Master of Research (Business)

2022 Deakin University Handbook

Note: You are seeing the 2022 view of this course information. These details may no longer be current. [Go to the current version]

Year	2022 course information
Award granted	Master of Research (Business)
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne)
Duration	2 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Next available intake	The first intake will be Trimester 1 2023
CRICOS course code	109089C Burwood (Melbourne)
Deakin course code	M820

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Do you want to research pressing issues in business? The Master of Research (Business) degree is a two-year course that will develop your research capabilities, expose you to the latest thinking in your chosen field or discipline, and immerse you in a research project of your own. This course is a pathway to a research-focused career in industry and offers a gateway to the PhD in Business and Law for those who want to pursue an academic career.

In the first year of your Master of Research (Business) you will complete research training coursework units, covering the research thought process, research methods and the current state of theory in your chosen field or discipline.

The second year is devoted to a major research project on a question of interest to you (subject to supervisor approval) and includes your Research Proposal and Research Dissertation/Thesis.

Career opportunities

The MRes(Bus) has a hybrid focus on careers in both academia and industry. As such, the MRes(Bus) is designed to offer a high-quality pathway into a PhD program. This pathway will be most relevant for students interested in pursuing an academic career or who wish to undertake additional advanced research training. The research fundamentals, research methods, and discipline specific units are all designed to offer students the best preparation for further conduct of high-end research.

The MRes(Bus) is also designed to prepare graduates for a research-focused career in industry, including in the private sector, government, or NGOs. Towards this goal, the MRes(Bus) incorporates several units that are explicitly focused on transferring the rigorous research units incorporated into the MRes(Bus) into problem-solving skills in a real-world context.

Alternative exits

Graduate Diploma of Business Research (M620)

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on your course, the type of fee place you hold, your commencement year and your study load. To find out about the fees and charges that apply to you, visit the Current students fees website or our handy Fee estimator to help estimate your tuition fees.

Course Learning Outcomes

Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline Specific knowledge and capabilities	Demonstrate mastery of theoretical knowledge in a discipline area by applying appropriate research principles and methods to make a substantial contribution to an existing body of research
Communication	Communicate the findings of research outputs to academic and non-academic audiences using highly developed communication skills and working productively within a team of experts in the field
Digital Literacy	Apply digital technologies in the process of conducting empirical analysis to address research problems
Critical thinking	Apply and synthesise theory and existing literature to formulate research questions and hypotheses
Problem Solving	Apply and use appropriate technical skills to evaluate complex information and concepts in a way that helps solve problems and issues in a given field
Self-management	Demonstrate high degree of autonomy, independence and creativity by applying research skills to solve problems in academia and practice
Teamwork	Work collaboratively with peers when addressing and solving research problems
Global Citizenship	Apply mastery of the scientific process by addressing research problems in an objective and ethical manner

Course rules

To qualify for the award, students must complete 8 credit points in the first year and successfully complete a research thesis in the second year.

Detailed course rules

First Year
The coursework units in the first year comprise:
• 3 core units (4 credit points)
• 2 course research methods electives (2 credit points)
• 2 course discipline electives (2 credit points)

Second Year
Students are required to complete a major thesis dissertation, MPR802 Master Research. Students will be required to independently execute the proposed research project. The length of the research dissertation will be a maximum of 20,000 words.

Progression from Year 1 to Year 2:
Progression from the first year to the second year of the Master of Research (Business) is not automatic. Students obtain admission into the program for the first year. Progression into the second year is conditional on achieving a 75% average in the first-year coursework. Students who have completed the first year, but do not meet the requirements to progress to the second year will be eligible to exit the program with a Graduate Diploma of Business Research.

To be eligible to apply for the PhD program in the Faculty of Business and Law, students will need to have attained 80% or higher in their second-year research thesis.

Course structure

Core Units

First offered in 2023:

MPP821

Fundamentals of Research

MPP822

Research in Practice

MPP823

Research Project ^{^}

^{^}This unit is worth 2 credit points

Course Research Methods Electives

Students must select two credit points of units (one in T1 and one in T2)

Trimester 1:

MMM907

Quantitative Research Methods

MAE900

Applied Econometrics

Trimester 2:

MAF900

Advanced Data Methods

MMM906

Qualitative Research Methods

MMM909

Meta-Analysis Research Methods

Course Discipline Electives

Students must complete two credit points of units (one in T1 and one in T2). The T2 unit must be in the same discipline stream as the T1 unit as listed below:

Accounting

Trimester 1:

MAA906

Contemporary Issues in Accounting

Trimester 2:

MAA907

Advanced Auditing

MAA908

Advanced Management Accounting

Economics

Trimester 1:

MAE905

Macroeconomic Theory and Policy

Trimester 2:

MAE908

Game Theory and Its Applications

Finance

Trimester 1:

MAF905

Advanced Finance

Trimester 2:

MAF907

Empirical Corporate Finance

MAF908

Empirical Asset Pricing

Information Systems and Business Analytics

Trimester 1:

MIS901

Theory in Information Systems Research

Trimester 2:

MIS776

Design Thinking for Innovation

Management

Trimester 1:

MRM908

Advanced Management Theory

Trimester 2:

MPM712

Managing Innovation

MPM722

Human Resource Management

MMM710

Business Process and Operations Management

Marketing

Trimester 1:

MMK900

Advanced Marketing Theory

Trimester 2:

MMK739

Strategic Brand Management

MPK733

Applied Strategic Marketing

MPK713

Consumer Behaviour

Research Dissertation

Students will be required to independently execute the proposed research project (MPR802 Masters Research). The length of the research dissertation will be a maximum of 20,000 words. Students will be required to have their research proposal confirmed in March before they can embark on developing their research thesis.

Consistent with other HDR degrees, students in the MRes(Bus) will be supervised by two supervisors. Supervisors will be appointed at the start of Year 2, although opportunities for students to interact with potential supervisors will be incorporated throughout Year 1 of the MRes(Bus).

Examination:

The research dissertation will be examined by one internal and one external examiner.

Further information

Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.

Contact Student Central