Policies and procedures
POLICY NO: A-42.12
DATE: May 1994 (AB Resolution 94/4/88)
AMENDMENTS:REFERENCE AUTHORITY: Director, Student and Academic Services
CROSS-REFERENCES:The University of South Australia offers two models of
honours programs, which are 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 four
or more years in duration and 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.
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
1.4.1 a thesis, or
1.4.2 one or more refereed (or equivalent) publications of
equivalent merit to a thesis, or
1.4.3 one or more artefacts and supporting exegesis.
1.5 The honours research project will provide students with the
opportunity to understand and apply the research process and will:
1.5.1 have clearly defined objectives that reflect national
standards of good practice in the provision of an honours award
1.5.2 be achievable within the time available and be consistent
with the University's policy and guidelines on ethics, and
1.5.3 be supported by adequate facilities and infrastructure.
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
2.1.1 Candidates for admission to honours degrees will
normally have a grade point average of 5 or above (credit level average)
in an undergraduate program relevant to the intended field of honours.
2.2 Honours year of degrees with honours
2.2.1 Candidates for admission to the honours year of degrees
with honours will normally have a grade point average of 5 or above
(credit level average), be identified no later than the end of the
penultimate year of the program, and be invited to enrol in the honours
stream prior to the start of the final year of the program.
2.2.2 Where a student is transferring from another
university into the final year of a degree with honours, admission will
be in accordance with policy clause 2.2.1 above.
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:
2.4.1 entry to the relevant honours degree program or
degree with honours stream, or
2.4.2 awarding of the relevant degree with honours.
2.5 Where, in relation to policy clause 2.4, there is
some discretion 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 within 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 programs.
3.2 A principal supervisor and/or an associate supervisor where
required, will be appointed for each student in an honours program.
3.3 The principal supervisor and 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
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 program, to assist with the
development of an appropriate research outline.
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 after consultation with the student.
3.8 The administration of honours programs will be in
accordance with the procedures set out in this policy.
4.1 To qualify for an honours degree 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 where permitted by the
relevant Division Board.
4.3 Conceded and terminating passes are not available in
honours programs, 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:
a. the examiner substantially misinterpreted the work, or
b. the assessment requirements specified in accordance with
University assessment procedures were not adhered to.
1.1 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 procedures before the second week
of the commencement of honours studies. This must include the weighting of
coursework and research components in the program.
1.2 Students who are required to present research seminar(s)
will have this assessed as part of the appropriate component of the honours
program.
1.3 Supervision of students within the research component will
be conducted in accordance with the
Code of Good Practice: Research in
honours programs.
2.1 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.
2.2 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.
2.3 Unsatisfactory progress in honours degrees and degrees with
honours will be managed in accordance with the University's Assessment
Policies and Procedures Manual.
3.1 Academic Misconduct in honours degrees and degrees with honours will be managed in accordance with the University's Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual.
4.1 Leave of absence in honours degrees and degrees with honours will be managed in accordance with the University policy A-48 Enrolment.
The following arrangements apply to all honours degrees and degrees with
honours.
5.1 Mode of examination
5.1.1 The school / division will either:
a. appoint two examiners for all honours research projects, at
least one of whom must be external to the University,
or
b. appoint two internal examiners, and arrange for a
representative selection of honours research projects in the program to be
externally moderated at the time of examination, in order to validate the
standard of internal assessment
5.2 Appointment of examiners
5.2.1 To ensure the assessment process is free of 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.
5.2.2 All examiners must have appropriate qualifications and
experience to examine an honours research project.
5.2.3 Neither the principal nor any associate supervisor may be
an examiner.
5.2.4 The Honours Program Director will forward to the
examiners a letter outlining the:
a. stated objectives of the honours research project
b. criteria for assessment
c. Assessment Framework (see Appendix A)
d. return date and contact person for any matters which may
need clarification.
5.3 Criteria for assessment
An honours research project will be assessed on the following criteria:
5.3.1 the student's ability to articulate the nature and scope
of the research study in accordance with the stated objectives of the honours
research project
5.3.2 the extent to which the honours research project achieves
the stated objectives
5.3.3 the student's ability to demonstrate a critical
appreciation of the literature relevant to the honours research project
5.3.4 the extent to which the student develops a consistent and
coherent argument relevant to the field of study
5.3.5 the student's capacity to demonstrate critical analysis
in applying research approaches and, where appropriate, interpreting results
5.3.6 the quality of the presentation of the honours research
project, including where appropriate:
a. clarity of expression
b. the relevance and accuracy of citations, references etc, and
c. the accuracy and appropriateness of the presentation of
results
5.3.7 the quality of artefacts, if any, including:
a. the conceptual understanding of the relevant field
b. the ideas and/or imagination demonstrated
c. the technical competence
d. the resolution of the artefacts
e. the complexity and difficulty demonstrated
5.3.8 the student's adherence to high standards of academic
integrity and honesty as outlined in the University's Assessment Policies
and Procedures Manual.
5.4 Examiners' reports
5.4.1 Examiners are expected to return their reports within four weeks
of receiving the honours research project for examination.
5.4.2 The principal supervisor will be given the opportunity to
comment on the examiners' reports.
5.4.3 The examiners' reports will be provided to the student in
order to foster the learning experience.
5.5 Specified amendments
5.5.1 In the case of specified amendments, the Honours Program Director
will receive the revised honours research project with a statement from the
principal supervisor confirming that all revisions and corrections have been
made satisfactorily.
5.6 Resolving discrepancy
5.6.1 Where there is a discrepancy of more than one grade between two
examiners' recommendations, the Head of School or nominee will appoint a third
examiner whose mark will stand, regardless of whether it is higher or lower. No
further re-examination will be available.
5.6.2 The third examiner may be from within the University or
external to the University, and must have expertise in the area of assessment.
5.6.3 The third examiner will not be provided with details of
the student's original assessment.
6.1 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.
6.2 The final grade will be determined using the standard
University Grade Point Average formula (see the Assessment Policies and
Procedures Manual) to combine honours research project and honours
coursework grades.
6.3 In determining the final grade, divisions should refer to
Appendix A: Assessment Framework.
7.1 If the Head of School or nominee allows a request for an honours research project to be re-examined in accordance with policy 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.
8.1 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 procedure
clause 7.1 above.
8.2 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.
8.3 The appeal procedures are as specified in the University's
Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual.
9.1 A bound copy of the honours research project, amended as
necessary after review, will be lodged with the Honours Program Director and
will 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 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 - 4.75 |
| Fail (F) | < 50% | < 4 | |
| Degrees with Honours only | |||
| Not available | ≤ 59% | Not eligible for honours. Awarded pass degree | < 4.75 |
1. Where the student is to be awarded a pass degree their results should be finalised and reviewed in accordance with the requirements of the Assessment Policy and Procedures Manual.
