Health Sciences

Studying @ ARCSHS

Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society

Why study at ARCSHS
Support for Postgraduates
What qualifications do I need to apply for a research degree?
First step in the application process
Second step in the application process
Scholarships
Closing dates

Why study at ARCSHS

The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) is a social research centre located within the Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University. We are housed on the city campus of La Trobe, adjacent to the Victoria Markets. Our main interests are in sexual and reproductive health, HIV and hepatitis and social health.  Postgraduate study at ARCSHS is carried out through enrolment in research degrees at the Master's and Doctoral levels. We do not run postgraduate coursework degrees.

ARCSHS staff supervise students enrolled in research degrees at PhD and Masters level as well as coursework Masters programs. Inquiries from students interested in undertaking studies in areas relating to sexuality and health should contact Postgraduate Coordinator : Dr Lynne Hillier.

Staff come from various disciplines:

• Sociology
• Psychology
• Anthropology
• Health Studies
• Cultural Studies and
• Epidemiology

With its multi-disciplinary focus, ARCSHS can offer supervision across a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives. Unlike uni disciplinary departments, students are encouraged to look outside their discipline and be informed by many approaches. Most students combine a number of research methods within their research designs.

ARCSHS has a regular centre seminar to which all students are invited as well as fortnightly postgraduate seminars during the teaching semester that are tailored to the particular needs of students. This includes peer support for the rehearsal of conference papers and research proposals as well as exploring theory and methodological considerations.

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Support for Postgraduates

We work hard at supporting the students and encourage a postgraduate culture of intellectual inquiry, and completion of degrees in minimum time. Each student is assigned both a Principal and Co-supervisor with whom s/he has regular meetings. The Centre and the Faculty offer (limited) financial support for conference papers, research expenses and publications. Students are given access to desk space, telephone and a computer. These facilities may be shared.
All students receive a small annual allowance for study-related expenses.  Research degrees for Australian students are currently HECS exempt. International students must consult http://www.latrobe.edu.au/international/ .

ARCSHS Staff conduct a wide range of research on matters such as:

• sex and sexuality education in schools and the health professions
• the lives, cultures and health of people living with HIV
• sexuality and gay men and lesbians
• sexual health and Indigenous people
• reproductive health
• hepatitis C, drug cultures and justice systems
• medical professions, patients and expert knowledges
• print and electronic media cultures, gender and health
• policy and professional practice
• international health issues
• social factors affecting the health of populations.
  
  

We work closely with community-based organisations, government departments, consumer advocates, and the World Health Organisation and have a focus on professional practice as one area of investigation. We encourage theorisation, empirical work and methodological subtlety and innovation. Researchers engage in large and small scale survey work, qualitative investigations through interviews and associated forms of statistical, thematic, discursive and narrative analysis.

Postgraduate students come from a range of disciplinary and professional backgrounds. There is a wide age range and considerable diversity. Current research areas include:

• Women, pregnancy, motherhood and HIV
• Seminal Fluids
• Queer family values
• Women making sense of breast cancer information
• Ethics of breast cancer screening
• Sociocultural determinants of contraceptive use
• The health effects of media representations of genitals
• Affirming diversity in sex education in schools
• Women's narration of their HIV infection
• Male sex workers
• Sexuality and ageing
• Lesbian visibility and health services
• Sexuality and health in prison populations.

Application for admission to postgraduate work requires that you have discussed a proposed research project with a staff member who confirms an interest and capacity to supervise.

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What qualifications do I need to apply for a research degree?

Ordinarily you need a four year Honours degree with a high level result. However, we do accept applicants with pass degrees/diplomas and/or research experience and/or publications and/or a high level of professional practice in a relevant area. If you do not have an Honours degree you will be initially asked to apply for entry into the Master's research degree before later applying for transfer to a PhD. Please email or call the Posgraduate Co-ordinator (+61 3 9285 5360 ) if you have doubts about your eligibility.

First step in the application process:

Familiarise yourself with the staff and their research interests to see whether there is a possible match with your interests. Email the Postgraduate Co-ordinator with a proposed research project (1-2pp) and a short CV which will be circulated to staff to see whether any are available to supervise such a project. This usually takes about two weeks.

Second step in the application process:

Once you have a supervisor, complete the application form for entry to La Trobe University. The same form is used for Masters and PhD applications and for Scholarship applications.

Scholarships

Postgraduate scholarships are highly competitive. If you completed Honours but do not have a First Class Honours result you will not be in the running for a scholarship, unless

• your mark was just below First Class and can be upgraded slightly because you have several refereed journal articles that have been also independently graded as first class
• you have another postgraduate qualification which included a thesis of more than 10,000 words, and that thesis can be graded to establish Honours equivalence
• you have other qualifications and substantial publications which can be graded to establish Honours equivalence

These are all examples where your application may receive consideration, but they do not guarantee a scholarship will be awarded.

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Closing dates

Applications for candidature are welcome all year, however we prefer you to enrol before the end of March. The closing date for applications for scholarships is 31 October for Australian and New Zealand citizens and 30 September for overseas applicants.