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Examination procedures for Master of Science thesesThis page gives an overview of the thesis examination procedures for students enrolled in the course Master of Science (MSc) by research and provides links and documents for use by students, supervisors, school staff, and thesis examiners.
1. Requirements of the student and thesisRequirement to be enrolled at time of thesis submission Students must be currently enrolled at the time of their thesis submission. Maximum word length The thesis should normally have a word length of between 50,000 and 70,000 words although individual school requirements may differ. This should not include footnotes, references or appendices, nor should it include equations, tables, diagrams and other illustrations. Where it is proposed that the thesis will exceed the specified maximum length, the student will be required to submit a request to the Research Degrees Committee (RDC) via the Graduate Studies Officer in advance of the thesis being submitted for examination. Thesis format The thesis copies must conform to the requirements set out below. A thesis may be rejected as unsuitable for examination if it does not conform to these requirements.
Title page A title page must show:
Table of contents A table of contents should be included after the title page, and where applicable, a list of plates, tables, and other relevant items. Acknowledgement page An acknowledgement page may also be included at the front of the thesis. Statement addressing sources of information used / collaboration Students must state in the thesis, generally in a preface and specifically in notes, the sources of all information used or alluded to and shall indicate the extent to which the thesis represents work done in collaboration with other persons. This declaration must be signed in each of the four thesis copies. Submission of a thesis based or partially based on conjointly published or unpublished work Students may elect to present for examination a thesis consisting of, or partially consisting of, conjointly published or unpublished work, linked by a clear theme. A detailed statement at the front of the thesis must indicate the nature and extent of the student's contribution to the conjointly authored work and the underlying research. Students should adopt the guidelines given in the Monash Research Graduate School (MRGS) 'Declaration of Authorship for Doctoral / MPhil Theses Only: Theses Based or Partially Based on Conjointly Published or Unpublished Work' 2. Nomination of examinersThe supervisor in consultation with the head of school is responsible for the nomination of two thesis examiners, one of whom must be external to the university. The choice of examiners is reviewed and approved (or otherwise) by the Associate Dean (Graduate Studies) on behalf of the Research Degrees Committee (RDC). Supervisors should ensure that examiners are nominated at least six weeks prior to the submission of the thesis copies. 3. Submission of thesis copiesStudents shall present four (4) copies of their thesis to the Faculty of Science office no later than the candidature due date. Candidature will lapse if a candidate has not submitted the thesis by the due date. However, in special circumstances (approved by the Research Degrees Committee) the candidate may be permitted to submit the thesis for examination within three years of the lapse of candidature. A written request should be made by the candidate to be signed by them, the supervisor and the head of academic unit, requesting permission to submit their thesis under lapse of candidature. If the submission date is within 3 weeks of the candidature end-date, this request need not be made as submission falls into the grace period. Soft-bound copies Students may wish to submit, in the first instance, four soft (securely) bound copies of the thesis for examination. Each copy must be labelled with the author's name on the spine. Students are advised that spiral soft cover binding may not be practicable for rebinding in hardcover since a substantial amount of trimming is often required. Statement from the supervisor When a student submits his or her thesis, it should be accompanied by a statement from the main supervisor, endorsed by the head of the school, certifying to the best of his or her knowledge, the extent to which the work was carried out by the candidate (except where otherwise acknowledged in the thesis) and whether, in his or her opinion, the thesis is properly presented and is prima facie worthy of examination. Where the candidate will be outside of Melbourne A student who will be departing from Melbourne after the submission of the thesis and who wishes to submit the thesis copies in soft cover binding should consult his or her school concerning arrangements for the hard binding of the thesis. 4. Support schemes for students under thesis examinationJunior Honorary Research Associate Students who have submitted their thesis for examination lose their status as a student and are no longer entitled to access libraries and other university services. However, they may apply to be appointed as a Junior Honorary Research Associate for an initial period of no longer than six months that will allow them to have a Monash University Staff identity card with full staff access rights. There is no salary entitlement with this appointment. Postgraduate Publications Award (PPA) The Postgraduate Publications Award provides support for students who, having submitted their thesis, wish to write up some of their research for publication while they await the result of their examination. Stipend support, equivalent to the Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) rate, is available for a period of up to three months. 5. Dispatch of thesis copies to examinersFollowing approval of the nomination of examiners and receipt of the ‘Application to submit a masters thesis for examination’ form and four thesis copies, a copy of the thesis is sent to each examiner along with the following documents:
Deadline for receipt of examiners’ reports Examiners are asked to complete and return their report within two months of the receipt of the thesis copy. However, students and their supervisors should be aware that unforseen delays may result in a longer examination period. The Graduate Studies Officer will send regular reminders to late examiners and advise supervisors of any delays. Examination is made in confidence A copy of the thesis is forwarded to an examiner in confidence and in no circumstance should the thesis or any part of the examination process be discussed with a third party without the prior approval of the Research Degrees Committee (RDC). Students and supervisors should not contact an examiner during this time and must direct any queries regarding the examination process to the Graduate Studies Officer. Return or retention of thesis copy Examiners are asked to return the thesis copy with their report but may request to retain the copy. The Graduate Studies Officer will contact the student and supervisor if such a request is made. 6. Length of thesis examinationThe examination process, from submission of the thesis until students are contacted by the Graduate Studies Officer with a result or notification of a delay, will usually take a minimum of four months. This includes the time taken to approve the nomination of examiners, receive reports from examiners, and seek approvals from faculty committees. Delays where thesis amendments or revision is required If the examiners are not unanimous in passing a thesis, further time may be spent in adjudication by a third person or in seeking further responses from the student. In these circumstances students should not expect a rapid notification of the result. 7. Requirements following the examinationA result will be sent to the student and supervisor once all reports have been received and considered by the Associate Dean (Graduate Studies). Possible need for amendments / revise and resubmit The Graduate Studies Officer will advise the student and supervisor if amendments are required to be made to the thesis or if the thesis needs to be revised and resubmitted. Submission of hardbound/thermal soft-bound copies following examination Option 1: hard bindingGenerally candidates are encouraged to submit four hard-bound copies of the thesis (currently the most popular option) to the Faculty of Science Research Office following examination. Up to 10 additional pages of amendments can be inserted into the front of a hard-bound thesis copy without the binding having to be redone. Where amendments are minor, an addendum may be inserted into the front of the thesis. Consult with Faculty of Science Research Office staff for instructions on the insertion of addenda. Option 2: thermal soft bindingOnly professional thermal binding is acceptable, not a loose-leaf, spiral-bound, spring-type or screw-type binder. At least one hard-bound copy must be provided for the award of degree to be ratified. The final hard-bound/thermal soft-bound copies must have the following information printed on the spine in gold lettering of suitable size, reading from top to bottom:
8. Award of degreeRecommendation for award of degree by the Research Degrees Committee After a successful examination process, and on receipt of four hard-bound copies of the thesis (with appropriate verification from the head of school that the examiners' recommendations have been fulfilled, if any amendments were required) a recommendation for the award of degree to the candidate will be made to the next meeting of the Research Degrees Committee (RDC). This recommendation will subsequently be presented to Faculty Board. Ratification of award of degree by Faculty Board The degree is not formally awarded until Faculty Board has accepted the recommendation for the award of degree by the Research Degrees Committee. This process may take two to three months after the results of the examination are known. Invitation to apply to graduate Following the ratification of the award of the degree by Faculty Board the student will be formally advised of the award of degree and invited to apply to graduate through the university's Graduations Unit. 9. Distribution and storage of thesis copiesFollowing the award of the degree, the four thesis copies will be distributed as follows:
In the event that there are less than four copies of the thesis available, distribution of the available copies shall be made in the order listed above. Further information
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