Admission to Candidature

A candidate shall:
(a) hold an AQF Level 7 Bachelor qualification in a relevant discipline* and have at least two years of work experience; or
(b) hold an AQF Level 7 Bachelor qualification in a non-relevant discipline and have at least two years of management experience in human resource management, business and/or management; or
(c) hold an AQF Level 8 Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management from this University or its equivalent plus two years of work experience in human resource management, business and/or management approved by the course coordinator; and
(d) all candidates must submit two referee reports from employers or senior colleagues plus a resume and a personal statement outlining:
(i) their most significant experiences or professional achievements to date;
(ii) their long-term objectives and expectations of this degree in fulfilling these objectives;
(iii) where they see themselves five years from now.

*Relevant disciplines include, but are not limited to:

Business
Management

Advanced Standing

Candidates admitted under Rule (a) or (b) are referred to the University Policy on Advanced Standing. The maximum advanced standing shall be for units counting 36 credit points which are deemed to be equivalent to units offered by UNE and approved for the course.

Candidates admitted under Rule (c) shall be granted a maximum of 24 credit points of Block Advanced Standing based on their admission to candidature. Up to a further 12 credit points may be granted based on units that were not part of the degree on which admission was based.

No advanced standing shall be granted for special topic or dissertation units.

Period of Candidature

For candidates admitted under Rules (a) and (b) the period of candidature shall be up to six years as a part-time candidate.

For candidates admitted under Rule (c) the period of candidature shall be up to four years as a part-time candidate.

Course Requirements

To qualify for the award a candidate must pass units to the value of 72 credit points with at least 36 credit points at 500-level.

Program of Study

Candidates shall complete an approved program of study as outlined in the Course Schedule comprising:

For candidates admitted under Rule (a) or (b)

To view complete Program of Study click here

For candidates admitted under Rule (c)

To view complete Program of Study click here

Award of Degree

Candidates who meet the course requirements shall be awarded the Master of Strategic Organisational Development and Human Resource Management.

Exit Pathways

Subject to meeting the Advanced Standing rules, candidates who apply to discontinue their studies in the course may be eligible to exit with the Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management on completion of units to the value of 24 credit points including MM405, MM439, MM453 and MM551 or the Graduate Certificate in Management on completion of units to the value of 24 credit points including MM405 and MM521 plus 12 credit points from AFM402, MM431, MM439 and MM453.
Candidates who apply to discontinue their studies and exit with the Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management or the Graduate Certificate in Management must apply for re-admission and will be subject to current course requirements of the Master of Strategic Organisational Development and Human Resource Management. This may mean that they will not receive full recognition for their previous studies should the course structure have changed in response to University requirements.

Dissertation

1. A candidate may enrol, with permission of the Course Coordinator, in BUS591 and submit a dissertation embodying an original investigation of a topic within an approved field of study.

2. Upon approval of an application, the school shall appoint a supervisor, who shall be a member of the teaching or research staff of the University or an associate of the University (of the rank of Academic Level B or higher). The supervisor shall advise and supervise the candidate during the period of candidature.

3. BUS591A will comprise a dissertation of up to 7000 words, excluding appendices, and will be a small-scale research project, pilot study, case study or report, completed in no more than one teaching period.

BUS591B will comprise a dissertation of up to 15000 words, excluding appendices, and will be an independent investigation of a research problem and preparation of a research report that includes a detailed review of relevant literature within any areas of business, economics or public policy. The report will identify appropriate data sources and include a preliminary analysis of data gathered. Except with the permission of the school, a candidate shall be required to enrol in and complete the dissertation in not more than three consecutive trimesters.

Submission of Dissertation

1. The candidate shall:
(a) not present as a dissertation any work that has been submitted for the award of a degree or diploma at this University or another institution, but the candidate will not be precluded from incorporating such work in the dissertation provided that, in presenting the dissertation, the part of the work that has been so incorporated is indicated;
(b) state generally in a preface to the dissertation and elsewhere in the dissertation, the source of information and the extent to which the candidate has availed himself or herself of the work of others (candidates are referred to the University Policy on Plagiarism and Improper Conduct);
(c) incorporate in the dissertation immediately following the title page an abstract of approximately 300 words.

2. Dissertations are due in the last week of the teaching period. Candidates must submit an electronic copy of the dissertation for examination. An electronic version of the dissertation, incorporating any changes suggested following examination, must also be submitted prior to a grade being awarded for the dissertation. The copies must be submitted to: The Coordinator - Minor Dissertations, UNE Business School. The supervisor's name should normally be included in the acknowledgements section of the dissertation.

Examination of Dissertation

BUS591A - The dissertation is examined by the supervisor.

BUS591B - The dissertation is examined by two examiners. The examiners are to be recommended by the supervisor.

The supervisor must submit the names and contact details of the recommended examiners to the Coordinator - Minor Dissertations at least two weeks prior to submission of the dissertation for examination. A short statement should accompany the recommendation when an examiner is external indicating the qualifications of the recommended examiner and the reason why the recommended examiner is deemed appropriate to examine the dissertation.

The supervisor may consult with the candidate prior to the submission of the dissertation regarding potential examiners, but the names of the examiners finally recommended by the supervisor to the Coordinator - Minor Dissertations should not be made available to the candidate.

The supervisor must provide a statement to the Coordinator - Minor Dissertations indicating that the dissertation is suitable for examination.

Examiners are normally expected to complete and return their report within FOUR (4) weeks of the dissertation being delivered. The Coordinator - Minor Dissertations will advise the supervisors of the outcome of the examination, along with a summary of examiners' reports as appropriate, indicating any amendments to be considered. Students need to consult with the supervisor and undertake any minor amendments to the satisfaction of the supervisor.

The supervisor is to send a note to the Coordinator - Minor Dissertations, that any amendments suggested by the examiners have been addressed to his or her satisfaction and that the result may be finalised. The Coordinator - Minor Dissertations will finalise the result and make a summary recommendation to the School Teaching and Learning Committee regarding:
(a) the grade to be awarded for the dissertation (Fail, Pass, Credit, Distinction or High Distinction);
(b) the percentage to be awarded for the dissertation;
(c) if amendments to the dissertation were made before the grade was finalised;
(d) whether the candidate should be allowed to revise and resubmit the dissertation for re-examination (a maximum grade of Pass and score of 50% shall be given for any re-submitted dissertation).

The School Teaching and Learning Committee shall make the final determination as to the outcome of the examination, based on the recommendation from the Coordinator - Minor Dissertations.

Appeals

Candidates are referred to the University Policy on Student Appeals.

Improper Conduct

Candidates are referred to the Student Coursework Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct Rules.