Master of Disability

Why study the Master of Disability at UNE?

The Master of Disability is relevant to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). It is designed for support workers and others employed by organisations that are delivering disability services, those seeking such employment and students interested in the field of disability management.

Students will study clinical and neurobiological, professional and ethical issues in disability management and NDIS business management.

In addition, students will complete an in-depth study of disability management, addressing either one or all of the selected areas (e.g. clinical, case management or business issues) and will be required to present a major report. Graduates will be well prepared for the NDIS and the demand for new, client-driven services and support arising from the scheme.

Graduates of the Master of Disability may apply for admission to research higher degrees and other doctoral programs.

Career Opportunities

Graduates will be qualified for employment in organisations providing disability services.

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Degree Snapshot

DURATION

Up to 6 years Part-time

FEES

Full Fee

2019 STUDY OPTIONS
Armidale

Trimester 1, Online
Trimester 2, Online
Trimester 3, Online

Official Abbreviation MDis
Course Type Postgraduate
Commencing
Location Admission Period Mode of Study
Armidale Trimester 1 Online
Armidale Trimester 2 Online
Armidale Trimester 3 Online
Course Duration
  • Up to 6 years Part-time
Fees Full Fee
For fee information, click here
Total Credit Points 96
Entry Requirements

A candidate shall:

(a) hold an AQF Level 7 Bachelor qualification in a relevant discipline*; or

(b) hold an AQF Level 8 Graduate Certificate in a relevant discipline*; or

(c) hold an AQF Level 8 Graduate Diploma or Bachelor with Honours in a relevant discipline*; or

(d) hold an AQF Level 7 Bachelor qualification or an AQF Level 8 Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma, in a non-relevant discipline; or

(e) satisfy UNE by means of other relevant professional experience by submitting a Statement of Service from your employer/s and a resume outlining a minimum of three years' full-time (or equivalent) relevant professional experience and training, taken in the past 10 years**.

Applicants applying under Rule (d) or Rule (e) must submit a Statement of Service.

*Relevant disciplines include but not limited to:

Business
Counselling
Disability
Education
Health
Law
Management
Medicine
Psychology
Social work
Other similar disciplines as determined by the course coordinator.

** Professional experience refers to the provision of services in the area of disability, for example, a manager in a disability service provider or special education teacher.

Additional Requirements

Inherent Requirements: Students must meet the Inherent Requirements in order to complete the course.

Practical, Clinical or Work Experience

Students may complete work integrated learning and professional skills development (WORK500 and SCI505) with approved institutions during their degree.

Advanced Standing

Candidates are referred to the University Policy on Advanced Standing.

Candidates admitted under Rule (a) or (b) may be granted up to 24 credit points of Advanced Standing based on their admission to candidature. Up to a further 24 credit points may be granted based on units that were not part of the degree on which admission was based. The advanced standing may include 6 credit points on the basis of considerable demonstrated relevant professional experience, as approved by the Course Coordinator.

Candidates admitted under Rules (c) may be granted up to 48 credit points of Advanced Standing based on their admission to candidature. The advanced standing may include 6 credit points on the basis of considerable demonstrated relevant professional experience, as approved by the Course Coordinator.

Candidates admitted under Rule (d) or (e) are referred to the University Policy on Advanced Standing. Up to 6 credit points may be granted on the basis of considerable demonstrated relevant professional experience, as approved by the Course Coordinator.

No advanced standing will be granted for SCI501, SCI502, SCI505 or SCI599.

Academic Colours

Straw (BCC 51)

Further Information

You can find instant answers to many of your questions or contact UNE directly via AskUNE

These course rules & plans are ONLY to be used if you commenced, transferred or changed versions in the Master of Disability in 2019.

Admission to Candidature

A candidate shall:

(a) hold an AQF Level 7 Bachelor qualification in a relevant discipline*; or
(b) hold an AQF Level 8 Graduate Certificate in a relevant discipline*; or
(c)hold an AQF Level 8 Graduate Diploma or Bachelor with Honours in a relevant discipline*; or
(d) hold an AQF Level 7 Bachelor qualification or an AQF Level 8 Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma, in a non-relevant discipline; or
(e) satisfy UNE by means of other relevant professional experience by submitting a Statement of Service from your employer/s and a resume outlining a minimum of three years’ full-time (or equivalent) relevant professional experience and training, taken in the past 10 years**.

Applicants applying under Rule (d) or Rule (e) must submit a Statement of Service.

*Relevant disciplines include but not limited to:

Business
Counselling
Disability
Education
Health
Law
Management
Medicine
Psychology
Social work
Other similar disciplines as determined by the course coordinator.

** Professional experience refers to the provision of services in the area of disability, for example, a manager in a disability service provider or special education teacher.

Additional Requirements

Inherent Requirements

Students must meet the Inherent Requirements in order to complete this course.

Advanced Standing

Candidates are referred to the University Policy on Advanced Standing.

Candidates admitted under Rule (a) or (b) may be granted up to 24 credit points of Advanced Standing based on their admission to candidature.  Up to a further 24 credit points may be granted based on units that were not part of the degree on which admission was based. The advanced standing may include 6 credit points on the basis of considerable demonstrated relevant professional experience, as approved by the Course Coordinator.

Candidates admitted under Rules (c) may be granted up to 48 credit points of Advanced Standing based on their admission to candidature. The advanced standing may include 6 credit points on the basis of considerable demonstrated relevant professional experience, as approved by the Course Coordinator.

Candidates admitted under Rule (d) or (e) are referred to the University Policy on Advanced Standing. Up to 6 credit points may be granted on the basis of considerable demonstrated relevant professional experience, as approved by the Course Coordinator.

No advanced standing will be granted for SCI501, SCI502, SCI505 or SCI599.

Period of Candidature

The period of candidature shall be up to six years as a part-time candidate.

Course Requirements

To qualify for the award a candidate must pass units to the value of 96 credit points with at least 36 credit points at 500-level.

Program of Study

Candidates shall complete an approved program of study comprising:

Course Structure Credit Points
Core Units 48 cps
Prescribed Units 36 cps
Listed Units 12 cps
Total 96 cps

To view complete Program of Study click here

Award of Degree

Candidates who meet the course requirements shall be awarded the Master of Disability.

Exit Pathways

Subject to meeting Advanced Standing rules, candidates admitted to the Master of Disability who apply to discontinue their studies in the course may be eligible to exit with the Graduate Certificate in Disability upon completion of 24 credit points comprising HDEV402, MM521 and WORK500 (in lieu of WORK300) plus HDEV401 or MM403.

Subject to meeting Advanced Standing rules, candidates admitted to the Master of Disability who apply to discontinue their studies in the course may be eligible to exit with the Graduate Diploma in Disability upon completion of 48 credit points including 24 credit points comprising HDEV402, MM521 and WORK500 (in lieu of WORK300) plus HDEV401 or MM403 and 24 credit points from HDEV403, HDEV404, HDEV405, HDEV502, MM431, MM453, MM573, NEUR334, NEUR536 or NEUR537.

Candidates who apply to discontinue their studies and exit with the Graduate Certificate in Disability or Graduate Diploma in Disability must apply for re-admission and will be subject to current course requirements of the Master of Disability. This may mean that they will not receive full recognition for their previous studies should the course structure have changed in the response to University requirements.

Thesis

The thesis unit SCI599 is only available to candidates who have achieved 48 credit points with a grade point average of 5 and above in both NEUR501 and NEUR502, and permission of head of school. The thesis topic must be approved in advance by the course coordinator who will also approve the appointment of a UNE staff-member as principal supervisor for the thesis. The thesis may take the form of a design or a laboratory investigation or other research. Depending upon the candidate's academic and professional background and the nature of the research thesis, the School may permit the candidate to undertake, part or all, of the thesis away from the University.

Submission of Thesis

1. The thesis shall be written concisely in English in APA format and, except with the special permission of the School in exceptional circumstances, shall not exceed 20,000 words, exclusive of tables, plates, figures and appendices. A successful thesis shall show capacity on the part of the candidate for independence of thought and critical evaluation of the candidate's own and published work in his or her field of study. The candidate shall state generally in the preface and specifically throughout the thesis, the source of his or her information and the extent to which he or she has used the work of others. The candidate may not present, as the thesis, any work that has been the basis of the award of a degree of this University, or other institution, but is not precluded from incorporating such work in the thesis provided that, in presenting the thesis, the candidate indicates the part of the work that has been so incorporated. The thesis may be presented in: (1) a format with multiple chapters including introductory and concluding chapters; or (2) in a three-section format where the first section includes a statement of the research question being addressed and a review of literature, the second section is a self-contained article in a journal format, and the third section is an extended conclusion and/or practical applications. In addition to these sections, appendices may be added to include additional methodology, data, software, or other technical details.

2. The candidate shall submit a pdf copy of the thesis to the School's Academic Manager's office.

Examination of Thesis

On the recommendation of the supervisor or supervisors, the School’s Education Committee will appoint two examiners, at least one will be external to the University. Examiners will be sent the relevant degree information.

The examiners of the thesis will make recommendations on a grade and mark in accordance with the University Assessment Policy. Students will not be required to make subsequent changes or corrections to the examined thesis but the examiners' reports will be provided to the student as feedback.

In the case of where the examiners' mark differ by greater than 10%, examiners may consult with each other to reach a closer agreement, prior to a third examiner being sought.  Should a third examiner be appointed, then independent of the two examiners, the thesis will be examined.  The Committee will meet to consider all reports and determine the final mark and grade.

Appeals

Candidates are referred to the Academic Assessment Appeals Policy and the Academic Assessment Appeals Procedures.

Course Progression

Candidates are referred to the Course Progression Rule and the Course Progression Procedures.

Improper Conduct

Candidates are referred to the Student Coursework Academic Misconduct Rule and the Student Coursework Academic Misconduct Procedures.

Course Aims

The Master of Disability degree is designed for support workers and others employed by organisations that are delivering disability services or those seeking employment and students interested in the field of disability management. The aim of this course is to enable students and disability workers to enhance their competencies and progress their careers in areas critical to the delivery of disability services. The course will produce graduates with specialised knowledge of disability management including clinical knowledge, dealing and interacting with people with disabilities and case management and delivery and coordinating disability services.

Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
  1. demonstrate through their own study and practice knowledge of disability management including: clinical knowledge, practice and management encompassing the broad context of health, family and community services, in order to be an affective clinical practitioner and case manager;
  2. utilise cognitive and communication skills, tools and digital technologies to communicate appropriately and persuasively with a range of stakeholders and working in a multidisciplinary team;
  3. demonstrate a well-developed ability to use creativity and judgement in analysing problems relating to disability client behaviour and case management and to work independently and collaboratively with others to generate solutions to problems;
  4. demonstrate advanced skills in the utilising and analysis of information, evaluation of evidence based practice/research which is drawn from a range of sources, such as reports, organisations and data sets;
  5. demonstrate and apply an advanced ability to critically evaluate and formulate responses to social, cultural and ethical issues that emerge in disability management; and
  6. practice preparedness to pursue a specialised knowledge and understanding to enhance professional skills and client outcomes.
Graduate Attributes
Knowledge of a Discipline

Graduates will have an advanced knowledge of disability management through the learning and teaching activities associated with each unit and interaction with the unit coordinators, in lectures and tutorials, placement, online activities and discussion board. Students will be assessed using assignments, individual and group projects reports, placement logs and examinations.

Communication Skills

Graduates will have advanced cognitive and communication skills acquired through written assignments and reports, oral presentations and participation in online activities and discussion boards.

Problem Solving

Graduates will have well-developed problem solving skills in all aspects of disability management. All units teach and assess problem solving skills.

Information Literacy

Graduates will be able to analyse and evaluate information from a range of sources, using a range of technologies. Students are required to demonstrate information literacy in assessment tasks for all units.

Ethical Conduct and Social Responsibility

Graduates will have an in-depth understanding of the social, cultural and ethical issues related to provision of disability services. Social responsibility and professional practice is embedded in the course content.

Lifelong Learning

Graduates will have the fundamental skills required to supplement their knowledge and to keep abreast of any changes in the provision of disability services. This will be taught and practised in most units.

Independence and Collaboration

Graduates are able to apply skills and knowledge individually and as part of collaborative teams. They are able to work with intellectual independence, and to collaborate as part of a multidisciplinary team with colleagues and clients. Working in a group environment is an essential component of the course and in provision of disability services. To develop these skills, some units require students to work in groups and provide guidance and assessment on group work.

How to Apply

Domestic Students

All domestic students apply through the link below

For more information, click here

International Students

International students apply direct to UNE through UNE International

For more information, click here

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