The Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Examination Procedures outline the steps involved in the thesis examination process.
Every HDR examination journey is unique. While we can’t predict how long your thesis examination will take, the following guidance may be helpful in your planning.
- Allow up to 3 months for the nomination and approval of your examiners. This is a confidential process initiated by your supervisor and ideally completed before you submit your thesis for examination.
- Allow 2-3 weeks for your thesis submission to be approved for examination. Your thesis is reviewed by your supervisor, and the Office of Graduate Research to ensure the HDR Thesis Rules are met. Your submission may be returned if any revisions are needed.
- Allow at least 6-8 weeks for examiners’ reports. We request examiners reports within 6 weeks, but it’s common for examiners to need more time. In rare cases it can take substantially longer, particularly if a replacement examiner is needed.
- Allow 3 months for completing thesis amendments. Most students pass with minor or major amendments recommended by examiners, but the outcome and amount of work required is not possible to predict.
- Allow 2-3 weeks for your thesis amendments to be approved. Amendments must be completed to the satisfaction of your supervisor, College HDR Coordinator and the Dean of Graduate Research. Reviewing thesis amendments takes time, and submissions may be returned if further work is needed to fully address examiners comments. For guidance on completing your thesis amendments see: Thesis amendments after your examination.
Your examination may take longer if one or both examiners do not recommend a pass result. The HDR Exams team will contact you if this happens and guide you through the process.
For more details see: How is a thesis examined?