Melbourne School of Graduate Research

Candidature

PhD candidates have a responsibility to be aware of and to abide by the PhD Regulations, the advice contained in this information book, including the Code of Conduct for Research, and departmental policies and requirements.

Student Contact Details

Change of address

It is the student's responsibility to notify the University within 7 days of any change in their contact details, (that is, their Australian residential address and telephone number). Failure to notify the institution of current address could place an international student at risk of automatic visa cancellation. With a valid e-mail account candidates can use the service provided by the Student Portal to change their address on-line. Simply log into the Student Portal at http://portal.unimelb.edu.au/.

Enrolment

Initial enrolment

Information and instructions about accepting an offer and enrolling is included with the candidate's offer letter. Before undertaking online enrolment, candidates should discuss with their supervisor(s) the specific 'commencing' date indicated in the offer letter and contact SGR to amend it. The 'commencing' date cannot be changed after enrolment. Candidates with a conditional offer will not be permitted to accept the offer or enrol until all offer conditions are met. Documentation can be submitted to SGR by post or in person. Where certified documentation is requested, it must display the signature and stamp of an authorised official indicating that they have sighted the original documents.

Backdating of initial enrolment

The Committee may normally backdate the commencement date by a maximum of two months from the date of receipt of the completed application form in the School of Graduate Research. This will apply ONLY in cases where the department can show that the applicant has in fact been working in the department on the topic proposed. Please note that applications cannot be backdated prior to the preceding DEST census date (31 March or 31 August of each year) or over a calendar year.

Re-enrolment

Continuing PhD students must re-enrol every year for the following academic year and this process must be completed by the end of the University's re-enrolment period. Information regarding re-enrolment is posted to all students who need to re-enrol towards the end of each year.

Termination of candidature after failure to re-enrol

Candidature which terminates because of failure to re-enrol within the prescribed annual re-enrolment period may be reinstated by the School of Graduate Research for the remaining period of candidature. To be reinstated candidates should report to Student Administration to arrange for the termination to be removed. A reinstatement fee in addition to normal re-enrolment fees will be charged.

Enrolment in additional subjects and courses

PhD candidates may not concurrently undertake any other course of study at the University or elsewhere without prior approval by their head of department and the Chair, RHD Committee.

It is not uncommon for candidates, in consultation with their supervisor, to seek enrolment in additional coursework subjects to assist with their PhD research program. Application can be made on the Application for Adding and Deleting Additional Subjects form. The supervisor and head of department should confirm that the coursework subject should be regarded as part of the PhD enrolment. In this case, additional HECS fees will normally not apply.

Candidates should discuss with their supervisor any additional skills required to assist with the completion of their degree. Programs involving personal, academic and professional development are offered through the SGR and other sectors of the University. Short skills courses are offered to enrolled postgraduate students through the SGR. The short skills brochure is mailed to all candidates at the beginning of each semester.

Probationary status and confirmation of candidature

Purpose of confirmation

Confirmation is a key point in candidature. Its purpose is to determine whether or not work to date on the PhD research proposal indicates a strong likelihood that it will result in a high quality thesis, completed in the required time.

PhD candidates are first admitted as 'probationary' candidates, except those who have converted from a Masters by Research, or in some cases, have transferred from RHD enrolment at another institution.
Probationary candidature is normally for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 12 months (or 12 and 24 months for part-time students) ending once confirmation is confirmed. After 6 months (full-time) enrolment the School of Graduate Research sends a Confirmation Report Form to prompt the candidate to commence preparation for the confirmation process.

The purposes of confirmation are to:

The Confirmation Committee

For the purposes of confirmation the Confirmation Committee will comprise the Advisory Committee, together with any additional membership co-opted for purposes of assessment of the written and oral presentation associated with the confirmation process. The Head of Department will advise probationary candidates of the composition of their Confirmation Committee.

Confirmation Process

For confirmation, each candidate is required to:

  1. prepare a written proposal of at least 3,000 and possibly up to 10,000 words, depending on Departmental requirements (Guidelines for the format of the proposal are outlined below),
  2. make an oral presentation on the project of 20 - 30 minutes duration (allowing time for questions) in a departmental postgraduate seminar or similar forum,
  3. verbally defend the proposed research project with the Confirmation Committee. During the defence, the Confirmation Committee will assess the feasibility and resource requirements of the proposed project and offer suggestions towards its successful completion,
  4. have met any special requirements noted at enrolment and necessary for confirmation, and
  5. return the confirmation report form to SGR by the due date.

In the case of creative arts disciplines, the supervisor and candidate should present to the confirmation committee for endorsement, a proposal on an integrated format appropriate for a thesis of this nature. In the examination process equal weighting will be given to the written dissertation and the creative work. After confirmation, the Confirmation Committee will inform the Research Higher Degrees Committee of the form and presentation of the thesis.

The Confirmation Committee will make a recommendation to the head of department to either:

Extension of Probationary Candidature

An email request for extension (of up to a maximum of 3 months full-time or 6 months part-time) should be sent on behalf of the Confirmation Committee by the Supervisor, Postgraduate Co-ordinator or Head of Department to: confirmation-info@unimelb.edu.au. The request must set a new confirmation due date and be accompanied by a statement from the department giving detailed reasons as to why the extension is required. Requests for extensions of more than 3 months full-time or 6 months part-time would need to be documented carefully and presented as a special case.

Formal Warning of Unsatisfactory Progress

The Confirmation Committee may request a formal warning of unsatisfactory progress notification under PhD Handbook Prescription 21 of R3.60 and Statute 11.5 Unsatisfactory Progress. On receipt of the formal warning, the Chair, Research Higher Degrees Committee, will issue a written warning to the candidate stating that at the expiration of three months from the date of issue of the warning they intend to - (a) terminate the student's candidature; or (b) make such changes to the student's candidature as are specified in the warning (eg. convert to Masters).

Requests for a formal warning of unsatisfactory progress notification must include the reasons for the recommendation and include an assessment of what would need to be achieved by the student within the next 3 months to meet confirmation requirements. This statement will be provided to the candidate together with the letter notifying them of unsatisfactory progress. The student may notify the School of Graduate Research, within 6 weeks of the date of the letter, of their wish to be heard in relation to the warning. If they wish to be heard, then they must submit their case (including any documentation they feel relevant to the matter) within the requested time frame. Supervision must be provided until a final determination is made.

The Confirmation Committee can notify SGR at any time during this 3 month period that the candidate has demonstrated satisfactory progress and the candidate would then be considered as confirmed. However, at the end of the 3 month period if the Confirmation Committee determines that sufficient progress has not been made, SGR is notified and the candidature is terminated or such changes as specified in the warning, eg. converted to Masters.

Preparing for Confirmation of Candidature

To prepare for Confirmation of Candidature candidates should:

Guidelines for the format of the proposal
Guidelines for Written Proposal (3,000 - 10,000 words)
The content and structure will vary across disciplines but should include:
- a concise statement of the research question(s)
- a critical summary and analysis of relevant literature,
- as appropriate to the discipline of study, an explanation of the conceptual framework to be used and/or a summary of experimental methods and equipment requirements,
- a summary of progress to date including preliminary data, resources developed etc,
- an argument for the relevance and importance of the study,
- proposed schedule and timeline for the phases of the study, based on date of submission,
- a brief bibliography, and
- a list of publications produced or presentations made during probationary candidature.

Progress reports

PhD candidates are required to submit an annual progress report. Completion of progress reports is required for the continuation of enrolment and any scholarship held. Progress report forms are sent by the School of Graduate Research direct to the candidate two months prior to the due date. The due date will be adjusted for any approved periods of leave. Progress reports provide an opportunity for both student and supervisor to review and evaluate progress on the project, and can alert the head of department and the Chair of the RHD Committee, of any difficulties in candidature. The candidate should read the supervisor's comments and is required to sign after completion of the supervisor's section.

International AusAID-sponsored students will be required to submit end-of-semester reports to AusAID.

Completion report form

PhD candidates within two months of their expected completion date are required to complete a Completion Report Form for PhD Candidates. Completion report forms are sent by the School of Graduate Research direct to the candidate two months prior to the due date.Candidates requiring an extension will need to attach a complete thesis outline (maximum 4 pages), state number of thesis chapters completed and provide a one-page plan of how they propose to complete the thesis within the extension period.

Period of candidature

The normal period of candidature (probationary and confirmed) is three years (for full-time candidates). If necessary, candidates may apply for a maximum of two extensions of six months. Part-time candidates will have a maximum term of candidature of 6 years, and may apply for a maximum of two twelve-month (PT) extensions. Further extensions beyond four years will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

All candidates are required to spend a minimum of 12 months (full-time) or 24 months (part-time) at the University. Candidature will not be reduced to less than these periods. Candidates must have had their candidature confirmed prior to submission. Where the Academic Board has approved a course in which the first year of candidature is to comprise coursework and the preparation of a thesis proposal, the total period of candidature cannot be reduced to less than twenty-four months.

Recreation leave

Candidates may take up to four weeks of recreation leave in each year by arrangement with their supervisors and their department. A recreation leave form is not required by the School of Graduate Research, however Department procedures may require the completion of a recreation form. Leave taken will not alter the submission date.

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