Structured Program

The University of Adelaide requires that all PhD and research Master students complete a Structured Program at the within the first six months of their candidature.

At the end of the Structured Program, the Completion of Structured Program and Research Proposal form must be completed, certified by the Department and submitted to the Adelaide Graduate Centre together with a copy of a research proposal prepared by the student.

The responsibility for ensuring completion of the Structured Program is vested with the student and their departmental supervisor(s). Both the student and his or her supervisor(s) must complete the verification form in Attachment 1 as evidence that the Structured Program has been satisfactorily undertaken. A student must present this form when requesting certification of the Completion of Structured Program and Research Proposal form by the Department. Certification of a Completion of Structured Program and Research Proposal form will not be made without presentation of this form or where it indicates that the Structured Program has not been satisfactorily completed.

Structured Program Format

The Structured Program consists of two components:

1. The Core Component which is compulsory for commencing students.
2. The Directed Studies Component, which is not compulsory (but may be deemed advisable by the supervisor or department).

Core Component

This part of the Structured Program includes the following components.

1. University Postgraduate Induction.
2. Meeting with Head of Department.
3. Introduction from Postgraduate Coordinator to University and Department procedures for administration of postgraduate students, including discussion of requirements and expectations of research that is to be performed by the student.
4. Safety induction with Department Safety Officer.
5. Introduction from Department Secretary to general department procedures for borrowing of equipment, sharing of Department resources, photocopy, fax, and use of Department motor vehicle.
6. Introduction from Workshop Staff to Department Workshop facilities and procedures.
7. Introduction from Quality Coordinator to Department Quality Assurance System.
8. Introduction from Computing Officer to Departmental computing facilities.
9. Completion of Supervisor / Student Expectation Survey by student and supervisor as per standard document in Attachment 2.
10. Barr Smith Library Orientation and Literature Research Tutorial(s) with the Research Librarian.
11. Completion of Thesis Writing, Presentation and Communication Skills Workshops as nominated by the Postgraduate Coordinator.
12. Preparation of Research Proposal.
13. Formal presentation of Research Proposal at a Departmental Seminar.
14. Attendance at Departmental Seminars.

International students are additionally required to undertake the Integrated Bridging Program (IBP) conducted by the ACUE as part of their Core Component.

Directed Studies Component

The Directed Studies Component is to be developed by the supervisor(s) of a student in conjunction with the Department to address any specific needs identified in the candidate's academic background. It may include the following components.

1. Courses offered by the Language and Learning Service of the ACUE.
2. Coursework (or additional coursework) relevant to the research topic (to a maximum of 4 points).
3. Paid casual employment with the Department as a tutor for undergraduate subjects.
4. Instruction in mathematical and computational techniques, statistics, statistical analysis and/or experimental design.
5. Industry work experience/sabbatical relevant to the research topic.
6. Short courses on computing and common software packages (eg Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc) relevant to studies.

Approval from the Department is required for the Directed Studies Component of a Structured Program for the student before it is implemented.