Seminars & reviews

Postgraduate Seminars

There is a regular postgraduate research seminar, which all research students are expected to attend. Every student must give a Seminar presentation at least once after their first year. A postgraduate seminar could also be held at the end of a semester.

In addition, all research students are encouraged to attend the school's seminar series.

Review of Progress

Each year, the School convenes a formal review of the progress of each research student. This is a short meeting, an occasion for renegotiating the learning contract between the School and the student. The School appoints a panel including the Head of School, the Postgraduate Research Co-ordinator and one other member of the School, as well as the supervisor and co-supervisor. The student completes the UNSW Progress Review Form that includes a brief report on how the project has progressed in the past 12 months and what is expected to be done in the following year. The review will be concerned with the resources needed to keep to the projected rate of progress; it will also be interested in the effectiveness of the supervision.

The supervisor also reports on the supervision using the same Report Form. The panel discusses the report, and then discusses the progress of the project with the student in the absence of the supervisor, and then with the supervisor in the absence of the student. The panel then must rate the progress of the student. The student then rejoins the panel, and agreement is reached on the goals for the coming year, which are formally recorded, signed by the student and by the head of the panel, and placed on file. The outcome of the review is formally reported to the Faculty Postgraduate Affairs Committee, and the student is invited to submit comments of their own, either on the report of the review or on any other matter concerned with their candidature, to this committee.