UWA Handbook 2025

Definitions

In these Rules, unless the context suggests otherwise—

the Board is the Board of the Graduate Research School and includes any position to which the Board has delegated authority for a particular function;

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 Master's Degrees by Research Rules for courses administered by the Board of the Graduate Research School and the University's Student Rules, policies and procedures

1.(1) The Master's Degrees by Research Rules for courses administered by the Board of the Graduate Research School, excluding Rules 29, 30, 66, 67 and 68, apply to the Master of Fine 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. To be considered for admission to this course an applicant must—

(a) have completed the requirements for the degree of bachelor in an appropriate subject area from this University, or equivalent as recognised by the Board;

and

(b) have completed the requirements for a qualification in Art Practice from a recognised tertiary institution, or be judged by the Board, having regard to the recommendation of the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, to have equivalent practical expertise and professional standing;

and

(c) be able to satisfy the Board that they have the general ability to complete the course and the special ability to prepare and present a thesis.

Course requirements

3. A student must present for examination—

(a) an exhibition of original artwork showing technical accomplishment and imaginative resource;

and

(b) a thesis on an aspect of arts theory, history or criticism, the title and subject matter of which are proposed by the student and require the approval of the Board of the Graduate Research School.

4. The thesis must not exceed 25,000 words, excluding tables, footnotes, endnotes, appendices and other illustrative matter.

5.(1) A full-time student for the degree must submit to the Board for approval the details of the thesis and the proposed form of the exhibition within four months of the date of first enrolment in the program, or the equivalent period as determined by the Board if the enrolment is part-time or a mixture of full- and part-time.

(2) The approval of the Board is required for any significant changes to the details submitted under (1).

(3) A student must present an exegesis of the exhibited artwork, for which no result is given, which must not exceed 5000 words.

(4) The Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts must, at least one week prior to the date of the opening of the exhibition, provide the exegesis to the examiners.

Examination

6.(1) The Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts must, at least two months prior to the date of the opening of the exhibition, notify the Board of the details of the exhibition referred to in Rule 3(a), including the date, venue, type of works and other relevant information.

(2) The exhibition is examined by an Examining Committee consisting of the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, or approved nominee, and two examiners external to the University.

(3) The Examining Committee is appointed by the Board, on the recommendation of the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts.

(4) The Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts must advise the Board at the time of nominating the external examiners of the name of any approved nominee attending the examination in lieu of the Dean.

(5) The Examining Committee must forward to the Board a joint report and recommendation for classification.

(6) If the Examining Committee cannot achieve consensus, the external examiners must produce independent reports and recommendations for classification and the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts will produce an overall recommendation for classification based on the two independent reports.