Information for Students and Supervisors - Faculty of Education (January - 2005)
Please note that the University of Auckland Faculty of Education offers two doctoral degrees. The first is a PhD (in Education), gained by satisfactory completion and examination of a substantive thesis following a period of at least three years but not more than four years full-time study, or part-time equivalent. The EdD, a more 'applied' doctorate requires evidence of five years experience in an educational setting (or equivalent), and the same academic entry qualification.
If any of what follows is not clear, please feel very free to contact the Faculty's Doctoral Coordinator.
There are two related but separate steps which must be successfully completed before you can be registered for a PhD in Education. The first is an application to study at the University of Auckland, and the establishing of your eligibility to be admitted to a programme of doctoral study (see a and b below for details). The second is an Acceptance by the Faculty of Education and Registration involving both the Faculty of Education and the University's Board of Graduate Studies (see c and d below for details).
a. Required Entry Qualifications
Candidate must have a Bachelor’s Degree (Honours) or a Master’s Degree with (in both cases) First Class, or Second Class First Division Honours. Please note that 'Honours' from some overseas universities may not be recognised as sufficient. Equally, some qualifications from universities not awarding Honours (e.g., some leading British universities), may still qualify.
b. Application for Admission and Enrolment
Application for admission should be submitted as early as possible, but preferably after you have organised at least one supervisor.
The University now offers an easy nDeva on-line Application for Admission process. Intending candidates (including International Students) must complete an Application for Admission form, which includes a section to be completed relating to recognition of previous academic study required for entry to a PhD. This Application for Admission form is a candidate's formal expression of interest, and is also necessary to:
(1) initiate and (eventually) complete the University's admission procedures (a prerequisite for registration);
(2) initiate an academic record for that particular academic year so that successful registration can be recorded on the candidate's academic record.
Simply logon to www.auckland.ac.nz, click on APPLY NOW, and follow the step-by-step instructions.
Alternatively, local students can collect a University of Auckland 'Application for Admission' form from the Graduate Centre. This form can be submitted to the University in the pre-paid envelope provided, or handed back in to the Graduate Centre.
International students already in New Zealand can go through a similar process. This is conducted by the International Office at the University. It is important that you include all the documentation as outlined on the Application for Admission form. If you have further queries relating to documentation please contact the International Office (international@auckland.ac.nz).
If you do not have web access, and/or cannot come to the City Campus of the University, please telephone 0800 61 62 63 (free call in New Zealand), or +64 9 308 23 86. You can also e-mail studentinfo@auckland.ac.nz for further information.
For all general queries about admission to the PhD, scholarships or fees, contact The Graduate Centre, email postgraduate@auckland.ac.nz
a. Acceptance by the Faculty of Education
This requires that:
(1) your prior qualifications are appropriate for our doctoral programme;
(2) that you have a viable thesis area; and
(3) that the Faculty has at least a main supervisor who is both expert in your proposed area and available and willing to work with you. If you are seen as a suitable candidate by the Faculty, this then must subsequently be approved by the University's Board of Graduate Studies. Only at that point will your enrolment be finalised, after which you will be notified of your formal registration for the degree. This whole process can be completed at any time during the year. Registration will always date from the 1st of the relevant month.
b. Registration
Each student must have at least a main supervisor (who holds a doctorate) from the Faculty of Education. Note that two academic supervisors must eventually be involved, either as joint supervisors or as main supervisor and adviser. You need to have the confirmed agreement of the supervisors before you will be accepted by the Faculty as a suitable candidate. If overseas, you should try to communicate with potential supervisors early in the process. Once we know your proposed area of study, we can advise you about possible supervisors before you arrive.
Students need to collect and complete (with the assistance and participation of the main supervisor) a "Doc-2" registration form. This is available on-line http://www.postgrad.auckland.ac.nz/postgraddegree/ under "Postgraduate Forms", or from the Graduate Centre. This form includes qualification and contact details, a statement about your goals for the first (provisional) year of Registration, and other information. For overseas students, this form is sometimes completed after your arrival and after subsequent discussion with your supervisors.
As noted above, one section of the Doc-2 registration form requests the outline of four or five goals to be achieved within the first year of provisional registration. The provisional goals need to be specific and measurable (including word lengths when appropriate). It is expected that one of the provisional goals would be to present within the SOE Research Seminar Series. Examples of other possible goals could be "Write a draft literature review (approximately 10,000 words)," "Complete and write up a pilot study," "Pass an advanced research course with a minimum of a B+." The goals must be agreed to by both the main supervisor and the student. The goals should be focused on helping the thesis project substantively furthered in the first year. Completion of these goals is expected to occur by the end of the provisional year (12 months after the registration date).
In addition to the completion of provisional goals, students are required to complete a full research proposal within their provisional year. Consequently, "completing a full thesis proposal…" should not to be identified as one of the provisional goals. See the "Guide-PhD-FullProprosal-0104.doc" document for specifics of what should be included in this full research proposal. Within the SOE, this proposal is expected to be submitted 9 months after the registration date. It is reviewed internally with comments going back to the supervisors and student.
If you do complete the Doc 2 while overseas, you need to have the agreement of the supervisor, particularly about the topic and the provisional goals, and you need to sign and fax or post the signed document to the doctoral coordinator.
Along with the Doc-2 registration form, students must complete and submit to the Faculty all of the following:
A brief letter of application.
This is addressed to the Head of the Faculty of Education. It should include the applicant’s address and full contact details (phone, email, fax), along with a note on the proposed area of study. The letter must also state the willingness of a member of staff to be the main supervisor and should indicate the name (and department, if appropriate) of the second supervisor or adviser.
Evidence of eligibility for entry.
This should include a copy of the applicant’s academic transcript(s), degrees or, where the qualifying degree is not from The University of Auckland, evidence from this University of appropriate and approved equivalence. PLEASE NOTE: The University requires that written references be submitted as part of the registration process for doctoral applicants whose qualifying degree was from another New Zealand or an overseas institution and for UoA graduates seeking to be admitted under the exceptional circumstances clause.
A 10-12 pages (approximately 2,500 words) overview of the proposed topic
This should include an outline of the research, and the goals to be achieved in the first year (see above). See the "Guide-Phd Topic Overview-0104.doc" document for specifics of what should be included in the overview of the proposed topic. Your supervisor(s) will assist you to develop this overview.
When these documents have been prepared, please hand in the completed Doc-2 registration form (signed by the main supervisor and the student), the letter of application, evidence of eligibility, and the brief proposal to the Doctoral Coordinator.
c. Follow-up Procedures
Dr. Mavis Haigh (PhD Programme Adviser, Faculty of Education] checks your registration material and if everything is considered appropriate, she signs the document as Head of programme. The Doc-2 registration form (and, if necessary, other documents) are then sent to the Graduate Centre.
When the Application for Admission and the Doc-2 have been processed by the Graduate Centre, and then approved by the University's Board of Graduate Studies, the student, the Head of Faculty and the main supervisor will each receive a letter which confirms Registration and sets out the conditions for the first year. Registration will be dated from the first of the month and this should reflect when you have started or intend to start your research.
d. Confirmation and Annual Reports
At the end of your Provisional Year (first year), it is expected that you will have completed all the provisional goals as outlined in the Doc2 and completed and gained approval of a full thesis proposal (as noted in section d.). Once the provisional goals and the full thesis proposal have been accomplished and documented within a formal report (typically, the Annual Report), your registration status would be changed from provisional to confirmed.
Annual progress reports are subsequently required on the anniversary of your Registration, with input from both candidate and supervisor(s). It should be noted, that as part of the Annual Report process, a new set of specific and measurable goals to be completed within the next 12 months should be identified and integrated in the Annual Report. It is expected that these goals will be aimed at moving you toward completion of your thesis within a 3 to 4 year full-time timeframe. Built into these yearly goals should be a publication/submission goal, i.e., submission of a manuscript for review to a refereed publication outlet. Each year, based on your progress and completion of each year’s goals as documented within the Annual Report, the report will be forwarded with a recommendation for either your registration to be continued, to be continued with specified conditions or terminated. Your supervisor will give you further information about this process.
