Doctoral Coursework Policy and Procedures

Application

The examination of required coursework for doctoral candidates governed by programme regulations that came into effect in or after 2020.

Purpose

To specify the policy and procedures that apply to the examination of required coursework for doctoral candidates.

Policy

1. PhD candidates whose confirmation milestones include requirements for achievements in undergraduate or sub-doctoral postgraduate courses are subject to the Assessment (Coursework, Tests and Examinations) Procedures, the Doctoral Confirmation of Candidature Policy and Procedures and the Examination Regulations and are not otherwise subject to these Doctoral Coursework Procedures.

2. Doctoral candidates undertaking the coursework component of the DHSc or the EdD, and PhD candidates required to undertake courses within the DHSc or EdD schedules in order to satisfy confirmation milestones, are subject to clauses 4-6, 14-15 of the procedures below, and to the Doctoral Confirmation of Candidature Policy and Procedures and the Examination Regulations.

3. Doctoral candidates undertaking the coursework component of the DClinPsy are subject to clauses 4-5 and 7-15 of the procedures below, and to the Doctoral Confirmation of Candidature Policy and Procedures and the Examination Regulations.

Procedures

4. The Academic Head must appoint appropriately qualified examiners and assessors for the coursework component of a named doctorate in accordance with the requirements of clauses 4a-c and 5-13 below.

a) To be appropriately qualified, examiners and assessors for the EdD and DHSc must either hold a doctoral qualification in a relevant subject area and be academics, or (where appropriate to the course content) be senior professionals with an appropriate record of professional and/or clinical practice.

b) To be appropriately qualified, examiners and assessors for the DClinPsy must i) be a registered clinical psychologist and/or hold a doctoral qualification in psychology and ii) either be academics or be in appropriate professional practice and iii) satisfy any additional requirements for examination and assessment activities as prescribed at clauses 8-12 below.

c) In all cases, relevance and appropriateness are determined by the Academic Head.

5.

a) At least one examiner and at least one assessor must be appointed for each course within the coursework component of a named doctorate.

b) An examiner must evaluate the work and/or candidate (as applicable) in relation to the assessment criteria for the course or (where applicable) course component.

c) An assessor must confirm or dispute the appropriateness of an examiner’s evaluation, of the work and/or candidate (as applicable).

6.

a)  An assessor for a DHSc or EdD course must be external to the University; an examiner for a DHSc or EdD course may be internal to the University. 

b)  At least one of the external assessors appointed for the coursework component of the DHSc and EdD must be based at an overseas institution. 

c)  An assessor for the DHSc or EdD is normally expected to assess the main output(s) of a course. 

7. At least one examiner and at least one assessor must be appointed for the Initial Interview Exam within the DClinPsy.

8. DClinPsy case reports 1-3 must be internally examined by two examiners and externally assessed by a committee of registered clinical psychologists appointed by the Academic Head. The committee must include at least two external New Zealand-based Registered Senior Clinical Psychologists: one from a community institution and the other from another accredited university Clinical Psychology Training Programme.

9. DClinPsy case reports 4-5 must be examined by the committee of registered psychologists detailed at clause 8.

10. The DClinPsy examination and assessment processes under clauses 8 and 9 must include the production of examination and assessment reports, copies of which must be provided to the candidate.

11. The examiners for DClinPsy clinical practicum competency and internship evaluations must be the external placement supervisors approved by the Academic Head (or their approved replacements); copies of evaluations must be provided to candidates.

12. The examiners for the DClinPsy Final Clinical Examination must be the committee detailed at clause 8.

13. At least one internal examiner, and an external assessor, must be appointed for the DClinPsy post-confirmation End of Year Examination.

14.

a) The “disputed results – written examination papers and coursework subjects for formal assessment” clauses of the Assessment (Coursework, Tests and Examinations) Procedures apply to course results within the coursework component of the EdD and DHSc, and to the Initial Interview Exam and the post-confirmation End of Year Examination within the DClinPsy.

b) The “availability of examination scripts” and the “storage and disposal of examination material” clauses of the Assessment (Coursework, Tests and Examinations) Procedures apply to the DClinPsy Initial Interview Exam and post-confirmation End of Year Examination, except that:

i. examination material must be maintained for 24 months after the examination.

ii. applications for candidate access to marked examination scripts must be made directly to the School of Psychology.

15.

a) For EdD candidates, the result for a course as agreed by the examiner and assessor or as the outcome of the disputed results process under 14a above is final, subject to regulations 30 and 31 of the EdD regulations.

b) For DHSc candidates, the result for a course as agreed by the examiner and assessor or as the outcome of the disputed results process under 14a above is final, subject to regulations 29 and 30 of the DHSc regulations.

c) For DClinPsy candidates:

i. the result for the Initial Interview Exam and post-confirmation End of Year Examination as agreed by the examiner and assessor, or as the outcome of the disputed results process under 14a, is final, subject to regulations 29 and 30 of the DClinPsy regulations.

ii. the evaluations under clause 11 and the committee determination of the result for case reports 1-5 and the Final Clinical Examination are final, subject to regulations 29 and 30 of the DClinPsy regulations.

Definitions

The following definitions apply to this document:

Academic Head refers to the head of the relevant academic unit or their nominee for the purposes of doctoral matters.

Confirmation milestones are the activities that a candidate must complete, at the required standard, in order to be confirmed in their doctoral programme.

Course refers to an individual course listed in a schedule for a University programme.

Course component means a component of an individual course.

Coursework component refers to the coursework component of a programme as defined in the relevant named doctorate regulations.

Candidate, for the purposes of this policy and procedures, refers to a person currently enrolled or currently suspended from enrolment in a doctoral programme at the University.

DClinPsy candidates, for the purposes of this policy and procedures, refers to people who are currently enrolled or currently suspended from enrolment in a Doctor of Clinical Psychology at the University.

DHSc candidates, for the purposes of this policy and procedures, refers to people who are currently enrolled or currently suspended from enrolment in a Doctor of Health Sciences at the University.

Doctoral candidates for the purposes of this policy and procedures, refers to people who are currently enrolled or currently suspended from enrolment in a doctoral programme at the University.

EdD candidates, for the purposes of this policy and procedures, refers to people who are currently enrolled or currently suspended from enrolment in a Doctor of Education at the University.

PhD candidates, for the purposes of this policy and procedures, refers to people who are currently enrolled or currently suspended from enrolment in a Doctor of Philosophy at the University.

Programme Regulations refers to the regulations for the relevant doctoral degree as contained in the University calendar for the year in which the candidate commenced their doctoral enrolment.

Required coursework refers to coursework that is required pursuant to doctoral programme regulations, including coursework approved by the Board of Graduate Studies (or delegate) under the Doctoral Confirmation of Candidature Policy and Procedures.

Key relevant documents

Include the following:

Document management and control

Content manager: School of Graduate Studies
Owner: Dean of Graduate Studies
Approved by: Board of Graduate Studies, Senate and Council
Date approved: December 2021
Review date: December 2024