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PRT821 - Master Thesis Part A

2025

Sector

Higher Education

Discipline

Engineering

Credit Points

Equivalent Units

Prerequisites

Must have passed 1 unit in (PRT551) AND Must have passed 6 units in (ENG515, ENG516, ENG519, ENG563, ENG564, ENG565, ENG566, ENG567, ENG569) OR
Must have passed 6 units in (ENG519, ENG524, ENG571, ENG572, ENG573, ENG574, ENG576, ENG579, PRT565) OR
Must have passed 6 units in (ENG519, ENG534, ENG576, ENG579, ENG580, ENG581, ENG582, ENG586, PRT565) OR
Must have passed 6 units in (HIT137, HIT140, HIT234, PRT510, PRT565, PRT581, PRT596) OR
Must have passed 6 units in (HIT137, HIT172, HIT234, HIT274, PRT551, PRT572, PRT573, PRT581) OR
Must have passed 5 units in (HIT137, HIT140, HIT220, HIT234, PRT520, PRT531) OR
Must have passed 6 units in (HIT137, HIT140, HIT234, HIT363, PRT532, PRT541, PRT581) OR
Must have passed 6 units in (HIT137, HIT220, HIT234, HIT391, PRT580, PRT581, PRT582)

Incompatible

Assumed Knowledge

Unit Description

The knowledge and skills acquired in the design, experimentation, analysis, management and communications aspects of a postgraduate course are brought together in an individual research project undertaken by the student under the guidance of supervisors. The research project can be carried out within a university, industry or government setting.

The project you undertake will address a complex, open-ended problem that allows room for the creative, critical and reflective acquisition, analysis and interpretation of results. You will apply your specialised cognitive and technical skills to innovatively solve problems and/or generate knowledge of your discipline and related disciplines. You will communicate your findings in written and oral forms. You will be assisted in this process by your supervisors.

The unit includes mandatory research skills training workshops and exercises and weekly meetings with supervisors.

The Master Thesis is completed over two semesters by completing PRT821 Master Thesis Part A (first enrolment) and PRT822 Master Thesis Part B (second enrolment).

Unit Learning Outcomes

1.	Construct a research proposal for the thesis, specifying the research question, project objectives, scope, approach, deliverables, timeline and resources.
2.	Critically review the literature and previous work on related research problems.
3.	Use a scholarly and creative approach to critically examine the thesis problem and formulate possible solutions of the problem.
4.	Demonstrate a coherent and advanced knowledge of the underlying principles and concepts of the thesis topic.
5.	Use appropriate methodologies based on sound technical knowledge to implement and investigate possible solutions of the problem.
6.	Evaluate preliminary research findings, provide possible explanations to the preliminary results derived and discuss uncertainties, limitations and significance of the preliminary research.
7.	Adopt an independent and professional approach to the thesis research and writing, demonstrating initiative and time management skills.
8.	Communicate complex ideas in plain English and correctly expressed mathematics (when appropriate), using effective and professional communication methods.

Assessment Overview

	Assessment Task	Value (of total mark)	Related Learning Outcome/s
1.	Research plan (indicative number of pages is 10 or 2000 words)	20%	1,8'
2.	Poster presentation (1 Page - A0 Size, indicative word count is 250)	30%	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8'
3.	Interim Report (indicative length is 15 pages of the paper section and 5,000 words of the literature review)	50%	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8'
4.	Weekly progress report forms (80% or more satisfactorily completed) - Hurdle	P/F	7'
5.	Weekly research skills activities (80% or more satisfactorily completed) - Hurdle	P/F	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8'

Unit Availability

Year	Semester	Att Mode	Location	Learning Method	Timetable*
2025	Semester 1	Internal	Casuarina Campus	OLR	View
2025	Semester 1	External	External Studies	OLR	View
2025	Semester 2	Internal	Casuarina Campus	OLR
2025	Semester 2	External	External Studies	OLR

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OLR: Internet access is required for this unit as students are required to access study materials provided on-line through Learnline. Please log into Learnline on the first day of each teaching period. For more information about Learnline, please click here.

Critical Dates

Important Dates for Students

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2025 Domestic Unit Fees (PDF)