Change Management

This image shows the HDR Candidature Journey, including the new milestones and when they should take place, as well as a summary of the information and documentation that should be provided at each milestone.

2024 HDR Course Rules

Q: How long is my HDR Candidature?

A: The maximum duration of PhD Candidature is now four years full-time or eight years part-time. (Note the RTP Scholarship for PhD candidates is for 3.5 years.) The maximum duration of MPhil and master by research candidature is two years full-time or four years part-time. (The RTP scholarship for research masters degrees is two years.)

Q: What is the main benefit of choosing the new 2024 course rules?

A: New thesis examination outcomes are more advantageous under the new course rules and the new Thesis Submission and Examination Policy. In the old course rules, you could fail at the first examination; however, in the new course rules you cannot fail the first examination. You either pass, are required to do amendments, or revise and resubmit to the examiners. Only those who are required to revise and resubmit may fail the re-examination.

Q: If I choose to adhere to the new course rules, does the duration of my candidature change?

A: If you choose to adhere to the new course rules, the duration of PhD candidature will be four years and master by research candidatures will be two years. Your scholarship duration will remain as stipulated in your terms and conditions; however, if you are a PhD candidate on a three-year scholarship, you will have the opportunity to apply for the six month DVCR Completion Scholarship.

Note: International students should check their visa dates before opting for the longer candidature.

New Policy/Procedures

Q: In terms of new policy/procedure consultation, were academics consulted before the implementation of the Chair of Examiners role?

A: Each faculty has an Associate Dean, Research and representatives on the Graduate Research Committee, the UNE Research Committee, and the Academic Board who were part of the consultative process. They represent the Schools and Faculty members and they have been consulted and informed of the new policies and processes in alignment with UNE’s governance procedure. Heads of Schools and enrolling units were also consulted about HDR roles, responsibilities, and workloads.

Milestones

Q: Regarding milestones, what happens if you are more than half-way through your candidature, do you have to complete the Mid-Point Review Milestone?

A: No, you will start the milestones from the point that you change to the new rules. For example: if you are a PhD candidate and you only have one year left of your candidature, then your next milestone will be the Thesis Review which will take place 3 – 6 months prior to submission.

Q: Who will be involved in the milestone reviews?

A: Each milestone review panel will include the supervisory team, HDR Coordinator (Chair), and a discipline representative (this can be a different person at each milestone).

Q: Could the Research Pathways Conference or Three Minute Thesis be used as a milestone seminar?

A: Yes, the Research Pathways Conference or any other academic conference presentation can count in place of a milestone research presentation (keep the conference program or notification that your abstract is accepted as evidence and note any feedback or questions you receive).  Three Minute Thesis can be used for the Mid-Point Review Milestone, but not the Thesis Review Milestone.

Q: Are HDR candidates required to submit a full thesis draft as part of the required documents for the Thesis Review Milestone?

A: No, full thesis drafts are not required at the Thesis Review Milestone. More information can be found on the Milestones webpage.

Scholarships

Q: How long is my scholarship?

A: Terms and conditions for each scholarship differ. The RTP Scholarship for PhD candidates is for 3.5 years (full-time). The RTP scholarship for research masters degrees is two years (full-time).

Q: What are the changes to the DVCR Completion Scholarship?

A: Students on the old policy who are on a three-year scholarship can apply for the DVCR Completion Scholarship which is up to six months. From 2024 onward, the RTP Scholarships are 3.5 years for PhD candidates.

Q: For PhD candidates commencing in 2024 and onwards, will there be a completion scholarship at the end of the 3.5 years to take the scholarship to the four-year maximum duration of candidature?

A: At the moment there is no funding in place; however, in future years the Schools or Faculties might provide funding for a completion scholarship extending beyond 3.5 years.

Q: Can part-time students apply for the DVCR Completion Scholarship?

A: Yes, but they would have to transition to full-time for the duration of the scholarship.

Q: How do the increases to the scholarships funding affect other UNE scholarships?

A: It depends on the individual scholarship that you are on, so speak to a GRS staff member about the terms and conditions of your particular scholarship.

Q: I was self-funded for one year, and then on a scholarship for two years, am I still eligible for the DVCR Completion Scholarship?

A: Yes, because you have been on a UNE Scholarship, you are eligible for the DVCR Completion Scholarship.

Q: Does the IPRA Scholarship increase as well?

A: The IPRA Scholarship is different from the RTP. There will be no fortnightly increases, but IPRA Scholarship recipients will be eligible for the DVCR Completion Scholarship, which will be awarded at the current RTP base-rate for up to six months.

Supervisors

Q: Will there be allowances for the additional workload for HDR Supervisors?

A: Academic workload is managed within each School or enrolling unit, not by the Graduate School; however, there should be minimal increase to the workload of supervisors because they are already expected to be reviewing their student’s work throughout their candidature. Annual milestones also means that supervisors will not need to complete the six-monthly HDR Progress Reports.

Nominations for the Chair of Examiners Role

Q: When will the Chair of Examiners be nominated?

A: The Chair of Examiners will be nominated at the Thesis Review Milestone or on the Notice of Intent to Submit form.

Q: What duties do the Chair of Examiners have with the thesis submission and examination processes?

A:

• Review and endorse Recommendation of Examiners Form;
• Review confidential Examiners’ Reports and recommend an examination outcome to the Graduate Research Committee; and
• Review, check, and endorse thesis amendments.

Q: Will there be administrative support for the Chair of Examiners provided by the Graduate Research School?

A: Yes, administrative support will be provided by the GRS in the form of checking the Recommendation of Examiners form. An automated check of examiners against supervisors’ publication and grant records in Pure is in development.

Q: When will the Chair of Examiners role come into effect?

A: Recent DVCR Completion Scholarship holders are required as part of the scholarship conditions to undertake a Thesis Review Milestone with a Chair of Examiners. The Dean of the Graduate Research School will provide training for Chairs of Examiners and guidance for HDR Coordinators regarding the role and responsibilities.

Q: In disciplines with a small number of academic staff appropriate for the Chair of Examiners role, how do we allocate workload and time and meet deadlines?

A: In such cases, the Chair of Examiners role can be distributed within the School to other disciplines. If you have concerns regarding workload allocations, speak with your Head of School or head of discipline/workload manager in the first instance.

Q: Can teaching focused academic staff members be nominated as a Chair of Examiners?

A: Academics in a teaching focused role should consult with the Head of School in the first instance. Normally an academic fulfilling the Chair of Examiner role would have adequate research background and experience with research supervision and examinations; however, it is expected that junior academic staff members would be supported and mentored by senior academic(s).

Q: Do the same conflicts of interest that apply to thesis examiners apply to the Chair of Examiners?

A: No, the Chair of Examiners is not assessing the thesis. It is an administrative and quality assurance role that does not have a vested interest in the research, supervision, or examination.

Thesis Submission and Examination Processes

Q: If a candidate submits the Notice of Intent to Submit form but is unable to submit on the nominated date because of an emergency, etc., will they need to resubmit the forms?

A: No, the candidate will not be required to resubmit the form, the student must liaise with the Graduate Research School to negotiate extended submission deadlines.

Q: How close to thesis submission can candidates elect to adhere to the 2024 Course Rules and the Thesis Submission and Examination Policy and Procedure?

A: Candidates will likely receive an examination outcome of award with amendments as award with no amendments is only granted if examiners unanimously recommend it. Candidates are required to complete all amendments recommended by examiners unless there is a robust academic justification not to.

Q: How is the examination outcome determined if there are two examiner reports recommending award and one examiner report recommending revision?

A: Candidates will likely receive an examination outcome of award with amendments as award with no amendments is only granted if examiners unanimously recommend it. Candidates are required to complete all amendments recommended by examiners unless there is a robust academic justification not to.

Q: Has the examination outcome of “award master by research degree with or without changes (available to doctoral candidates only)” always been an option?

A: No, this examination outcome is new as part of the 2024 Course Rules in the HDR Thesis Submission and Examination Policy.

Q: Can the students who are just about to submit their thesis be examined with the new range of 2024 examination outcomes?

A: Yes, unless the thesis is already under examination.

Q: Are examiners of PhD theses provided the option of awarding a master by research HDR degree with or without changes during the examination?

A: Yes, it is the examiner’s discretion to award a master by research HDR degree instead of a doctoral degree when a thesis is revised and resubmitted for re-examination. This option is only selectable within the Examiners Report form for re-examinations. Note: this is only for doctoral candidates who choose to be examined under the 2024 rules.

Q: For those candidates who receive a ‘revise and resubmit’ outcome of the examination, can it be sent to the same examiners?

A: Yes, if the examiners are willing and able to examine the thesis again. If they are not, then the reserve examiner is used or new examiners will need to be appointed as part of the process for nominating examiners.

Q: If candidates do not provide a list of amendments as part of the amended final thesis submission can the final thesis submission be sent back to the candidate?

A: Yes, candidates must attend to the feedback by examiners and must clearly state what has been changed. For any examiner’s recommendation that the candidate is not addressing, candidates must include these items in the list along with an academic justification as to why they have chosen not to make the requested change/amendment. More information about amended final thesis submissions can be found on the Thesis Submission and Examination webpage.

Thesis Examiners

Q: If the examiner is from one of the sanctioned countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Zimbabwe) but not living there, can they examine the thesis?

A: Yes, diasporic examiners from sanctioned countries may examine the thesis.

Q: Examiners of theses that focus on Indigenous Australian knowledge generally do not hold a PhD but are expert in the field. Will they still be allowed to examine a master by research or PhD thesis related to Indigenous research?

A: The requirement is to have someone with an AQF level 10 qualification and knowledge of academic expectations and standards examine a PhD thesis. Exceptions can be made to this requirement if the subject matter expert in Indigenous Australian knowledge does not have an AQF level 10 qualification but has demonstrated professional equivalency and documented research expertise (e.g., research master’s degree and publications in the field).

Q: What if there is a conflict of interest between examiners and supervisors?

A: All potential and perceived conflicts of interest must be declared on the Recommendation of Examiners form. The Graduate Research Committee will review the declared conflict of interest and make a determination accordingly.

Q: Do examiners need to have recent publications in the last five years?

A: For each nominated examiner, there must be two publications listed on the Recommendation of Examiners form that are relevant to the candidate’s thesis topic. Publications may be more than five years old.

Q: If a supervisor went to graduate school with an examiner, will that count as a conflict of interest?

A: The supervisor will need to declare personal and professional relationships on the Recommendation of Examiners form. Attending the same graduate school does not generally preclude being appointed as an examiner, particularly if it was more than five years ago and/or there is not a continuing close personal or professional relationship.

Q: Is it possible to have a situation where the examiner does not provide a recommendation after examining the thesis?

A: When an examiner agrees to examine a thesis, they are aware that they need to provide a recommendation based on the form provided and they are paid to do so. However, if the examiner is unable to provide a decision, then a new examiner will need to be appointed.

Workload Allocation

Q: Is there a workload allocation for the Chair of Examiners?

A: Questions regarding workload allocations should be directed to your Head of School or head of discipline/workload manager in the first instance.

Q: What is the timeline for the Chair of Examiners to complete their duties?

A: A maximum of two weeks for each process is recommended, until the automated check of examiners’ publication records is available.

Q: How will academics manage their workload along with the Chair of Examiners role?

A: The Chair of Examiners role does not imply taking on all students from the school, there likely would be around one to three candidates per Chair of Examiners over the course of one calendar year. If you have concerns regarding workload allocations, speak with your Head of School or head of discipline/workload manager in the first instance.

Q: In terms of balancing workload, can someone from within the school be appointed specifically for the role of Chair of Examiners for all candidates?

A: Yes, that is something that individual schools could consider. The Head of School or head of discipline should be consulted in the first instance.

Depending on the degree being high or low cost, from 1/1/2024 all candidates are to be allocated the set amount of $3,500 or $2,000 per year regardless of prior allocation amounts. If candidates are over allocated (over the set amount) that’s up to the school to manage and if candidates are under allocated (less than the set amount) the school needs to provide the remaining amount to meet the amount set.

Any candidate who had received an advance on the funding that would have included 2024 in their calculation, the school must provide the extra amount, if any, for 2024 and any year after.

The 2024 Research Support Funds is NOT only for candidates commencing in 2024. The 2024 amounts are irrespective of commencement date.

Schools and/or Faculties who wish to provide more support (above the set amount, High cost = $3,500 Low cost = $2,000) to candidates are permitted to do so.

The Graduate Research School prefers all staff and candidates to use the current forms from the webpage. However, in recognition of recent and ongoing changes, the Graduate Research School will accept older form versions until digital forms and workflows are implemented later this year when the new Graduate Research Platform is introduced.