Honours and Masters

Welcome

Our research-project based courses take advantage of the extensive scientific research done in the Department of Paediatrics and by our partners, the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH), enabling us to provide a unique opportunity for students to join multi-disciplinary research teams conducting laboratory, clinical and public health research.

Our Honours program has been carefully developed to provide students with advanced coursework and research projects focussed on the molecular biology of human development and disease. The advanced lectures have been carefully prepared to provide a detailed and integrated biochemical and genetic knowledge of topics within this focus area.  The majority of lecturers have PhD degrees and most have had significant undergraduate and postgraduate teaching experience.

Updated soon - Research projects offered in 2027.

For more information, visit https://www.mcri.edu.au/students/honours-students

Prospective student can enrol in any of the following degrees in the Department of Paediatrics:

2027 Intake Information Sessions

Interested in studying Honours or a Master of Biomedical Science degree in 2027?  Want to experience working in a professional hospital and research environment? Interested in improving child health?

If this sounds like you, join us at one of our two upcoming Information Sessions.

ONLINE

Join us for our 2027 intake Student Information Session online webinar on Wednesday 2 September 2026 from 4:00 to 5.:30pm details will be available in the MCRI and Dept of Paediatrics website and will be emailed to you using the email address you provide here to register. This webinar will provide further detail about the MCRI/Department of Paediatrics coursework program, advice on how to apply, and a panel of students will share their recent experiences as Honours students at the Department.

Registration link coming soon.

IN-PERSON

An In-person session has also been scheduled on Wednesday 9 September from 5:00pm onwards. You will have the opportunity to meet our coordinator and, current MCRI students will host small group tours of the Institute. Some supervisors who have proposed 2027 projects will be available to meet you and discuss their projects.

Based within the Royal Children's Hospital, the Department of Paediatrics and the Murdoch Children's Research Institute collaborate to offer an array of research projects to Honours and Masters students. We offer lab-based, clinical and population health projects and a supportive learning environment with plenty of professional development opportunities.

Please Register so we know to expect you in person at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

Registration link coming soon.

For more information, visit https://www.mcri.edu.au/students/honours-students

Research Projects and Supervision

  • All projects address fundamental scientific questions
  • The Department of Paediatrics and MCRI have major basic research programs attracting external peer-reviewed funding in excess of $5 million a year. This research effort is substantially larger than that of many other departments and offers students a wide choice of supervisor, topics and technical repertoire
  • Supervisors have extensive experience in research and graduate supervision and student assessment
  • Supervisors are mostly full-time researchers with a limited teaching load and more time to devote to student supervision
  • A vigorous seminar program is in place, comprising at least weekly formal lectures from external invited speakers or researchers from within the hospital
  • After the conclusion of the coursework component, students completed a questionnaire assessing both the content and delivery of the lecture material. Students judged the course to be stimulating and highly relevant
  • Students assessed the coursework challenging, but not too hard

Subjects You'll be Studying

Students enrolled in the Department of Paediatrics Honours program will be enrolled in the following subjects:

Key Contacts

General Enquiries GR-MC@unimelb.edu.au
Carmen Van Tiggel +61 3 9345 7021
Helen D'Cruz +61 3 9345 6671 
Dr Ann FrazierFraziera@unimelb.edu.au