Master by Research

Find out about our Master by Research which is international and interdisciplinary.

Master by Research

A Master by Research degree requires you to demonstrate mastery of inquiry in a field of a discipline or profession. You will undertake supervised research and write a thesis equivalent to 50,000 – 60,000 words. The degree is conferred by Swinburne Melbourne.

A Master by Research candidate is expected to:

  • plan, conduct and complete a research project or program
  • understand relevant techniques in the field demonstrated both by your comprehensive review of the literature and by your research processes
  • access and interpret key data in relevant fields
  • present outcomes clearly and logically using relevant media.

Entry requirements

You must have completed a three-year degree with a minimum average of 65% in the final year units of study.

You will also need to check the specific entry requirements for your program.

English language requirements

Candidates must meet one of the following requirements:

  • obtain a minimum IELTS overall band of 6.5 (Academic Module) with no individual band below 6.0 or a TOEFL iBT (Internet-based) minimum score of 79 (with a reading band no less than 18 and writing band no less than 20); or Pearson (PTE) 58 (no communicative skills less than 50) no longer than 24 months before submitting your application
  • successfully complete a total of 24 months (full time equivalent) of formal study where the language of instruction and assessment was English at AQF level 7 or above (or equivalent) at an approved university no longer than 60 months before submitting your application.

Courses

Available Master Projects

Swinburne Sarawak also offers specific Masters which are aligned with existing research projects.

Healthcare and Well-being Innovations

Discipline Principal Investigator Program Title/Topic
ICT Dr. Mark Tee Kit Tsun Masters An Active Exercise Interaction Model Based on Real-Time Motion Capture to Reinforce Physiotherapy for Stroke Survivors
ICT Prof. Lau Bee Theng MSc Impacts of ICT in skills and competencies, wellbeing and health on Children and Youth
ICT Prof. Lau Bee Theng PhD/MSc Ontology of Natural Scene Categorization Using Information Fusion and Knowledge Transfer Based Machine Learning
ICT Prof. Lau Bee Theng PhD/MSc Development of a depression screening tool for primary healthcare settings using image and vocal data
ICT Prof. Lau Bee Theng PhD/MSc Development of a device to detect distress in an aged care facility using sound
EE Dr. Lisa Yong MEng Analysis and simulation of suitable wireless system for deployment in selected rural regions

IoT, Analytics and Optimization

Discipline Principal Investigator Program Title/Topic
Mechanical Dr. Soon Kok Heng MEng Computational Simulation of Contaminant Deposition on the Hard Disk Platter
ICT Prof. Sim Kwan Yong PhD/MSc Metamorphic Time-Series Forecasting
ICT Prof. Sim Kwan Yong PhD/MSc Autonomous Error Detection and Trapping in Blockchain
ICT Prof. Sim Kwan Yong PhD/MSc Usage Log Mining for Software Fault Discovery
Math Dr. Lee Ming Ha PhD/MSc Combined double sampling and variable sampling interval attributes control chart
Math Dr. Lee Ming Ha PhD/MSc The design of the run length distribution of the t chart with estimated process parameter
EE Dr. Hadi Nabipour Afrouzi MEng Modelling and analyzing of partial discharge phenomenon within stator bar insulator using finite element method

Rural and Urban Development

Discipline Principal Investigator Program Title/Topic
Civil Dr. Chin Mei Yun MEng Properties of Recycled Plastic Waste as Fine Aggregates and Organic Waste as Normal Aggregates in High Volume Fly Ash Concrete

Smart Agriculture and Sustainable Environments

Discipline Principal Investigator Program Title/Topic
Mechanical / Materials Dr. Soon Kok Heng PhD/MEng Processability, microstructure, and properties of wood-polymer composites with chemical treatment, coupling agent, and processing aid
  Dr. Soon Kok Heng PhD/MEng Long-term performance of wood polymer composites
  Dr. Soon Kok Heng PhD/MEng Multiscale natural fibre composites with nanoparticles infusion
  Dr. Soon Kok Heng PhD/MEng Enhancement of Acacia Mangium wood chemical and physical treatments
Mechanical / Materials Dr. Soon Kok Heng PhD/MEng Experimental and numerical modelling of mechanical properties of natural fibre composites
Mechanical / Materials Dr. Chung Ping Ping Masters Extraction and characterisation of nanocrystalline cellulose from agricultural wastes, and its utilisation in forming biodegradable plastic composites
Science Dr. Tan Lee Tung (Daniel) PhD/MSc Biofertiliser development for forestry
Science Ts. Dr Irine Runnie Ginjom PhD/MSc Utilization of fruit and vegetable waste and by-products

Sustainable and Clean Energy

Discipline Principal Investigator Program Title/Topic
Chemical Prof. Jaka Sunarso MEng Reuse of oil palm plantation wastes in the synthesis of magnetic biochar composite for contaminant immobilization from wastewater
Chemical Prof. Jaka Sunarso MEng Synthesis and characterisation of polystyrene waste-based polymeric membranes
Chemical Prof. Jaka Sunarso PhD/MSc High purity lignin extraction from lignocellulosic biomass using low-transition-temperature mixtures (LTTMs): A source of lignin valorization

CSR & Sustainability

Key Reseacher(s) Student Assigned Title/Topic
Dr. Fung Chorng Yuan Masters The Influence of Corporate Social Responsibility Information on graduates’ employment seeking intention
Dr. Ling Chui Ching Master & PhD CSR and Sustainability Initiatives by Listed Companies in Malaysia
Dr. Tan Vie Ming Master & PhD Stakeholder engagement in sustainability reporting by Malaysian companies
Dr. Jee Teck Weng (Jeffrey) Master & PhD Perception and factors affecting adoption of green innovation practices among SMEs in Malaysia
Dr. Yii Kwang Jing Master & PhD Green banking and environmental sustainability
Dr. Yii Kwang Jing Master & PhD The antecedents and consequences of renewable energy consumption, production and efficiency.

Tourism, Hospitality and Destination Marketing

Key Reseacher(s) Student Assigned Title/Topic
Dr. Jee Teck Weng (Jeffrey) Master & PhD Destination branding and management through the lense of social media posting and e-marketing mastery
Dr. Jee Teck Weng (Jeffrey) Master & PhD Destination marketing or tourism marketing?: Blended tourism model

Human Resource Innovation

Key Reseacher(s) Student Assigned Title/Topic
Dr. Voon Mung Ling PhD/Masters Human Resource and Leadership Practices in Malaysian and Australian Organisations
Dr. Bibiana Lim Chiu Yiong PhD/Masters Comparative study on employees’ perceptions of smart technology and artificial intelligence in the workplace
Dr. Voon Mung Ling PhD/Masters Moderators/mediators of relationship between deviant behaviours and employment outcomes

Women’s Empowerment

Key Reseacher(s) Student Assigned Title/Topic

Prof. Ida Fatimawati bt Adi Badiozaman
Dr. Voon Mung Ling

NA Empowering women entrepreneurs in Dalat, Sarawak through tourism entrepreneurship
Prof. Ida Fatimawati bt Adi Badiozaman
Dr. Voon Mung Ling
NA Women Leadership roles in enhancing tourism entrepreneurship in Dalat, Sarawak

Business Innovation

Key Reseacher(s) Student Assigned Title/Topic
Dr. Bertha Chin Masters Utilising augmented reality in museum or art exhibitions for audience engagement
Dr. Rodney Lim Thiam Hock PhD/Masters
  1. Serious leisure as contexts for business venturing
  2. Micro-entrepreneurship and innovation
Dr. Fung Chorng Yuan Master
  1. e-Commerce readiness of SMEs in Sarawak
  2. Remote working, organisational support and employees job satisfaction during the pandemic
  3. An investigation of the impact of digital transformation on organisational culture
  4. An investigation of the digital organisational culture of SMEs

Education Research

Cluster Key Reseacher(s) Student Assigned Title/Topic
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Prof. Ida Fatimawati bt Adi Badiozaman Masters/PhD Tracking the student lifecycle. Student Engagement – engagement in retention modelling as a key parameter
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Hugh Leong NA Predicting student retention through data analytics
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Professor Ida Fatimawati Adi Badiozaman Dr Voon Mung Ling Ir. Dr. Adeline Ng Ling Ying Masters/PhD Hybrid Learning Challenges:

Unfolding Students’ Experience During Covid Times And Ways Forward

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Dr Fung Chorng Yuan

Hugh Leong

Masters/PhD Embracing blended learning in Malaysian higher education: students’ skills, engagement and outcomes
Education & Technology Augustus Raymond Segar NA Interactive Documentary of Melanau cultural heritage preservation
STEM Dr. Chong Kok Hing NA Assessments of the Impacts of Low-End High Immersion Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Display Towards Deep Learning in Fluid Mechanics