Higher Degree Programs

The Discipline of Pathology offers supervision in the following higher degree by research programs:

• Master of Medical Science
• Master of Clinical Science
• Master of Surgery
• Doctor of Philosophy

Each of these programs can be undertaken within any one of the research clusters. General information about each of the programs can be found on the University Postgraduate Student Website. The discipline does not offer higher degree by coursework programs, or training in diagnostic pathology.

The Structured Program for Research Students

In addition to completing a major research project, students pursuing a postgraduate research degree through the Discipline of Pathology are required to attend the Pathology seminar series of research lectures, as well as complete a number of coursework components relevant to their research program. These short courses are designed to provide a set of skills that will enhance the student’s ability to conduct research effectively. The topics that are covered in the Pathology program include:

• Supervision and intellectual property (as part of the University Graduate Centre Induction Program)
• Biosafety
• Research ethics
• Database searching and bibliography management – Medline and Endnote
• Giving a seminar presentation in Powerpoint
• Writing a literature review
• Experimental design and statistics for pathology
• Grant writing and grant interviews
• Writing a thesis

Students are required to complete these short courses either through the Discipline or the University Graduate Centre at sometime throughout their first 12 months of candidature. The short courses are available through the Discipline as part of the honours program and are open to any postgraduate research student in Pathology. A Discipline schedule (pdf 99K) for these courses can be downloaded from the Discipline honours website. The University Graduate Centre also offers many of these short courses throughout the year according to an annual schedule. International research students can do many of these courses through a specially designed integrated bridging program offered by the University Graduate Centre.

During the first 6 months, all research students in Pathology are also required to submit a written piece of work in the form of a literature review relevant to their research topic, and give a research seminar on their research proposal outlining the background to, hypotheses and aims of their research project, and methods to be used.

Literature Review

The literature review will usually be a comprehensive analysis of the research area of interest summarizing and critically analyzing the relevant literature, identifying key issues and deficiencies in the research field, and establishing an adequate theoretical framework for the research topic. There should be no factual errors or incorrect interpretation of the literature. The recommended layout is as follows:

Title page
Index
Introduction
Body of Literature Review
Conclusions, including hypothesis and aims of the research proposal
References

The review should be free of typographical errors with the references appropriately cited in the text and the reference list. Author date or numbered citations are both acceptable. References should include the full title and appropriate journal abbreviation as used in Index Medicus. While the length of the literature review varies depending on the topic, most reviews would be between 20 and 50 pages (double spaced A4) with at least100 references. The inclusion of diagrams or figures that are relevant to the literature review is encouraged.

Research Seminar

Students are required to give a discipline Research Seminar after approximately 6 months of candidature. The seminar will be required to be in a Powerpoint (or similar) format and should be of 40-45 min duration with 15 min available for questions. The background to the research topic, hypothesis and aims, methodology and any preliminary results should be included.

For further information about Pathology Higher Degree Programs, contact:
Dr David Haynes, Tel: (08) 8303 3180
Email: david.haynes@adelaide.edu.au