The faculty receives a great number of applications for graduate programs. Demand for places is therefore highly competitive and not all qualified applicants can expect to be successful.
PhD application forms are available from the PhD and Scholarships Office; masters and diploma forms may be obtained from the graduate faculty office on the student's proposed campus. These sets of forms normally become available in August of the year before admission is sought. Completed forms must be submitted to the department or centre by the fourth Friday in October.
Candidates for the degree of Master of Arts proceed in one of three ways: by thesis; by coursework and thesis; or by coursework and candidates need to indicate their proposed mode of candidature on the application form. Not every department necessarily offers all three options; intending candidates should consult the relevant entry in this handbook for details, and preferably the department or centre also, before completing this section of the application form. The application must receive the recommendation of the head of the department or the director of the centre in which the intending candidate wishes to pursue studies. In making a recommendation, the head of the department or director of the centre will name a supervisor for candidates undertaking research, specify any course requirements and indicate at least in general terms the proposed topic or field of study. The application is then considered by the Committee of Graduate Studies of the Arts faculty board or, for PhD applicants, by the PhD and Scholarships Committee. The candidate is subsequently notified by letter of the committee's decision on the application.
Credit transfer
On the recommendation of the head of the department or director of the centre concerned and with the approval of the Committee of Graduate Studies, the faculty may in special circumstances grant credit for prior work already completed at Monash University or at another tertiary institution, including overseas universities.
For masters students a maximum of 50 per cent credit towards the degree may be allowed, provided that the work for which credit is granted has been completed at credit level or above, or at a standard deemed equivalent.
For graduate diploma students credit not exceeding one-third of the total requirements for the degree may be granted for work undertaken and completed.
Closing date for applications
Applications for admission to higher degree candidature or the graduate diploma program must be lodged no later than 31 October 1994 for the first semester intake in 1995.
Accepted candidates
PhD students are to liaise directly with the PhD and Scholarships Office upon receipt of a letter offering candidature. Candidates are requested to advise the PhD and Scholarships Office within three weeks of the date of offer whether they wish to accept the offer.
Upon receipt of a letter of offer, masters and diploma students are required to complete an acceptance form and lodge it with the faculty. Students who accept a place must report to the faculty during the scheduled dates to complete enrolment formalities, and failure to do so could result in the loss of a place. Enrolling students will receive an enrolment form and be directed to the relevant department or centre for advice and approval of the course of study. Details of the enrolment will be keyed by the faculty, then students eligible for a HECS exemption will be directed to the PhD and Scholarships Office and to central administration for an identity card. Students not eligible for a HECS exemption will be sent directly to central administration.
Students are not required to pay fees at enrolment. A liability statement will be forwarded to all students approximately two to three weeks after enrolment. To validate an enrolment students must make a payment at any Westpac branch within the specified timeframe.
Deferments
Due to current demand for places, master and diploma applicants cannot defer their course of study. If unable to accept the offer of a place, applicants should reapply the following year.
PhD candidates are permitted to defer the commencement date of candidature for a period of up to twelve months.
Concurrent candidature
Normally a full-time candidate for a higher degree in the Faculty of Arts will not be permitted to enrol for a concurrent course at this or another university or tertiary institution. However, in exceptional cases, individual applications for concurrent part-time candidature may be considered by the faculty. Any such requests must be made in writing, clearly setting out the reasons why the candidate seeks to undertake concurrent studies in more than one degree.
Faculty timetables
Timetables for postgraduate subjects are available from the relevant department or centre.
Enrolment and pre-enrolment
All continuing research and coursework students are required to re-enrol annually. In September each year 100 per cent research students are sent an enrolment form (called a 'Part A' form) together with a letter asking them to pre-enrol. The pre-enrolment form for a masters student is returned to the Faculty of Arts, whereas PhD students return their form to the Higher Degree and Scholarships branch.
Students undertaking coursework only or a combination of coursework and research must re-enrol in person (or by asking a proxy to stand in for them) in December. Students will liaise with their department or centre on their progress to date and report to the faculty office to complete enrolment formalities.
The faculty will key all details of the next academic year's enrolment and refer students to the PhD and Scholarships Office if eligible for a HECS exemption. Students who are not HECS-exempt arrange for the mode of paying their HECS fees at the time of enrolment. The university will forward a `liability statement' for the amenities fees in January 1995.
Confirmation of enrolment
Form: Confirmation of enrolment and HECS advice form
Mailed to: Students
Return to: Student Administration
Student Administration send a record of enrolment and HECS liability after each census date (31 March, first semester and 31 August, second semester) and notify students of summer semester liabilities by mail during the summer semester. It is imperative that students check the details and report any errors to their faculty by 21 April (first semester), 22 September (second semester) and three weeks after the printing date of the form for summer subjects. Disputes made after these dates will incur a $30 late fine. If students do not dispute a discrepancy the Australian Taxation Office will be given incorrect information, which may cost students money. If the details on the form are accurate, no further action is necessary. If students have not received the form one week prior to the due return date they should call at central administration to request a replacement and confirm that they have the correct mail address.
Amendment to enrolment
Alterations to enrolment and change of address
Students must notify the faculty, using the forms available from the Graduate Office, of any change in their selection of subjects or thesis details. Any change in enrolment must be approved by the department or centre and the Faculty of Arts. No change of course or subject will be accepted until 27 February 1995. The faculty should also be advised in writing if a candidate wishes to withdraw from candidature.
No student may take up after 13 March 1995 a new subject taught in the first half of the year or over the whole academic year, or after 31 July, a new subject taught in the second half of the year, except with the permission of the dean and on payment of a late change fee. Late fees for 1995 are not yet determined. It is the responsibility of students to notify the faculty of any change in their current address.
Intermission of candidature (leave of absence)
Candidates may apply for intermission from their studies if there are circumstances which are deemed to be exceptional. Applications (available from the graduate studies office) stating the reasons and the period of intermission desired should be submitted to the head of the relevant department or director of the relevant centre, who will then make an appropriate recommendation and forward the application to the faculty.
Periods of intermission are in addition to the time-limits set out for the programs. Maximum total period of intermissions:
* Masters - 12 months (full-time), 24 months (part-time)
* Graduate diploma - 6 months (full-time), 12 months (part-time).
Discontinuing of subjects
The following dates are the last day for discontinuance of a subject for it to be classified as discontinued: (a) for a subject taught and assessed in the first half-year, 8 May 1995; (b) for a subject taught and assessed in the second half-year, 2 October 1995; (c) for a subject taught and assessed over the whole of the teaching year, 2 October 1995.
In exceptional circumstances the dean may approve the classification of a subject as discontinued between the dates above and the end of the appropriate teaching period.
Refund of student amenities fee on discontinuance
Diploma and masters degree candidates defined as coursework candidates who discontinue studies prior to the census date for the semester may be eligible for a refund of part of the student amenities fees paid. For a full refund, all subjects must be discontinued by 11 March 1994 for first semester and by 29 July for second semester. In other cases a partial refund may be given. No refund will be given after the census dates (31 March in first semester and 31 August in second semester).
Masters degree candidates defined as research candidates admitted to candidature during the year who discontinue all studies, complete their course, or are formally permitted to intermit their studies may be eligible for a refund according to the number of full calendar months for which they are not enrolled during the year.
Masters degree candidates who have completed their coursework subjects and candidates enrolled for the research component of their course only and who submit their thesis during the year may be eligible for a refund of the student amenities fee according to the same principles outlined above for masters degree candidates defined as research candidates.
Diploma and masters degree candidates defined as coursework candidates who withdraw from subjects or units in accordance with the selection and enrolment procedures outlined above so that their course is reduced to a part-time load, or from a part-time level 1 to a part-time level 2 load, may receive a refund of the difference between the levels of fees in accordance with the proportion outlined in the above.
Students who consider that they are eligible for a refund must lodge a completed and signed refund claim form with the central administration office. Students who have discontinued all studies during the year (including those granted intermissions) must also return their student identity card to the university before any refund can be made. Refunds will be paid only by cheque, normally within three weeks of lodgement of the claim, although refunds on claims lodged early in the year will not be processed until March.
Publication of results
Examination results are posted on the Rotunda notice board (Clayton campus). Student administration mail personal notifications of results to each student's correspondence address some time after the publication of results. Students should not wait for their results before re-enrolling. Results will not be given over the telephone.
Special consideration
A candidate whose work during a teaching period or whose performance in an examination or other assessment has been affected by illness or other serious case may apply in writing to the faculty registrar, care of the graduate office, for special consideration by the examiners or board of examiners concerned.
Application forms are available from the graduate office and must be lodged no later than forty-eight hours after the candidate's last examination as set out in the examinations time-table or, if the candidate is not undertaking subjects listed in the examinations register, after the last examination for any subject in the Faculty of Arts held in that semester or the last deadline for written pieces of work in the candidate's department or centre of enrolment. Under special circumstances the faculty registrar may accept a late application, if he is satisfied that a candidate was unable to make the application by the time stated above.
The application must be accompanied by appropriate evidence, such as a medical certificate.
Unsatisfactory progress and exclusion
Students undertaking graduate studies by thesis only may have their candidature terminated if their progress in their studies is not considered satisfactory. It is expected that discussions between candidate and supervisor will have given adequate warning if the student's work is not developing satisfactorily. Whenever it has been recommended by the department or centre that a candidature be terminated, the student concerned will be asked if he or she wishes to make representation to the Committee for Graduate Studies before a final decision is made.
A full-time or part-time masters or diploma student who does not pass a given proportion of subjects for which he or she is enrolled will be liable for exclusion from the faculty for the following year. No decision will be taken to exclude a student until the student has been given the opportunity to present a case to the admissions and exclusions committee.
Transfer from one degree program to another
Transfer from Graduate Diploma of Arts to Master of Arts programs
In some fields of study, the diploma program can also be considered a qualifying year for entry to the masters degrees. Students who receive credit level grades or above in all of their diploma subjects are eligible to apply for admission into the relevant masters program. It should be noted that such transfers are not automatic as applicants are competing for a place with students seeking direct entry into the masters programs.
Transfer from the Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science to the Master of Environmental Science program
Applicants should consult staff in the Graduate School of Environmental Science prior to lodging an application.
Upgrading from research Masters to doctoral candidature
The Committee for Graduate Studies at its meeting 1/94 recommended that departments and centres adopt the following procedure for students upgrading for research Masters to PhD candidature.
Students contemplating an upgrade must take the responsibility for allowing roughly two months for the upgrading process, a point to be noted especially by students approaching the time limit for masters candidature. Students should discuss a potential upgrade with their supervisor in the first instance. Then the graduate coordinator or the head of the department/director of centre should be consulted to make the necessary arrangements.
The decision to recommend an upgrade or not (or to postpone a decision) is made by a panel which includes the head of the department or director of centre, the supervisor as well as other relevant department members such as the graduate coordinator.
The panel will base its decision on an oral presentation by the candidate, a written submission by the candidate, and any other information deemed relevant by the panel.
The candidate's written case for upgrading will provide details on the proposed research, report progress to date and provide a timetable for completion of each phase of the research program. Copies are to be submitted to each panel member. If the case is approved, it will be forwarded to the university's PhD and Scholarships Committee. Accordingly, this submission should be a substantial document, worthy of the time already devoted to the work. The candidate is expected precisely to define the focus, methods and limits of the research and to place it in the context of related scholarly literature. Also the candidate should explain how the masters work will be altered to reflect its new status as doctoral research. The submission may be supported by any written works, such as working papers or chapter drafts, which would reinforce the case. A bibliography of works consulted should be supplied. Due attention should be paid to matters of clarity, readability and presentation. The document need not be lengthy (5000-10,000 words would be sufficient in most cases), and, indeed, conciseness is a requirement.
The oral presentation will usually be in the form of a departmental seminar, open to the public, but the panel may accept an alternative format such as an in-depth interview if circumstances warrant.
After the candidate has made an oral presentation and submitted the written statement the panel will meet to consider its decision. In normal cases, the panel's decision should be made known to the candidate within one month.
Student grievance and appeals procedures
The faculty has introduced these procedures to cover problems and grievances that students may have over academic and administrative matters at the departmental or faculty level. These include matters relating to enrolment, assessment, unsatisfactory progress, the provision of teaching or support services, and provision of faculty facilities. These procedures do not relate to discipline or sexual harassment matters which are covered by special university procedures.
The procedures are designed to provide for the resolution of problems and complaints quickly and efficiently through appropriate departmental and faculty mechanisms, while protecting the rights of students and staff. All cases of this kind will be treated as confidential. These procedures are provided for cases where the matter cannot be resolved satisfactorily through the usual more informal means.
Academic grievances
Academic grievances are those where students have complaints about aspects of their courses, assessment or other matters which are the responsibility of academic staff and of departments and centres in the faculty.
Administrative grievances and appeals procedures
Administrative grievances are those where students have complaints about matters relating to enrolment or to information, advice or services on other matters provided by administrative staff of the faculty.
Students who have a grievance in relation to administrative matters concerning the faculty office or officers should in the first instance discuss the matter with the coordinator, graduate studies. The coordinator will attempt to resolve the matter. If this is not successful, the coordinator will advise the student how to proceed.
Depending on the nature of the matter, students may be advised to appeal either to the chair of the Committee for Graduate Studies or to the faculty registrar. Students should make a written submission to the appropriate person. A recommendation for the resolution of the matter should be made within fourteen days of the submission being received.
If the student is not satisfied with the proposed method of resolution, the student may appeal to the dean.
Other graduate concerns and matters
Students should first discuss the matter with the lecturer/ supervisor concerned. In the case of a coursework matter, if this does not resolve the matter satisfactorily, the student should consult the course coordinator (where the course co-ordinator is not the lecturer). If still unresolved the student should present his or her case in writing to the responsible head of department or director of centre (or where the lecturer/supervisor is the head of department or director of centre to a senior member of that department or centre). In the case of a research student, if the matter cannot be resolved between the student and the supervisor, the student should present his or her case in writing to the head of department or director of centre. No more than fourteen days should elapse between the time the matter is raised by the student and attempts to resolve it within the department or centre.
If the matter is not resolved within the department or centre within fourteen days, the matter may be referred by either the student or the head of department/director of centre to the chair of the Committee for Graduate Studies (COGS). At this stage further information may be submitted to the chair of COGS by either party. The chair of COGS will attempt to resolve the dispute within fourteen days of receiving the referral.
If this matter cannot be resolved by the chair of COGS, it may be referred to the committee for arbitration. The committee shall make its determination within fourteen days and notify the student and the head of department or director of centre of its decision in writing.
The student or department/centre may lodge an appeal against the committee's determination which shall be heard by the dean.