Legislation
	Regulations
		Professional Doctorate Regulations
			The Degree | Course | Length and Structure of Course | Supervision

Professional Doctorate Regulations

1.	In these regulations, "Board" means the Research and Development Board; "supervisor" means the sole supervisor of a candidate's thesis or, where there is more than one supervisor, the principal supervisor; “course” means a set of units approved by the Academic Council and a thesis approved by the Research and Development Board, both of which are in an area of study that lead to a professional doctorate.				Definitions
The Degree
2.	(1)	The following professional doctorates shall be offered by the University: Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Doctor of Education (EdD), Doctor of Human Resource Management (DHRM), Doctor of Information Technology (DIT) and Doctor of Psychology (DPsych).
	(2)	In order to be awarded any professional doctorate, a student shall: complete 72 credit points; complete the coursework and thesis requirements stipulated for the course in which the student is enrolled; satisfy the other requirements of these regulations; and satisfy the requirements of all other relevant Statutes and regulations of the University.			Requirements to graduate
3.	A candidate may be granted credit on the basis of previous studies undertaken at a recognised university or other recognised tertiary institution, in accordance with rules approved by Academic Council. Notwithstanding the amount of credit that may be awarded for studies completed elsewhere, to complete the requirements of the degree a candidate shall complete Murdoch University units and/or a thesis at Murdoch University with a total value of at least 36 points.				Credit for previous studies
Course
4.	The academic responsibility for each course and for the students enrolled in it rests with the relevant School Committee, subject to the supervision of the Board. The Academic Council has overriding responsibility for all courses. The Academic Council shall determine the Division in which a course is located; the Executive Dean, after consultation with the Divisional Board, shall determine the School in which it is located.				Responsibility for a course
5.	The introduction of a new course requires the approval of Academic Council, following a submission from the Board of the Division in which the course is to be based.				Introduction of new course
6.	The requirements of each course, and any alterations to them, require the approval of the Board, on the recommendation of the relevant Divisional Board. Academic Council may over-rule such a decision where, in its view, this is against the interests of the University overall.				Course requirements
6A.	Enrolment in Workplace Learning units must be in accordance with policy approved by Academic Council.				Enrolment in Workplace Learning Units
7.	Each course shall be administered by the School Committee to which it is assigned by the Divisional Board. The School Committee shall exercise the responsibilities specified in Division Regulation 15(i) and in other Regulations.				School Committees
8.	Rescinded
9.	For each course the Board shall appoint a Program Chair for a term normally of two years, which may be renewed. The Board shall seek the advice of the Executive Dean of the Division in which the course is based, following a recommendation from the School Head. A Program Chair shall be a member of the academic staff of the rank of Lecturer level B or above.				Appointment of Program Chair
10.	The Program Chair shall be responsible for:				Responsibilities of Program Chair
	(a)	recommendations to the Board on satisfactory completion of the coursework units required for completion of the degree, and on academic progress;
	(b)	decisions on approval of enrolments and cross-institutional-enrolments; crediting of units from other institutions towards the course requirements; unit exemptions; deferred assessment; leave of absence;
	(c)	finalising unit results for units offered by staff of the course, where the final date for submission of results has passed and the unit co-ordinator is not available;
	(d)	matters delegated to the Program Chair by the Board.
11.	Rescinded
12.	Rescinded
13.	(1)	Persons admitted as candidates shall:			Admissions
		(a)	have completed at a level considered appropriate by the Board a four year bachelor's degree; or a Master's degree; or a bachelor's degree and a postgraduate diploma, in an appropriate field, at this or another Australian university, or have completed a unit at another university or institution which, in the opinion of the Board, is of equivalent standard; and
		(b)	have, in the opinion of the Board, satisfactory preparation for the course including, for students in courses other than the Doctor of Information Technology, training in research methods.
	(2)	The Board may specify additional requirements for admission to a course.
14.	Before admitting a candidate, the Board shall:
	(a)	satisfy itself that adequate supervision and facilities are available for the applicant’s proposed program of study;
	(b)	if the candidate proposes to pursue the course, on a part-time basis, satisfy itself that any commitments outside those related to the course are not likely to prevent satisfactory progress.
Length and Structure of Course
15.	For a full-time candidate, the minimum period of enrolment for the degree shall be three years. For a part-time candidate, the period shall be such equivalent time as the Board may determine. The Board may set a maximum period for a candidate to complete the degree.				Minimum and maximum period of enrolment
16.	A course shall include a thesis with a points value of at least 36 points, and a minimum of 18 months full time equivalent study.				Thesis value
17.	The supervisor shall recommend to the Board the subject of the candidate’s thesis and details of the research to be pursued by the candidate, not later than three months, or six months for the Doctor of Psychology, after the candidate has commenced research on the thesis. The subject of the thesis requires the approval of the Board, after it has satisfied itself that the area of research is of appropriate scope and is reasonably confined within specified limits.				Approval of subject of the thesis
18.	The candidate's research shall normally be pursued within the University, but may be pursued outside the University if the Board is satisfied that adequate arrangements have been made for the use of suitable facilities and for supervision.				Location of research
19.	The Board may grant a candidate leave of absence from the course. The Board shall not grant such leave until it has consulted the supervisor and the Program Chair. Such leave shall not be counted as part of the minimum period of candidature for the degree. On resuming candidature after leave of absence, a candidate may be required by the Board to be enrolled for a minimum period.				Leave of absence
20.	The assessment methods of each unit shall be as approved by the Executive Dean of the Division. The procedures for reporting assessment results including the system of letter grades shall be as specified for bachelor degree units in the Bachelor Degree Regulations.				Assessment
20A.	A student undertaking a practical placement in any agency whose continued attendance at the agency is deemed by the Dean of the School of Psychology to be detrimental to the welfare of the agency or its clients, shall be removed from the agency forthwith and given a fail grade in the unit.				Exclusion from a Unit
20B.	A student may undertake one Council approved specialisation within a postgraduate course. The core unit points value within the specialised set of units must be greater than 50 per cent of the total points required to complete the course.
Supervision
21.	On admission to a Professional Doctorate degree, the Board shall appoint either a supervisor or a principal supervisor and a supervisor. In each case the appointee must be a member of the University’s academic staff or of the full-time faculty of an affiliated institution. The Board may also appoint an associate supervisor who is not a member of the University’s academic staff. The Board may determine any special arrangements for the supervision of the candidate’s program of study.				Appointment of supervisor(s)
22.	Appointments of supervisors shall be made after consideration of a recommendation from the Executive Dean of the Division in which the course is based. Appointment of a supervisor from a Division other than that in which the course is based requires the approval of the Executive Dean of that Division.
23.	The supervisor shall be responsible for initiating frequent and adequate discussions with the candidate from an early stage in the course. The candidate may also request meetings with the supervisor.			Responsiblity of supervisor
24.	A candidate may apply to the Board at any time for a change in supervision arrangements.			Change of supervisor
25.	Academic Council shall make and publish academic progress rules stipulating minimum performance requirements for continued enrolment in a course.			Academic progress
26.	(1)	At the end of each semester in which a unit result is due:
		(a)	the progress of each candidate shall be reviewed by the Program Chair;
		(b)	candidates shall be informed of their performance in each unit completed that semester;
		(c)	candidates shall be entitled to receive on request information about their own performance in each assessed component of a unit for which the results have been officially released, and on the distribution of grades awarded in that unit.
	(2)	At the end of each year in which the candidate is enrolled in the thesis component of the course, the progress of the candidate shall be reviewed by the Board.
	(3)	If after either of these reviews a candidate's progress is deemed to be unsatisfactory, the Board shall so inform the candidate and may also, at its discretion,
		(i)	attach conditions to the candidate's continued enrolment; or
		(ii)	terminate the enrolment.
27.	A thesis must make a distinctive contribution to the profession and provide evidence of scholarship and originality.			Thesis
28.	A candidate shall submit to the Board the final title of the thesis, together with an abstract of approximately 300 words describing its content, at least two months before submitting the thesis for examination.			Thesis abstract
29.	The subject matter of the candidate's thesis shall conform to the general area of research previously approved by the Board. A candidate wishing to change the subject matter of the thesis at any time after the commencement of candidature must notify the supervisor and apply to the Board. If the Board approves a change in the subject matter of the thesis, it may specify revised conditions of candidature.			Change to subject of the thesis
30.	A thesis:			Thesis specifications
	(a)	may consist partly or wholly of the candidate's published work;
	(b)	may describe work done in conjunction with the supervisor who has directed the work, or with other persons, provided that the candidate's personal share in the investigation is clearly stated, and that this statement is certified by the supervisor;
	(c)	shall be written in clear and concise language and shall be written in English unless the Board approves its submission in another language;
	(d)	shall include an abstract of approximately 300 words, and shall indicate the candidate's sources of information and the extent to which the work of others has been used;
	(e)	shall include a declaration by the candidate that it is his or her own account of the research, and (except in the case of a re-submission under the provisions of Regulation 33(1)(b)) contains as its main content work which has not previously been submitted for a degree at any University;
	(f)	shall, unless the Board specifies otherwise, be in double-spaced script, and such number of copies as may be required for distribution under Regulation 37 shall be submitted in either a permanently or a temporarily bound form at the discretion of the candidate, either form to be as approved by the University Librarian.
31.	Before a thesis is forwarded to the examiners,
	(a)	the candidate’s supervisor shall provide the Research Degrees Officer with written confirmation that the candidate has completed the approved program of study, that the subject matter of the thesis is consistent with that approved under Regulation 17 and that the thesis meets the requirements of Regulation 30. The supervisor shall also comment on the quality of the thesis and on any special circumstances relevant to its preparation and examination;
	(b)	the Board shall be satisfied that these requirements have been met.
32.	(1)	The Board shall, after consultation with the supervisor, appoint two examiners, neither of whom are staff of the University. The supervisor shall not be appointed as an examiner of the thesis.		Appointment of thesis examiners
	(2)	If, on considering the reports of the examiners, the Board is not satisfied that there is substantial agreement on the merits of the thesis, it may at its discretion appoint one or more additional examiners.
33.	(1)	Each examiner shall submit to the Research Degrees Officer for transmission to the Board a written report setting out the examiner's opinion of the quality of the thesis in relation to the degree sought and mentioning its strengths and weaknesses. The report shall conclude with a firm recommendation for one of the following actions:		Responsibilities of examiners
		(a)	that the thesis be accepted;
		(b)	that the thesis not be accepted but the candidate be permitted to submit a revised thesis for the same degree;
		(c)	that the thesis be not accepted.
	(2)	An examiner shall not recommend revision and resubmission unless satisfied that the thesis shows some merit and that with a limited amount of additional work it may be brought up to a satisfactory standard. An examiner shall not make a recommendation under sub-regulation (1)(b) in respect of a resubmitted thesis.
	(3)	The examiners may consult one another, but shall inform the Research Degrees Officer of any such consultation and each examiner shall submit an independent report.
34.	Following receipt of the examiners' reports, the Board may require the candidate to undergo such oral, written or practical examinations as it may specify.			Further examination
35.	Having received the examiners’ reports and any other reports arising under Regulations 34 and 36, and having considered the grades awarded to the candidate in units undertaken as part of the degree course, the Board shall			Recommendation on award of degree
	(a)	recommend to Academic Council that the degree be awarded; or
	(b)	permit the candidate to submit a revised thesis, subject to any conditions it may specify; or
	(c)	decide that the degree be not awarded.
36.	Before deciding not to recommend award of a degree, the Board shall consult the candidate's supervisor.
37.	If the award of the degree is recommended,			Distribution of copies of thesis
	(a)	the copies of the thesis shall be distributed as follows: the University Library: one copy bound in a form approved by the University Librarian; the principal supervisor, supervisor and associate supervisor supervising at the time of submission of the thesis for examination: one copy each; the candidate: one copy;
	(b)	the candidate shall be reimbursed for the cost of production of the copy for an associate supervisor;
	(c)	the copies of the thesis in the University Library shall be available for consultation, loan and photocopying forthwith unless the Board determines otherwise. On application of the candidate and on the recommendation of the supervisor, the Board may determine in exceptional cases that a thesis not be available until after a specified period, which shall normally be not longer than one year.
38.	If the award of a degree is not recommended, the original and all copies of the thesis shall be returned to the candidate.
Under review. Please refer to Student Appeals policy
39.	(1)	The procedures for appeals by candidate against grades awarded in units shall be as set out in the Bachelor Degree Regulations.		Appeals against results
	(2)	The procedures for appeals by candidates against the results of examination of theses shall be as set out in the Postgraduate Research Degrees Regulations.

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The information contained on this page was correct as at 02/09/2009 but is subject to amendment without notice.