Teams of final year Master’s students work collaboratively to deliver innovative and tangible solutions to ‘real-world’ business challenges, supervised by the University of Melbourne’s leading academic staff.
Students completing the Master of Biotechnology, Master of Data Science or Master of Environmental Science complete a 25-point capstone “Professional Project” in the final year of each degree, taking their learnings outside the classroom to work on a real-world industry project.
Within these projects, students are assigned to small syndicate groups to address a practical industry challenge/issue which has been identified by their assigned industry client. Students work under the general guidance of an industry host supervisor as well as an academic supervisor.
On completion of the subject sequence, students are expected to demonstrate key employability skills, including problem solving, analytical, teamwork and self-management skills as well as articulate and present results at a career ready level.
Master of Biotechnology
Industry Project in Biotechnology
This subject will provide practical insights into the role of science and scientific thinking within business, and the successful application of this perspective, along with communication and business tools, to work environments.
The project is completed as a 25-point subject over two semesters (start year intake only).
Examples of past projects include:
- New biomaterials for a medical device
- Market intelligence of complementary technology companies
- Determine regulatory landscapes for new drugs
- Business case for a microfluidic device
Master of Data Science
Data Science Projects
This capstone project will provide the culmination of the Master of Data Science degree. It will apply the skills developed during the degree to a practical problem of relevance to science, industry, commerce or society in general.
The project is completed as two 12.5-point subjects over two semesters (start year intake only).
Examples of past projects include:
- Identifying effects of disease symptoms and environmental factors for disease prediction in agriculture
- E-commerce data analysis for modelling customer behaviour to improve retention and user experience
- Computer vision algorithms for identifying objects in user photographs for more efficient customer support
- Using machine learning for predicting patient outcomes
Master of Environmental Science
Industry Project in Environmental Science
This subject will provide practical insights into the role of science and scientific thinking within a genuine workplace context. Students will draw upon on their Environmental Science knowledge and other skills developed in the professional tools subjects they have undertaken.
The project is completed as two 12.5-point subjects over two semesters (start or midyear intake).
Examples of past projects include:
- Exploring the impact of human-induced environmental change on ecosystem health
- Human biomonitoring of exposure to persistent environmental pollutants
- Developing an environmental assessment methodology for water quality