• Section 1 - Purpose
• Section 2 - Scope
• Section 3 - Procedure
• Section 4 - Principles
• Admission principles and standards
• Admission decisions and outcomes
• Resourcing
• Supervision
• Responsible conduct of research
• Enrolment
• Milestones and progress
• Monitoring
• Unsatisfactory progress
• Thesis examination
• Section 5 - Responsibilities
• Section 6 - Definitions

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) This policy states the objectives and standards of the University of Canberra (the University) for:

1. design and delivery of higher degree by research (HDR) courses;
2. admission to HDR courses accredited by the University; and
3. HDR candidature from recruitment to graduation.

Section 2 - Scope

(2) This policy applies to:

1. HDR courses other than honorary doctorates which are within the designation of Council;
2. HDR candidates;
3. staff who manage HDR candidature or who support, supervise or examine HDR candidates;
4. academic managers responsible for overseeing HDR candidature;
5. members of academic committees responsible for governing and overseeing HDR candidature; and
6. people external to the University who are engaged to assist in assessment and examination of the HDR candidates research progress and final thesis.

Section 3 - Procedure

(3) The following procedures support this Policy:

1. Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Procedure; and
2. Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Scholarships (Including RTP-Funded Scholarships) Procedure.

Section 4 - Principles

(4) Design and delivery of HDR courses offered by the University will meet the following external standards and comply with the following regulatory requirements:

1. They will be consistent with the levels of skills and knowledge, and qualification specifications stated by the Australian Qualifications Framework for the qualification to which the course leads.
2. They will meet the standards of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 relevant to research training courses.
3. Decisions about admission, enrolment and candidature of HDR candidates who are studying on an Australian student visa will comply with the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 and the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018.

(5) HDR courses will enable candidates to:

1. acquire and demonstrate the knowledge and skills specified by the Australian Qualifications Framework for the level of award to which the course leads; and
2. develop the skills needed for success in a career as a researcher, as described in the University of Canberra Researcher Development Skills Framework.

Admission principles and standards

(6) Admission to a HDR course is determined following an assessment by an Admissions Officer of an application against the admission requirements for research students set out in Rule 9(2) of the University of Canberra (Admission) Rules 2022.

(7) The admission requirements consider academic merit, research potential and the research supervision and facilities available to support the applicants research. The Academic Board determines the specific admission requirements applicable to each HDR course that a student must meet to satisfy Rule 9(2)(c) and 9(2)(k) of the University of Canberra (Admission) Rules 2022.

(8) For admission to a HDR course, international applicants must satisfy any additional requirements determined by the Australian Government, including in relation to immigration.

(9) When assessing a prospective candidate's application against the Admission Requirements in Rule 9(2) of the University of Canberra (Admission) Rules 2022, the University may consider the following in determining whether a student satisfies the Admission Requirements:

1. academic merit and research experience;
2. English language proficiency;
3. prior experience, both academic and professional;
4. alignment of the prospective candidates intended research topic with areas of the universities research focus; and
5. any other factors the university considers relevant.

Admission decisions and outcomes

(10) Admission is at the discretion of the University. Following an assessment against the admission requirements, an Admissions Officer may make one of the following admission decisions:

1. unconditional offer;
2. conditional offer;
3. packaged offer;
4. an offer into an alternative course; or
5. no offer (rejection).

(11) The Admissions Officer must make an offer in writing and provide all necessary information as set out in Rule 14(3) of the University of Canberra (Admission) Rules 2022.

(12) Applicants who have received an offer may request to defer their offer for up to 12 months. Not all offers can be deferred and not all deferrals will be approved.

(13) The university can rescind an offer of admission if:

1. the offer was made in error;
2. the course is no longer offered;
3. the applicant does not meet legislative requirements, such as requirements of a student visa; or
4. the applicant behaves in a way that may be considered a breach of the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023.

(14) The Dean, Graduate Research School in consultation with Faculties, has responsibility for determining equivalencies between research admission requirements and specific qualifications or tests.

(15) For applicants to HDR courses, Admissions Officers may approve an application for admission on the basis that the student has been granted a qualifying award or otherwise has sufficient academic or professional experience in an area of research suitable for the purposes of admission.

Resourcing

(16) The University will endeavor to ensure that each candidate:

1. has the physical facilities and financial support necessary for their research;
2. has support to maintain their wellbeing during their candidature; and
3. is able to participate in the research culture at the University.

(17) Where a candidate has a disability or health condition, or who has primary caring responsibilities for a person with disability, they may apply to the University for adjustments or support in alignment with the Disability Standards for Education 2005. A candidate’s reasonable adjustment and/or necessary supports will be recorded in a Reasonable Adjustment Plan and/or HDR support letter.  

(18) Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarships will be allocated and managed in accordance with the Commonwealth Scholarships Guidelines (Research) 2017.

(19) The University is committed to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to undertake higher degrees by research and ensuring that the research is supervised with sensitivity to the candidate’s culture.

Supervision

(20) Candidates’ research projects will be well supervised throughout candidature by an appropriately qualified supervisory panel:

1. who are active researchers in a discipline relevant to the research project; and
2. have no significant conflict of interest in supervising the candidate.

(21) Each candidate will have a supervisory panel comprising:

1. a primary supervisor who is a member of the University’s staff and holds a doctoral degree;
2. at least one secondary supervisory who is a member of the University’s staff, and who holds a doctoral degree or a combination of qualifications and research experience equivalent to a doctoral degree; and
3. external supervisors or advisors who are not members of the University’s staff, including emeritus professors, adjuncts, cultural or community advisors, and industry partners, as appropriate.

Responsible conduct of research

(22) Before a candidate begins their research, they will successfully complete training on responsible conduct of research (as described in the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research 2018).

(23) Candidates are expected, in their research practice and research outputs, to adhere to the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research 2018. A candidate’s breach of that code may constitute misconduct as defined by the University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023 and may warrant penalties in accordance with those Rules.

Enrolment

(24) Candidates may not enroll into units unless an offer of a place in an appropriate HDR course has been made and accepted by the student.

(25) HDR courses may consist of coursework and thesis units.

(26) Candidates are responsible for ensuring they are correctly enrolled in units by the self-enrolment cut-off date advertised for the relevant teaching period.

(27) Candidates are responsible for ensuring that they are correctly enrolled in the units which will contribute to the completion of the course in which candidates are enrolled.

(28) The units a candidate enrols in must form part of the course in which the candidate is enrolled – unless a variation to course requirements has been approved.

(29) Candidates are expected to ‘self-enrol’ in the appropriate units electronically via their MyUC account.

(30) To retain their enrolment at the University all HDR candidates must be enrolled in at least one unit each semester, unless the candidate submitted their thesis, or has approved leave or an intermission.

(31) A candidate who is not enrolled in a unit by the census date of each semester will be discontinued.

(32) Candidates discontinued for non-enrolment cease to be students of the University and must reapply for admission if they wish to resume their studies.

Milestones and progress

(33) Candidates may be required to have completed specific coursework units prior to confirmation of their candidature.

(34) Details of the coursework units that are required for each course are published on the University website under ‘Course Requirements’ section of the university website.

(35) Where a candidate’s proposed research is assessed as unsatisfactory for candidature, their candidature may be terminated.

(36) Where a doctoral candidate’s proposed research is assessed as insufficient for doctoral candidature, but sufficient for master by research candidature, they may be offered transfer to a master by research course.

Monitoring

(37) Candidates’ progress in their coursework units and research project will be monitored regularly via:

1. their grades in their coursework units, and
2. a progress report completed at least bi-annually by the candidate and their supervisors, and
3. completion of progress milestones.

Unsatisfactory progress

(38) Where a candidate’s progress is unsatisfactory, the candidate:

1. will be invited to take part in developing a Progress Support Agreement (PSA), to identify what support is needed and what actions the candidate needs to take to resume satisfactory progress, or
2. may be placed on academic probation by the process stated in the University of Canberra (Academic Progress) Rules 2022.

(39) Where a candidate is placed on academic probation and does not meet the conditions of their probation, their candidature may be discontinued.

Thesis examination

(40) When a candidate submits their thesis for examination, it will be examined by at least two appropriately qualified examiners external to the University who have no significant perceived, potential, or actual conflict of interest in examining the work.

Section 5 - Responsibilities

Section 6 - Definitions