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Unit 4: HDR Candidacy
Unit 1: Supervision at UWA GRS Dean HDR Cohort GRS Office & Structure UWA Register of Supervisors UWA Supervisor Types Relationships & COI Absence from Supervision Graduate Research Coordinators
Unit 2: Rules, Regulations, Policies and Procedures
Graduate Research Training Policy Course Rules Research Conduct & Integrity Training IP & legal Services staffConnect & studentConnect GRS Forms
Unit 3: Eligibility, Admission, Scholarships & Enrolment
HDR Preliminary MRes Eligibility & Admission English Language Requirements UWA Scholarships Tuition Fees & Living Allowances Research Funding, SSAF & OSHC
Supervisor Induction Structure Unit 4: HDR Candidacy
GRS Associate Director HDR Enrolment & Re-enrolment ACE & Coursework Enrolments DELNA Induction SPORS Milestone Paperwork Candidature Variations Leave & Suspensions Student Travel & Travel Awards Partnerships & Internships Extensions, Withdrawal & Termination
Unit 5: HDR Student Support GEOs Researcher Training Framework Resources & Training Ethics Application Support Library Engagement Wellbeing
Unit 6: Examination & Graduation Thesis Examination Viva Voce Examiners & COI Submission & Copyright Thesis Declarations Thesis as a Series of Papers Editorial Assistance & Turnitin Examination Milestones Graduation
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ABLE Arts, Business, Law and Education
ACE Academic Conduct Essentials
AEC Animal Ethics Committee
APA Australian Postgraduate Award
APR.Intern Australian Postgraduate Research Intern
COI Conflict of Interest
DBA Doctor of Business Administration
DELNA Diagnostic English Language Needs Assessment
DFAT Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade
EMS Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions
FTE Full Time Equivalent
GEO Graduate Education Officer
GRC Graduate Research Coordinator
GRS Graduate Research School
HDR Higher Degree Research
HDR Prelim HDR Preliminary
HMS Health and Medical Sciences
HREC Human Research Ethics Committee
IPEd Institute of Professional Editors
IPRS International Postgraduate Research Scholarships
LMS Learning Management System (BlackBoard)
MPhil Masters of Philosophy
MRes Masters of Research
ORE Office of Research Enterprise
OSHC Overseas Health Cover
PhD Doctor of Philosophy
PPD Paid Professional Development
REU Research End User
RIA Research Integrity Advisor
RTF Researcher Training Framework
RTP Research Training Program
RTS Researcher Training Scheme
SCI Science
SIRF Scholarships for International Research Fees
SJD Doctor of Juridical Science
SSAF Student Services and Amenities Fees
TEQSA Tertiary Education Quality and Standards
UPA UWA Postgraduate Award
UWA University of Western Australia
Student Enrolment
Student Enrolment Policy
Student enrolment conditions are outlined in the Student Enrolment policy and students can find answers to enrolment questions using the candidature advice buttons provided on the bottom half of the GRS student splash page. In brief: • Students are entitled to a period of enrolment equivalent to 4 years full time
(PhD) and 2 years full time (MPhil). • Students working 30 hours per week or more on their research are considered
to be full-time and are expected to these hours during the working week. Students in receipt of a scholarship are often required to be full time and all international students must be full time if they are on a student VISA.
• Students on domestic UWA scholarships can apply to study part-time (50% only) if they have heavy care commitments or a medical condition. If a scholarship student is part-time, their scholarship becomes taxable.
• External enrolment is possible provided suitable arrangements are made for supervision and access to facilities and resources. External students are required to be on campus for a minimum of 13 weeks during the total period of enrolment.
Student Enrolment
• HDR students are automatically re-enrolled each year provided that they have met any conditions for re-enrolment
• HDR students’ may apply for one or more periods of voluntary suspension, up to a maximum of 12 months
• Generally, HDR students cannot enrol concurrently in their HDR course and another award course
• HDR students may undertake cross-institutional unit enrolment but they may not enrol simultaneously in an award course in this and another institution (except joint/double badged PhDs)
• PhD students may apply to downgrade to an MPhil and MPhil students may apply to upgrade to a PhD
• PhD and MPhil students may apply for transfer to a joint/double-badged PhD, but this application is unlikely to be approved if the student has completed more than half of their course
Research Proposal
Research proposals must be submitted before: • 6 months of candidature for full-time PhDs and 9 months of candidature for part-time PhDs • 4 months of candidature for full-time research masters and 8 months of candidature for part-
time research masters
Students can request an extension to their research proposal due date by emailing the GRS and copying their supervisor and GRC into the email as tacit approval of the request. The email should provide a brief description of the reason for the extension. Extensions are approved on a month-by-month basis.
Research proposals will be reviewed by a member of the GRS Board, who may approve the proposal outright, seek further clarification, or request changes. The review process takes ~four weeks.
Research Proposals are also required from students applying for candidature after completing a HDR Prelim, upgrading from a MPhil to a PhD, or transferring from another institution. Students whose research direction changes substantially from an approved UWA research proposal may also need to submit a new research proposal.
Research Proposal Guidelines Research Proposal Advice
Milestone Paperwork HDR students can enrol at UWA any time of the year (apart from late December and early January due to the UWA shutdown period). Their important dates in candidature, known as the milestone dates, are then calculated from the day of their enrolment.
Candidature milestones are associated with paperwork requiring approval and submission to the GRS. This includes paperwork for the:
• research proposal
• annual reports
• confirmation of candidature
• ethics approval (animal and/ or human if required)
• travel award report (if a travel award has been awarded),
• interim reports (if required)
• thesis submission
Milestone due dates are found in studentConnect and staffConnect in the Milestones tab.
Candidature Advice
Student Re-Enrolment
HDR students are automatically re-enrolled each academic year if they:
• have made satisfactory progress
• do not have any outstanding debts to UWA (such as unpaid SSAF, library fines or parking fines)
• have submitted all milestone paperwork by the required date
Reminders are sent to students by the GRS prior to the re-enrolment period and they are check their milestone status and if they have any encumbrances in studentConnect.
If students miss automatic re-enrolment, they are required to submit any outstanding milestones to the GRS and/or address any encumbrances. They may be charged a late enrolment fee.
ACE & Coursework Enrolments
Within the first 10 weeks of enrolment, students who are new to UWA are required to complete the short online course: Academic Conduct Essentials (ACE). Enrolment in ACE can be seen in Callista and appears as an ungraded pass on the academic transcript.
Students who fail to complete ACE are re-enrolled in the unit until they pass. Students who have not completed ACE will not be permitted to submit their thesis for examination. ACE is also a compulsory Confirmation of Candidature task for PhD students.
HDR students are also permitted to enrol in up to 24 points of coursework units in the first 2 years (FTE) of candidature. Supervisor approval is required for these units and enrolment is approved and managed by the GRS. Students do not pay fees for these units.
ACE Enrol in Coursework Unit
DELNA
The GRS requires all newly enrolled HDR candidates to complete a Diagnostic English Language Needs Assessment (DELNA).
The DELNA is a two-phase diagnostic tool to identify students early who, due to insufficient English language skills, might struggle in their HDR course. The DELNA helps identify students who may benefit from English language development, drawing on available support and resources across the University.
All students enrolling after JUL 2019 must complete the DELNA Screen. An English Language Enrichment Program has been developed to support students who are subsequently identified as requiring English language support.
DELNA
Induction
Candidature commences when students finalise their enrolment in person at the GRS front reception. At this time, students are given a 10 Step Guide to getting started.
In the 10 Step Guide, students are invited to a complete a online induction. The induction units provide an overview of Graduate Research Training at UWA, from enrolment to graduation. Students can refer back to these units at any time in their candidature.
Shortly after enrolment, Students are also invited by personalised email to register to attend a face-to-face GRS Welcome. The welcome provides an opportunity for students to meet other newly enrolled students and ask the GRS staff any questions they may have about their candidature. The welcomes are held at least every two months.
GRS Induction 10 Step Guide
SPORS Questionnaire
Student Perceptions of Research Supervision (SPORS) is a tool to facilitate discussion between you and your student about expectations of supervision.
The tool consists of a pair of matching questionnaires – one for you and one for your student. You can adapt the tool to your needs by adding or deleting questions.
The SPORS questionnaires can be used early in research candidature and throughout candidature to re-align the expectations of you and your student.
When your student submits their Annual Progress Report, they will be reminded of the SPORS tool.
SPORS
Ethics & Other Approvals
UWA ethics approval is mandatory for all student work that requires ethics approval. Even when research is covered by ethics approval from another institution, approval for the student work is likely to be required from the relevant UWA ethics committee. This includes hospital based research projects with hospital or NHMRC ethics approval. Retrospective UWA ethics approval is rarely possible for human research and never possible for animal research.
If a student indicates in their research proposal that they require animal or human ethics approval for their research, ethics milestones are entered into their milestones list in studentConnect.
Students can apply for multiple, staged ethics approvals – their Research Proposal milestone will be marked as provisional until the GRS are notified all ethics approvals have been obtained.
Students should notify the GRS if ethics approvals are no longer required for their research due to a change in research direction.
Student should inform the GRS when ethics approvals have been obtained as the ethics committees do not routinely inform the GRS.
Human Research Ethics Animal Ethics
All students are required to lodge an Annual Progress Report every year, even if they are on suspension or studying part-time. An Annual Report Information Sheet provided to support students complete this report.
Requests for extensions to the annual report due dates will not be approved by the GRS.
Doctoral candidates are required to submit a Confirmation of Candidature form with their first annual report.
Supervisors and/or the GRS may request more frequent progress reporting using an Interim Progress Report. These reports often focus on a specific issue or research issue that has impacted on progress.
Annual and Interim Progress Reports
Annual Progress Report Interim Progress Report
Confirmation of Candidature for PhD Candidates PhD students are provisionally enrolled for the first FTE year of candidature and become a confirmed candidate after approval of their confirmation paperwork. Full-time PhD students submit this paperwork with their first annual report. Part-time PhD students submit the paperwork with their second annual report.
You, and possibly your school, will add tasks to the confirmation task list that includes two mandatory confirmation tasks from the GRS: • a non-graded pass in the ACE unit• a substantial piece of writing at the appropriate conceptual level. Your supervisor will
assess this piece of academic writing to determine if you can clearly communicateyour understanding of a complex topic. The GRS will not assess this writing but willask your supervisors to confirm your academic writing skills.
Students should only be recommended for confirmation if you are confident they will complete their course in the time required.
An extension of up to three months can be requested for confirmation of candidature. In this period, tasks should be chosen that are achievable within the extension period AND sufficiently rigorous to assess if the student is likely to complete their PhD in reasonable time. The GRS does not approve requests for suspension to delay confirmation of candidature.
Confirmation Candidature
Milestone Due Date Possible Extension Period
Research Proposal • 6 months for full time doctorates• 9 months for part time doctorates• 4 months for full time Masters• 8 months for part time Masters
(or equivalent for students whose enrolmenthas been a mix of full time and part time)
• Upon request, extensions are normally given for 1month.
• In exceptional circumstances, research proposalextensions can be granted for up to an additional 2months.
Annual Reports • Every year on anniversary of enrolmentirrespective of full time or part timeenrolment status.
• Students on leave and suspension are alsoexpected to lodge annual reports
• Annual report milestones cannot be replanned.• If unforseen circumstances arise, students should
discuss submission with their GRS CandidatureOfficer.
Confirmation Candidature (Doctoral students only)
• First annual report due date for full timestudents
• Second annual report due date for part timestudents
• Extensions of up to 3 months possible.• If a student is not able to complete the agreed tasks
in this extension period, candidature is likely to beterminated.
Interim Reports • Dates set by GRS with or without priorconsultation with supervisory team
• Interim report milestones cannot be replanned.• If unforseen circumstances arise, students should
discuss submission with their GRS CandidatureOfficer.
Summary of Milestone Due Dates & Allowable Periods of Extension
Variations to Candidature
Any proposed variation to candidature which has implications for supervision or scholarship arrangements requires submission of a Variation to Candidature form to the GRS for approval. These variations include:
• Changes to school or centre
• Addition or removal of supervisors
• Changes to enrolment type (part-time, full-time, external)
• Addition of coursework units
• Changes in research direction
Candidature variations/enrolment changes cannot normally be granted retrospectively.
Master of Philosophy (MPhil) students can apply to upgrade to a PhD but the maximum time limit for completion of the PhD is reduced by the period of time the student was enrolled in the MPhil. Upgrade applications are normally lodged 6-12 months into MPhil enrolment.
When upgrading, supervisors need to be confident the project can be extended to meet the substantiveness criteria of a PhD AND the student is likely to complete the PhD in the time available.
Candidature Advice
Annual Leave, Sick Leave & Suspension
Students do not need to inform the GRS of their annual leave if they take four weeks or less within Australia, but are expected to seek approval from their supervisors.
Students may take up to two weeks sick leave each year and many scholarships provide additional paid sick leave entitlements.
For sick leave of more than two weeks but less than three months, students are required to complete a leave form and attach a medical certificate noting the period the student is unable to study due to illness.
Periods of sick leave longer than three months may be managed by suspension.
The GRS Application for Leave form is used for sick leave, annual leave, PPD leave, maternity leave and parental leave.
Suspensions of up to 12 months, but rarely less than one month, can be requested for personal or unforeseen difficulties. In exceptional circumstances, the GRS Board can approve further extension of suspension, up to another 12 months. Annual reports must be submitted during periods of suspension.
International students may need to negotiate periods of suspension with their scholarship provider or sponsor. Student VISA conditions may require students to leave Australia after one month of suspension.
Leave Form Leave Advice
Paid Professional Development
RTP and other UWA scholarship holders can apply for Paid Professional Development Leave to undertake activities such as internships, demonstrating in laboratories, tutoring, assisting with field trips, or organising conferences.
Paid professional development (PPD) leave conditions:
• Up to 4 weeks PPD leave per year
• Scholarships not suspended during PPD
• Unused PPD leave cannot be accumulated
• Cannot be taken within first 6 months of scholarship or before research proposal submission
• Does not change duration of candidature or scholarship.
PPD Leave Advice
GRS Travel Awards
GRS Travel Award
The GRS travel award provides all HDR students (part time and full time, PhD and Masters) with the up to $1850 to travel internationally or interstate for research purposes during candidature, (provided they are enrolled in a course with a course length of at least two years). In exceptional cases, the award may used for long distance travel within Western Australia and/or up to three months after submission of the thesis for examination. GRS travel awards cannot be awarded retrospectively and reimbursement will only be given for airfares when they been booked according to the Travel Policy, through Concur. Students complete a travel report for the GRS upon their return. To promote timely completion, application for a travel award is restricted to students who are within their candidature time OR are within three months of having submitted their thesis without having had an extension.
GRS Travel Award Rules Concur
Student Travel The UWA medical and security travel support provider is Healix International. Students are encouraged to obtain a Healix card and download the Healix App for access to pre-departure information and 24/7 access to medical, security and other advice when travelling:
Healix
Following DFAT advice, UWA suspends travel to areas of concern to protect the safety of students and staff. The travel rules in Concur are modified accordingly.
If travel suspensions impact on students’ research plans, the GRS can be contacted to discuss the implications of the travel suspension for the student’s candidature and scholarships.
Students undertaking fieldwork may wish to consider enrolling in Fieldwork in Complex and Hostile Places SOCS5911. The 7-day intensive unit includes a 3-day scenario/simulation learning environment at Camp Bickley.
All enrolled students who travel overseas for their research need to notify the GRS of their travel plans by completing an Overseas Travel form. International students also need to complete this form when applying for overseas recreational leave. Approval of all overseas leave is conditional on students having submitted their Research Proposal. Students conducting research in foreign countries may require research visas.
SOC5911
Overseas Travel
Dr Agi Gedeon
Dr Agi Gedeon is the GRS Partnerships Manager. Dr Gedeon manages joint PhD agreements, internships and other forms of HDR external engagement.
UWA is required to report externally on HDR student engagement with research end users (REU) through internships, placements, external supervision and other commercialisation and engagement activities. A REU can be any of a number of entities such as arts organisations, educational organisations, private industry, and hospitals.
This REU information is captured in Research Proposals, Annual Progress Reports and other forms, including an REU Leave form. Questions about REU can be referred to Dr Gedeon.
GRS Partnerships
REU Leave
Experiential Learning Policy
The GRS Research Internships webpage includes details of how to create an internship, links to existing internship opportunities, how to apply for leave for an internship, and internship reporting requirements.
The Experiential Learning policy describes the eligibility criteria for HDR students seeking REU leave, limits on the amount of time that a student may spend in internships, candidature management expectations and international student considerations.
All students must seek approval from their Supervisor and GRC and apply for leave to attend the internship by submitting an authorised REU Leave form together with copies of the agreement detailing the terms of the internship with the REU. This REU leave is a different provision from Paid Professional Development (PPD) leave.
Research Internships
Internship Webpage
UWA is linked with a number of internship providers, including APR.Intern, Mitacs and the Matariki Network.
APR.Intern is a national all-discipline internship program placing PhD students into industry. A not-for-profit program, APR.Intern works to connect HDR students and supervisors with industry partners through 3-5 month, tightly focused research projects.
In 2017, the Australian Government linked with Mitacs to create opportunities for students to participate in research internships in Canada.
UWA is also a member of the Matariki Network that aims to promote research, innovation and international collaboration.
APR.Intern, Mitacs and Matariki
APR Intern
Mitacs Australia Mitacs
Matariki Network
Maximum Periods of Candidature
HDR students are normally awarded four years (FTE) candidature to complete a PhD and two years (FTE) to complete a Research masters.
PhD scholarships are increasingly 3 years in duration. Extensions may be possible.
The maximum duration of UWA Research Masters scholarships is 2 years. No extensions of scholarships for Research Masters are available.
The GRS requests that the research proposal time line reflects these time constraints.
Students can apply for up to 12 months extension of the maximum period of enrolment using the extension of candidature form. Students are still required to submit an Annual Report and an updated Completion Plan with the extension request.
Requests for extensions to candidature for international students need to be managed carefully as once the student goes beyond the period covered by their tuition scholarship, they may be required to pay tuition fees
Candidature Advice
PhD Scholarship Extensions Extension provisions for RTP and other centrally-funded UWA scholarships must comply with the Commonwealth Guidelines. As such, scholarship extensions can only be approved where there are research-related delays beyond the student’s control, such as equipment breakdown, change in research direction, changes in supervision. These delays should be clearly documented in the relevant Annual Report(s). Extensions to these scholarships cannot be approved for personal, family or medical issues alone. Instead, these issues should be managed using Paid Sick Leave (up to a total of 12 weeks) or Paid Maternity Leave (up to 12 weeks) provisions.
For other scholarships, funded by schools, faculties, research grants or other means, extensions on grounds such as personal, family or medical issues may be made at the discretion of the scholarship provider.
Students applying for a six month scholarship extension need to submit their Extension form with their annual report or up to four weeks prior to the annual report due date. This timeline allows enough time for processing and continuation of scholarship payments, if an extension is approved.
Extension of Candidature
Withdrawal and Termination
Students can withdraw from their research program at any time. They need to advise their school of their intention to withdraw and submit a withdrawal letter to the GRS.
Scholarship holders must advise the GRS immediately of their intention to withdraw to avoid overpayment of a living allowance.
International students are advised to contact Student Central to discuss the visa implications of withdrawal and , if the student is fee-paying or sponsored, the fee implications of withdrawal.
Candidature may be terminated at any time by the GRS Board for reasons such unsatisfactory progress or failure to submit an annual progress report or research proposal.
PHEME accounts, which provide access to many of UWAs central systems (including student email, library services, IT support and studentConnect) expire 28 days after a student withdraws. While HDR students are enrolled, suspended, have submitted their thesis, or are correcting their thesis for examination, their PHEME accounts are active. PHEME accounts stay active for a year after students complete their HDR course.
Withdrawal Advice
PHEME
