Chapter 8: Thesis and Examination Matters
8.2 Grades and Marks
8.2.1 Grades and Marks for Masters Coursework Units
The pass or minimum satisfactory grade in Masters research programs in the Faculty of Arts is 60 (C) or Credit. For research candidates undertaking a Master of Arts or Master of Bioethics degree the minimum pass for a coursework unit and for the thesis is a credit 60 (C). Research candidates in the Master of Environmental Science degree are required to obtain a credit in the core units and a credit average in the degree over all the units, including elective units. A credit grade must be achieved for the thesis.
8.2.2 Failure to Submit Work for a Unit
Where a research candidate fails to submit work within three months of the date of the Board of Examiners' meeting, which considers and awards a withheld or deferred result for the unit in question, a grade of fail will be returned for the unit.
8.2.3 Thesis and Overall Grades
The results of the examination of theses are awarded in four grades, namely fail (NN: a mark below 60), credit (C: 60-69), distinction (D: 70-79) and high distinction (HD: 80-100).
In the case where a candidate completes a thesis combined with coursework units, the overall grade includes a proportion of the marks for the thesis and the units. For a Master of Arts degree research candidate who began a Master of Arts degree before 1998, the units taken in part two of the masters are taken into account.
In the case where a candidate completes a thesis as the only component, the overall qualifying grade represents an average of the examiners' marks.
For all Masters research candidates who have qualified for the degree, there are three qualifying grades:
- Honours 2B (60-69)
- Honours 2A (70-79)
- Honours 1 (80-100)
Note: the pass grade for a Masters degree is 60% and above. A candidate who fails to qualify for the award receives the grade of fail (NN).