The admission of applicants proceeding to MSc candidature is controlled by the faculty Committee on Graduate Matters on behalf of the Science faculty board. The admission of candidates for the PhD degree is dependent on a recommendation from the Committee on Graduate Matters and the decision is made by the PhD and Scholarships Committee. The procedure for application is as follows:
1 Application, supported by certified evidence of prior qualifications should be made on the appropriate form and submitted to the relevant head of department.
2 MSc part 1 and 2 and PhD applications, with a recommendation from the head of department, will go to the Committee on Graduate Matters. The faculty will communicate the decision of the Committee on Graduate Matters to the applicant and to the department.
3 Applications for admission to PhD candidature will be forwarded with a recommendation to the PhD and Scholarships Committee which will notify the applicant and department of the outcome.
4 Any admission decision taken by the Committee on Graduate Matters is subject to endorsement by the Science faculty board.
If the Committee on Graduate Matters does not approve the departmental recommendation the case is normally referred back to the head of department for reconsideration. If the matter becomes a matter of dispute between the committee and the head of department, the Science faculty board will be requested to resolve the issue.
Admission to MSc and PhD is dependant upon:
The regulations governing the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy will be found in the regulations section of this volume.
A class I or class IIA honours degree in a relevant field is required. Applicants who have completed MSc part 1 may also be recommended if the head of department concerned certifies that the level of achievement is comparable to a class I or class IIA honours degree. Applicants holding IIB honours degrees or lower qualifications may be accepted by the PhD and Scholarships Committee if they have obtained considerable further research experience as MSc candidates (or in some other way) which might be considered a satisfactory substitute for a class I or class IIA honours degree. A candidate for the degree of MSc, who has not submitted a thesis, will not normally be permitted to transfer to PhD candidature if that candidate has spent more than thirty-six months in MSc candidature.
The faculty board, through the Committee on Graduate Matters, may on the recommendation of the head of department concerned, recommend to the PhD and Scholarships Committee admission of applicants to part-time PhD enrolment who comply with the following guidelines.
1 Subject to the requirements of the regulations relating to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy the faculty has determined that applicants shall provide written evidence that they can devote:
1.1 at least two full working days per week or its equivalent to their studies in a laboratory discipline; or
1.2 at least one full working day per week or its equivalent in a non-laboratory discipline.
2 Applicants in full-time employment shall provide written evidence from the employer to the effect that sufficient time as defined above will be made available for them to undertake their studies.
In special circumstances and on the recommendation of the Committee on Graduate Matters, exceptions to these provisions may be recommended by the faculty board to the PhD and Scholarships Committee in support of approval of a particular application.
On admitting an MSc candidate, faculty board will, on the recommendation of the head of department, appoint a member of the academic staff of the university as supervisor. It may also appoint an associate supervisor who need not be an academic staff member but someone of recognised standing in the field. Both supervisors are responsible to the faculty board.
Research Fellows may be appointed as supervisors if their terms of appointment exceed the periods of candidature and they have previous experience in supervising higher degree candidates. Otherwise they may be appointed as associate supervisors.
The time limits for completion of MSc part 1 and 2 are set out in the MSc regulations in this handbook. The work for the degree shall normally be carried out under such condititions as the faculty board may prescribe.
Candidates for MSc part 1 must complete such courses and pass such examinations as the faculty board may prescribe to ensure that the candidate is adequately prepared for the proposed course of study. The examinations must be passed with results equivalent to HIIA or better for transfer to MSc part 2.
Candidates for MSc part 2 shall complete either a major thesis or a minor thesis.
Major thesis
Candidates submit a thesis embodying the results of an investigation carried out by the candidate, under supervision, which shows independence of thought and which demonstrates their ability to carry out research in the field.
Minor thesis
Candidates complete such courses as may be prescribed by the head of department with an average mark of at least 75 per cent and submit a minor thesis showing wide reading and understanding in an area related to the courses being taken for the degree.
A candidate for MSc part 2 who has been a candidate for at least the minimum time specified in the regulations may be permitted by faculty board to write the thesis away from the university provided that the supervisor has sighted the first draft of the thesis. The thesis must be submitted by the maximum period specified for the candidate in the regulations or any shorter period specified by the board. Writing-up-away is usually limited to a maximum of six months.
The faculty board may review the academic progress of a candidate. After taking into account any recommendations from the head of department and the supervisor, and after giving the candidate an opportunity to be heard, faculty board may terminate the candidature on grounds of unsatisfactory performance.
When a thesis is submitted, faculty board will appoint at least two examiners on the recommendation of the head of department, of whom one shall be external.
For a major thesis, each examiner shall evaluate the thesis and shall recommend to the faculty board whether or not the work of the candidate merits the award of the degree.
For a minor thesis, the head shall determine, for advice to the examiners, the weight to be attached to the thesis in assessing the candidate's overall performance. Each examiner shall evaluate the thesis and report the evaluation to faculty board. The committee shall receive a report from the head on the performance of the candidate in the courses completed and will recommend to the faculty board through the head of department whether or not the work of the candidate merits the award of the degree.
Where there is, in the opinion of the faculty board, a difference of substance between the recommendations of any two examiners, the faculty board may appoint an external adjudicator whose advice shall be taken into account by the board in determining whether the candidate has satisfied the requirements for the degree.
The reports of the examiners and the results of any oral examination shall be transmitted to the faculty board which shall decide whether (i) the candidate has satisfied the requirements for the degree, or (ii) the candidate has failed to satisfy the requirements for the degree, or (iii) the candidate be given leave to submit an amended thesis or to complete further coursework, as the case may require, within such further period and on such conditions as it may prescribe.
A candidate shall state in the thesis, generally in a preface and specifically in notes, the sources of all information and shall indicate the extent to which the thesis represents work done in collaboration with other persons. A candidate may not submit for the degree work previously accepted for a degree in this or another university, nor may the candidate without the permission of the faculty board, submit work which has previously been submitted for any such degree. When a candidate has submitted a thesis, the supervisor shall submit a statement, endorsed by the head of the department, certifying to the best of his or her knowledge, the extent to which the work was carried out by the candidate and whether, in his or her opinion, the thesis is properly presented and is prima facie worthy of examination. Where the supervisor does not certify that the thesis is properly presented and is prima facie worthy of examination, the faculty board shall determine whether or not the thesis is to be examined.
The faculty requires four copies of the thesis to be submitted for examination in either soft or hardcover binding. The essential feature is that the thesis be bound securely along the spine.
After a successful examination process the faculty will recommend that the degree be awarded. A candidate who has not submitted four copies of the thesis in hardcover binding shall then be required to have bound in hardcover form, at least two copies of the thesis, one for retention by the library[*] and the other for transmission to the head of department. Of the two remaining copies one shall be retained by the candidate's supervisor, and the remaining copy returned to the candidate.
Candidates are advised that spiral softcover binding may not be desirable for copies which have to be rebound in hardcover binding since a substantial amount of trimming is required.
A candidate who is leaving Australia immediately after the thesis is submitted for examination may prefer to submit at least two copies in hardcover binding which, in the event of no alteration to the thesis being required as a result of the examination, may then be lodged in the library. A candidate who will be departing from Melbourne after the submission of the thesis and who wishes to submit all four copies in softcover binding should consult the faculty registrar concerning arrangements for the binding of the library copies.
Candidates for the PhD degree will be issued with a handbook which contains, among other things, information on the requirements for binding and submission of theses.
Students shall comply with the university statute and regulations which require all students to assign intellectual property rights to the university.
For a new graduate, normally a class I or class IIA honours degree in a relevant field is expected.
An applicant who has completed a relevant MSc part 1 examination at the equivalent of a class I or class IIA honours grade will be considered on a similar basis to a class I or class IIA honours applicant for MSc part 2 candidature.
A head of department may, however, recommend for admission an applicant holding a class IIB or class III honours degree or who has completed the masters part 1 examination at the equivalent of one of these levels, if the head believes that the applicant has the qualities necessary to complete satisfactorily an MSc degree. Such a recommendation should comment specifically on any circumstances which may have affected the applicant's result in the honours or MSc part 1 course, as well as on the applicant's research ability, aptitude and attitude towards the proposed program inasmuch as they can be determined by the head at the time. In making such a recommendation a head should be satisfied that the applicant will not require an undue amount of supervision.
For an applicant applying several years after graduation, or a non-university graduate with a diploma or other qualifications, a period of research, industrial, teaching, or other relevant experience may qualify that applicant for admission to candidature. In recommending acceptance of such a candidate the head of department should be satisfied that the candidate will not require an undue amount of supervision or be likely to make demands beyond the capacity of the department's resources.
Applicants may be admitted to part-time candidature if they can provide written evidence that they can devote:
1 at least two full working days per week or its equivalent to their studies if in a laboratory discipline; or
2 at least one full working day per week or its equivalent if in a non-laboratory discipline.
Applicants in full-time employment shall provide written evidence from the employer to the effect that sufficient time as defined above will be made available for them to undertake studies.
A research assistant in full-time employment in the university may, on the recommendation of a head, be permitted to enrol as a part-time MSc candidate and shall be required to provide a statement from the supervisor, countersigned by the head of department, certifying that sufficient freedom to pursue original research, which may or may not be related to the work as a research assistant, will be permitted, and that there will be no limitation on publication of results of the research work.
In special circumstances, the Committee on Graduate Matters may recommend exceptions to these provisions in support of approval of a particular application.
For a new graduate with only a pass degree in a relevant field and who has not attempted honours in that field, admission to an MSc part 1 will be judged on criteria similar to those for admission to an honours year, ie normally at least a credit grade average in a relevant third-year subject is required.
For graduates with honours in a different field (not regarded as a suitable preparation for direct admission to their proposed graduate studies), or for applicants applying several years after graduation and whose subsequent training and experience is deemed inadequate for direct admission to the proposed graduate studies, or non-university graduates with a diploma or other qualifications, admission to an MSc part 1 may be approved if they are judged to have sufficient aptitude for research in the proposed field and a suitable attitude towards relevant studies. A suitably qualified applicant proceeding from third-year BSc studies would normally have preference over an honours graduate.
Subject to the following conditions, graduates of Monash University holding the degree of Bachelor of Science (pass or honours) or another appropriate Monash pass or honours degree will be given the opportunity to submit a thesis for examination in fulfilment of the requirements of the MSc part 2 regulations.
Candidates will not be required to have any close association with the university and their MSc part 2 work will not be supervised by the university. External candidates will not be eligible to submit a thesis until three years after qualifying for their Monash degree.
A candidate will be able to submit for examination either published or unpublished work embodying the results of an investigation carried out by the candidate without formal supervision or attendance at the university, provided that, if the thesis contains published work, the candidate will be required to include in the presentation a coordinating summary, embracing at least the nature, sequence, and relevance of the candidate's work.
Prior to submission of a thesis, the candidate will be required to have the field of study approved by the appropriate head of department. The candidate will also be required to enrol although no student union fees are levied. The thesis shall be submitted not less than six months after the approval of the head of the department has been granted. When submitting a thesis, the candidate will be required to discuss the work with the head and present the thesis for his or her approval.
The requirements for submission and certifications of theses and examiners are the same as for internal candidates.
A candidate shall state in the thesis, generally in a preface and specifically in notes, the sources of the information and shall indicate the extent to which the thesis represents work done in collaboration with other persons. The candidate will be required to provide a statement on where, and under what circumstances, the work was carried out. The faculty may consult with the candidate's collaborators regarding the extent of their participation in the various papers presented.
All external candidates submitting a thesis for examination will be required to undergo an oral examination.
[* ]When the thesis has been accepted it may be made available by the librarian to any person for consultation and photocopying provided that for a period of three years after the thesis is lodged it shall not be made available in this way without the written consent of the author.
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