• Section 1 - Purpose
• Section 2 - Application
• Section 3 - Roles and Responsibilities
• Section 4 - Eligibility for Conferral of an Award and Graduation
• Section 5 - Conferral of Awards
• Section 6 - Posthumous Awards
• Coursework Degrees
• Research Higher Degrees
• Presentation of Posthumous Award
• Section 7 - Graduation Ceremonies
• Section 8 - QUT Academic Dress
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Stoles
• Section 9 - Definitions
• Section 10 - Delegations

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) Students are eligible to graduate from an award course upon completion of all course requirements. This Policy sets out QUT requirements for determining eligibility to graduate and the requirements for participation in graduation ceremonies, including academic dress standards.

(2) This Policy should be read in conjunction with the procedural information provided on the HiQ Website and Digital Workplace (QUT staff and student access only).

Section 2 - Application

(3) This Policy applies to all students in a QUT award course; to QUT graduands, and to members of the University community who participate in graduation ceremonies or other official ceremonial events.

Section 3 - Roles and Responsibilities

Section 4 - Eligibility for Conferral of an Award and Graduation

(4) Students are eligible to graduate from an award course upon completion of all course requirements. Course requirements may include completion of a required number of credit points and successful completion of particular units identified in the course structure.

(5) Faculty Academic Boards may approve variations to specified unit requirements for individual students and this authority may be delegated to Course Coordinators.

Section 5 - Conferral of Awards

(6) Awards are conferred by the Vice-President (Administration) and University Registrar under delegated authority from University Academic Board (subject to a requirement to consult with the Chair of University Academic Board on any recommendation outside of existing policies and standards).

(7) Student Administration is responsible for assigning levels of honours or awards with distinction to students in relevant courses (Grading Scales and Awards Policy), and any issues impacting on this determination for an individual student are resolved in consultation with faculties.

(8) Research Degrees Committee provides the names of eligible research higher degree graduands and citations, as appropriate, to the Vice-President (Administration) and University Registrar. For PhD and other doctoral award candidates, following confirmation from the Registrar that the awards will be conferred, graduands will be advised that they may use the title of ‘Doctor’.

Section 6 - Posthumous Awards

Coursework Degrees

(9) The University may award a coursework degree posthumously if the student at the time of death was enrolled in units which, if successfully completed, would have completed the course requirements for the award.

(10) In the event that a student was at an earlier stage of the course, the University may award a certificate of achievement.

(11) The Student Administration Department determines whether the student falls into either category. In either case, following consultation with the Faculty, the Student Administration Department will recommend to the Vice-President (Administration) and University Registrar that the posthumous award or certificate of achievement be granted.

Research Higher Degrees

(12) The University may award a research higher degree posthumously where the candidate was enrolled at the time of death. The posthumous award may be recommended where:

1. at the time of death, the candidate had submitted a thesis for examination, or for review at the appropriate final candidature milestone and the faculty considers that, had the student lived, they would have satisfactorily completed the award; or
2. the faculty provides evidence that, at the time of death, the candidate had completed sufficient research, supported by verifiable evidence, to give a reasonable expectation that they would have successfully completed an award by research. Verifiable evidence could include:
   1. research work;
   2. papers and publications;
   3. literature reviews; or
   4. other tangible research related outputs.

(13) If necessary, external academic opinion may be obtained on the candidate’s work.

(14) In either case, a recommendation is made by Research Degrees Committee through the Student Administration Department to the Vice-President (Administration) and University Registrar, that an award or certificate of achievement be conferred posthumously.

Presentation of Posthumous Award

(15) In the case of a posthumous award, the deceased's name will be included in the conferral list and their family will be given the opportunity to attend a graduation ceremony if they wish, at which the award will be presented to the family or their nominee.

Section 7 - Graduation Ceremonies

(16) Course requirements must be completed by a date determined by the Director, Student Administration, for the graduand to be guaranteed a place at the relevant ceremony.

(17) Double degree graduands will be allocated a graduation ceremony as follows:

1. Double degrees including a justice component are allocated to a ceremony for the School of Justice within the Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice. This includes Law/Justice double degrees.
2. Double degrees including a law component are allocated to a ceremony for the School of Law within the Faculty of Business and Law. This excludes Law/Justice double degrees.
3. Double degrees including an education component are allocated to a ceremony for the Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice.
4. Double degrees including a business component are allocated to a ceremony for the non-business degree.
5. Double degrees including an honours component are allocated to a ceremony for the honours degree (excluding justice and law/justice students).
6. All other double degrees are allocated to a ceremony for the first named degree in the course.

Section 8 - QUT Academic Dress

(18) Students and staff must wear appropriate academic dress when participating in QUT graduation ceremonies and other ceremonial events.

(19) The QUT academic dress standard will:

1. use designs to denote different levels of scholastic achievement; and
2. prescribe robes to be worn by the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor and President, and other significant University positions.

(20) The QUT Standard of Academic Dress provides academic dress details.

(21) The following rules apply for graduation ceremonies or when academic dress is worn at other University events, unless the Vice-Chancellor and President determines otherwise:

1. members of the University (other than graduands attending a graduation ceremony) wear the academic dress of their highest qualification as prescribed by the awarding institution, provided that when such a member holds two qualifications of the same level the member wears the academic dress of only one of the awards;
2. at a graduation ceremony graduands must only wear the academic dress of the award they are receiving at that ceremony. Graduands who already hold an academic award (whether from the University or from another institution) may not wear the academic dress of that award; and
3. at a graduation ceremony graduands who are receiving two or more awards must wear the academic dress of only one of those awards, such that graduands wear the academic dress of the highest award being received; and where a graduand is receiving two awards at the same level, the graduand wears the academic dress of only one of the awards, as allocated, for the duration of the ceremony.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Stoles

(22) In addition to the prescribed QUT academic dress Indigenous students who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander may choose to wear an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander stole to recognise their cultural heritage.

(23) The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stoles acknowledge the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within the QUT community. The design of the stoles and their colours are reflective of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. Further details are available in the QUT Standard of Academic Dress.

Section 9 - Definitions

Section 10 - Delegations

(24) Refer to Register of Authorities and Delegations (C135, C136, C139) (QUT Staff access only).