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Viewing Future Course Information
The information below will be relevant from 10/03/2025.Click Here to view current information
CM63 - Master of Arts
Overview
Course Overview
The Master of Arts is a coursework qualification where you take a deep dive into an arts or humanities discipline of your choice. You will complete a literature review of an arts or humanities related issue and create a plan for how that issue will be investigated in a dissertation. You will build on your undergraduate knowledge of the underlying principles and concepts in a humanities or arts discipline by selecting a specific research topic consulting with an academic advisor. You will gain practical research skills as well as in-depth knowledge of your chosen research topic. You will also acquire advanced cognitive skills and be able to review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise knowledge and be able to identify and provide solutions to complex problems with intellectual independence. You will undertake a dissertation that will demonstrate an appropriate level of mastery in your chosen arts or humanities discipline.
Career Information
A Master of Arts degree provides the opportunity to build on your undergraduate arts-related studies at a higher level, specialising in a particular area of interest. A Master of Arts degree is a rigorous and scholarly course of further study, which develops your ability to generate new knowledge and distil new ideas out of existing knowledge. Graduates with a Masters qualification are particularly sought after by employers and can choose from more interesting research and development positions because of their extra skills and proven abilities. It can also provide a pathway to PhD study. Completing the Master of Arts degree involves an additional full-time year of study (or the equivalent) following completion of a CQUniversity Bachelor course in Arts, Digital Media, Music or Theatre. Graduates of other university arts/humanities Bachelor courses will need to satisfy the entry requirements of the course and may be eligible for some credit.
Course Details
| Duration | 1.5 years full-time or 3 years part-time |
|---|---|
| Credit Points that Must be Earned | 72 |
| Number of Units Required | CQUniversity uses the concept of credits to express the amount of study required for a particular course and individual units. The number of units varies between courses. Units in postgraduate courses normally consist of 6 points of credit or multiples thereof (e.g. 12, 18, 24). |
| Expected Hours of Study | One point of credit is equivalent to an expectation of approximately two hours of student work per week in a term. |
| Course Type | Postgraduate Award |
| Qualification (post nominal) | MArts |
| AQF Level | Level 9: Masters Degree (Coursework) |
Admission Codes
|
Domestic Students Tertiary Admission Centre Codes (TAC) Codes |
Not Applicable |
|---|---|
|
International Students CRICOS Codes |
Not Applicable |
Where and when can I start?
Units offered internally at the below campuses may be delivered using a combination of face-to-face and video conferencing style teaching.
Units offered via MIX mode are delivered online and require compulsory attendance of site-specific learning activities such as on-campus residential schools, placements and/or work integrated learning. See Course Features tab for further information. Online units are delivered using online resources only.
Please Click Here for more information.
Units offered via MIX mode are delivered online and require compulsory attendance of site-specific learning activities such as on-campus residential schools, placements and/or work integrated learning. See Course Features tab for further information. Online units are delivered using online resources only.
Please Click Here for more information.
The following tables list the courses availabilities by location and term. Directing your pointer over your preferred location will provide further information if this course is not available for the full duration. Please be sure to also check individual unit availability by location and term prior to enrolling.
Domestic Availability
Term 2 - 2025
Online
Term 1 - 2025
Online
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International Availability
Term 2 - 2025
Sorry, no international availabilities found.
Term 1 - 2025
Sorry, no international availabilities found.
Show All
For any problems regarding admissions availability for the selected course please contact
13 CQUni (13 27 86) or send us an email at
http://contactus.cqu.edu.au/
What do I need to start?
Entry Requirements
All applicants
All applicants for the Master of Arts course will be required to complete an audition/interview where you will demonstrate your suitability for admission to this post-graduate course in your specific arts or humanities discipline. For applicants to performing arts disciplines, this will include a performance audition in your chosen discipline. For applicants to visual arts, music composition, digital media, communication or humanities disciplines, this may include the presentation of a portfolio of work in your chosen discipline. All applicants will complete the interview with the Head of Course and nominated discipline experts from the College of Arts either face-to-face or online through video conferencing.
CQUniversity graduate applicants:
In addition to the audition/interview, to be eligible for entry into this course, applicants must hold:
A completed CQUniversity Bachelor degree in one of the below arts or humanities disciplines:
- Bachelor of Arts;
- Bachelor of Digital Media;
- Bachelor of Music;
- Bachelor of Theatre.
Applicants who have completed four of the discipline units within their Bachelor degree will be eligible for credit for these units in the Master of Arts course. Applicants who have completed one of the nominated CQUniversity degrees without these discipline units will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the Head of Course for eligibility for credit for the discipline units in the Master of Arts course.
External graduate applicants:
In addition to the audition/interview, to be eligible for entry into this course, applicants must hold a completed Bachelor degree in any arts or humanities discipline and provide documented evidence of advanced discipline-specific activity or study. This may include, but is not confined to:
- relevant industry experience or placement;
- scholarly publications;
- professional performances or recordings;
- achievements relevant to the discipline.
Applicants may be eligible for credit for the discipline units and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the Head of Course as part of the interview/audition process. Applicants who are not deemed to be eligible for credit for the discipline units will be required to successfully complete four discipline units, as single non-award units. before commencing the final four units of the Master of Arts.
English Language Proficiency Requirements
If you were not born in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa or United States of America, you are required to meet the English Language Proficiency requirements set by the University.
Applicants are required to provide documentation confirming completion of:
- A secondary qualification (Year 11 and 12, or equivalent), or
- An Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Certificate IV qualification, or
- An AQF Diploma level qualification, or
- Bachelor level qualification study for a period of at least 2 years fulltime with a minimum overall GPA 4.0
completed within Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, South Africa, Ireland, or United States of America, which will meet the English proficiency.
If you do not satisfy any of the above, you will need to undertake an English language proficiency test and achieve the following scores:
- An International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic) overall band score of at least 6.0 with a minimum 5.5 in each subset; or
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT - Requires 75 or better overall and no score less than 17; or
- Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) - Requires an overall score of 54 with no sub-score less than 46; or
- An Occupational English Test with Grades A or B only in each of the four components.
English test results remain valid for no more than two years between final examination date and the date of commencement of study, and must appear on a single result certificate.
Each student will be assessed individually.
Assumed Knowledge
Students will study the units Mastering a Research Proposal and Mastering Debates in the Discipline, prior to studying the Dissertation A and Dissertation B units.
Security Requirements
No information available at this time
Health Requirements
No information available at this time
Fees and Charges
Course Features
Awards and Accreditation
| Interim Awards | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Exit Awards | Not applicable |
| Accreditation |
|
Residential School Requirements
No Residential School for this course.
Practicum/Work Placement
| Not applicable |
Predicted Enrolments
| Year | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| First Year | 10 |
| Second year | 15 |
| Third Year | 20 |
Inherent Requirements
There are currently no inherent requirements associated with this course.
Core Learning Outcomes
- 1. Develop and present a Master's level thesis or dissertation according to a discipline-specific framework
- 2. Analyse and evaluate advanced specialist knowledge for a selected arts or humanities related discipline
- 3. Research and deploy evidence under supervisory guidance at a Master’s degree dissertation level.
| Course Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Qualifications Framework Descriptors | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1. KNOWLEDGE Have a body of knowledge that includes the understanding of recent developments in a discipline and/or area of professional practice | |||
| 2. KNOWLEDGE Have an understanding of research principles and methods applicable to a field of work and/or learning | |||
| 3. SKILLS Have cognitive skills to demonstrate mastery of theoretical knowledge and to reflect critically on theory and professional practice or scholarship | |||
| 4. SKILLS Have cognitive, technical and creative skills to investigate, analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories and to apply established theories to different bodies of knowledge or practice | |||
| 5. SKILLS Have cognitive, technical and creative skills to generate and evaluate complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level | |||
| 6. SKILLS Have communication and technical research skills to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, methodologies, conclusions and professional decisions to specialist and non-specialist audiences | |||
| 7. SKILLS Have technical and communication skills to design, evaluate, implement, analyse and theorise about developments that contribute to professional practice or scholarship | |||
| 8. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to use creativity and initiative to new situations in professional practice and/or for further learning | |||
| 9. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to use high level personal autonomy and accountability | |||
| 10 APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to plan and execute a substantial research-based project, capstone experience and/or piece of scholarship. | |||
| APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Communicate, interact and collaborate with others effectively in culturally or linguistically diverse contexts in a culturally respectful manner | |||
Discipline Units Learning Outcomes
Please refer to the Core Structure Learning Outcomes
Liberal Studies Learning Outcomes
Please refer to the Core Structure Learning Outcomes
Course Structure
In order to complete this course, you must:
- Complete the core structure
Core Structure
| Number of units: 4 | Total credit points: 48 |
|---|
| Available units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
| ARTS29001 | Mastering a Research Proposal | |
| ARTS29002 | Mastering Debates in the Discipline | |
| ARTS29003 | MA Dissertation A | |
| ARTS29004 | MA Dissertation B | |
Discipline Units Unit Pack
| Number of units: 4 | Total credit points: 24 |
|---|
These discipline units comprise four AQF 8 units of 6 credit points (totalling 24 credit points) that are completed as part of your CQUniversity undergraduate qualification in either CA10 Bachelor of Arts, CC24 Bachelor of Digital Media, CG51 Bachelor of Music or CG72 Bachelor of Theatre. If you have completed 4 of these listed discipline units in a cognate discipline area, you will be eligible for credit for these units upon successful admission to the Master of Arts.
If you have not completed these units as part of your undergraduate qualification at CQUniversity, or from an undergraduate arts/humanities degree at another university, your credit application will be assessed as part of the Entry Requirements for the Master of Arts. Please see the Entry Requirements for more information for admission to the Master of Arts.
Liberal Studies Unit Pack
| Number of units: 4 | Total credit points: 24 |
|---|
The Liberal Studies unit pack may only be used to support credit transfers, pathways, international study experiences and transition arrangements. Students cannot self-enrol in the Liberal Studies unit pack. Please contact Course Management for further information about this unit pack.
More Details
There is no additional information for this course.