Caution
Copyright © Monash University 1996
ISBN 1320-6222
Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Applications for APA or MGS should be lodged at the Research Training and Support Branch office by the fourth Friday in October each year.
Further inquiries should be directed to: Ms Andrea Owen, telephone (03) 9905 3009, Research Training and Support Branch, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168.
In accordance with the 1991 Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Training guidelines most Australian citizens and permanent residents undertaking full-time study for a PhD or masters by research degree were granted an exemption.
Further information on HECS exemptions is available from Research Training and Support Branch, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168.
Further information on these awards is available from the Research Training and Support Branch, Monash University.
PhD application forms are available from Research Training and Support Branch; 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 for 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.
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 will be directed to central administration for an identity card.
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.
PhD candidates are permitted to defer the commencement date of candidature for a period of up to twelve months.
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.
Students granted an exemption without credit do not receive credit points towards their enrolled degree or diploma, therefore, they are required to satisfactorily complete the maximum number of credit points for the specified award.
Continuing coursework students are also likely to pre-enrol in 1995 for the 1996 academic year. All students would be sent a pre-enrolment guide, required to consult with their department or centre and obtain written approval for all proposed subjects and research and present this information to the graduate studies office by the due date (yet to be determined at the time this book goes to publication).
The faculty will key all details of the next academic year's enrolment and refer students to central administration to arrange for an ID card and the completion of additional paperwork. 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 1996.
Mailed to: Students
Return to: Central administration if a PhD candidate or the faculty graduate studies office if enrolled in a masters degree or graduate diploma.
Central administration sends a record of enrolment and HECS liability after each census date (31 March, first semester and 31 August, second semester) and notifies students of summer semester liabilities by mail during the summer semester. It is imperative that students check the details and report any errors by 19 April (first semester), 20 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.
No student may take up after 15 March 1996 a new subject taught in the first half of the year or over the whole academic year, or after 26 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 1996 are not yet determined. It is the responsibility of students to notify the faculty of any change in their current address.
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).
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.
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.
Application forms are available from the graduate studies 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.
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.
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 and a written submission by the candidate, plus 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.
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.
This procedure is as outlined under `Other graduate concerns and matters' later in this section.
Students who have a grievance in relation to administrative matters concerning the graduate studies office or officers should in the first instance discuss the matter with the coordinator, graduate studies office. 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.
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 full 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.
Grades Marks (%) High distinction (HD) 85-100 Distinction (D) 75-84 Credit (C) 65-74 Pass (P) 50-64 (see below) Fail (NN) 49 or below
For students undertaking a Master of Arts, Master of Bioethics (1994 onwards), or a Master of Social Work degree, the minimum pass is 65 (C). To qualify for the degree, students must have achieved credit or better in all subjects, although the board of examiners may allow a student who has received a mark between 61 and 64 in one subject only to get a complementary pass for that subject, provided that the average of all marks is 65 or above. Students undertaking the Master of Environmental Science degree are required to achieve at least a credit average in order to be eligible to take out the award.
Where a thesis is undertaken as the only component or as part of a masters degree, the examiners' marks will be a major consideration when finalising the overall qualifying grade.