University of Tasmania, Australia

The Confirmation of Candidature (Confirmation) process allows the University to assess academic development, performance and other aspects of candidature, such as the appropriateness and availability of resources, and the suitability of the supervisory team to ensure the candidate completes their project.
Confirmation takes place online through iGRad, (accessible via the eStudentCentre).
Two online reports are submitted to the Graduate Research Coordinator (GRC) – one from the candidate, the other from their supervisor on behalf of the supervisory team. Once these reports have been received, the GRC arranges a Confirmation Committee meeting to discuss whether Confirmation requirements have been satisfied. The Confirmation Outcome is completed as an online form by the GRC.

This process ensures that Confirmation and candidature progression requirements have been met. These requirements include:

• the minimum number of supervisory meetings have been held;
• the Research Plan has been completed;
• the candidate has completed an oral presentation to the School (including a question and answer session);
• the candidate has completed the required Graduate Certificate in Research unit/s i.e. Doctoral candidates are expected to have completed XGR501 and one other GradCertRes unit; Masters should complete XGR501 and be enrolled in their second unit.

• Candidates access iGRad through eStudentCentre.
• Access to iGRad for supervisors and GRCs is via inSite, a secure portal that utilises your UTAS username and password.
• Confirmation reports to be completed can be accessed through the ‘Confirmation of Candidature’ tab.

The Confirmation due date is based on a candidate’s commencement date, current status and the degree they are enrolled in. This date is displayed in the iGrad Action Date Schedule, and as a general rule will be at:

• 11 months (EFT) after commencement (and not before 6 months)- for Doctoral candidates
• 7 months (EFT) after commencement - for Masters candidates

Requests to alter the due date for Confirmation will not be considered. The Action Date Schedule is programmed to take into account periods of suspension and/or periods of part-time candidature so Confirmation due dates will be adjusted automatically with candidature variation. If a candidate is unable to meet Confirmation requirements by the due date they are still required to complete the Confirmation process. Where appropriate, the School may recommend that the candidate be granted a Confirmation extension of up to three months to meet all Confirmation requirements. Any candidate who has not completed the Confirmation process by the nominated date will have failed to comply with graduate research regulations as set out in Rule 4, Graduate Research, and may have their candidature terminated.

A reminder will be sent to the candidate, their primary supervisor and the GRC approximately 2 months before the scheduled Confirmation due date. Candidates and supervisors will then be able to log into iGrad and complete and submit their individual reports.
Once both reports are completed, the GRC will receive notification that the Confirmation meeting can now occur and will be able to access the Confirmation Outcome documentation via iGrad.
The Confirmation Outcome must be completed by the GRC at the Confirmation meeting.

The Confirmation Committee comprises all members of the Supervisory Team and the Graduate Research Coordinator. Where appropriate, additional members may be invited to be part of the Confirmation Committee (e.g. the Head of School, experts in the research area). 

The candidate should be advised of any additional member/s as soon as possible and be given the opportunity to provide a reason why that person should not attend. The GRC must record the names of all members of the Confirmation Committee in attendance when completing the Confirmation Outcome.

The candidate may request permission to have an additional person, who is not an immediate family member or a legal representative, in attendance at the Confirmation meeting.

An additional person is present as an observer only and is not permitted to take an active part in the meeting; they are not considered part of the Confirmation Committee.

The candidate can propose an additional person in their online report, however, this request must be received by the GRC at least 7 days before the Confirmation meeting. If the GRC does not approve the request, the candidate may appeal this decision to the Dean of Graduate Research.

The candidate and their supervisory team and GRC should be present at the Confirmation meeting. The meeting can occur in any format that is agreeable to the participants. While it is encouraged that all members of the supervisory team are present at the meeting; it is acknowledged that in some circumstances this may not be possible or practicable. In such circumstances, the GRC should ensure that all members of the supervisory team are given adequate time to provide information to ensure views are represented.

Candidates must fulfil the following requirements for candidature to be confirmed:

• The minimum number of supervisory meetings have been held. (Supervisory meeting due dates are advised via the candidate’s Action Date Schedule and a reminder email. The GRC should confirm that all required meetings have been held).
• The Research Plan has been reviewed and approved by the Committee.
• The Committee has assessed the submitted written work to be of an appropriate standard.
• The candidate has completed an oral presentation to the School (including a question and answer session).
• The candidate’s general progress, in relation to stated milestones, is considered to be satisfactory.
• The candidate has completed the required Graduate Certificate in Research unit/s, i.e. Doctoral candidates must complete XGR501 and one other Graduate Certificate in Research unit; Masters candidates must complete XGR501 and be enrolled in their second unit.
  

In addition to the above requirements a School may impose other Confirmation requirements upon the candidature.

These additional requirements should be applied in a fair and equitable manner to ensure all candidates are treated equally. In addition, the School should ensure that any additional requirements are completed within the Confirmation timeframe The School should formally advise the candidate of the requirement/s as early as possible (ideally within the first few weeks of candidature) and ensure the candidate fully understands what is required.  

A candidate should only have their candidature confirmed when all confirmation requirements have been met.

The Confirmation Committee may recommend one of the following outcomes:

Where the School recommends that an extension be granted; the maximum extension period is 3 months (EFT) unless the Dean of Graduate Research determines otherwise. Only one extension is normally permitted. The Confirmation Committee is required to reconvene at the end of this extension period to reassess candidature progress (and whether conditions laid out in the first Confirmation meeting have now been met) and make a final recommendation.

Where a School recommends candidature be terminated or that the doctoral candidature be downgraded to a Masters degree, additional information should be attached to the Confirmation Outcome clearly outlining the reason for this decision. The Dean of Graduate Research will undertake a preliminary investigation to determine whether the recommendation is justified. If this investigation determines that there are sufficient grounds to warrant the recommendation the Dean will begin termination proceedings under clause 13.1 of Rule 4 Rules of Graduate Research.

If the candidate is in receipt of a scholarship, the recommendation provided above will have a corresponding effect on scholarship continuation.