Doctor of Education–EdD 360 points Qualification regulations

1. Before enrolment, a candidate for the EdD degree shall have:

(a) completed an Honours or Master’s degree with First or Second Class Honours, or other postgraduate qualification at an equivalent standard in education, educational leadership, educational administration, educational psychology, or a discipline relevant to practice in those fields;

(b) provided evidence of appropriate and significant professional experience, normally of at least five years, and reports from two referees who hold senior roles in education; and

(c) been accepted by the School of Education Research Committee.

2. The course of study for the EdD shall consist of at least 360 points comprising:

Part 1: EDUC 601, EDUC 602, EDUC 603, EDUC 604; and

Part 2: EDUC 691.

3. Initially, a candidate shall be registered in Part 1 of the EdD.

4. Enrolment in Part 2 is conditional on satisfactory completion of Part 1 and acceptance into Part 2 by the Associate Dean (Research) on the advice of the Head of the School of Education or nominee.

5. Enrolment in Part 2 shall normally occur within 12 months (full time) or 24 months (half time) of first enrolment in Part 1.

6. Except with the permission of the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Research, the minimum and maximum periods of enrolment (excluding any approved period(s) of suspension) shall be as follows:

(a) The minimum period in Part 2 is 24 months full time.

(b) The maximum period for Parts 1 and 2 combined is 48 months full time.

7. Extensions to the maximum period of enrolment may be granted by the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Research (Dean FGR) on the recommendation of the associate dean, and shall not usually exceed 12 months. Consideration of extensions shall take account of the candidate’s personal circumstances and the nature of the research project, and consent shall neither be unreasonably withheld nor given without good cause. All calculations shall exclude any periods of suspension.

8. In every year of enrolment in Part 2, in May and November, a report on the progress of the candidate shall be completed and submitted to the associate dean. A candidate’s enrolment may be terminated if they fail to make satisfactory progress or if they do not meet the requirements of the examination process.

Requirements for Part 2 (Thesis)

9. The research will normally be conducted at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington or at the candidate’s workplace but, with permission of the associate dean, part of the research programme may be carried out at other locations.

10. A candidate must be continuously enrolled until the completed thesis is lodged in the University’s Library, unless they withdraw from the qualification, or have their enrolment terminated by the University, or fail the qualification.

11. On application from a candidate, the associate dean may, in exceptional circumstances, approve a suspension of registration, measured in monthly increments, for a period of not less than one month. During a student’s candidature, the total period of suspension shall not usually exceed 12 months. During a suspension, a candidate will pay no fees and will have no access to University services, including supervision, office and laboratory space, and the Library.

12. The thesis must be a body of work that demonstrates the candidate’s ability to carry out independent research and constitutes a significant and original contribution to knowledge or understanding. This contribution may include critical, experimental, or theoretical components but the end result must be a single integrated study of relevance to professional practice.

13. The thesis may include the candidate’s work that has been published or accepted for publication prior to the submission of the thesis for examination, provided that the research has been conducted under supervision during the period of enrolment. Work submitted for another qualification, whether completed or not, at this or any other university may not be so included.

14. The thesis shall not exceed a total of 70,000 words in length (including scholarly apparatus). In exceptional circumstances, the Dean FGR may grant permission for a longer thesis to be submitted for examination.

15. A thesis is a public document. However, where there are cogent and compelling reasons why a thesis should not be publicly available for a given, limited period, and where these are known at any time before submission of the thesis for examination, candidates should apply to the Dean FGR to withhold access as soon as the need for an embargo becomes apparent. A thesis may be withheld for a maximum of two years.

Examination

16. At any time after the minimum period of registration, a candidate may submit their thesis and apply for examination.

17. The application for examination shall be accompanied by a statement from the supervisors that the candidate has pursued the course of study in accordance with the requirements of these regulations.

18. Any thesis submitted for examination which includes published work or work submitted for publication must comply with the Guidelines for Including Publications in a PhD Thesis.

19. Where any of the published material included in section 18 is co-authored, the candidate must provide a detailed statement of each author’s contribution to such work, and contact details of co-authors (see the Recognition of Authorship Policy).

20. The format of the thesis is determined by the Library Statute.

21. The examination of the EdD degree will include an examination of the thesis and an oral defence of the thesis as set out in the doctoral regulations. The thesis shall be examined by three examiners appointed by the Dean FGR. One of these examiners will normally be from outside New Zealand. The principal supervisor or co-supervisor must not be an examiner.

22. The Dean FGR shall, on the basis of the examiners’ reports and the recommendation of the chairperson of the oral committee, determine whether the degree will be awarded.

23. Where the decision has been made to award the degree, it will be awarded upon the deposit of copies of the final thesis in the University’s Library in accordance with the Library Statute.

24. The associate dean may, on the application of the candidate or the supervisors at any time before the submission of the thesis, or on the recommendation of the examiners after the submission of the thesis, approve the enrolment of the candidate in a subject for an appropriate Master’s degree instead of the degree of Doctor of Education, where the regulations for such a Master’s degree provides that the degree may be taken by thesis and where the candidate does not already hold that degree in the same subject at the University.

(a) Where any thesis has been submitted for the degree of Doctor of Education, that thesis may be accepted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Master’s degree, notwithstanding any other provision in the regulations for that Master’s degree.

(b) Where the thesis has not been submitted for examination for the degree, the candidate shall be deemed to have been enrolled in and to have followed a course of study for that Master’s degree for the appropriate minimum period, provided that the candidate has been enrolled for the degree of Doctor of Education for that period.