The Examination Process
Submitting a Thesis
- Masters students
Your thesis examination will be administered from the Melbourne School of Graduate Research (MSGR), in the 1888 Building. This means that when you are ready to submit your thesis for examination, you will submit it to MSGR. For information on this process, go to MSGR Thesis Submission and Examination. - Doctorate students
Your completed thesis should be submitted to the Graduate School of Education Student Centre. Before you submit your thesis for examination you should check the following:- you are an officially enrolled student (check with the Graduate School Office if you are unsure) ;
- you or your supervisor has submitted the completed Certification of Submission form which certifies that the thesis you are submitting meets the requirements and is ready for submission (usually submitted two weeks prior to submission);
- you have three appropriately bound (see Binding for Examination below) copies of your thesis;
- you have included and signed the Declaration of Originality (see Declaration below) of each copy of the thesis submitted (Note photocopied signatures cannot be accepted);
- your thesis has been appropriately formatted (see Formatting below).
Submission Dates and Fees
The Expected Completion date recorded on your Enrolment Record is the date by which you are required to submit your three temporary bound copies of your thesis for examination. This date will vary from student to student so it is very important that you are aware of your due date (see Calculating the Candidature for more information).
For information regarding your fees and refund information please contact Student Administration on (61 3) 8344 8016.
Binding for Examination
Three copies of the thesis are to be submitted: in spring back folders, comb or spiral bound or an alternative form of temporary binding which will withstand the rigours of postage. Ring binders or other flimsy binders of 2 or 4 hole-punched pages are not acceptable.
Suggestions for binding: Spring back folders are available from the University Bookshop. The University of Melbourne Graduate Students' Association (GSA) can also provide a cheap, temporary binding service.
Formatting
The thesis must be typed in one-and-a-half spacing, on A4 paper with a left hand margin at least 4 centimetres wide. Pages should be consecutively numbered; if sheets are interpolated they should be lettered consecutively, each letter being preceded by the number of the last previous numbered page. Folding diagrams and charts should be arranged so as to open out to the top and right. The title page must show:
- the title of the thesis;
- the full name and qualifications of the author.
- the degree for which it is submitted;
- the name of the faculty or graduate school to which it is submitted; and
- the year in which it is submitted.
WOMEN AND SCHOOLS IN COLONIAL VICTORIA
1840-1910
Marjorie R. Madigan
BA, DipEd(Melb), BEd
Submitted in (partial) fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Graduate School of Education at The University of Melbourne
1985
“Submitted in fulfillment”: where assessment for the Degree of Master of Education is research only. This applies to the Streams 1,100, 2, 150 and Doctor of Education.
“Submitted in partial fulfillment”: where assessment for the Degree of Master of Education includes both research and coursework components- Streams 1A, 100A, 2A, 150A.
The order of pages should be as follows:- Title page
- Contents page
- List of illustrations or diagrams (if any)
- Declaration of originality
- Abbreviations and glossary (if any)
- Acknowledgements (if any)
- Abstract (of 300 words or less)
- Introduction
- Body of Thesis
- Appendices
- Bibliography
This thesis does not contain material which has been accepted for any other degree in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, this thesis contains no material previously published or written by any other person, except where due reference is given in the text.
Signature: ...................................................
Stages of Examination
The examination process is governed by University regulations and is usually a lengthy process. It can be broken down into a number of stages.
- Nomination of examiners
- Examination of thesis by examiners
- Head of Examiners' final decision based on examiners' reports
- Notice to candidate of Head of Examiners' final decision
- Final binding - if thesis is passed.
- Letter notifying student of thesis result.
- Graduation
1. Nomination of examiners
- A research classified (See Period of Candidature ) Masters thesis of 20,000 words requires two external examiners;
- A coursework classified (See Period of Candidature ) Masters of 20,000 words requires two examiners one of whom must be internal to the University of Melbourne, and the other may be either internal or external;
- A Masters thesis of 30,000 words requires two examiners, both of whom must be external to the University of Melbourne;
- A Doctor of Education thesis requires two examiners, both of whom must be external to the University of Melbourne;
- A Doctor of Philosophy thesis also requires two examiners external to the University of Melbourne.
2. Examination of thesis by examiners
Examiners are sent a copy of the candidate's thesis, an Examiner's Report Form (for indicating a grade) and a copy of Examiners' Guidelines (see Appendix B). After examining the thesis, they return the thesis, the completed Examiner's Report Form, and a detailed written report.
Examiners are requested to have the thesis marked and returned within six weeks. However, delays are not uncommon, especially if examiners are dealing with multiple projects and demands competing for their time and attention and/or they are overseas.
All Masters theses are graded H1, H2A, H2B, H3, Pass or Fail.
The Doctoral theses are graded as pass/fail only.
What do examiners look for?
As a guide you may wish to refer to the following information:
• ‘What Do Examiners Look For ?' modified from G. Brown and M. Atkins, Effective Teaching in Higher Education, Methuen, London, 1988 and ‘Notes for Examiners - Graduate School of Education'.
• Masters or Doctoral Examiners Guidelines
3. Head of Examiners final decision
Once both Examiners' Report Forms and written reports have been received by the Graduate School's Thesis Examinations Officer, copies are sent to the Head of Examiners. The Head of Examiners is usually the Head of the relevant Academic Department.
On receipt of the reports the Head of Examiners decides on a final mark. In many cases, candidates are required to rewrite sections of the thesis or to correct typographical and/or other errors. If a major revision is required the candidate may be asked to re-enrol and re-submit further copies for re-examination. Where there is a serious difference of opinion between the examiners, a third examiner may be appointed and upon the receipt of the report of that examiner, the Head of Examiners makes a final decision.
4. Notice to candidate
Once the Head of Examiners report has been received the candidate will be told one of the following:
- that they should proceed to bind their thesis; or
- that they should make minor corrections and then proceed to bind their thesis within four weeks of the date of the letter; or
- that they should re-enrol and undertake major revisions to their thesis and then resubmit it within three months; or
- that a third examiner has been nominated and a final decision has therefore been delayed.
The appointment of a third examiner will prolong the examination process.
Further information on binding or re-enrolment will be sent to the candidate at the appropriate time.
Candidates are provided with copies of the examiners' written reports unless a third examiner has been nominated. Examiners may, but are not obliged to, make their names known to the candidate. In the case where a third examiner is nominated the candidate will be provided with reports after the Head of Examiners has seen the third report.
5. Final Binding
Once any re-writing has been carried out as directed by the Head of Examiners the candidate is required to have two copies of the thesis bound.
Theses must be typed on acid-free archival quality bond paper of International Standard Paper Size A4 with a margin on both sides at least 3 centimetres wide.
Two copies of the thesis must be bound in such a manner that they will stand on a shelf as a book (with the name of the author and the title or an abbreviation thereof appearing on the spine) for deposit in the Baillieu Library and the Education Resource Centre. The copy for the Baillieu Library must be on acid-free paper.
The color of cloth has been specified for thesis binding for The University of Melbourne. This pattern must be followed.
Cloth colors:
- Black for Doctor of Education theses
- Dark blue for Masters theses of 30,000 words.
- Mid-brown for Masters theses of 20,000 words.
Gold-lettering is required on the spine and longer titles may need to be abbreviated.
Only after the two bound copies and the abstract have been received by the Graduate School will the Student Administration Office be notified and the final grading awarded to the candidate.
Separate Abstract
Candidates are also required to provide a separate thesis abstract of less than 300 words (preferably one page only) for inclusion in the Bibliography of Education Theses in Australia. It must include the candidate's name and the title of the thesis.
6. Letter notifying student of final result
When bound copies have been received a letter will be sent to the candidate notifying them of their thesis result. Candidates will NOT be told their results verbally. However, if they contact the Thesis Examinations Officer a few days before submitting their bound copies they may be able to arrange to collect the letter at this time.
7. Graduation
Once you have qualified for the Masters or Doctor of Education award, the Student Administration Office automatically allocates you to a graduation ceremony. Candidates should contact the Examinations and Graduations team at the Student Administration Office for any further information on (+61 3) 8344 6017.