Master of Arts

The Master of Arts at the University of Tasmania is a two-year postgraduate degree for people who want to study society, culture and human behaviour at a deeper level than an undergraduate degree allows. It sits in the social sciences and psychology subject area, so you will spend your time on the questions that shape how people live together: how institutions work, how identities form, how research evidence is built and used. This is a research-oriented degree rather than a professional training course, and it suits students who want to read widely, argue carefully and write at length.

How the degree is structured

Australian master's degrees by coursework usually run across semesters or trimesters, and you build the degree from units of study, each worth a set number of credit points. A two-year master's typically totals around 200 credit points, with a mix of core units, electives and a substantial research component. The Master of Arts is commonly offered as a research pathway too, where a large share of your credit points goes to a supervised thesis rather than coursework alone. The exact split between coursework and thesis, and the units available in any given semester, depends on the discipline area you choose and on supervisor availability. Confirm the current structure on the official University of Tasmania course page before you apply.

What you actually study

Expect to work through research methods and theory at postgraduate level: qualitative and quantitative approaches, critical reading of scholarly literature, ethics approval processes, and the craft of writing a long argument. Many students choose a focus area within the social sciences and psychology, then build their electives and thesis topic around it. The thesis or capstone project is the centre of the degree. You work with a supervisor, define a question, gather and analyse evidence, and produce a piece of original research. That is the part employers and doctoral admissions committees look at most closely.

Skills and who it suits

You finish with the ability to design a research project, handle data and sources responsibly, and explain complex findings to people who are not specialists. Those skills travel well into policy work, community organisations, research roles and further study. The degree suits three kinds of people: recent graduates who want to specialise before entering the workforce, professionals in social services or government who want a research credential, and students preparing for a PhD. If you are an international student, note that a Student visa generally allows you to work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available after you finish, depending on your circumstances. English requirements for this course sit in the standard postgraduate range, though some disciplines ask for higher scores, so check the published requirement for your specific stream.

• Policy officer or analyst in state and federal government departments, local councils and statutory bodies.
• Social researcher with universities, research centres, market and social research firms, and not-for-profit organisations.
• Community services coordinator or manager in the community sector, health services and advocacy organisations.
• Program evaluation officer in government-funded programs, international development and philanthropic foundations.
• Project officer in education, cultural institutions, museums and libraries.
• Doctoral study — a research master's is a common pathway into a PhD and an academic or research career.

These roles appear across Australia in the public sector, universities, the community sector and private research firms. Some graduates also use the degree to move into journalism, human resources or consultancy, where research and writing skills matter more than a specific disciplinary label.