Faculty of Science and Technology
Deakin University
You must notify your Head of School of your intention to submit your thesis eight weeks before you expect to submit it . The Head of School must forward the notice of intention to submit to the Examinations Officer HDR upon receipt. Notice of intention to submit the thesis form maybe found on the forms and guidelines website. More information about submitting your thesis can be found in the Guide to Candidature: Examination.
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The Higher Degree by Research Committee appoints examiners after taking the advice of the Head of School, the examiners are all external to the University and normally at least one will be outside Australia. The examiners nominated must not have been involved in the super of the project at any stage and should not be co-authors on any papers which arise from the thesis research project. More information about appointing examiners can be found in the Guide to Candidature: Examination.
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Details on submitting your thesis for examination are outlined on the Research Services website Examination Procedures.
You have the right to submit your thesis for examination despite advice from your supervisor or Head of School that it is not suitable or ready for submission. However, you should recognise the risks in ignoring such advice. Experience shows that criticisms made by a supervisor or Head of School are generally repeated in unfavourable reports by the examiners.
Theses submitted from late November to mid-January tend to take longer to be examined because many examiners take leave during this period.
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Examiners are asked to complete the examination and provide their reports within six weeks of receiving the thesis, therefore, the entire process could be completed in four months. In practice, however, it can often take longer, more information on the examination process can be found in the Guide to candidature 2004/5: Examination.
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The final outcome of examinations is determined by the HDR Committee, not the examiners. When all the examiners’ reports have been received, the Head of School will consult with the principal supervisor and provide a recommendation as a guide to the HDR Committee. The decision on how to respond to the reports from the examiners is made by the HDR Committee. The thesis must have the support of two examiners before the HDR Committee can recommend that the degree be awarded.
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The Examinations Officer HDR will notify you of the outcome of the examination when it has been determined, and will provide copies of the examiners’ reports. You will be given the names of the examiners unless an examiner has asked that his or her name be kept confidential. You must then lodge two copies of the thesis in the format described under Final form of the thesis in the previous section.
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Candidates are eligible to graduate after the Academic Board approves the award of the degree. There are normally two graduation ceremonies per year: in March/April and October. Depending on the timing and length of the examination process, it may not always be possible for you to graduate at the ceremony of your choice. You should discuss the options with the Examinations Officer HDR. Please ensure that you lodge your library copies of the thesis and complete in a timely fashion the paperwork required by the University for organising your graduation. The paperwork will be mailed to you at the appropriate time. If you do not receive these documents for completion, please contact the Examinations Officer HDR.
Doctoral graduands may not use the title “Doctor” until the degree has been conferred.
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