All MA students are required to complete either a Research Project (RES501) or Independent Guided Research (RES500). RES501 spans over 2 semesters, while RES500 can be completed in one semester. Students who have completed all their core units, plus at least 20 credit points at the 500-level are eligible to apply for the research or integrated project. It is recommended that you should undertake the project towards the end of your course. Please note that you need a GPA of at least 2.8 for entry into RES501. 

When you are ready to apply for either RES500 or RES501, here is the process to be followed (it is strongly advised that you begin this process a semester before you intend to enrol in the unit): 

1) Think about the topic you'd like to work on (this must be related to your area of specialisation), and email the MA Program Director, one semester before you commence to discuss. Often, your initial idea will be too large and extensive for the research allocation, and will need to be honed down to be more specific.

2) The MA Program Director will work with the relevant departmental heads to assign a suitable supervisor to you. It is imperative that the MA Program Director has organised supervision for you before you formally enrol in the course through Registry. Once you have been assigned a supervisor, contact that supervisor so that he/she can help you to complete the Project Proposal form (which can be found on the postgrad student info site on Moodle). Your research proposal goes to one of two different places depending on your unit: 

• RES500 students should submit their research proposal to the RES500 Unit Coordinator (usually the MA Program Director).
• RES501 students should submit their research proposal for approval by the RES501 Unit Coordinator (usually the MA Program Director). 

3) Note: Due to the limitations of both RES500 and RES501, qualitative and quantitative research will not be approved. However, students can utilise existing data sets for their research and analysis. 

4) Keep regularly in touch with your supervisor as you progress toward completion of the unit.

5) When complete, submit your essay on Moodle like any other unit, and enjoy the fruits of your labour.