Guidelines for Confirmation of PhD Candidature

This page is being revised. Please refer to the Forms page for the latest documents.

Purpose

The purpose of these Guidelines is to assist students and their supervisors to meet the requirements established by the Academic Board for candidature to be confirmed.

Regulatory Requirements

Regulation 5.1 Part B - The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, section 6 addresses the broad requirements for confirmation of candidature. Applications for confirmed candidature must be made within 12 months of commencing full-time provisional candidature or within 24 months of commencing part-time probationary candidature. Section 6 also stipulates that for candidature to be confirmed a candidate must '. prove that he or she has developed a viable PhD research program, made satisfactory progress, and is able to complete degree requirements within the period allowed.'

Notification of Application for Confirmed Candidature

The Principal Supervisor will be responsible for alerting the candidate to the requirements for confirmation of candidature and assisting the student with their preparation. On the advice of the Principal Supervisor and the candidate the School Research, Research Higher Degrees and Ethics Coordinator (RRHDEC) will notify the Research and Graduate Studies Office (RAGSO) of an application for confirmation at least three weeks before the scheduled presentation. The School will be responsible for the organising and conducting of the Confirmation of Candidature processes.

Confirmation Processes

A candidate will be required to:

• Prepare, and make available to a Confirmation Panel at least two weeks prior to the oral presentation, a written proposal which addresses the requirements specified in Annex A
• Make an oral presentation of approximately 25 minutes duration to a Confirmation Panel (and any additional audience) addressing the requirements specified in Annex A
• Answer questions from members of the Confirmation Panel (or other members of the audience) on any matters arising from either the written report or the presentation

Preparation for Confirmation of Candidature

In preparation for Confirmation of Candidature, students are encouraged to:

• Work closely with their supervisor(s) to ensure that their written and oral presentations are progressing in a timely way and that the confirmation requirements are being adequately addressed
• Attend other confirmation of candidature presentations
• Participate in Graduate Centre sessions relating to confirmation of candidature
• Avail themselves of opportunities to make presentations in other forums. E.g. School seminars, conferences, rehearsal with supervisor(s) etc.

In preparation for Confirmation of Candidature the Principal Supervisor is responsible for:

• Ensuring that the candidate is made aware of the requirements for Confirmation of Candidature as specified in Regulation 5.1 Part B and these Guidelines
• Assisting the candidate with the preparation of their written and oral presentations
• Alerting candidates to, and encouraging them to participate in, opportunities for developing their presentation skills. E.g. seminars, conferences etc.

Confirmation Panel

A Confirmation Panel will deliberate and recommend to the Research Higher Degrees Committee on confirmation of candidature in accordance with the directions contained in Annex B.

The Panel will consist of:

• The Head of the School in which the candidate is enrolled*
• The School RRHDEC* (Chair)#
• The Principal Supervisor and, where applicable, the Director of Provisional Principal Supervisors**
• A member of the RHDC
• An academic staff member of the School nominated by the Head of School
• A RRHDEC from another Higher Education School
• Linkage industry partner and/or an external expert
• The Associate Supervisor(s), who will have speaking, but not deliberative, rights

* If the Head of School or the RRHDC is the Principal Supervisor, the Head of
School will nominate an alternative member
# Unless the Principal Supervisor, in which case the Head of School will be Chair
** While the Principal Supervisor might be expected to clarify certain issues
arising from the written and oral presentations, they are not to be advocates for the candidate

Panel Recommendation

The Confirmation Panel will recommend to the Research Higher Degrees Committee that candidature should be 'confirmed' or 'not confirmed'. In instances when the recommendation is 'not confirmed', the Panel will provide a written report outlining the reasons for its decision. If the Panel is of the view that the candidate should be given a further opportunity to apply for confirmation of candidature, its report will include details of what tasks will need to be completed (for example, revisions to written presentation and a further oral presentation, or revisions to the written presentation only) with associated timelines. Only in exceptional circumstances will more than two attempts to gain confirmation of candidature be permitted.

Feedback to Candidate

Feedback will be provided to the candidate by the Principal Supervisor and the RRHDEC (or Head of School if the RRHDEC is the Principal Supervisor) as soon as is practicable after the candidate's oral presentation. The feedback should, as far as possible, be constructive and encouraging and contain the following two elements.

(1) The Confirmation Panel's recommendation to the RHDC (i.e. confirmation recommended or confirmation not recommended)
(2) Any feedback on the substance of the candidate's research. In cases where a further opportunity to apply for confirmation is recommended, the feedback will include details of what needs to be addressed, what will be the timing and nature of the next step in the confirmation process

Responsibilities of Research and Graduate Studies Office (RAGSO)

RAGSO will:

• Notify the appropriate RRHDEC and candidate of the candidate's time limit for confirmation of candidature eight weeks prior
• Notify research postgraduate students and academic staff of forthcoming confirmation presentations
• Receive recommendations from the Confirmation Panel and forward them to the RHDC for consideration
• Formally notify candidates of the outcome of RHDC decisions on confirmation
• Upgrade student records to reflect RHDC decisions

For the complete PDF document, including Annex A and B click here

TH: 15.08.03