UWA Handbook 2025

Note: This course is only available to re-enrolling students.

Applicability of the Student Rules, policies and procedures

1.(1) The Student Rules apply to students in this course.

(2) The policy, policy statements and guidance documents and student procedures apply, except as otherwise indicated in the rules for this course.

Academic Conduct Essentials and Communication and Research Skills modules

2.(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 Essentials module (the ACE module) and the Communication and Research Skills module (the CARS module).

(2) A student must successfully complete the ACE module within the first teaching period of their enrolment. Failure to complete the module within this timeframe will result in the student's unit results from this teaching period being withheld. These results will continue to be withheld until students avail themselves of a subsequent opportunity to achieve a passing grade in the ACE module. In the event that students complete units in subsequent teaching periods without completing the ACE module, these results will similarly be withheld. Students will not be permitted to submit late review or appeal applications regarding results which have been withheld for this reason and which they were unable to access in the normally permitted review period.

English Language competency requirements

3. To be considered eligible for consideration for admission to this course an applicant must satisfy the University's English language competence requirement as set out in the University Policy on Admission: Coursework.

Admission requirements

4. To be considered for admission to this course an applicant must have—

(a) (i) the Master of Business Administration degree of this University, or equivalent as recognised by the Faculty, at a level that satisfies the Faculty that the student has the capacity to complete the Doctor of Business Administration; or

(ii) the requirements for provisional admission to the course for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of this University;

and

(b) a minimum of seven years' appropriate experience.

Admission ranking and selection

5. Where relevant, admission will be awarded to the highest ranked applicants or applicants selected based on the relevant requirements.

Articulations and exit awards

6. This course does not form part of an articulated sequence.

Course structure

7.(1) The course consists of units to a total value of 144 points.

(2) Units must be selected in accordance with the course structure, as set out in these rules.

Satisfactory progress

8. A student who—

(a) does not pass all units in which they remain enrolled after the final date for withdrawal without academic penalty;

or

(b) fails to submit a progress report in accordance in Rule 15;

or

(c) submits two successive unsatisfactory progress reports, will not have made satisfactory progress.

9. A student who has not achieved a result of Ungraded Pass (UP) for the Communication and Research Skills module (the CARS 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 Rule 8.

Progress status

10.(1) Students who make satisfactory progress are assigned a progress status of 'Good Standing' by the Faculty and are permitted to re-enrol.

(2) Unless the Faculty determines otherwise in exceptional circumstances, students who fail to make satisfactory progress under Rule 8 are assigned a progress status of 'Excluded' by the Faculty.

(3) Students seeking to re-enrol in the course after being assigned a progress status of 'Excluded' must submit, after a period of at least 12 months, sufficient reason to the Faculty, in writing, demonstrating why an improvement in performance could reasonably be expected.

(4) Students who have been assigned a progress status of 'Excluded' and are subsequently permitted by the Faculty to re-enrol are assigned a progress status of 'On Probation' and must meet any conditions determined by the Faculty.

(5) Students who meet the conditions determined by the Faculty under (4), are assigned a progress status of 'Good Standing' by the Faculty.

(6) Students who have been assigned a progress status of 'On Probation' and who fail to meet conditions determined by the Faculty are assigned a progress status of 'Excluded'.

11. A student who does not make satisfactory progress in terms of Rule 9 is assigned the progress status of 'On Probation', unless they have been assigned a progress status of 'Suspended' or 'Excluded' for failure to meet other satisfactory progress requirements in Rule 8.

Award with distinction

12. This rule is not applicable to this course.

Deferrals

13. Applicants awarded admission to the course are entitled to a deferral of up to 12 months, as per the University Policy on: Admissions (Coursework).

Additional rules

Time limits

14. The time limit is three years from the date of first enrolment in the course for a full-time student or the equivalent as determined by the Faculty's Board of Higher Degrees by Research for a part-time student.

[Approved exception to University Policy]

Submission and examination of thesis

15. The thesis must be a sound and rigorous piece of original research, the findings of which provide a significant and original contribution to scholarship through their contribution to the understanding of management or business issues, policies, strategies or practice.

[Approved addition to University Policy]

(1) The thesis must be presented in the form of typescript and must not exceed 60,000 words including tables, bibliography and appendices.

[Approved exceptions and additions to University Policy]

(2) The thesis must include an abstract of about 300 words.

(3) Students must submit four copies of the thesis and one unbound copy of the abstract.

(4) Prior to the submission of the thesis—

(a) the Director of Doctoral Programs and supervisor(s) must recommend to the Faculty's Board of Higher Degrees by Research the names of three examiners, all of whom must be external to the University;

and

(b) the Director of Doctoral Programs must informally invite the three nominees to act as examiners and must report their responses to the Faculty's Board of Higher Degrees by Research.

(5) Before appointing examiners for the thesis the Faculty's Board of Higher Degrees by Research may refer the thesis to the Director of Doctoral Programs for a report on its form and content and to the University Librarian for a report on its physical form.

(6) On receipt of the reports referred to in (5), the Board may declare the thesis unfit for examination in its submitted form.

(7) A thesis declared unfit in terms of (6) may be resubmitted only if accompanied by a certificate from both the Director of Doctoral Programs and the University Librarian confirming that it has been put into a form suitable for examination.

(8) Following receipt of the examiners' reports, the Faculty's Board of Higher Degrees by Research may classify the thesis as—

(a) passed for the award of the Doctor of Business Administration with no further work required;

or

(b) passed for the award of the Doctor of Business Administration subject to completion of specified revisions;

or

(c) passed for the award of the Master of Business Research with no further work required;

or

(d) passed for the award of the Master of Business Research subject to completion of specified revisions;

or

(e) failed.

Submission of progress report(s)

16.(1) A student who is enrolled in the thesis component of the course must submit progress reports to the Faculty's Board of Higher Degrees by Research.

(2) Progress reports must normally be submitted on an annual basis but the Faculty's Board of Higher Degrees by Research may require a student to submit reports half-yearly if necessary.

Approved leave (suspension of candidature)

17. The Board of Higher Degrees by Research may, on written application, grant a period or periods of approved leave, called suspension of candidature, which unless the Board, in recognition of exceptional circumstances, approves otherwise will not exceed one year throughout the duration of candidature.

Prerequisite

18. A student must successfully complete all course core units with a minimum mark of 65 per cent in each unit in order to progress to one of the units in Group A.