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Conferral of Awards Procedure

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Section 1 - Governing Policy

(1) These Procedures are governed by the Conferral and Graduation Policy.

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Section 2 - Course Completion

(2) Enrolments and Student Records (ESR) will manage the course completion process.

(3) Canditature Services will manage the course completion process for Higher Degree by Research students.

(4) There will be four course completion deadlines per year which will coincide with the results release dates for Semester 1 and 2 and Summer and Winter Terms.ahegs

(5) Coursework students will be identified by Course Completions (CC) as eligible for course completion assessment.

(6) Where a student believes they are eligible but has not been identified as eligible for course complete, they may apply using the prescribed process.

(7) The relevant Course Coordinator will assess course completion eligibility for each student identified and advise CC.

(8) CC will produce ratification lists of all course complete students for each conferral period, and send to the Academic Registrar and Director, Student Administration.

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Section 3 - Ratification and Conferral

(9) The Academic Registrar and Director, Student Administration is responsible for distributing the ratification lists to Faculties.

(10) In all cases the conferral of award must be recommended by the relevant Executive Dean and approved to proceed by the Chair, Academic Board. Responsibilities are set out in Section 5 of the Conferral and Graduation Policy.

(11) There will be four conferral periods set each year that align with the course completion deadlines and the Autumn and Spring graduation ceremonies.

(12) Graduations and Protocol will be responsible for the following conferral processes:

  1. Creating official conferral lists.
  2. Uploading the conferral date to course complete records on the student management system.
  3. Conferring awards on the student management system.
  4. Production and release of academic documents in accordance with the Academic Documents Policy.
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Section 4 - Conferral Under Exceptional Circumstances

(13) Awards may also be conferred, outside the standard conferral periods under the following exceptional circumstances:

  1. where an administrative error has been made;
  2. for special cohorts approved by the Academic Registrar; or
  3. under compassionate circumstances as outlined in Section 5 of this Procedure.

(14) Where a conferral under exceptional circumstances is necessary, a request must be made using the prescribed form with relevant supporting documents.

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Section 5 - Conferral Under Compassionate Circumstances

(15) The University may award appropriate qualifications to recognise the achievements of students who have:

  1. died after completion of the requirements of their course, but the award has not yet been conferred;
  2. died or become incapacitated while in the final stages of their course.

Course Requirements Complete

(16) Where a deceased student has completed the requirements for the conferral of a qualification, the award may be conferred posthumously in accordance with the Conferral and Graduation Policy.

Course Requirements Incomplete

(17) Where a student has substantially completed course requirements and

  1. dies while enrolled for the course; or
  2. becomes incapacitated and is unable to complete the remaining requirements of the course:

(18) the Academic Registrar may determine whether the qualification should be awarded.

Coursework Awards

(19) In the case of a coursework program, the student must have completed at least 80 percent of course requirements.

(20) Where the requirements for a posthumous award, as outlined in clause (19), have not been met, a posthumous exit award may be considered on a case by case basis

(21) On the advice of the Academic Registrar, the Head of School or equivalent may submit a recommendation to the Executive Dean, providing details of the student’s academic record, the outstanding course requirements and outlining factors which support the reasonable expectation that the student would have successfully completed the course requirements.

(22) If the Executive Dean supports the recommendation, they should seek approval from the Chair, Academic Board for approval to proceed.

(23) If the Chair, Academic Board approves to proceed, the award will be recommended for conferral.

(24) The Academic Registrar must be advised, and will be responsible for notifying the Vice-Chancellor and President via Graduations and Protocol.

(25) If additional credit is recommended, for example as recognition of prior learning, such credit will be recorded on the academic transcript. In other cases, a notation “Exemption from completion of full course requirements approved on compassionate grounds” and date of approval, will be recorded on the academic transcript.

(26) If the student had been enrolled for an honours degree, the degree may be conferred with honours, but without a level of honours.

Research Awards

(27) In the case of research awards, the student must have completed sufficient literature reviews, laboratory work, papers and publications and thesis drafts or other tangible evidence to indicate that, had the death or incapacity not intervened, the student would have satisfied the requirements for the degree.

(28) In such a case, the supervisor may submit a recommendation to the Director, Graduate Research School through the Faculty Associate Dean, Research, providing details of the work completed and the current status of the thesis.

(29) The Director, Graduate Research School may appoint two assessors, one of whom may have been the supervisor and one of whom may be external to the University, to review the available work in order to determine whether the primary requirements set out in clause (25) have been met. Both assessors cannot have been supervisors for the student.

(30) If such assessment results in a unanimous recommendation to proceed, the supervisor may be requested to provide a statement and/or explanatory material to facilitate the examiners’ understanding of the candidate’s research contribution, and to facilitate production of the thesis in preparation for examination.

(31) The thesis should then be submitted for examination in accordance with standard procedures. Each examiner must provide unequivocal advice as to whether evidence exists to indicate, that, if the death or incapacity had not intervened, in the normal course of events requirements for the degree would have been satisfied.

(32) If the Director, Graduate Research School supports the recommendation for award of the degree, based upon the outcomes from examination of the thesis, they should seek approval to proceed from the Chair, Academic Board.

(33) If the Chair, Academic Board approves to proceed, the award will be recommended for conferral.

(34) The Academic Registrar must be advised, and will be responsible for notifying the Vice-Chancellor and President via Graduations and Protocol.

(35) A notation “Exemption from completion of full course requirements approved on compassionate grounds” and date of approval, will be recorded on the academic transcript.

Nature and Recording of Award

(36) Where award of the qualification is approved, the Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS), transcript and testamur will include the standard notation regarding conferral of the degree.

(37) If the requirements of a lower level qualification such as an approved exit qualification, have been met, such qualification may be awarded, in accordance with standard procedures.

(38) If the Executive Dean does not support the award of a qualification based on work completed and exceptional circumstances preventing completion, and no lower level qualification for which the student has qualified exists, the Faculty may award a Certificate of Achievement at an appropriate Faculty event.

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Section 6 - Recordkeeping

(39) Records will be maintained as outlined in the Conferral and Graduation Policy.

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Section 7 -
 Associated Information

(40) For related legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines and any supporting resources please refer to the Associated Information tab.