Your principal supervisor will inform the Divisional Research Management Committee (DRMC) that you have met all the requirements for the award of the degree. The DRMC will then advise the Research Degrees Officer (RDO) Research and Innovation Services that you have completed the requirements for the awarding of the degree. The RDO will submit your name and the title of your thesis to the Research Degrees Committee (RDC) for formal approval.
When RDC has given formal approval the RDO will record on the your Student Record Information System that you will be changed to indicate that you are eligible for the award of a research degree and will provide you with written advice of completion of requirements for the award. Because it may be some time before you receive your parchment and formal transcripts this letter acts as proof to employers or grants officers that you are about to graduate.
You will also automatically receive three formal transcripts of your entire academic record. The award title listed on your transcript is what will be printed on your parchment so if you believe there is an error please notify a Campus Central Office.
The RDC will recommend to University Council that your award can be
formally conferred. University Council will then ratify the conferral of
your degree (usually at the next Council meeting).
For Doctorate by Research and other PhD students the official date of the conferral of your degree is the date of approval by University Council and you will then be notified by Student and Academic Services that your parchment is ready for collection. Your parchment may either be collected from the Graduations Office or sent out to you at any time from then on (although most candidates choose to wait until their actual graduation ceremony to collect it). You may begin to use the title 'Dr' at any time after this point.
For Masters by Research students the date of conferral of the award is the graduation ceremony. This is the date that will appear on your parchment. You will not have the option of collecting your parchment before the ceremony.
Note: If the date of approval by the RDC or
University Council is very close to the date of the next graduation
ceremony (within approximately six weeks) you may receive your written
advice and/or transcripts at the same time as your graduations pack.
UniSA normally holds three rounds of graduation ceremonies each year. The first is in April/May, the second in August/September and the final round is in December. For more information, go to Schedule of Ceremonies.
About six weeks before your graduation ceremony, you will receive a graduations pack containing:
Complete and return the graduation form as soon as possible so the Student and Academic Services (SAS) Graduations Office knows that you will be attending the ceremony. Also check to see if they have got your correct name and thesis title correct.
Please indicate on the graduation form if you do not wish to attend any graduation ceremony. Your award will be conferred in absentia. Note that you need to return this form by the required date otherwise you will be noted as conferred in absentia. You cannot be awarded in absentia in one ceremony and then attend another.
If you would like to attend a graduation ceremony but cannot attend the nominated one, please ask for deferred enrolment. Apply in writing to the Director, Student and Academic Administration stating your reasons for requesting a deferral. This request must be submitted prior to the final date for returning your graduation form to the Graduation Office (this date will be on your graduation form and in your information pages). Any request for a delayed deferral received after this date will not be processed.
Note: You will be required to pay all outstanding debts to the University before you can graduate.
You will also be required to pay a graduation fee of about $40 for academic dress hire. Wearing of appropriate academic dress during the ceremony is a requirement and the fee is charged automatically on the basis that you don't already own the appropriate academic dress. If you do already own the appropriate gown, call (08) 8302 2194 and ask the Graduations Office about waiving the fee. If you are having your award conferred in absentia, the fee is $10 for the parchment to be sent out to you ($20 if you want the parchment sent overseas). This does not apply to doctoral graduates who have already collected their parchment. The graduation parchment will not be made available to you until after the degree has been conferred.
Graduation ceremonies are administered by the Graduations Office in Student and Academic Services (SAS), and full information can be obtained by contacting the Office.
