Doctor of Business Administration

8.1 Admission to Candidature

1. An application for admission to candidature in a professional Doctorate shall be made on the prescribed form and lodged at any time for consideration by the Higher Degrees Research Committee.
2. To qualify for admission to candidature, applicants must:
   1. possess a Bachelor’s degree with first class Honours or second class Honours, first division, from Southern Cross University; or
   2. possess a Master’s degree from Southern Cross University; or
   3. possess a qualification which in the opinion of the Higher Degrees Research Committee is the equivalent of (i) or (ii) above; or
   4. submit such other evidence of general and professional qualifications as will satisfy the Higher Degrees Research Committee that the applicant possesses the educational preparation and capacity to pursue graduate studies;
   and satisfy such additional requirements for admission to the course, if any, as may be prescribed by the Higher Degrees Research Committee.
3. An applicant shall have professional experience as considered acceptable by the Higher Degrees Research Committee.

8.2 Requirements for the Award

1. To be eligible for the award of a professional Doctorate, a candidate shall successfully complete twenty-four (24) units of study and research. At least two-thirds of these units shall require completion of a thesis, or equivalent research project.
2. These units shall be comprised of those in the schedule of units attached to these rules.
3. A professional Doctorate shall be in a field approved by the Higher Degrees Research Committee and listed in the Schedule of Professional Doctorates attached to these rules.

8.3 Progression

A candidate shall not normally be permitted to proceed to the Professional Doctorate Thesis unit until having successfully completed any prescribed course work units with at least a Credit average and until having at least a credit grade in the Professional Doctorate Research Proposal unit.

A candidate who has successfully completed the Qualitative Research Methods unit (single unit), the Quantitative Research Methods unit (single unit) and Professional Doctorate Research Proposal (double-weighted unit) may exit the professional Doctorate program with a Graduate Certificate in Research Methods.

8.4 Attendance and Duration

1. A candidate shall attend such workshops, seminars, tutorials or courses as prescribed by the relevant Professional Doctorate Coordinator.
2. full-time candidate shall complete the requirements for the professional Doctorate award within a period of no more than three (3) years. Unless the Program Director in consultation with the College Director/School Coordinator in special circumstances otherwise determines a candidate shall not be permitted to complete the requirements of a professional Doctorate award in less than two (2) years. All approved variations must be reported to the Division of Research Higher Degree Research Committee.
3. A part-time candidate shall complete the requirements for a professional Doctorate award within a period of no more than six (6) years. Unless the Program Director in consultation with the College Director/School Coordinator in special circumstances otherwise determines a candidate shall not be permitted to complete the requirements of a professional Doctorate award in less than four (4) years.
4. A candidate may convert from full-time to part-time candidature, and vice-versa, with the approval of the Program Director in consultation with the College Director/School Coordinator, which shall also determine on a pro-rata basis a revised statement of maximum and minimum periods of candidature.
5. Unless the Higher Degrees Research Committee in special circumstances otherwise determines, a candidate shall normally complete the requirements of a professional Doctorate award without interruption from the date of first enrolment.
6. Interruption of candidature shall only be approved to take effect from the commencement of a trimester or session, and will be normally limited to two sessions or trimesters. An application for interruption of candidature must be submitted to the Program Director in consultation with the College Director/School Coordinator for determination prior to the trimester or session for which the interruption is sought.

8.5 Advanced Standing

1. The Higher Degrees Research Committee may grant advanced standing for units successfully completed at this University, at another Australian University, or at other types of tertiary education institutions acceptable to the Academic Board, provided that the Academic Organisational Unit can demonstrate equivalence to the non-thesis units in the Schedule of Units for a professional Doctorate award.
2. Any such advanced standing shall not normally exceed 50 percent of the equivalent unit requirements for a professional Doctorate award. If the advanced standing proposed is more than 50% plus two units it will need to be approved by the Programs Committee.
3. A candidate who has undertaken research work as part of enrolment in a research degree but has not completed that degree may be granted advanced standing (as per 8.5(b)) by the Higher Degrees Research Committee on the basis that the research already completed forms part of a professional Doctorate thesis and has not or will not be used for work towards any other award.
4. Where advanced standing is granted, the Director of Professional Doctoral programs may approve a reduction in the minimum periods of candidature prescribed in Rules 8.4(b) and 8.4(c). The Director of Professional Doctoral programs will forward this approval to the Higher Degrees Research Committee for noting.

8.6 Supervision and Progress Reports

1. Upon enrolment in the research proposal unit for a professional Doctorate award, all candidates shall normally have appointed at least one supervisor, under whose general guidance a thesis shall be completed. The Higher Degrees Research Committee shall have responsibility for the appointment of supervisors and may at any time approve a change of supervisor. Where a candidate’s request for a change of supervisor is supported by the Higher Degrees Research Committee, but no other suitable person to provide supervision is available or is willing to be appointed, the Higher Degrees Research Committee may terminate the candidature.
2. A candidate shall pursue the thesis research approved by the Higher Degrees Research Committee under the immediate direction of the supervisor, or supervisors, appointed by the Higher Degrees Research Committee. Candidates shall, as their supervisor may from time to time require, submit drafts of major sections of the written thesis and shall submit to their supervisor a final draft of the written thesis for advice and comments before submission for examination.
3. Candidates shall, through their supervisor, submit in the prescribed form and at the prescribed times progress reports to the Higher Degrees Research Committee.

8.7 Thesis Submission

1. A candidate shall, through the supervisor, give the Higher Degrees Research Committee two (2) months’ written notice of intention to submit a thesis and such notice shall be accompanied by the appropriate fee, if any.
2. Three (3) copies of the thesis in a form of temporary binding prescribed by the Higher Degrees Research Committee shall be submitted by the candidate, and these copies may be retained by the University. A thesis shall be approximately 50,000 words although this may vary according to the topic.
3. Three (3) copies of the thesis shall be submitted by the candidate to the Higher Degrees Research Committee by the Director of Professional Doctoral programs with a certificate signed by the supervisor certifying that the candidate’s work, including the thesis, is in a form suitable for examination.
4. If the Director of Professional Doctoral programs declines to submit a thesis, the supervisor may appeal to the Higher Degrees Research Committee.
5. If the supervisor declines to certify a thesis is in a form suitable for examination and the Director of Professional Doctoral programs declines to submit the thesis, a candidate may appeal to the Higher Degrees Research Committee.
6. If the appeal is upheld and the thesis forwarded for examination, then the certificate shall be signed by the Chair of the Higher Degrees Research Committee, and neither the supervisor nor the Director of Professional Doctoral programs shall be required to sign it.
7. A thesis shall be prepared in the format prescribed by the Higher Degrees Research Committee.
8. Three (3) copies of the thesis for which the candidate is admitted to a professional Doctorate award shall be deposited with the Higher Degrees Research Committee in a permanent form of binding prescribed by the Higher Degrees Research Committee Additionally, one unbound copy shall be deposited with the University Library.
9. The copy of the thesis deposited with the University Library will be available for consultation, loan, or copying at the discretion of the University Librarian, unless the University on the application of the candidate determines that it shall not be available until after the expiry of a period, which period shall not normally exceed two (2) years. The University Librarian shall require each user and recipient of a copy of a thesis to undertake in writing to respect author’s rights under the law relating to copyright.
10. A candidate may, when lodging a thesis, state that the thesis contains restricted or confidential information which the candidate does not desire to be disclosed freely, and which may be released to other persons only on the authorisation of the Chair of the Higher Degrees Research Committee, after consultation with the candidate and the Director of Professional Doctoral programs. Where the thesis contains material which the candidate considers should have restricted distribution, the supervisor, the Director of Professional Doctoral programs and the examiners shall be informed which parts are classified. If further precautions are required, for example, more secure transmission than registered post, costs shall be borne by the candidate.
11. Where a candidate states that a thesis contains confidential information which the candidate does not desire to be disclosed freely, or which the candidate is not at liberty to disclose freely, the candidate may, to the extent that it is possible, place that information in an appendix to the thesis. The copy of the thesis deposited in the University Library shall have a notation, authorised by the Chair of the Higher Degrees Research Committee, indicating which parts of the thesis are not included because they contain confidential information, and informing the reader to contact the candidate for further information.

8.8 Thesis Examination

1. On completion of studies during candidature, a candidate shall submit a thesis which shall be prepared in a format prescribed by the Higher Degrees Research Committee and referred to two examiners appointed by Higher Degrees Research Committee. This Committee shall include a member of the academic organisational unit for which a professional Doctorate award has been approved or is under consideration, three (3) members of the Higher Degrees Committee (Research), the Director of Professional Doctoral programs and shall have as an additional member the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research).
2. Two examiners shall be appointed by the Higher Degrees Research Committee, at least one of whom shall be external to the University. A supervisor of the thesis shall not also be an examiner.
3. The recommendation of the Director of Professional Doctoral programs, together with the reports of the examiners and any written comments received from the supervisor and candidate, shall be considered by the Higher Degrees Research Committee, which shall have broad discretion to seek additional input as appropriate.
4. Before making a recommendation to the Academic Board, the Higher Degrees Research Committee may require:
   1. a candidate to address any matters raised in the examiners’ reports,
   2. a candidate to address additional issues in the thesis,
   3. additional input to the examination process, for example, the candidate may be required to undertake a written or an oral examination of the thesis under such reasonable conditions as determined by the Higher Degrees Research Committee, or
   4. re-examination of the thesis within six months if full-time, or within one year if part-time.
5. The Higher Degrees Research Committee shall:
   1. recommend to the Academic Board that the candidate be admitted to a professional Doctorate degree; or
   2. recommend to the Academic Board that candidature be terminated.
6. A candidate whose thesis fails re-examination, as conducted under conditions prescribed by the Higher Degrees Research Committee shall have candidature terminated by the Academic Board and shall not be eligible for re-enrolment in the degree in the same topic area.

8.9 Discontinuation of Enrolment and Appeal Processes

1. Notwithstanding other provisions in these Rules, the Higher Degrees Research Committee on behalf of the Academic Board, may discontinue the enrolment of a candidate in less than the maximum time allowed if the Higher Degrees Research Committee is dissatisfied with the progress being made by the candidate.
2. A candidate whose enrolment is discontinued under Rule 8.9(a) may appeal on the prescribed form to the Academic Board Appeals Committee against the discontinuation of enrolment.
3. An appeal to the Academic Board Appeals Committee against discontinuation of enrolment must reach the University within ten (10) working days of the date of sending of official notification.
4. Candidature shall be reinstated if the appeal is successful. A maximum period of time to complete the professional Doctorate will be determined by the Higher Degrees Research Committee.
5. A candidate whose appeal is unsuccessful shall have discontinuation of enrolment confirmed.

8.10 Readmission

1. A candidate whose enrolment is discontinued shall not be eligible to be readmitted until the lapse of one (1) year.
2. A candidate readmitted to the professional Doctorate shall have determined by the Higher Degrees Research Committee the maximum period of time in which the candidate shall be permitted to complete the course.
3. An applicant refused readmission after a period of discontinuation of enrolment may appeal on the prescribed form to the Academic Board Appeals Committee against that decision.
4. An appeal against refusal to be readmitted must reach the University within ten (10) working days of the date of sending of official notification.