Cultural Studies Masters thesis submission and examination
All the information below can be found at http://www.arts.unimelb.edu.au/currentstudents/research/thesis.html
Intention to Submit
Masters students are required to submit an 80-word summary of the thesis (on an A4 page) to the Faculty of Arts Research and Postgraduate Studies Office, 6 weeks prior to the expected date of submission. The summary should include these details:
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and must be accompanied by the Intention to Submit form. You can download a form from http://www.arts.unimelb.edu.au/currentstudents/research/thesis.html#int
Please email a copy of your 80-word summary to the Research Administrator in the School of Culture and Communication at the same time, as it will be sent to prospective examiners.
Arts Research and Postgraduate Studies will send you a Masters Thesis Submission form, which must be submitted with your thesis. Your Research Administrator will be sent a Nomination of Examiners Form and the School will invite examiners to act. The Chair of Examiners will also be nominated on this form.
Thesis Examination
Two qualified external examiners will be appointed. You may name individuals who you do not wish to examine your thesis. Such requests should be submitted in writing and attached to your Masters Thesis Submission form; however, the identity of the examiners must remain confidential until notification of the final result, provided the examiners agree.
Examiners’ reports are forwarded to the Chair of Examiners, and then forwarded to the candidate, who is asked to collect the temporary bound copies, make any necessary amendments and submit two final bound copies. This formally concludes the examination and the candidate is then notified in writing of his / her honours grade by the Faculty.
Candidates can expect the examination process to take from 3 to 6 months in the first instance, and longer if rewriting and resubmission are required. The examination process will take less time if the summary is submitted, as required, two months prior to the expected date of submission, to avoid delay in appointing the examiners.
Enquiries about the progress of the examination should be directed to the Arts Faculty Research and Postgraduate Studies Office and not to the candidate’s supervisor or school. The Faculty will advise candidates of any delay in the examination.
Conclusion of the Examination
Once the examination is complete and the thesis has been passed at the required honours grade level, two copies of the thesis must be permanently bound. One copy must be printed on acid-free paper, available from the University Bookshop or stationery suppliers. The words ‘Produced on Acid-Free Paper’ should be printed or typed on the title page of this copy.
Candidates are allowed three months, from the date of notification of their result, to submit the bound copies of their thesis to the Arts Research and Postgraduate Studies Office.
Candidates will not receive their official results (i.e., be notified of their grade) or be deemed eligible to graduate until the final bound copies are provided to Faculty and the required amendments (if any) have been approved by the Chair of Examiners.
Grade Requirement for Masters Research Degree
Research Masters candidates should note that the Faculty of Arts requires an average grade of 70% (H2B) or above for Masters work in order to award the degree. This requirement means that candidates undertaking a Masters by Advanced Seminars and Shorter Thesis must achieve a grade of 70% or above for the thesis and an average grade across the advanced seminars component (where applicable) of 70% or above.
Rewriting and Resubmission
Sometimes a Thesis Examination Committee will return a result of ‘Rewrite and Resubmit’ to a candidate, with the recommendation that the candidate undertake a revision of the thesis in accordance with the examination reports. Candidates are supervised during the three-month (full-time) period allowed for rewriting. The examination process for the rewritten thesis is the same as for the first examination. A candidate may decide not to take up the opportunity to resubmit and will be awarded an automatic Fail result for the thesis (thereby failing to qualify for their Masters degree).
If a candidate decides to rewrite and resubmit their thesis they must immediately make an appointment with the Faculty to re-enrol and will be required to pay fees as applicable for the period concerned. Students required to rewrite and resubmit will be enrolled for 3 months full time or 6 months part time. A thesis which has been resubmitted for examination will not normally be graded or marked above the lowest mark for the H2A scale (75%).