Master of Philosophy (MPhil)

MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY (MPHIL)

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) aims to expand knowledge beyond the undergraduate honours or postgraduate diploma level, culminating in a research thesis. Master of Philosophy (MPhil) differs from other postgraduate degrees. The main part of your work will be in the form of a thesis written under the guidance of a principal supervisor and Co-supervisor(s). With the approval from the Graduate School, an external staff or an expert can be appointed to be the associate supervisor. The thesis must, in the opinion of the examiners, be a substantial original contribution to the knowledge or understanding of any field through the discovery of new facts, the formulation of theories or the innovative reinterpretation of known data and established ideas. It must also demonstrate your capacity to conceive, design and complete independent research.

AWARDING BODY

Curtin University

MODE OF DELIVERY

Supervised research study

MODE AND DURATION OF STUDY

Full-time: 1 to 2 years or Part-time: 2 to 4 years

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Academic Qualifications

• Graduated with or qualified for the award of the degree of Bachelor with First Class Honours or Second Class Honours within Curtin University; or
• Graduated with or qualified for the award of Postgraduate Diploma within Curtin University; or
• Graduated with or qualified for the award of the degree of Bachelor within the University with minimum CGPA of 2.75 or equivalent; or
• Graduated with or qualified for the award of the degree of Bachelor within the University with minimum CGPA of 2.50 or equivalent and not meeting CGPA of 2.75 or equivalent subject to rigorous internal assessment or a minimum of 5 years working experience in the relevant field; or
• Obtained qualifications from another institution which are recognised by tertiary admissions authorities in Australia and which are deemed to be equivalent to any of the above criteria.

Remarks: Some programme may require additional requirements, e.g. Bachelor Degree in Accounting or significant experiences in corporate accounting is mandatory for MPhil (Accounting) admission.

English Requirements

• All courses at Curtin University Malaysia are taught in English. Therefore, applicants are required to satisfy Curtin University’s English language proficiency requirement for postgraduate coursework and Higher Degree by Research courses through one of the following ways:

1. Tertiary degree studies undertaken in Australia

• Successful completion of one semester full-time (equivalent to 0.5 EFTSL) of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree level study at a recognised University in Australia.

2. Tertiary degree studies taught in English outside Australia

1. Successful completion of at least one semester full-time or equivalent of an undergraduate or postgraduate coursework degree level study at a recognised University in  New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom; or
2. Successful completion of at least one year full-time or equivalent of an undergraduate or postgraduate coursework degree level study at a recognised University in Canada, Singapore, South Africa or United States of America; or
3. Successful completion of an undergraduate or postgraduate coursework degree from a recognised overseas University, assessed by Curtin University as comparable to the educational level of an Australian Bachelor or Master Degree in which Curtin University recognised English is the sole language of instruction*.

 Internal Assessment notes:

• Use the World Higher Education Database (WHED) to retrieve the language of instruction. Exceptions apply, see details below.
• Except for European countries, if the language of instruction listed in the Diploma Supplement is English, we accept this information over WHED as it is at course level.
• Assumption University, Thailand, English is the medium of instruction for all courses except for Undergraduate Law degree.

3. Undertake an approved English proficiency test.

Any one of the tests in the following table can also be accepted as satisfying Curtin University Malaysia’s English language requirement:

*Results for IELTS and TOEFL are valid for two years.

Applicants who do not meet the above requirement (or qualifications not listed above) will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and provided with alternative pathways where necessary.

Completion of a bachelor degree course in which English was the language of instruction is also considered as meeting the English language requirement. Each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

STUDY SUPPORT

• A work station with 24 hours access
• Stationery support including paper, printing, photocopy
• Research room – well equipped with data and software
• RM1,500/year of financial support for consumables and fieldwork related spending.
• Opportunity to attend specialised research training seminars, professorial training workshops, national or international conferences supported by the University.
• Full online access to research supporting resources (including international journals, conference proceedings, e-books, etc.) provided by the parent campus.

SCHOLARSHIP

• Limited scholarships are available under the Curtin Sarawak Postgraduate Research Scheme. An awardee currently receives a stipend of RM2,100 per month and tuition fees will also be waived. In return, awardees are expected to contribute a maximum of 8 hours of teaching activities per week during semesters.

Fee Waiver

• Limited number of fee waivers are available under the Faculty of Business, Curtin Malaysia. An awardee currently receives a course fee waiver only. In return, awardees are expected to contribute a maximum of 8 hours of teaching activities per week during semesters.