Frequently Asked QuestionsQ: Are applicants with no undergraduate microbiology experience eligible to apply for the Masters/Graduate Diploma in Infectious Diseases?
A: Yes. There is no requirement for prior University experience in Microbiology. The unit Foundations of Infectious Diseases will provide all the necessary background.
The entry criteria are a degree from a recognised university in biomedical science, medicine, dentistry or applied science including nursing. Applicants with related qualifications will be considered on a case by case basis.
Q: Are the 10 Commonwealth supported places available every year or every two years?
A: The ten Commonwealth supported places are available for new students every year in the Masters program. Each place supports the student for 2 years. At this stage, these places are not available for students undertaking the Graduate Diploma.
Q: What is the difference between full fees for domestic students and HECS fees? Can I apply for a Commonwealth supported place if I am a permanent resident?
A: Australian citizens and permanent residence students are eligible for both Commonwealth supported places and full fee paying places. The principle differences between being a full fee paying student or a Commonwealth supported student are the cost for the place and your options for payment.
Domestic students who are paying full fees will pay a total of $12,131 for full time study over one year*.
Domestic students who are granted a Commonwealth supported place will pay a total of $7,118.00 for full time study over one year. Commonwealth supported places are only available to Australian citizens or applicants with permanent resident status.
In both cases, payment is required by the due date in each semester of study for your enrolled units in that semester. Due date for payment is generally the first day of semester. No payments can be accepted after the census date. Your Statement of Account contains the cost and due / census dates.
If you are granted a Commonwealth supported place and you are an Australian citizen or a holder of permanent humanitarian visa you can either defer all or part payment of your student contribution through HECS-HELP or pay up-front. To defer payment you must supply a Tax File Number (TFN). If you make an up-front payment the payment attracts a 20% Commonwealth Government discount (minimum $500 up-front payment is required to attract discount).
If you are granted a Commonwealth supported place and you are a permanent resident you must pay your student contribution up-front. The Commonwealth does not afford these payments the 20% discount.
If you require any further advice in relation to fees, please call the UWA Student Administration Fees Team on (08)6488-8745 or (08)6488-2496.
Full fee-paying students may be eligible for FEE-HELP, a Commonwealth loan scheme to pay tuition fees. Please contact the Fees Team on (08)6488-8745 or (08)6488-2496 if you require further information.
Please note that international students will pay full fees of $26,500 each year. Enquiries should be directed to the International Office at UWA on 61-8-6488-1409 (or to wai-chee.yao@uwa.edu.au).
Q: Are there any scholarships available for students undertaking these courses?
A: Not at this stage.
Q: What will the quota be and how will applicants be selected for the course?
A: There will be no quota for the first intake. For subsequent intakes an overall quota may be applied to keep the numbers in each of the three programmes at or below about 25 students in each year to ensure quality of teaching.
Applicants will be selected on the basis of their academic record and the suitability of their undergraduate training, as stated in the answer to question 1.
Applicants will be selected after consideration of their academic record and an interview.
Q: Can the interview process be carried out by telephone for applicants who are unable to be present in Perth?
A: Yes. This is likely to always be the case for international and interstate applicants. Local applicants should indicate their availability for a face to face interview.
Q: Will it be possible to enrol in the Diploma and convert to Masters?
A: This will be possible because these courses have the same entry requirements. Having completed the Graduate Diploma course, the student would apply for the Masters course, and on acceptance would apply for what is called advanced standing for the units completed in the Diploma which form part of the Masters course.
Q: Can a student enrol in the Masters course whilst still completing units in a Bachelor’s degree eg. Biomedical Science/Commerce double major where several Commerce units are to be completed?
A: Not usually, and not if the degree is a prerequisite for entry to the Masters program.
Q: Will it be possible to do the course part-time?
A: It is possible in principle but full time study is recommended.
Q: Will individual units be available for credit towards other courses?
A: In principle yes, but units can only be credited if permitted by the rules of the Faculty which is responsible for the main course and if the content of the completed unit is equivalent to the unit specified in the rules for the degree.
Q: Will exemptions be given for similar studies undertaken at undergraduate or higher level?
A: UWA does not permit the crediting of undergraduate units to a postgraduate degree. Where students have completed an undergraduate unit which is related to a unit offered in the Masters/Graduate Diploma course, they will be given an alternative unit to complete. Units taken at postgraduate level in another course may be credited within the specified limits. This is done via the Advanced Standing form.
Q: Can students convert from the Masters course to a PhD by research?
A: There is no mechanism available for a direct conversion to a PhD. Applications for PhD candidature are handled by the Graduate Research Office.
Students with a completed Masters in Infectious Diseases who intend to progress to a PhD, will also have completed a research component and dissertation as part of the Masters course. It is likely that this qualification would allow students to qualify for entrance into a PhD program by research, provided all other entrance criteria are met.
Q: Can students do a combined Masters in Infectious Diseases by coursework and a PhD by research?
A: Not at present. However, there are plans to establish such a course in the near future. Q: What will the nature of the teaching/learning be? Will it be lecture based or tutorial/self-directed learning?
A: There will be a mix of lectures, practical classes and tutorials. At postgraduate level the emphasis is on self directed learning. Lectures and practical classes will provide core material, and tutorials will be used to stimulate self directed learning.
Q: What will the contact hours be?
A: The number of contact hours will be relatively modest and most learning will be self directed. For example, for the units to be taken by students entering the Masters course in second semester in 2007, the contact hours will be:
Bioinformatics: Contact time: 4hrs per week for 13 weeks, Lectures: Mondays and Wednesdays 1-2pm Tutorial/computer based exercises: Tuesdays 2-4pm
Science Communication: Contact time: 4hrs per week for 13 weeks, Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays 4-5pm Tutorial/computer based exercises: Tuesdays 5-7pm
Molecular and Cellular Microbiology: Contact time: 10hrs per week for 13 weeks, Lectures: Tuesdays 11-12pm, Fridays 2-3pm and 3-4pm Practical classes: Wednesdays 9-12pm and 2-6pm
The contact hours for all units are listed in the course outlines which were provided at the information evening. Further copies may be obtained from Professor Shellam (geoff.shellam@uwa.edu.au).
Q: Will any part of the course be delivered by distance education?
A: Not at this stage, but this will be considered in future years.
Q: What is the nature of the Masters research project and what is its relationship to an Honours project?
A: Firstly, the Masters research project is undertaken only over one semester (13 weeks) full time under the supervision of an academic or research staff member. The B.Sc. Honours projects run for approximately 26 weeks. Masters students will be required to give a final seminar and submit a dissertation on their research.
Q: What is the quality of a research project that runs for only 13 weeks, and can it be extended?
A: Only high quality projects will be offered to Masters students. Quality will be achieved by choosing supervisors who have a good track record in research. Project proposals will be scrutinised by a panel to ensure that a satisfactory outcome can be achieved in 13 weeks and that there is sufficient infrastructure to support the project. A progress report will also assist the panel to assess how the student is performing. Similar mechanisms are used to ensure quality in B.Sc. Honours projects.
Whether extended projects could be offered in future years has net yet been decided.
Q: Does the research project have to be directly related to mainstream microbiology or can it be in another field related to infectious diseases eg. public health?
A: The project will be broadly related to the content of the Masters program. Many projects will be offered in the area of microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases. However, as discussed below, projects will also be available in other aspects of infectious diseases, including epidemiology and public health.
Q: Will there be any nursing related research projects in infectious diseases?
A: We are keen to provide projects in a variety of areas of infectious diseases. It is anticipated that students with a degree in nursing will be attracted to the Masters course. Research projects in nursing-related areas of infectious diseases will be offered to meet the needs of such students.
Q: Will there be a choice of research projects?
A: The Masters students will have the choice of projects offered in a number of areas including: clinical microbiology (including Clostridium difficile and the epidemiology of hospital acquired infections), novel antimicrobial agents, Helicobacter pylori research (in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate Barry Marshall), bacterial pathogenesis (including Neisseria meningitidis and enterotoxigenic E.coli), pathogenesis or herpes virus infections, arboviruses, vector competence and the dispersal of arboviruses by mosquitoes, and viral immunology and innate immunity. Collaborations with colleagues in adjacent institutions will provide projects in improved diagnostics for infectious agents, molecular epidemiology of influenza virus and other respiratory viruses, Burkholderia and public health microbiology and parasitology (PathWest), hepatitis C virus (School of Medicine and Pharmacology) and infectious diseases in indigenous communities (Telethon Institute for Child Health Research).
Importantly, new collaborations with the School of Population Health will provide projects in the epidemiology of infectious diseases.
In future years it is hoped that some projects may be offered in northern Australia and South East Asia.
In addition, and as an alternative to a research project, practicums will be offered in the diagnostic laboratories of PathWest to enable students to obtain practical skills in a professional setting.
Q: Are both the Masters and Graduate Diploma courses available for entry in either semester one or semester two each year?
A: No. While there are intakes in each semester every year for the Masters course, entry for the Graduate Diploma course is only in the first semester each year. Accordingly, the Graduate Diploma course is not available for entry in semester two of 2007. |