The Department you should contact
the Postgraduate Co-ordinator to discuss
the matter. If a dispute cannot be
resolved at this level then the next step
is to speak to the Head of Department. Students
should also contact SGS and seek advice
from UMPA. Formal procedure for dispute
resolution for PhD students can be found
here:
www.gradstudies.unimelb.edu.au/phd/enrolcandid/phdhbk/candidature/advice.html
Email
Students will be given a free email
account. The central university
student e-mail account is an important
tool for all students during their university
studies. It is used to send students
official university information by Student
Administration, faculties and departments
and individual lecturers. You can
set up your email here: accounts.unimelb.edu.au/
It is better to use your University
account than Hotmail, Yahoo etc because
of file quotas.
Please let our Systems Administrator, Nhon Nhuyen (nhon@sunrise.sli.unimelb.edu.au) know when you have activated your pgrad email account. Nhon can then add you to our Sunrise email address book which will enable you to receive important and useful emails from the Department.
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Enrolment
Once accepted, the relevant body will
communicate with the student in regard
to enrolment formalities, and enrolment
in specified postgraduate subjects may
be a condition of enrolment. Queries
with regard to these formalities should
be made to the appropriate governing
authority: The Faculty of Engineering
for M.App.Sc and M.Geom.Eng students,
and the School of Graduate Studies for
PhD students. Research degrees
may be commenced at any stage during
the year. Where the degree also
includes a coursework component it would
be normal to commence in either March
or July at the beginning of Semester.
Ethics
All researchers – staff, students
and student supervisors – who are
undertaking research involving humans,
will need to consider the information
in this section concerning human research
ethics. This includes anyone who is:
- gathering information about human
beings (and organisations) through
interviewing, surveying, questionnaires,
observation of human behaviour, audio/video
taping, administering tests or stimuli,
collecting or using human tissue/bone/blood
or other body fluids;
- conducting clinical trials;
- using archived data in which individuals
are identifiable;
- studying or researching illegal
activities.
If you are unsure whether or not you will need ethics clearance please contact the Departmental Human Ethics Advisory Group (HEAG). The Chair is Associate Professor Gary Hunter (
) and the Administrative Officer is Deb
Thomas ().
Human Ethics
Advisory Group
(HEAG)
Gary Hunter (Chair)
Ian Bishop
Joe Leach
Stephan Winter
Sue Hope (Student representative)
Deb Thomas (Administration)
Application Process:
Expedited Review of Low Risk Projects
Involving Human Participants
Research that is deemed to be of low
risk to participants and researchers
may be approved by an expedited process.
Your project must not present any more
than minimal risk to participants, that
is, not more than everyday risk. Participants
would normally (but not always) be competent,
independent adults.
You need to fill in the following 2a form
in the first instance to see if your
application can be dealt with at the
Departmental level – Form
2a
If you answer ‘no’ to all
the questions on the expedited checklist
form then you should complete form 2 available from the web site above and
pass it on to either Ian Bishop or Deborah
Thomas. Both forms will be presented
to a meeting of the DEHAG for their approval,
and if approved, will be sent on to the
University Human Research Ethics Committee
(HREC) for their endorsement. You
will be notified of the outcome.
If you answer yes to some questions
you will need to complete Form 1, also
available from the above link. This
form will need to be submitted directly
the Human Research Ethics Committee for
their consideration.
Examples of completed forms and plain
language statements can be found here
Procedures for requesting amendments
can be found here
The Human Ethics Research web site can be
found here
Research must not commence until
written notification of ethics approval
has been received by the researcher.
Extensions
PhD Forms can be found
here :
www.gradstudies.unimelb.edu.au/currentpg/forms
Application for an extension may be
made on the "Completion Report
Form for PhD Candidates" sent
by the School of Graduate Studies direct
to the candidate two months prior to
the due date. Candidates requiring an
extension will need to attach a complete
thesis outline (maximum 4 pages), state
number of thesis chapters completed and
provide a one-page plan of how they propose
to complete the thesis within the extension
period.
On the completion of 3 years (full-time)
candidates may apply for a maximum of
two extensions of six months. Part-time
candidates will have a maximum term of
candidature of 6 years, and may then
apply for a maximum of two twelve-month
(PT) extensions. Further extensions beyond
four years will only be granted in special
circumstances. Candidates requiring extensions
beyond four years will have exhausted
their Research Training Scheme entitlement
and the University may elect to impose
fees.
Scholarship holders should note that
approved extensions of candidature do
not guarantee an automatic extension
of scholarship.
International candidates requiring extensions
will also need to check their sponsorship
and visa allocation.
Masters extension forms are here: www.eng.unimelb.edu.au/courses/pgrad/forms.html
Equipment
See Computers.
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Facilities
The Geomatics building includes a wide
range of facilities. There is a
meeting room for groups of up to about
10 people in the ‘penthouse’ postgraduate
accommodation. The remainder of
the building contains a number of tutorial
rooms and first-class lecture theatres
with full audio-visual facilities. These
can be booked for postgraduate student
use, but semester-time usage is normally
very high. The administration of
these rooms is through the central room
bookings system, and so considerable
lead time (at least a week) is normally
required. See the General Office
for advice on bookings. More conveniently,
several meeting rooms are available for
booking in the School of Graduate Studies
(see section 3.16).
Postgraduate office allocations are
handled by Nghiem Tran, in consultation
with the supervisor of each student. Nghiem
also handles office/building keys and
new students should, upon arrival, present
themselves to him to arrange these housekeeping
details. A deposit is required
for all keys issued; this will be returned
in full when students return their keys
at the completion of their studies.
Faxing
There is a facsimile machine in the
office that may be used with your supervisor’s
permission. The fax number is 03-9347-2916. See
the staff in the office if you wish to
send a fax.
Financial
Assistance
Postgraduate Conference Assistance
Scheme (PCAS)
The Geomatics Department provides competitive
travel grants of up to $1,000 to assist
students to present a referred paper
at a conference. The Scheme will
operate on an annual basis depending
on the availability of funds.
All applicants must be enrolled PhD
and Research Masters students. If
you are a PhD candidate you should also
lodge a concurrent application in conjunction
with the Scholarships Office for the MATS or PORES Schemes
and consider other funding schemes. There
are two rounds of applications for the
PCAS scheme in February and July and
email is sent to all Research students
prior to the closing date calling for
applications.
Information about other Travelling
Scholarships can be found at the
Scholarships Office web site.
JASON -
Postgraduate Scholarship Database for
Australia
JASON is a search engine that contains information about postgraduate
scholarships. The scholarships in the database apply to Australian
students wishing to study at home or abroad, and to international
students wishing to study in Australia.
Postgraduate Scholarship
Database for Australia
JASON is a search engine that contains
information about postgraduate scholarships.
The scholarships in the database apply
to Australian students wishing to study
at home or abroad, and to international
students wishing to study in Australia.
www.jason.unimelb.edu.au
$30
Research students are entitled to $30 per year from the Department to attend SGS UpSkills courses. The $30 is not accumulative or retrospective. Please contact Nghiem to organise payment.
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Forms
Most PhD forms can be downloaded from
here:
www.gradstudies.unimelb.edu.au/currentpg/forms/
Masters forms can be found here:
www.eng.unimelb.edu.au/courses/pgrad/forms.html
Description of some
Postgraduate Forms
Leave of Absence – MA
Form to be completed by Masters (Research)
students. Leave must be applied
for in advance, no approval will be granted
for retrospective leave except in exceptional
circumstances. Medical Certificate
must be attached to form for sick leave. The
duration of your candidature will be
extended by the amount of leave you take.
Minimum period approved is 2 weeks,
maximum total of 12 months.
International Students Note:
Leave is only available under exceptional
circumstances. Applicants must
present their airline ticket indicating
a departure date within two weeks of
leave commencement.
Leave of Absence – PhD
Leave must be applied for in advance,
no approval will be granted for retrospective
leave except in exceptional circumstances. Medical
Certificate must be attached to form
for sick leave. The duration of your
candidature will be extended by the amount
of leave you take.
Minimum period approved is 2 weeks,
maximum total of 12 months.
International Students Note:
Leave is only available under exceptional
circumstances. Applicants must
present their airline ticket indicating
a departure date within two weeks of
leave commencement.
Leave to Study Overseas/Away – MA
Students remain enrolled and no change
is made to completion dates. Students
who will be away during the re-enrolment
period should make arrangements to re-enrol
before they leave. If leave is
for 3 months or more arrangements for
an external supervisor must be made.
Leave to Study Overseas/Away – PhD
Students remain enrolled and no change
is made to completion dates. Students
who will be away during the re-enrolment
period should make arrangements to re-enrol
before they leave. If leave is
for 3 months or more arrangements for
an external supervisor must be made.
Return from Leave Form – MA
Must be filled in within 5 days of your
leave expiry date. Scholarship
payments will not recommence until the
form has been processed.
Return from Leave Form – PhD
Must be filled in within 5 days of your
leave expiry date. Scholarship
payments will not recommence until the
form has been processed.
Risk Assessment 2D
This form must be attached to the Leave
to Study Overseas/Away forms for MA and
PhD students.
Risk Assessment 3D
This form is to be used for students
who are undertaking research away from
the University but are not applying for
any type of Leave.
Missing Receipts Declaration
To be used if the original receipt has
been lost.
Student Travel Insurance Application
Form
Provides insurance for students who
are travelling overseas as part of their
research.
Travel Diaries
Travel diaries are mandatory for all
travel periods greater than five nights
within Australia and for all overseas
travel. The diary may be any document
providing it includes the following details
for each business activity:
the date the entry was made; the place
where the activity was undertaken; date
and approximate time when the activity
commenced; the duration of the
activity; nature of activity; costs associated
with activity. The
record may be prepared in advance. A
detailed travel itinerary that includes the
above details (except, of course, the costs)
prepared before the trip is an acceptable
travel diary, provided that the staff
member endorses that it was followed or records
any variations that occurred. Departments
must retrieve travel diaries and receipts
from staff and retain them for five years. Where
receipts or other documentation for minor
expenses are not available, a note in
the travel diary will normally be accepted
as evidence of expenditure.
Forms for Travelling Postgraduates
What forms do I need to fill
in if I am traveling and require reimbursement
upon my return ?
| 1. |
Leave of Absence or Leave to Study
Away (if travelling for more than
2 weeks). |
before travel |
| 2. |
HR 18. Travel Approval |
before travel |
| 3. |
Risk Assessment 2D or 3D. |
before travel |
| 4. |
Student Travel Insurance Form (if
travelling overseas). |
before travel |
| 5. |
Application for a Student Supplier
form (needs to be filled in once
a year) |
upon return |
| 6. |
Student Payment Request Form |
upon return |
| 7. |
Travel Diary (if travelling for
more than 5 nights within Aust. or
all o.s travel). |
upon return |
| 8. |
Missing Receipts Declaration, if
required. |
upon return |
| 9. |
Return from Leave Form (if you
have lodged a LOA or Leave to Study
Away form). |
upon return |
If you are a student who does not require reimbursement:
| 1. |
Leave of Absence or Leave to Study
Away (if travelling for more than
2 weeks). |
before travel |
| 2. |
HR 18. Travel Approval |
before travel |
| 3. |
Risk Assessment 2D or 3D. |
before travel |
| 4. |
Student Travel Insurance Form (if
travelling overseas). |
before travel |
| 5. |
Return from Leave Form (if you
have lodged a LOA or Leave to Study
Away form). |
upon return |
Geomatics Postgraduate Society (GPS)
All postgraduate students enrolled within the Geomatics Department are automatically members of the GPS. This postgraduate group aims to (i) enhance the academic and professional life of Geomatics postgraduate students; (ii) encourage social interaction of students within the department and (iii) provide academic support to fellow postgraduates and thus foster communication of research ideas and collaborations. In collabloration with RMIT, the group hosts the annual postgraduate conference ASPIRE. In addition, GPS runs a variety of sporting competitions on Friday afternoons and organises several social activities throughout the year. For more information contact the GPS Secretary, Anna Boin: a.boin2@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au.
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Student
Grievances
PhD students can find information about
what to do if there is a problem with
supervision or other matters here
The University of Melbourne Postgraduate
Association can also offer advice about
a range of issues. For further information
visit:
www.umpa.unimelb.edu.au/advice
Health
and Safety
The University recognises its obligation
to take all reasonable precautions to provide
and maintain, so far as is practicable,
an environment that is safe and without
risks to health for employees, students
and visitors. To help achieve this
obligation, SafetyMAP (Safety Management
Achievement Program) aims to protect people
at work by promoting safer working environments. It
provides a set of audit criteria which
can be used to measure current performance
and identify areas where an organisation
can improve its health and safety management
system. The audit process also helps to
determine priorities and to allocate resources
to best suit the organisation's needs.
As
a postgraduate student you will receive
SafetyMAP training as part of your
induction process and will become familiar with
emergency procedures in the Department
of Geomatics. In addition, the
Faculty’s Environment, Health & Safety
Manual can be viewed online here
Students are also required to complete
an ‘After Hours Person or Equipment
Form’ at the commencement of their
candidature. Please download form
here [pdf]
Induction
Upon arrival students will undergo an
induction into the Department. Students
will be issued with a work space (if
required) keys to the postgraduate area
(a deposit of $50 will be required) a
swipe card for access to the building,
a Health and Safety tour, introductions
to the IT person and Postgraduate Administrator
and a PIN number for Photocopy access.
Insurance - Travel
Travel insurance cover will be provided to all Uni of Melb Post Graduate Students without charge, subject to 3 conditions:
i.) The travel is undertaken in connection with their Uni of Melb studies (eg. conference, outside placement, fieldwork, research) including private travel not exceeding period of Uni of Melb travel
ii.) 100% of the student's travel expenses (including airfares and other transport costs, accommodation, conference fees, etc., but excluding food and incidentals) for the University segment of the trip are borne by the University.
iii.) The student's name has been registered with the Insurance Office through the prior lodgment of a Declaration form.
All other students should refer to the discount priced On-Line Travel Insurance Link below, or you should contact alternative travel insurers.
http://inasuitcase.aceinsurance.com.au/Melbuni/homepage.aspx
Intellectual
Property Rights
The following Web address gives the
full interpretation of Intellectual Property.
A copy of the Statute is attached.
www.research.unimelb.edu.au/ridg/
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International
Exchange
Students are encouraged to seek opportunities
for International exchange and travel.
The Scholarships Office offers Travelling
Scholarships. Information about other
scholarships can also be found at the Jason
web site.
Internet
Download Policy
The Department's Policy on Internet
charges encourages responsible use of
the University/Departmental resources.
The Department is charged by the Information
Services for the use of the Internet,
based on the volume of data received.
Data received from the Internet includes
emails from outside the University, documents
read via an Internet browser, materials
downloaded from websites etc. The current
price scale for data is as follows:
Direct International Commodity $22.50
per Gigabyte
International Advanced Research
(through The Australian Academic and Research Network (AARNet Pty
Ltd)) $22.50 per Gigabyte
Australian Domestic $22.50 per Gigabyte
AARNET $22.50 per Gigabyte
AARNET Mirrors of International sites $15.00 per Gigabyte
Victorian Regional Network (VRN) Free
Melbourne Uni Free
Additional notes:
1. Consistently 70% to 80% of the cost is of International traffic.
2. It is possible to obtain the cost breakdown and information
about the type of data downloaded by individual PC users. Therefore,
whenever there is an anomaly in usage cost, the cause can be tracked
down to individual users.
Guidelines:
The Department endeavours to provide
the Internet facility as an efficient
tool for teaching/study/research/work
for staff and postgraduate students.
These guidelines aim to assist staff and students in the responsible
use of the service.
- Keep the use of Internet strictly
study/research/work related. There
will be financial penalties imposed for any
abuse.
Low volume personal use for reading an overseas newspaper, finding
a telephone number etc is unlikely to become an issue. However,
any streaming audio or video or any non-academic multimedia content:
games, music, video clips, movies etc are definitely forbidden.
Procedures are being put in place such that high volume use will
be immediately identified. In such cases, the Department can check
the individual web sites which have been accessed.
- Keep the downloading local where you can. Many
companies now have Australian sites that users
may not be aware of.
For example, you should use www.google.com.au instead
of www.google.com, as it is cheaper to browse locally
and the information is also more relevant.
If you need to download large amounts of data for your research
and are concerned about the limit, please ask the IT staff
for assistance and guidance.
- Do not change or remove the “proxy settings” in
any of the browsers installed on the computers.
- Make sure that you have the Department or the
University website as the home page. The defaults
www.netscape.com or ninemsn.com.au cost
money every time you start up your browser.
- The Department’s Management and IT staff will continue
to conduct an on-going campaign to raise users’ awareness
on the issue. These guidelines form part of staff and postgraduate
induction. Usage will continue to be monitored in the interest
of curtailing costs.
Note: For the general policy on Usage of University computing
and Network facilities, please refer to the document found
at www.unimelb.edu.au/ExecServ/Statutes/r81r7.pdf)
or to the web publishing Guideline found at /www.unimelb.edu.au/ExtRels/web.
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Keys
Upon enrolment you will be issued with
keys that will enable you to access the
relevant postgraduate areas. A deposit
of $50 is required. The money will be
refunded upon the return of the keys
at the end of your candidature.
Kitchen
There is a large ‘central’ tea-room
on the fourth floor for use by staff
and postgraduate students, as well as tea/coffee
alcoves in the ‘penthouse’, ‘basement’ and
the postgraduate accommodation area on
the 4th Floor next to Theatre C2. All
facilities are available free of charge.
Learning
Skills Unit
LSU advisers are available to assist
postgraduate students with a range of
issues related to postgraduate study,
such as:
- thesis planning
- structure
- editing
- reading for research
- time management
- motivation
Postgraduate students may bring in sections
of theses for comments on academic style
and structure. An individual appointment
can be made to see an adviser for study
related issues.
To make an appointment either call in
to the LSU, or telephone our reception
on 8344 0930.
You can book an appointment up to 2
weeks in advance, but please note that
there is a limit to the number of appointments
allowed per semester
Further information available from their
web site www.services.unimelb.edu.au/llsu/
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Leave
of Absence
PhD:
Application for leave of absence may
be applied for using the Application
for Leave of Absence form. Leave
of absence may be granted for illness
or for any other reason which prevents
the candidate from carrying out research. The
minimum period of leave that will be
approved is two weeks, and the maximum
total period of leave that will be approved
is twelve months. Any further applications
for leave would need to be documented
carefully and presented as a special
case. Only in very exceptional
cases would leave beyond a total of twelve
months be approved.
It is in students' best interest to formally apply for leave of
absence at the time required. The submission date is adjusted
for any periods of leave, so that candidates have the maximum benefit
of their enrolment time, and the opportunity to complete on time. On
returning from leave of absence, students are required to notify
the Faculty of Engineering by means of the Return from Leave form. This
will ensure that enrolment (and scholarship) details are updated.
Due to the regulations of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural
Affairs, leave of absence for international students is only available
under exceptional circumstances. International students making
such an application must present their airline ticket, indicating
a departure date within two weeks of leave commencement. Students
who have a sponsor must also seek the sponsor's permission to take
leave of absence. Forms can be found here www.gradstudies.unimelb.edu.au/currentpg/forms/
Research Masters:
Leave for Research Master's students
can be found here: www.eng.unimelb.edu.au/courses/pgrad/forms.html#mas
Due to the regulations of the Department
of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs,
leave of absence for international students
is only available under exceptional circumstances. International
students making such an application must
present their airline ticket, indicating
a departure date within two weeks of
leave commencement. Students who
have a sponsor must also seek the sponsor's
permission to take leave of absence.
If you have a Scholarship you will also
need to submit a return from leave form
which can be found here: www.gradstudies.unimelb.edu.au/currentpg/forms/#changes
Annual Leave
PhD candidates may take up to four weeks
of recreation leave in each year by arrangement
with their supervisors and their department.
A recreation leave form is not required
by the School of Graduate Studies. Leave
taken will not alter the submission date.
Masters and PhD students taking
Annual Leave or Sick Leave must inform
their Supervisor(s) before they take
leave.
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Library
Facilities
There are two main libraries (both located
on campus) of interest to students and
researchers in Geomatics:
- The Engineering Library, located
on the first floor of the Old Engineering
Building.
- The Baillieu Library, located on
the western side of the main campus.
The Engineering Library has an outstanding
collection of Geomatics-related journals,
books and reference publications. The
Baillieu Library also has material related
to Geomatics. All publications
in the University library system may
be searched from the on-line catalogue
accessible from Department terminals
or access the catalogue via the web at: www.lib.unimelb.edu.au
A comprehensive list of Geomatics-related
library holdings (with library Call Numbers)
is distributed to staff and students
twice each year, and is accessible on
the web at: www.geom.unimelb.edu.au/research/catalogue.html
The library system provides traditional
services including loans, reference,
and local inter-library loans. These
are available without charge to enrolled
students and staff of the University
of Melbourne for purposes of teaching,
study and research. (There may
be a charge for special services, such
as printing full-text from online collections.) Overseas
interlibrary loans will require a supervisor’s
signature to identify the University
account which is to be charged. The
library also participates in the CAVAL
Reciprocal Borrowing Program, and you
may enrol as borrower (by getting a CAVAL
card) at other participating libraries
in Victoria. Your student card
gives you access to all the local resources.
The libraries are committed to excellent
service. At the start of each semester
the Engineering Library runs introductory
courses on the use of library facilities,
including CD-Roms. If you have
not had such an introduction, make sure
you arrange to be part of it next time.
To view the Information Skills Classes
available and to book online go to: www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/cgi-bin/libclass
For further information contact Bess
Secomb (Learning Resources Team Leader)
Ext 44413.
Mail
External mail should be organised through
the office. Mail of a business
nature—journal and conference paper
submissions are an obvious example—will
be paid by the Department. Private
mail may be dispatched via the office,
but the correct value of postage must
be affixed.
The Department will provide each postgraduate
student with a pigeon hole where all
incoming mail will be placed.
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Mentor
Scheme
When you first arrive the postgraduate
coordinator, the postgraduate administrator
or your supervisor will introduce you
to another student who is usually well
on the way to finishing his/her studies,
and who is usually interested in a similar
research area. This person will
act as your mentor while you get established
and will introduce you to other students,
facilities etc.
Parking
Students are not entitled to daytime
parking permits unless there have medical
reasons. (Even some staff are not
entitled to parking; and those that are
pay over $600 a year for the privilege.)
However, after-hours parking is permitted
and students may purchase a yearly after-hours
parking permit from the Traffic Office
in the Old Geology Building, Ground Floor
(See attached Map of the University).
Contact the University Traffic Office
(ext. 47113)
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PhD
Handbook – SGS
Table of Contents
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