Structured Program

All students undertaking postgraduate studies at The University of Adelaide are required to undertake a structured program as part of their studies. The requirements for the School are set out below, and apply to full-time and part-time candidates.

1. Seminars
The School runs a seminar series given by postgraduates, members of staff, and visiting academics. Postgraduates are expected to attend all seminars. Any postgraduate who has not attended at least 80% (or 60% for part-time candidates) in any year will have to justify their absence when the annual review of candidates is carried out in October each year. The purpose of the seminars is to disseminate research results, provide feedback for researchers, foster a research ethic within the department, assist postgraduates in developing their presentation skills, and provide a stimulating atmosphere for intellectual discussions. It is vital therefore that all attend.

2. Candidate Seminars and Reports
All candidates will be required to give a seminar each year to academics and other postgraduates on their work. The seminar program is organised at the start of the year. During a full-time postgraduate's candidature the seminars presented would be:

2.1 Introductory Seminar
The candidate's first seminar should be approximately 15 to 20 minutes in length outlining the research problem which will be tackled. This should consist of a concise and lucid summary of the previous research in the area and identify areas where the postgraduate understands that contributions can be made.

2.2 Upgrade / Confirmation Seminar, Report and Interview
The most demanding seminar for all candidates comes after 12 months full-time research. This applies to all postgraduates whether they are upgrading from a Masters degree to a Doctorate, confirming their Doctoral candidature or confirming their Masters candidature. The extended seminar should include:

• background to the research topic;
• review of literature;
• research plan;
• work to date.

For Doctoral candidates the emphasis of the presentation would be on the review of literature and the research plan. Masters candidates would be expected to focus on the review of literature, research plan and the work completed to date. It should be noted that a high standard of presentation is required.

A formal upgrade/confirmation report will be prepared. It should be between 30-45 pages in length (1.5 spacing and 12 point font). A guide to the length of each section is given. The report should be of Departmental Report or Journal paper quality and include:

The report must be submitted at least two weeks before the candidate intends to present the seminar so that it can be assessed by an academic in the department. A single page summary of the research plan should also be prepared so that it can be circulated to members of the postgraduate committee who will be involved in assessing the upgrade or confirmation.

An interview will be conducted by the Postgraduate Committee with the upgrade/confirmation candidate one week after the upgrade seminar. The purpose of this interview is to allow the candidate to discuss informally his or her research, to allow further clarification of research issues, and provide feedback from the postgraduate committee on both the candidate's research topic and performance. During the interview the candidate will be encouraged to discuss any aspect of the research they wish, and to elaborate and clarify research issues and discuss alternate approaches that the postgraduate committee might suggest.

2.3 Review Seminar, Report and Interview (24 months)
Doctoral candidates will present a seminar after two years full-time study. The seminar is expected to concentrate on the work in progress and how the work and results to date fit with the research plan.

Candidates are also expected to submit material that they have written: either a chapter or parts of chapters for their thesis; or a copy of paper(s) submitted to a journal or presented at a conference. The material submitted should not repeat the literature review that would have been completed in the previous year.

An interview will be conducted by the Postgraduate Committee with the candidate one week after the seminar. The purpose of the interview is to review progress and clarify the work that will be completed over the final year of candidature. If progress is deemed unsatisfactory a plan of action will be developed to remedy the situation.

2.4 Final Seminar
All candidates will be expected to present a formal seminar near the end of their candidature. This would be at 24 months for Master's candidates and 36 months for Doctoral candidates.

3. Part-time Candidates
Part-time candidates will face the same key milestones as full-time candidates but at double the usual time frame. The upgrade seminar, for example, will be at 24 months. In years without a prescribed seminar, all part-time candidates would be expected to give a 15-20 minute seminar describing progress and setting out goals for the next year.

In a part-time candidature this will mean a larger number of seminars will be presented. It is felt that this is a benefit to the student rather than a hindrance, and will assist in overcoming some of the problems associated with not being in the department's research environment full-time.