Research students: to understand the purpose and requirements of the thesis exam, how it must be submitted and how it is examined.

Supervisors and examiners: to know their high-level responsibilities in the thesis examination process.

Your thesis should:

• be your original work
• be an original contribution to your field
• demonstrate independent critical ability
• be written to a high academic standard, primarily in English.

• Submit a ‘notice of intention to submit’ in the Research Education Candidature System (RECS) at least three months prior to your intended submission date.
• Select your examination mode (oral or exhibition)
• If you use an editor for copy-editing or proofreading:
  • discuss it with your lead supervisor
  • ensure they adhere to Australian editing standards
  • acknowledge them in your thesis.

You select one of these modes when you submit your ‘notice of intention to submit’:

• Oral examination, where examiners meet the student after considering the thesis. For students commencing from 2026, this is the required mode of examination.
• Exhibition examination, which involves an examination of artwork that forms part of the thesis.

The examiners review your thesis and provide individual written reports. These reports assess your thesis against criteria and recommend an outcome.

The chair of examination reviews reports and guides the process. A committee then determines the final outcome, which can be:

• Award (with or without corrections).
• Non-award with permission to revise and resubmit (usually 2-4 additional research periods; a second revision is generally not permitted).
• Non-award with option for another degree.
• Non-award (no degree awarded).

Examination decisions can be appealed under the Academic Appeals Rule.

If your research was directly and adversely impacted by emergency conditions, your thesis must detail these impacts and explain why the plan couldn't be executed.

You select this option when submitting your intention to submit.