UWA Handbook 2025

Terms used

In these Rules, unless the context suggests otherwise—

the Board is the Board of the Graduate Research School which delegates authority as appropriate to the Dean of the Graduate Research School or the Associate Director, Graduate Research and Scholarships;

work means scholarly writing or, in the case of the creative arts and building sciences, may mean music composition or music recitals or exhibitions or recordings or scholarly documentation of exhibitions or recordings.

Applicability of the Doctor of Philosophy Rules and the University's Student Rules, policies and procedures

1.(1) The Doctor of Philosophy Rules apply to the Doctor of Musical Arts except as set out in the rules which follow.

(2) The Student Rules, policies and procedures apply except as otherwise indicated in the rules for this course.

Academic Conduct and Research Integrity Unit

1.A(1) A student who enrols in this course for the first time irrespective of whether they have previously been enrolled in another course of the University, must undertake the Academic Conduct and Research Integrity Unit (the ACRI module) and complete within the first six months from the date of commencement in the course.

(2) A student who has not achieved a result of Ungraded Pass (UP) for the ACRI module when their progress status is assessed will not have made satisfactory progress even if they have met the other requirements for satisfactory progress in the rules for this course.

(3) A student who does not make satisfactory progress in terms of (2) is assigned the progress status of 'On Probation'.

Admission

2.(1) To be considered for admission to the course in composition an applicant must submit a folio of original compositions, the arrangements for which are determined by the Head of the School of Music.

(2) To be considered for admission to the course in performance an applicant must pass an audition, the arrangements for which, including the nature, duration and timing, are determined by the Head of the School of Music.

(3) All applicants must undergo an interview with the Head of the School of Music or nominee.

(1) and (3) are approved additions to Doctor of Philosophy Rule 2.

Course structure

3.(1) The fields of study for the course are composition and performance.

(2) A student must—

(a)(i) for the course in composition, present for examination:

a portfolio of original compositions, in a variety of genres, considered to be of sufficient magnitude and duration by the Faculty of Arts on the recommendation of the Head of the School of Music, which show the highest level of technical accomplishment and imaginative resource; and

a lecture/demonstration on a topic related to the student's research or compositions, comprising a 45-minute lecture/demonstration and a 15-minute discussion session;

or

(ii) for the course in performance, present the following required creative components:

two recitals, each of 70 to 90 minutes' duration, which include the performance of repertoire demonstrating professional executant skill and interpretative ability; and

one lecture–recital on a topic related to the student's research, comprising a 45-minute lecture/demonstration and a 15-minute discussion session;

and

(b) present a thesis on a topic strongly related to one or more aspect(s) of the work presented under (a).

(3) The thesis must be a minimum of 30,000 and a maximum of 40,000 words in length, excluding tables, footnotes, endnotes, appendices and other illustrative matter.

4.(1) A student must submit to the Board for approval—

(a)(i) the proposed musical forms and media of the composition portfolio; or

(ii) a preliminary proposal for the recital program;

and

(b) the details of the thesis.

(2) The information referred to in (1) must be submitted within six months of the date of first enrolment in the course if the enrolment is full-time, or the equivalent as determined by the Board if the enrolment is part-time or a mixture of full- and part-time.

(3) The approval of the Board is required for any significant changes to the information referred to in (1).

Examination of composition portfolio or recitals

5.(1) The composition portfolio or recitals are examined by three examiners, all of whom must be external to The University of Western Australia.

(2) The examiners are appointed by the Board, on the recommendation of the Head of the School of Music.

(3) Wherever possible, the Head of the School of Music nominates the same examiners for the composition portfolio or recitals and the thesis.

(4) For the course in performance the Head of the School of Music must advise the Board, at least two months prior to the date of the recitals, of the details of the recitals including the dates, venues and other relevant details.

(5) Where practical, all examiners for the Doctor of Musical Arts in performance are nominated by the Head of the School of Music at least one month prior to the first recital.

(6) If it is not practical to nominate all examiner(s) in advance of the first recital, the School of Music must formally advise the Board of this as early as possible before the first recital and must nominate the examiners or the remaining examiner(s) at least two months prior to the final recital.

(7) If an examiner who was nominated prior to the first recital is not able to examine the subsequent recitals a replacement examiner is appointed to examine all recitals.

(8) The recitals are performed before all examiners, where possible, and the Head of the School of Music or his/her nominee.

(9) The recitals are recorded and the recordings made available to the examiners for their consideration and subsequent archival retention.

(10) If an examiner is not able to be present at the recitals, they examine on the basis of the recording.

(11) Examiners are expected to prepare a short working report on each recital and a final report which addresses all recitals.

(12) Examiners must forward to the Board their final reports and recommendations for classification.

Examination of thesis

6. Subject to Rule 5(3), Doctor of Philosophy Rules 52, 53(1) and (2), and 54 to 57 apply to the appointment of examiners and the examination of the thesis.

Classification

7.(1) In accordance with Doctor of Philosophy Rule 63, the final classification of the degree program is based on the outcome of the examination of all components of the course and is made by the Board having regard, if appropriate, to the recommendation of the Head of the School of Music.

(2) The Board may require a student and/or supervisor, before or after receipt of the examiners' reports, to provide it with further information, and/or comment and explanation concerning any aspect of the thesis and/or work.

(3) Subject to (4), the classifications that may be assigned are—

Passed with no requirement for correction or amendment;

Passed subject to revision;

Resubmit; or

Failed.

(4) The Board may, after considering reports on all components of the course, assign a classification of Passed for the award of the degree of master with no requirement for correction.

Revisions

(5) If a classification of Passed subject to revision is assigned—

(a) the student must complete the revisions within four months of the date of notification of the classification;

and

(b) the Board, once the required revisions have been carried out to its satisfaction, assigns a classification of Passed.

Resubmission

8.(1) The Board must not assign a classification of Resubmit unless, having considered the examiners' reports and any other relevant information, it agrees that the thesis and/or work shows some merit and may, by a specified amount of further work under approved supervision, be sufficiently improved for resubmission.

(2) If the Board assigns a classification of Resubmit, it must inform the student of the further work which is required before resubmission.

(3) A student whose work is assigned a classification of Resubmit must—

(a) resubmit within one calendar year of the date of notification of the classification;

(b) re-enrol and remain enrolled until they resubmit;

(c) at the time of resubmission, provide a detailed report on the further work carried out, signed by the supervisor and the Head of School.

(4) At the discretion of the Board a resubmitted thesis and/or work is examined by—

(a) one or more of the original examiners who have indicated that they are willing to re-examine;

or

(b) one of the original examiners and a new examiner;

or

(c) at least two new examiners.

(5) The Board may determine that there be only one examiner provided that examiner is one of the original examiners.

(6) Examiners of a resubmitted thesis or resubmitted work are provided with the report referred to in (3)(c).

(7) Examiners of a resubmitted thesis and/or resubmitted work are invited to recommend to the Board one of the following classifications for the degree program:

Passed with no requirement for further correction;

Passed after minor typographical errors have been corrected; or

Failed.

(8) After examination of a resubmitted thesis and/or resubmitted work, the final classification assigned for the degree program is Passed or Failed.