietetics.

If you have completed relevant prior study or have relevant professional experience, you may be eligible for credit towards your Master of Science which can reduce the duration of your program. Applicants should consult the Director of Academic Programs for further information.

Special Requirements Prerequisites
Students must have permission from the Unit Coordinator to enrol in 301374 Professional Topic

Work Integrated Learning

Western Sydney University seeks to enhance student learning experiences by enabling students to engage in the culture, expectations and practices of their profession or discipline. This course includes a placement or other community-based unpaid practical experience.

There is an optional work component available in this course. Please contact the Course Advisor listed above for information.

International students should be aware that if an elective is a requirement of the course but the work itself was not registered with CRICOS, students can still complete these electives but it would be counted towards the work limitation. For more details, refer to the 'Work Integrated Learning (WIL) for international students' website.

The course uses workplaces as a source of learning, with site excursions for some Specialisations. Some students may undertake an industry project as part of 301374 Professional Topic or 301361 Industry Project or 301362 Industry Project Extended. Students will be supervised on site visits by arrangement with the industry partner and overseen by an academic staff member.

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) for international students

Course Structure

Qualification for this award requires the successful completion of 160 credit points comprising:

20 credit points of core units and 20 credit points of research capstone units and 40 credit points of specialisation units and at least 40 credit points from Alternate Pool 1 and up to 40 credit points from Alternate Pool 2.

Please note that the full course structure is shown in each of the specialisation documents and handbook links.

Core units

All students are required to complete the following two units:

301114The Nature of Data
301371Experiment Design and Project Management

Research Capstone Pool

All students are required to complete 20 credit points from:

401156MSc Research Project
301361Industry Project
301362Industry Project (Extended)
301374Professional Topic
301387Research Preparation in Post Graduate Studies

Note: Unit 301387 Research Preparation in Post Graduate Studies replaces 301004 Research Preparation in Post Graduate Studies from Autumn 2021.

Specialisations

Students are required to complete four specialisation core units from one of the following specialisations. Students may only select one specialisation

ST3076Agriculture
ST3077Food Science
ST3078Greenhouse Horticulture
ST3079Public Health Nutrition

Alternate Pool

Complete 80 credit points comprising:

at least 40 credit points from Alternate Pool 1 AND up to 40 credit points from Alternate Pool 2.

Graduate Diploma in Science (Exit only)

Qualification for this award requires the successful completion of 80 credit points comprising: 10 credit points of core units and 70 credit points of alternate units comprising at least 30 credit points from Alternate Pool 1 and up to 40 credit points from Alternate Pool 2.

Core unit

All students are required to complete the following core unit:

301114The Nature of Data

Alternate Pool

Students are required to complete 70 credit points comprising: at least 30 credit points from Alternate Pool 1 AND up to 40 credit points from Alternate Pool 2.

Graduate Certificate in Science (Exit only)

Qualification for this award requires the successful completion of 40 credit points comprising: 10 credit points of core units and at least 10 credit points from Alternate Pool 1 AND up to 20 credit points from Alternate Pool 2.

Core unit

All students are required to complete the following core unit:

301114The Nature of Data

Alternate Pool:

Students are required to complete 30 credit points as follows: Choose at least 10 credit points from Alternate Pool 1 and choose up to 20 credit points from Alternate Pool 2.

Alternate Pool 1

This pool comprises science units across different disciplines which complement your specialisation.

301372MSc Research Project (extended)
301361Industry Project
301374Professional Topic
301180Food Preservation and Packaging Technologies
301181Food Evaluation
301182Food Quality Management
301183Food Product Design
301186Community and Public Health Nutrition
301184Nutritional Assessment Methods
400416Public Health, Policy and Society
301185Nutrition Promotion
301357Plant-Climate Interactions in Controlled Environments
301358Advanced Greenhouse Technology
301359Greenhouse Control Systems
301360Greenhouse Crop Production
301368Agricultural Biosecurity
301369Agricultural Biotechnology
301370Agricultural Technologies
301373Livestock Production Systems
301037Scientific Informatics
301247A Cosmic Perspective
301248Space Instrumentation, Technology and Communication
301249Space Science, Planetary Science and Meteorology
800186Emerging Technologies for Biological Science
800170Ecosystems in a Changing World
301044Data Science
301117Predictive Analytics
301113Programming for Data Science
301116Social Media Intelligence
301112Visualisation

Alternate Pool 2

This pool comprises units from other fields that add breadth to your studies.

200821Financial Reports for Decision Making
200825Understanding Contemporary Organisations
200737Marketing Systems
200826Contemporary People Management
200425Economics
200848Governance, Ethics and Social Entrepreneurship
200841Strategic Business Management
401076Introduction to Epidemiology
400975Ethics in Health Research
301005Professional Practice and Communication
300391Occupational Health Management
300677Safety and Risk Management
301003Sustainable Systems
301279Water Treatment and Distribution
301017Advanced Waste Management
101634Planning and Environmental Regulation
200776Compliance Management
51240Project Management
200838Business Operations and Logistics
200329Supply Chain Management
201022Customer Experience
200851Innovation for New Markets
200852Innovation, Creativity and Foresight
200719Industrial Relations and Workplace Change
200827Developing Human Capital and Organisational Capability
200841Strategic Business Management
400418Health Advancement and Health Promotion
400841A Global Perspective on Social Determinants of Health
401238Qualitative Research Methodology in Health
400844Health Services and Facilities Planning
101636Developing Sustainable Places
102180Translation from Theory and Research to Policy
400238Policy, Power and Politics in Health Care Provision
400837Health and Socio-political Issues in Aged Care
400840Communicable Diseases
400843Health Workforce Planning
400846Building Organisational Capacity in Health Care
400847Surveillance and Disaster Planning
401173Introduction to Clinical Epidemiology
401179Data Management and Programming for Epidemiology
401174Epidemiology of Non-Communicable Diseases
401178Controversies in Epidemiology
401175Analytic Approaches in Epidemiology
401176Statistical Methods in Epidemiology

Please note that the availability of Alternate Units may vary from year to year. New units may become available and some others discontinued. The most recent version of course 3749 Master of Science indicates which units are offered in the course. The School will publish information on which units are available in a session.



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