Aims
The Master of Education (Early Childhood) Programme being offered by the Institute is to permit candidates to complete the requirements by undertaking re- search or investigation in the broad area of early childhood. Most of the work there- fore will be taken up with planning, undertaking or writing up the results of some piece of research, although candidates could well be required to attend classes or undertake reading courses in order to prepare themselves for undertaking the thesis.
Length
Minimum duration is twenty-one calendar months of full-time work (or its equivalent for candidates enrolled on a part-time basis). The maximum period for the completion of the degree is thirty-six calendar months or its equivalent part-time.
Prerequisites
The Institute provisionally enrols candidates on the acceptability of their prerequisite qualifications which must include a degree, substantial studies in education and evidence that they have obtained results above the average.
Admission procedure
Upon receipt of an application an appointment will be arranged for the candidate to discuss his programme.
When a candidature is accepted, a recommendation for enrolment will be forwarded by the Institute through the College Council to the Victorian Post- Secondary Education Commission and the Accreditation Board for their approval.
Once enrolment has been approved the programme can commence at any time throughout the year. Immediately upon enrolment an advisory committee will be formed. It will discuss with the candidate the manner In which any preliminary work should be undertaken.
REGULATIONS FOR MASTER OF EDUCATION
The programme of each Masters applicant must be approved by the Victorian Post-Secondary Education Commission prior to the enrolment of the applicant by the Institute.
Relevant information from the form and the Interview will be forwarded by the Institute's Higher Degrees Committee to the Victorian Post-Secondary Education Commission for approval of candidature.
Requirements and Conditions of Entry to the Programme 1. To be selected for the Master of Education a candidate shall -
1.1 have successfully completed a Bachelor of Education degree or quali- fications deemed to be appropriate and equivalent In standard.
1.2 have gained a substantial number of awards of honours In the B.Ed. degree or the post-graduate diploma course deemed to be an appropriate pre- requisite.
1.3 complete an Institute application form and if possible attend an Inter- view.
2. If necessary, work experience in an approved educational Institution will be taken into account in selecting candidates.
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Master of Education (Early Childhood)
3. Candidates may apply to enrol on a full-time or part-time basis. If enrolled full- time there will be an expectation that the candidate can fulfil full-time resi- dential requirements. Candidates enrolled part-time will be expected to attend the Institute twice per year for every year they are enrolled for a total period of four weeks over the entire programme. The minimum duration of the programme will be twenty-one calendar months of full-time work or its equivalent for candidates enrolled on a part-time basis. The maximum period for completion of the degree will be thirty-six calendar months or its equivalent part-time.
The programme
The programme of each candidate will be administered by the Institute's Higher Degrees Committee. This committee will, for each student —
(a) approve the initial selection of candidates
(b) approve the programme and determine what coursework must be under- taken
(c) recommend enrolment to V.P.S.E.C.
(d) approve major and any minor supervisors
(e) approve an advisory committee (to include the supervisor[s])
(f) select examiners for approval by the Committee on Masters Degrees by Research.
Upon enrolment candidates will if necessary undertake coursework require- ments set by the Higher Degrees Committee. (These will normally take the form of an individual guided reading course under the direction of the supervisor culminating in an oral or written examination or an assignment to be examined by a person appoint- ed by the Higher Degrees Committee.)
Normally, the candidate will undertake his/her programme in two distinct phases. The first phase will include preparation of a review of the literature and refinement of the research topic. Phase Two will commence with the gathering of data and culminate in the final draft of the thesis to be examined.
Before moving into Phase Two, the candidate will be required to present a colloquium to staff, post-graduate students and other invited guests and to make any such modifications as may be required by his/her supervisor and committee as a result of this colloquium.
WITHDRAWAL, DEFERMENT AND INTERMITTENCE
Any student wishing to withdraw from the programme shall notify the Higher Degrees Committee in writing.
The candidate may obtain a statement of any coursework completed up to the time of withdrawal.
A student will be allowed to intermit from a programme only in the case of illness or compassionate circumstances of an exceptional nature. A student not permitted to intermit may nonetheless be permitted to defer from the programme.
Any student wishing to defer or intermit from the programme must apply in writing to the Higher Degrees Committee.
Candidates granted permission to intermit will not have the period of inter- mittence deducted from the maximum time allowed to complete the course.
Candidates for whom deferral has been granted will have to deduct the period of deferral from the maximum time.
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Master of Education (Early Childhood) REVIEW OF PROGRESS
The progress of every candidate will be reviewed by the Higher Degrees Committee at least once each year. Where a candidate's progress is considered to be unsatisfactory the Board of Studies, on the recommendation of the Higher Degrees Committee, may suspend or terminate the candidate from the programme.
SUPERVISION
Before enrolment and following consultation candidates will be assigned a supervisor and, if considered appropriate, a co-supervisor by the Higher Degrees Committee of the Institute. The supervisor(s) will be a member of a three-person advisory committee to be approved for each candidate by the Higher Degrees Committee. Where the candidate is a member of the Institute's staff, the advisory committee, apart from the supervisor, will comprise members external to the Institute.
It will be the duty of the Advisory Committee to
(a) be of assistance to the candidate by tendering advice when requested (b) ensure that regular meetings of the candidate and the supervisor are held (c) act as liaison group between the Higher Degrees Committee and the candidate.
(As such it would inform the Higher Degrees Committee when the candidate is ready to present his/her proposal to a colloquium.)
A supervisor may at any time be replaced at the discretion of the Higher Degrees Committee if there is, for instance, Illness or absence or at the request of the candidate or of the supervisor himself/herself.
Examination of the Thesis and Award of the Degree
Two external examiners will be selected by the Higher Degrees Committee for each thesis, for approval by the Victorian Post-Secondary Education Commission's Committee on Masters Degrees by Research (C.M.D.R.).
If there is disagreement between examiners as to whether the thesis has met requirements to be passed, the Higher Degrees Committee will, with the approval of the C.M.D.R., appoint a further examiner.
Following examination, the examiners will recommend to the Institute's Higher Degrees Committee that —
(a) the thesis should be passed
(b) the thesis should be passed after the changes and/or corrections listed by the examiner have been undertaken to the satisfaction of the supervisor
(c) the thesis should only be passed if the candidate can satisfactorily answer questions as posed by the examiner
(d) the thesis cannot be passed, but the candidate should be given the opportunity to re-submit the thesis in a revised form
(e) the thesis should be failed.
Examiners will be instructed to ensure that before passing the thesis it demonstrates on the part of the candidate:—
(i) a thorough understanding of the relevant field of study;
(ii) competent work relevant to the field of study;
(iii) a contribution in the field of study.
The award of the Master of Education degree, which will be In one grade only, will be made when all requirements of the programme have been satisfied.
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