Policies and procedures
POLICY NO: RES-16.0
DATE OF APPROVAL: 1 March 1993
AMENDMENTS: Registrar July 1995; Registrar August 1998; Registrar November 1999; Academic Board June 2002
REFERENCE AUTHORITY: Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President (Research and Innovation)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
Doctoral Degrees By Research Policy
(RES 10.1) and
Academic Regulations
1.1 There shall be the degrees of Doctor of Letters (D Litt) and Doctor of Science (DSc).
1.2 Council shall confer a higher doctorate on certification from Academic Board that a candidate has satisfied the requirements for the award.
1.3 A candidate for a higher doctorate shall hold a PhD and be a graduate of five years standing and either:
1.3.1 hold a degree of the University (including its antecedent institutions); or
1.3.2 hold a degree from another recognised university; or
1.3.3 otherwise qualify by reason of eminence in learning or creative achievement
1.4 The award of a higher doctorate shall be based on the substantial publications and/or achievements of the candidate being recognised as a distinguished contribution to the knowledge and understanding of any branch of learning or achievement which gives the candidate authoritative standing and general recognition by scholars or performers in the field.
2.1 Substantial publications and/or achievements shall be defined as books, articles, printed material, published or recorded compositions, video recordings, films, other works of visual art and works of art in electronic or other media, or other outstanding creative achievements in any branch of learning.
3.1 A candidate for admission to a higher doctorate shall comply with the following requirements:
3.1.1 The University may invite a candidate with a body of work deemed worthy of examination to apply for a higher doctorate. The candidate shall submit to the Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President (Research and Innovation) three bound copies (where possible) of substantiated publications and/or achievements which the candidate wishes to have examined.
3.1.2 If the publications and/or achievements submitted, whether published or achieved in the candidate's sole name or under conjoint authorship, record work carried out conjointly, the candidate shall produce satisfactory evidence of his or her part in the initiation and conduct or direction of such conjoint work however published or achieved. A higher doctorate shall not be awarded for conjoint work unless the candidate produces evidence that the candidate alone was responsible for the initiation and conduct or direction of the major portion of such work.
3.1.3 The candidate shall inform the Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President (Research and Innovation) if the work or any part thereof, and if so what part, has been submitted for a degree in this or any other university by the candidate or, in the case of conjoint work, by the candidate or any of the candidate's collaborators. The candidate shall not submit work accepted for admission to a prior degree.
3.1.4 A submission for the degree of Doctor of Letters shall include at least one substantial work.
3.2 The Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President (Research and Innovation) will forward the submission to the appropriate Division for preliminary assessment. The Division Board shall appoint a Higher Doctorate Committee comprising the relevant Pro Vice Chancellor (or nominee) and three other members. Members may be appointed from outside the Division or outside the University. At least two members of the Committee should, if possible, have expertise in the specialised area of the submission. The Committee may be augmented by the inclusion of the Head of School related to the work submitted for examination.
3.3 The Higher Doctorate Committee shall consider the submission and where, in the opinion of the Committee, the substantiated achievements and/or published work are prima facie worthy of examination for a higher doctorate, it shall submit a report to this effect to the Research Degrees Committee through the Pro Vice Chancellor, together with a recommendation on examiners to be appointed.
3.4 At this stage the candidate shall be advised by the Research Degrees Committee of the decision. If the appointment of three examiners is to proceed the candidate shall then be required to pay an examination fee equal to that applying for three doctoral thesis examiners.
3.5 After receiving a positive recommendation on the candidature from the relevant Pro Vice Chancellor, Research Degrees Committee will appoint three examiners. Normally at least one examiner shall be a member of the Division concerned and at least two shall be external to the University. After receiving the reports of the examiners, Research Degrees Committee shall determine whether the candidate should be recommended for the award of a higher doctorate. A candidate shall not be recommended for admission to a higher doctorate unless all examiners report that the material submitted for assessment satisfies the requirements of clause 1.5 of the policy. A positive recommendation, certifying that the requirements for award of the appropriate degree have been satisfied, shall be submitted through Academic Board to Council.
