Agency Controlling; A6 Council
Predecessor Agency/Agencies:
A90 Professorial Board

Administrative History: The Faculty was established by Statute Chapter X, allowed December 1886, which also established the Faculty of Arts and incorporated the Faculties of Law And Medicine (previously established by separate Statutes in 1883 and 1885 respectively).

The Faculty of Science as then established consisted of the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, three other members of the Council appointed annually by the Council, and the professors and lecturers in the subject of the Faculty course. The Faculty was responsible for advising Council on "all questions touching the studies, lectures and examinations in the course of the Faculty".

Boards of Examiners for each Faculty were also established by the Staute Chapter X, consisting of the professors and lecturers in the subjects of the course, and "such examiners as may be appointed by the Council".

Statute Chapter X was substantially amended only from December 1956, by which amendment the composition of the Faculty was more formally defined and limited, and by which each Faculty gained representation from the Deans of other Faculties, and the Chairman of Education Committee and the Head of each Department in the Faculty became ex officio members.

Prior to the establishment of the Faculty, matters relating to examinations, lectures and courses in Arts and Science were the responsibility of the Professorial Board, which had been established from 1876. This body was disbanded on establishment of the Faculties.

Provision was made in the original Act of Incorporation (No. 20 of 1874) for the power to confer degrees in science. This was not then within the power of other Australian / N.Z. Universities, and the Secretary of State advised that Royal Letters Patent would not be granted while this and the granting of degrees to women were included in the Act. Accordingly the University sought an amendment to the Adelaide University Act, attended to October 1879, repealing the portion of the 12th section referring to degrees in Science.

The University nevertheless urged the Govenor to renew attempts to obtain these powers for the University, and on being advised this effort would be successful, sought the repeal of the relevant part of the amendment Act (assented to October 1880). The Letters Patent were issued in March 1881. Following receipt of the Letters Patent a Science course was prescribed for the first time. Regulations for the Bachelor of Science were enacted in January 1882, the old regulations for the B.A. also largely revised and altered.