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Managing Your Candidature
Like any project, the success of your research depends on how you manage a broad spectrum of issues associated with a successful delivery. Key issues are listed here for your consideration
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Communicating with the Univesity
The University will regularly communicate important information to you both in writing and by email, so it is very important that you keep your contact details up-to-date. This is your responsibility; not receiving a letter or email asking you to do something is no excuse for not having done it and in many cases will have far reaching consequences for your candidature.
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Insurance and Confidentiality
The University provides all research students who have an active enrolment, with the following insurance cover, for approved activities and travel:
- Personal Accident Insurance,
- Travel Insurance,
- Public Liability,
- Professional Indemnity,
- Directors and Officers Liability.
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Supervisors
From the time of commencing your candidature until your degree is awarded or your program discontinued, you will have a panel of supervisors comprising a principal and at least one co- or external supervisor, appointed by the Head of School.
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Postgraduate Coordinators
After your supervisors, the Postgraduate Coordinator (PGC) is likely to be your most important source of support. He or she is responsible for overseeing the work of all postgraduate research students within the School. As you progress through your candidature, you should get to know the Postgraduate Coordinator quite well.
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Life as a Research Student
The relatively unstructured nature of research is very different from the study mode that you would have experienced as an undergraduate or postgraduate coursework student; there are fewer fixed deadlines to meet and much longer periods of time between them.
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Monitoring Academic Progress
Students are reminded that the maximum period of candidature is four years full-time equivalent (FTE) for a PhD and two years FTE for a Masters by research degree. This must be taken into account in planning your research project. Extensions of candidature should not be expected except under the most exceptional circumstances.
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Re-Enrolment
Re-enrolment is an automatic process provided that you have satisfactorily completed and lodged the annual review of progress by the due date and have no outstanding financial obligations to the University. Clause 4 of Chapter 89 of the Statutes of the University states that a student may not re-enrol unless ‘all outstanding fees and all other financial obligations due to the University have been discharged or arrangements for their discharge have been approved’.
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Changing the Conditions of Candidature
By accepting an offer of admission to a higher degree by research, you are accepting the conditions of candidature prescribed in that offer.These include your attendance status, field of study, supervisors and your mode of attendance. To change the conditions of your candidature, you will need the permission of your principal supervisor, the Head of School or Postgraduate Coordinator and the Adelaide Graduate Centre.
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Grievances, Complaints and Problems
The procedures for resolving grievances during your candidature are detailed in the Student Grievance Resolution Process. Within the University, there are three stages that a grievance may go through before it is resolve
- Stage 1: Informal Discussion;
- Stage 2: Formal Review; and
- Stage 3: Appeal.
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Suspension of Candidature
Your candidature and any scholarship payments will be suspended if you do not comply with any formal requirement of your candidature. If you are an international student, failure to comply with any formal requirements of your candidature will likely result in the cancelation of your student visa.
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Termination of Candidature
Your candidature and any scholarship payments may be terminated if:
- your progress is unsatisfactory as reported to the Graduate Centre following a review of progress, whether scheduled or unscheduled; or
- your candidature has been suspended for a total of 12 months or more.
