Master of Science (3749)

This is an archived copy of the 2021-2022 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit https://hbook.westernsydney.edu.au.

  • Approved Abbreviation: MSc
  • Western Sydney University Program Code: 3749
  • AQF Level: 9

CRICOS Code: 098472B

This program applies to students who commenced in 2020 or later

Students should follow the program structure for the session start date relevant to the year they commenced.

For Commencement Year 2018 - 2019 - please refer to 3749.1 Master of Science

The Master of Science is an advanced program that can be taken in a number of specialisations: Public Health Nutrition, Food Science, Greenhouse Horticulture or Agriculture. The program builds on students’ professional experience and/or prior qualifications to develop advanced expertise and critical understanding in science and in these disciplines. The program 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 majors, 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.

Early Exits

Students may exit this program on completion of 40 credit points with a 3776 Graduate Certificate in Science (exit only) or on completion of 80 credit points with a 3777 Graduate Diploma in Science (exit only)

Study Mode

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

Program Advice

science@westernsydney.edu.au

Prospective students should visit the following websites for general enquiries about this program.

Enquire about this program| Local Admission | International Admission |

Location

Campus Attendance Mode Advice
Parramatta Campus - Victoria Road Full Time Internal See above
Parramatta Campus - Victoria Road Part Time Internal See above
Hawkesbury Full Time Internal See above
Hawkesbury Part Time Internal See above

Accreditation

On completion of this Program 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 Program 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.

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 program includes a placement or other community-based unpaid practical experience.

There is an optional work component available in this program. Please contact the Program 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

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.

Applications from Australian and New Zealand citizens and holders of permanent resident visas may be made via the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) or directly through the Western Portal. Use the links below to apply via UAC or Western Sydney University. Applications made directly to Western Sydney do not have an application fee.

http://www.uac.edu.au/
https://westernsydney.uac.edu.au/ws/

Applicants who have undertaken studies overseas may have to provide proof of proficiency in English. Local applicants who are applying through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) will find details of minimum English proficiency requirements and acceptable proof on the UAC website. Local applicants applying directly to the University should also use the information provided on the UAC website.

http://www.uac.edu.au/

All other International applicants must apply directly to the University via the International Office.  

International students applying to the University through the International Office can find details of minimum English proficiency requirements and acceptable proof on their website.

International Office

Overseas qualifications must be deemed by the Australian Education International - National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR) to be equivalent to Australian qualifications in order to be considered by UAC and Western Sydney University.

Special Requirements Prerequisites

Subject HLTH 7014 Professional Topic has enrolment restrictions: Student must have permission from the Subject Coordinator to enrol in the subject.

Program 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 subjects

All students are required to complete the following two Subjects:

Subject Title Credit Points
MATH 7016The Nature of Data10
NATS 7055Experiment Design and Project Management10

 Research Capstone Pool

All students are required to complete 20 credit points from:

Subject Title Credit Points
NATS 7033MSc Research Project20
HORT 7004Industry Project10
HORT 7005Industry Project (Extended)10
NATS 7054Professional Topic10
NATS 7057Research Preparation in Post Graduate Studies10

Equivalent Research Capstone Pool Subjects

The subjects listed below count towards completion of this program for students who passed these subjects in 2021 or earlier. 

ENGR 7018 - Research Preparation in Post Graduate Studies, replaced by NATS 7057 Research Preparation in Post Graduate Studies

Major Testamurs

Students are required to complete four major core units from one of the following majors. Students may only select one Major

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 Subject

All students are required to complete the following core unit:

Subject Title Credit Points
MATH 7016The Nature of Data10

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 as follows: 10 credit points of core subjects and at least 10 credit points from Alternate Pool 1 and up to 20 credit points from Alternate Pool 2.

Core Subject

All students are required to complete the following core unit:

Subject Title Credit Points
MATH 7016The Nature of Data10

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

Subject Title Credit Points
NATS 7053MSc Research Project (extended)20
HORT 7004Industry Project10
NATS 7054Professional Topic10
NATS 7016Food Preservation and Packaging Technologies10
NATS 7015Food Evaluation10
NATS 7018Food Quality Management10
NATS 7017Food Product Design10
HLTH 7003Community and Public Health Nutrition10
HLTH 7011Nutritional Assessment Methods10
PUBH 7022Public Health, Policy and Society10
HLTH 7010Nutrition Promotion10
HORT 7006Plant-Climate Interactions in Controlled Environments10
HORT 7001Advanced Greenhouse Technology10
HORT 7002Greenhouse Control Systems10
HORT 7003Greenhouse Crop Production10
AGRI 7001Agricultural Biosecurity10
AGRI 7002Agricultural Biotechnology10
AGRI 7003Agricultural Technologies10
AGRI 7004Livestock Production Systems10
PHYS 7001A Cosmic Perspective10
PHYS 7002Space Instrumentation, Technology and Communication10
PHYS 7003Space Science, Planetary Science and Meteorology10
BIOS 7001Emerging Technologies for Biological Science10
AGEN 7002Ecosystems in a Changing World10
COMP 7006Data Science10
COMP 7023Predictive Analytics10
COMP 7024Programming for Data Science10
COMP 7025Social Media Intelligence10
COMP 7016Visualisation10

Equivalent Subjects 

  
The subjects listed below count towards completion of this program for students who passed these subjects in 2021 or earlier.  

MATH 7011 Predictive Analytics, replaced by  COMP 7023 Predictive Analytics
MATH 7012 Programming for Data Science, replaced by  COMP 7024 Programming for Data Science
MATH 7014 Social Media Intelligence, replaced by  COMP 7025 Social Media Intelligence

Alternate Pool 2

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

Subject Title Credit Points
ACCT 7015Financial Reports for Decision Making10
BUSM 7099Understanding Contemporary Organisations10
MKTG 7019Marketing Systems10
BUSM 7018Contemporary People Management10
ECON 7001Economics10
BUSM 7040Governance, Ethics and Social Entrepreneurship10
BUSM 7086Strategic Business Management10
PUBH 7016Introduction to Epidemiology10
NURS 7022Ethics in Health Research10
ENGR 7017Professional Practice and Communication10
PUBH 7019Occupational Health Management10
PUBH 7024Safety and Risk Management10
CIVL 7014Sustainable Systems10
CIVL 7018Water Treatment and Distribution10
CIVL 7008Advanced Waste Management10
ENVL 7002Planning and Environmental Regulation10
BUSM 7014Compliance Management10
BUSM 7078Project Management10
BUSM 7011Business Operations and Logistics10
BUSM 7092Supply Chain Management10
MKTG 7033Customer Experience10
BUSM 7046Innovation for New Markets10
BUSM 7048Innovation, Creativity and Foresight10
BUSM 7043Industrial Relations and Workplace Change10
BUSM 7024Developing Human Capital and Organisational Capability10
BUSM 7086Strategic Business Management10
PUBH 7011Health Advancement and Health Promotion10
HLTH 7001A Global Perspective on Social Determinants of Health10
HLTH 7015Qualitative Research Methodology in Health10
HLTH 7006Health Services and Facilities Planning10
ARCH 7001Developing Sustainable Places10
POLI 7002Translation from Theory and Research to Policy10
PUBH 7020Policy, Power and Politics in Health Care Provision10
PUBH 7014Health and Socio-political Issues in Aged Care10
PUBH 7004Communicable Diseases10
HLTH 7007Health Workforce Planning10
HLTH 7002Building Organisational Capacity in Health Care10
PUBH 7028Surveillance and Disaster Planning10
PUBH 7015Introduction to Clinical Epidemiology10
PUBH 7006Data Management and Programming for Epidemiology10
PUBH 7010Epidemiology of Non-Communicable Diseases10
PUBH 7005Controversies in Epidemiology10
PUBH 7002Analytic Approaches in Epidemiology10
PUBH 7025Statistical Methods in Epidemiology10

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

Replaced Subjects

The subjects listed below count towards completion of this program for students who passed these subjects in 2020 or earlier. 

MATH 7013 Scientific Informatics