Policies and procedures
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POLICY NO: A-42.12
DATE: May 1994
AMENDMENTS:REFERENCE AUTHORITY: Director: Student and Academic Services
CROSS-REFERENCES:The University of South Australia offers two models of honours programs as described below:
Honours Degree
The honours degree is a separate, stand-alone one-year
program of advanced studies for students who demonstrate a high level of
achievement on completion of their pass degree
program.
Degrees with Honours
Degrees with honours are programs of four or more years in
duration which include a minimum of one year of advanced studies for students
who demonstrate a high level of achievement in the initial years of the program.
Students who fail to meet the necessary grade point average for the honours
stream continue with the pass degree.
Honours degree programs
Generic term used to refer to both types of program.
1.1 The undergraduate awards of the University will include honours degrees and degrees with honours.
1.2 All honours degrees and degrees with honours must include a research component leading to the production of an assessable outcome. The research component will be known as the 'honours research project'.
1.3 The honours research project will be a minimum of 12 of the 36 units in an honours degree and 9 of the 36 units in the final year of a degree with honours.
1.4 The honours research project will normally be a maximum of 1000 words per unit value up to a maximum of 18,000 words and may take the form of:
1.5 The honours research project will provide students with the opportunity to understand and apply the research process and will:
1.6 Honours degrees and degrees with honours must include provision for training in research methods and ethics. This may or may not be in the form of a separate course.
1.7 All courses included in honours degrees and degrees with honours must be graded.
1.8 A full-time candidate in an honours degree or degree with honours will normally complete the program in one academic year.
1.9 A part-time candidate in an honours degree or degree with honours will normally complete the program in a maximum of two academic years.
2.1 Honours degree
2.2 Honours year of degrees with honours
2.3 Where a student has transferred from another university but has completed at least 18 units of the relevant pass degree at the University of South Australia, eligibility for entry to the honours degree or the honours year of a degree with honours will be calculated using the GPA of the UniSA courses only, and will not include courses for which credit has been granted.
2.4 Where a student has completed additional courses that would not be required for the award of a relevant single degree (either because they are enrolled in a double degree program, or are enrolled in more than one program), these courses will not be included in calculating a GPA to determine eligibility for:
2.5 Where, in relation to clause 2.4, there is some discretion required in determining which courses should be included in meeting the requirements for the award of a single degree, the courses that would yield the highest possible GPA will be selected for the purposes of the calculation.
3.1 Divisions / schools will appoint Honours Program Directors to monitor the supervision of students in the research component of their honours degree or the honours stream of degrees with honours, as outlined in the Code of Good Practice: Research in honours degree programs.
3.2 A principal supervisor and/or an associate supervisor where required, will be appointed for each student in an honours degree program.
3.3 The principal supervisor and the associate supervisor must have completed a research degree, or have completed a Masters degree with a research component, or have completed a Bachelor (Honours) degree and gained additional research experience.
3.4 The principal supervisor must have relevant knowledge, expertise and interest in the student's research topic, access to adequate resources, and sufficient time to provide proper supervision, taking account of their total workload, including the supervision of other students.
3.5 The principal supervisor should be appointed as soon as a student commences enrolment in an honours degree program, to assist with the development of an appropriate research proposal.
3.6 Involvement in supervision by qualified non-academics (eg from industry) is encouraged. Where appropriate, these external contributors may be appointed as associate supervisors. Whatever the supervisory arrangements, the location of principal responsibility for supervision must be made clear and be monitored by the Honours Program Director.
3.7 If the principal supervisor is to be absent for four weeks or more, the school will appoint an associate supervisor before the start of the absence and following consultation with the student.
3.8 The administration of honours degree programs will be in accordance with the procedures set out in this policy.
4.1 To qualify for an honours degree program a student must meet the requirements as outlined in Appendix A: Assessment Framework.
4.2 A student in an honours degree program may not be granted supplementary assessment in any coursework component of the program that has been failed, or may not repeat or take studies-in-lieu of any coursework component of the program that has been failed, except with the permission of the relevant division board.
4.3 Conceded and terminating passes are not available in honours degrees, or the honours component of a degree with honours.
4.4 A student may request that their honours research project be re-examined on evidence that:
5.1 In accordance with the requirements outlined in the University's Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual, students in an honours degree or the honours stream of a degree with honours must be informed in writing of the assessment requirements no later than one week prior to the commencement of honours studies. This must include the weighting of the coursework and research components in the program.
5.2 Students who are required to present research seminar(s) will have this assessed as part of the relevant component of the honours program.
5.3 Supervision of students within the research component will be conducted in accordance with the Code of Good Practice: Research in honours degree programs.
6.1 The review and assessment of academic progress is the responsibility of the Honours Program Director in conjunction with the principal supervisor, in accordance with Code of Good Practice: Research in honours programs.
6.2 If the student is not making satisfactory progress, the Honours Program Director and the principal supervisor will consult with the student at the earliest possible opportunity to determine the most appropriate intervention.
6.3 Unsatisfactory progress in honours degree programs will be managed in accordance with the University's Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual.
7.1 Academic Misconduct in honours degree programs will be managed in accordance with the University's Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual.
8.1 Leave of absence in honours degree programs will be managed in accordance with University policy A-48 Enrolment.
The following arrangements apply to all honours degree programs.
9.1 Mode of examination
9.1.1 The school / division will either:
or
9.2 Appointment of examiners
9.2.1 To ensure that the assessment process is free from any conflict of interest, the Honours Program Director, in conjunction with the Head of School or nominee, will nominate the examiners for the honours research project.
9.2.2 All examiners must have appropriate qualifications and experience to examine an honours research project.
9.2.3 Neither the principal nor any associate supervisor may be an examiner.
9.2.4 The Honours Program Director will forward to the examiner(s) a letter outlining the:
9.3 Criteria for assessment
An honours research project will be assessed on the following criteria:
9.3.1 the student's ability to articulate the nature and scope of the research in accordance with the stated objectives of the honours research project
9.3.2 the extent to which the honours research project achieves the stated objectives
9.3.3 the student's ability to demonstrate a critical appreciation of the literature relevant to the honours research project
9.3.4 the extent to which the student has developed a consistent and coherent argument relevant to the field of study
9.3.5 the student's capacity to demonstrate critical analysis in applying research approaches and, where appropriate, interpreting results
9.3.6 the quality of the presentation of the honours research project, including where appropriate:
9.3.7 the quality of artefacts, if any, including:
9.3.8 the student's adherence to high standards of academic integrity and honesty as outlined in the University's Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual.
9.4 Examiners' reports
9.5 Specified amendments
9.6 Resolving discrepancy
10.1 The relevant school/division will determine the final grade of honours, taking into account the examiners' reports for the research component and the student's performance in the coursework component.
10.2 The final grade will be determined using the standard University Grade Point Average formula (see the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual) to combine the honours research project and honours coursework grades.
10.3 In determining the final grade, divisions should refer to Appendix A: Assessment Framework.
11.1 If the Head of School or nominee allows a request for an honours research project to be re-examined in accordance with clause 4.4 above, another examiner, external to the University, will be appointed. This examiner will not have access to the original examiners' reports and will submit a report under the same conditions as the original examiners.
11.2 If the Head of School or nominee determines that the request does not meet the grounds for re-examination, the student may appeal to the divisional Pro Vice Chancellor. If the divisional Pro Vice Chancellor allows the appeal, an examiner will be appointed on the same terms as in clause 11.1 above.
12.1 If the divisional Pro-Vice-Chancellor determines that the request for a re-examination does not meet the grounds for appeal, the student may lodge a formal appeal against their final honours grade with the Director: Student and Academic Services in accordance with the appeal procedures specified in the University's Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual.
13.1 A bound copy of the honours research project,
amended as necessary after review, will be lodged with the Honours
Program Director, become the property of the University, and held within
the relevant school. The bound copy must include an appropriate record
of artefacts (eg photographs, video recording). Where the work cannot be
easily replicated the Honours Program Director will advise on the
appropriate medium for a record of the work to be lodged.
| Honours Grade and Notation | Notional Mark | Standard of work | Grade Point Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honours degrees and degrees with honours | |||
| First Class Honours (H1) | 80 -100% | Work of exceptional quality showing clear understanding of subject matter and appreciation of issues; well formulated; arguments sustained; figures and diagrams where relevant; appropriate literature referenced; strong evidence of creative ability and originality; high level of intellectual work. | 6.5 - 7 |
| Second Class Honours 2A (H2A) | 70 - 79% | Work of high quality showing strong grasp of subject matter and appreciation of dominant issues though not necessarily of the finer points; arguments clearly developed; relevant literature referenced; evidence of creative ability and solid intellectual work. | 5.5 - 6.49 |
| Second Class Honours 2B (H2B) | 60 - 69% | Work of solid quality showing competent understanding of subject matter and appreciation of main issues though possibly with some lapses and inadequacies and with clearly identifiable deficiencies in logic, presentation or originality; some evidence of creative ability; well prepared and presented. | 4.75 - 5.49 |
| Honours Degrees only | |||
| Third Class Honours (H3) | 50 - 59% | Adequate report, reasonable quality but showing a minimal understanding of the research area with major deficiencies in content or experimental rigour; little evidence of creative ability or original thought. Sufficient to merit only a bare pass mark. | 4 - 4.74 |
| Fail (F) | < 50% | < 4 | |
| Degrees with Honours only | |||
| Not available | ≤ 59% | Not eligible for honours. Awarded pass degree1 | < 4.74 |
1. Where the student is to be awarded a pass degree their results should finalised and reviewed in accordance with the requirements of the Assessment Policy and Procedures Manual.
