Master of Economic Geology (S7W)

Overview  2022

Entry Requirements

See entry requirements

Duration

Minimum 2 Years, up to a maximum of 5 Years

Duration

Duration refers to the minimum and maximum amounts of time in which this course can be completed. It will be affected by whether you choose to study full or part time, noting that some programs are only available part time.

Location

Entry Requirements

See entry requirements

Duration

Minimum 2 Years, up to a maximum of 5 Years

Duration

Duration refers to the minimum and maximum amounts of time in which this course can be completed. It will be affected by whether you choose to study full or part time, noting that some programs are only available part time.

Entry requirements

Location

This is a specialised Masters degree course in Economic Geology specifically designed for industry and government geologists. It is the nucleus of the postgraduate teaching program at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits (CODES) and forms part of the National Minerals Geoscience Masters Program. The course is usually only offered on a part-time, external basis. Only students that can provide evidence of financial and logistical support, and provide a research proposal will be considered for full-time admission. Students that are considering taking the course on a full-time basis must contact the program co-ordinator, Dr Rob Scott, to discuss their plans.

Course objectives are to increase and update the knowledge and skills required by geoscientists for the exploration and exploitation of mineral deposits. These objectives are accomplished through completion of six short courses and an in depth research project OR eight short courses. The courses will cover a spectrum of topics relevant to the exploration mining industries.

  • 1 Infer ore deposit types, exploration strategies and ore processing characteristics using classifications of minerals, rocks and regions
  • 2 Apply geological knowledge and both established and novel methods of geoscientific investigation to find, describe and interpret ore deposits
  • 3 Guide minerals industry stakeholder decision-making with professional judgements informed by geological and regulatory knowledge and ethical, social and environmental considerations
  • 4 Design and conduct original research to address problems pertinent to the mining value chain.
  • 5 Contextualise and communicate minerals industry information to professional and non-professional audiences
  • Career outcomes

    This course is for geoscientists who want to increase their knowledge and skills, while gaining a thorough up-date of advances across the spectrum of economic geology.

    Course structure

    The Master of Economic Geology requires the completion of 200 credit points, consisting of 150 credit points of coursework units and 50 credit points consisting of either a Research Thesis (Research Pathway) or capstone units (Professional Pathway). All units are weighted at 25 credit points.

    (i) All students must complete KEA712, KEA716 and at least one of KEA718, KEA707 or KEA708.

    (ii) To demonstrate attainment of the course learning outcomes, students complete either a research thesis (both units KEA724 and KEA725), or any two of the following four units: KEA709, KEA710, KEA711, KEA724.


    (iii) The remaining three units may be chosen from KEA707, KEA708, KEA709, KEA710, KEA711 and KEA713, or completed by cross-institutional study through the national Minerals Geoscience Masters (MGM) program. The maximum number of cross-institutional units allowed is three.
     

    Choose at least one of the following

    Exploration in data-rich environments, close to existing mines, has become a preferred method of increasing company resources in recent years. With that exploration philosophy in mind, this Masters-level unit is designed to bring students up to date with the latest…

    Credit Points: 25

    LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
    HobartSpring school

    Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

    Modern human society cannot function without minerals and the products made from them. As a major primary producer of a wide range of metals, mining plays a vital role in Australia’s economy and prosperity. However, major ore deposits are becoming…

    Credit Points: 25

    LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
    HobartWinter school

    Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

    The aim of the course in Mineral Resources and sustainability will be to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to interact with society and build community relationships as they carry out mineral exploration and mining activities. The course…

    Credit Points: 25

    This unit is currently unavailable.

    Geophysics is a critical tool for mineral exploration. This unit will provide students with practical experience in collecting, processing and interpreting geophysical data sets and how those data sets can be used for ore deposit exploration and characterisation. The unit…

    Credit Points: 25

    This unit is currently unavailable.

    This unit teaches fundamental and advanced mapping and field skills suitable for use in the minerals industry, including field-based rock and mineral identification, fact and form surface mapping, "Anaconda-style" mapping, structural measurement and graphic logging techniques, and the use of…

    Credit Points: 25

    LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
    Hobart11 Week Session Feb

    Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

    Choose between coursework units or 2 thesis units (KEA724 and KEA725)

    Intensive two-week field-based unit taught entirely in either Indonesia or South America (Chile and Peru). Unit includes visits to world-class porphyry and epithermal deposits and (in South America only) IOCG deposits. Unit explains the regional and local geology of the…

    Credit Points: 25

    This unit is currently unavailable.

    This intensive two-week short course is offered as part of CODES Master of Economic Geology degree program. Volcanology and Mineralisation in Volcanic Terrains is a two-part, field-based short course designed for field geologists interested in an up-to-date review of current…

    Credit Points: 25

    LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
    HobartSpring school (November)

    Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

    This unit gives students an up-to date review of the theory and practice of geochemistry, hydrology and geochronology as applied in mineral exploration and studies of ore deposit genesis. The unit provides a comprehensive introduction to the chemistry of hydrothermal…

    Credit Points: 25

    This unit is currently unavailable.

    Geometallurgy involves a quantified and comprehensive approach to ore characterization in terms of critical processing attributes. These include blasting, crushing, grinding, liberation, recovery and environmental management. Key outcomes of improved geometallurgical knowledge are improved forecasting, reduced technical risk, enhanced economic…

    Credit Points: 25

    This unit is currently unavailable.

    The GeoData Analytics course will be to provide industry-based geoscientists with an understanding of the fundamental concepts of database handling and manipulation, statistical analyses, pattern recognition and machine learning for the processing, analysis and modelling of large volumes of multivariate…

    Credit Points: 25

    LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
    HobartSemester 2

    Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

    This unit teaches the fundamental skills needed by all economic geologists. Concepts of key geological concepts, mineralogy, paragenesis, geochemistry and geophysical characteristics of ore-forming environments, and the impact of these data sets of ore genesis and exploration are taught. The…

    Credit Points: 25

    LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
    Hobart11 Week Session Apr

    Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

    This unit will address emerging topics of interest and/or problems in economic geology and the mineral industry, which could include new mineral discoveries, novel analytical methodologies and data sets, new government data sets or issues of interest to members of…

    Credit Points: 25

    LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
    HobartSemester 2

    Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

    The first year of a study of Masters of Economic Geology Research project, in which you will review literature, plan your research sampling and methods and design a research question.…

    Credit Points: 25

    LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
    HobartSemester 1
    HobartSemester 2

    Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

    The second year of a study of Masters of Economic Geology Research project, in which you will conduct your research project, interpret your findings and draw conclusions based on your research, while considering the impact of your findings on mineral…

    Credit Points: 25

    LocationStudy periodAttendance optionsAvailable to
    HobartSemester 1
    HobartSemester 2

    Key: On-campus    Off-Campus    International students    Domestic students

    Entry requirements

    Admission to postgraduate courses at the University of Tasmania requires the prior completion of an AQF7/8 (or equivalent) undergraduate degree. Specific requirements for admission to the Master of Economic Geology are as follows:
    (i)    a Bachelor of Science/Applied Science (Honours) majoring in geoscience (or a closely related discipline), or
    (ii)    a Bachelor of Science/Applied Science majoring in geoscience (or a closely related discipline), and at least two years professional experience as a geoscientist working in the minerals industry or government, or
    (iii)    a Graduate Certificate in Economic Geology (K5F)


    Prospective students lacking a BSc (geoscience major), but who have at least two years professional experience as a geoscientist, or applicants with a BSc (without Honours) majoring in geoscience but lacking the minimum two-years professional experience, may be eligible for admission to the Graduate Certificate in Economic Geology (K5F), and may continue into the Master of Economic Geology following completion of that course.


    To demonstrate eligibility for admission to the Master of Economic Geology, all applicants must provide copies of their previous academic transcripts. Applicants seeking entry to the course based partly on their previous professional experience should provide their curriculum vitae and the names and contact details for two professional referees.  Further information about Postgraduate courses at the University of Tasmania may be found here: https://www.utas.edu.au/study/postgraduate, and the online application enquiry form may be found here: https://www.utas.edu.au/study/apply
     

    International applicants to the MEconGeol program must meet the same entry requirements as Domestic students. Additionally, international applicants from non-English speaking countries must meet the following English language test requirements for entry to UTAS:

    • IELTS (Academic) - 6.0 (no individual band less than 6.0)
    • TOEFL (PBT) 575 TWE 4.5; TOEFL (iBT) 88 (no score below 20)
    • PTE Academic 50 with no score lower than 50
    • UTAS DEAP Overall 60% (Writing 60%)

    International students wishing to undertake the MEconGeol degree on a full-time basis, must (1) complete the 50-credit point research thesis as part of the degree and (2) provide to the university proof that they have the necessary financial resources (e.g. scholarship, company sponsorship, self-funded, etc) to complete the degree (living costs, tuition fees and other course costs, e.g. travel and field costs, funding for research project)

    International students completing the MEconGeol degree on a part-time basis do not require a Student Visa to enter Australia (where necessary) to attend coursework units. International students studying full-time and based in Australia required an Australian Student Visa.

     

     

     

    25 credit pts awarded for (i) each non-UTAS Minerals Geoscience Masters unit completed in 5 yrs prior to admission (official transcripts required, max. 3 units), or subsequently by cross-institutional study (max. 3 units) and (ii) each MEconGeol unit completed as a non-enrolled industry participant in the 5 yrs prior to admission (max. 2). Credit may be awarded for equivalent units completed at other universities (official transcripts and supporting documentation required, max. 2 units).

    Students who have completed the Graduate Certificate in Economic Geology (K5F) may be awarded the MEconGeol degree by completing a further six 25 credit point units, subject to the MEconGeol course rules.

    Students who complete a 50 credit point research thesis as part of the degree qualify for admission to the PhD program.

    The Master of Economic Geology is part of the national Minerals Geosciences Masters (MGM) program, allowing UTAS students to take specific Masters-level economic geology focussed units delivered by the University of Western Australia and Curtin University for credit towards their UTAS degree. Conversely, students enrolled in the UWA Master of Ore Deposit Geology can complete MEconGeol units for credit towards their UWA degree. 

    Fees & scholarships

    Domestic students

    Options for this course

    This is a full-fee course, which means you’ll need to pay the entire amount for your studies. Commonwealth supported places are not available in this postgraduate course. However, there are still support options available for eligible students to help you manage the cost of studying this course.

    You may be able to fund all or part of your tuition fees by accessing a FEE-HELP loan from the Australian Government. FEE-HELP is a loan scheme that assists domestic full-fee students to pay for University, which is repaid through the Australian Tax System once you earn above a repayment threshold. This means you’ll only have to start repaying the loan once you start earning above a specific amount.

    Our scholarships and prizes program also offers more than 400 scholarships across all areas of study. You can even apply for multiple scholarships in one easy application.

    An important note on Youth Allowance and Austudy

    The Department of Social Services has approved some accredited and professionally oriented Masters courses for student payments through Youth Allowance or Austudy. This means if you enrol in one of these courses, you may be eligible for student payments. However, please be aware that this is not the case for all Master courses. Please visit our Scholarships, Fees and Costs website for further information.

    Further information

    Detailed fee information for domestic students is available at Scholarships, fees and costs, including additional information in relation to the compulsory Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).

    Domestic students enrolled in certain postgraduate coursework programs may not be eligible for student payments through Youth Allowance and Austudy. Visit the Department of Social Services website to find out more about eligibility for Centrelink support and the list of eligible courses

    International students

    2022 Total Course Fee (international students): $ 69,088 AUD *.

    Course cost based on a rate of $33,950 AUD per standard, full-time year of study (100 credit points).

    * Please note that this is an indicative fee only.

    International students

    International students are charged the Student Services and Amenities Fee but this fee is incorporated in the annual rate. International students do not have to make any additional SSAF payments.

    Scholarships

    For information on general scholarships available at the University of Tasmania, please visit the scholarships website.

    How can we help?

    Do you have any questions about choosing a course or applying? Get in touch.

    Domestic
    13 8827 (13 UTAS)
    International
    +61 3 6226 6200
    Email
    Course.Info@utas.edu.au
    Online
    Online enquiries

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