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Postgraduate Coursework Principles - Policy 000844

Date of Commencement: Tuesday, 1st January 2008

1.         Introduction

 

This policy details the principles that will govern the conduct of courses and awards within a postgraduate coursework program. It supports the Rules Governing Postgraduate Coursework Awards and should be read in conjunction with that document.

 

2.         Definitions

 

           In the context of this policy:

 

award means the postgraduate coursework qualification for which a student is enrolled;

 

course means any part of a program for which a result may be recorded;

 

nested degree means a linked series of programs within the same discipline area, which progress from a lower to a higher qualification e.g. from a graduate certificate, to a graduate diploma, to a masters, to a masters honours or to a professional doctorate (see Rules Governing Coursework Professional Doctorates);

 

program means a program of study approved by the Academic Senate that leads to an award of the University; and

 

specialisation means a program od specialist study involving the completion - in an 80 or 120 unit Masters program - of a minimum of 40 units identified by the Faculty from a specific discipline or specialty within a discipline, and excluding any undergraduate courses offered within the program;

 

unit means the proportional amount of academic credit allotted to a course. This term is used to:

(a) define the requirements for an award of the University;

(b) indicate a student’s enrolment load.

 

3.         Policy Intent

 

This policy provides the principles which will govern the offering of courses at the postgraduate level and the awarding of degrees at that level.

 

4.         Principles Governing Course Offerings

4.1        Under Clause 12 of the Rules Governing Postgraduate Coursework Awards undergraduate courses can be directly used in a postgraduate program with their existing codes provided they do not exceed 25% of the award.

4.2        When undergraduate courses are included with their existing codes in a postgraduate program, the following principles will apply:

  • no 1000 level undergraduate courses may be used;
  • undergraduate courses will not normally be used as core/compulsory courses in the postgraduate program;
  • where undergraduate courses are available as directed courses and there is sufficient choice to allow students to complete the directed course(s) without undertaking any undergraduate course they have completed in an undergraduate program, they will not be granted credit for those undergraduate courses into the postgraduate program;
  • while the content and assessment items remain the same, postgraduate students will be expected to address the assessment tasks more rigorously than undergraduate students.

4.3        Undergraduate courses may be re-badged as postgraduate courses with different course codes and offered conjointly to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, on condition that some learning materials, tutorials or laboratories, and assessment tasks for postgraduate students, are different.

4.3.1  Where postgraduate and undergraduate students study the same course together but under different course codes, the following conditions will apply:

  • undergraduate and postgraduate students can attend the same lectures;
  • postgraduate students must attend separate tutorials or workshops or laboratories  - to allow more in-depth analysis or treatment of the course content, if applicable;
  • postgraduate students will be expected to access additional  extension material (at least 20% of the postgraduate course should be different from that in the undergraduate course); and
  • postgraduate students will complete different and more challenging assessment tasks.

   4.3.2  Exceptions to 4.3.1 above may be approved by the President of Academic Senate when the School can demonstrate that for sound pedagogical reasons, the content and assessment for both groups ought to be consistent. This may apply for example, in the case of Education Methodology courses undertaken by students in the Graduate Diploma in Education and by students in an undergraduate Teaching Program. Such approvals will be reported annually to Academic Senate.

 

   4.3.3   4000 Level Courses that are offered within separate Honours degree programs may be used within Masters Courses where appropriate, without re-badging.

5.         Specialisation

   

5.1        A student in a postgraduate Masters level program may complete a specialisation which will be identified on the student’s transcript and testamur.

 

5.2        A “specialisation” in an 80 or 120 unit Masters program requires completion of a minimum of 40 units identified by the Faculty from a specific discipline or identified specialty within a discipline  and excluding any undergraduate courses offered within the postgraduate program

 

6.         Principles Governing Credit

 

6.1        Under Clause 9.4 of the Rules Governing Postgraduate Coursework Awards, credit of up to twenty five per cent (25%) of the units required to complete the postgraduate program, may be granted for undergraduate courses at 2000 to 4000 level, provided those units have not already been counted towards a completed degree.

 

6.2       In exceptional circumstances, the President of Academic Senate, on the recommendation of the relevant Pro Vice-Chancellor, may grant credit for courses undertaken as part of a completed undergraduate degree. Such approvals will be reported annually to Academic Senate by the President of Academic Senate.

 

7.         Essential Supporting Documents

            Rules Governing Postgraduate Coursework Awards

 

Approval Authority: Academic Senate
Date Approved: Wednesday, 7th November 2007 Date For Review: Sunday, 7th November 2010
Policy Contact Position: Deputy Academic Registrar, Governance and Policy
Amendment History: Amendment to include Clause 5: Specialisation approved Academic Senate August 2008.