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Awards Regulations 2013

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Part 1 - Preliminary

1. Objective

The objective of these Regulations is to make provision for aegrotat and posthumous awards, prescribe the academic dress to be worn by members of the University and the occasions on which it is to be worn, further provision for the revocation of awards granted by the University and provision for the form and content of a testamur, in accordance with the Governance, Academic and Student Affairs Statute 2013.

2. Authorising provision

These Regulations are made under the Governance, Academic and Student Affairs Statute 2013 and sections 28, 29 and 30 of the Victoria University Act 2010.

3. Definitions

In these Regulations-

"aegrotat award" means a degree, diploma, certificate or other award issued to a student who is taken to have completed the requirements for that degree, diploma, certificate or other award by reason of regulation 4;
"collaborative award" means a degree, diploma, certificate or other award that is taught or supervised with another organisation.
"Posthumous award" means a degree, diploma, certificate or other award that is awarded after the death of a student.

Part 2 - Aegrotat Award

4. Entitlement to an aegrotat award

(1) A student is taken to have completed the requirements for a degree, diploma, certificate or other award, if:

the student:
1. is unable to complete the requirements due to incapacitating injury or illness; or
2. has died; and
the student has satisfactorily completed at least half of the requirements of the award; and
taking into consideration the student's academic results, it is reasonable to conclude that the student would have completed the requirements.

Part 3 - Posthumous Award

5. Entitlement to a posthumous award

(2) A student is taken to have completed the requirements for a degree, diploma, certificate or other award, if after completing all the requirements of the award and before conferral, the student dies.

Part 4 - Academic Dress

6. Academic Dress

The academic dress to be worn by specified members of the University under this regulation is set out in the Schedule.

7. Indigenous stoles

(1) Indigenous graduands and staff may wear a stole at a graduation ceremony.

(2) The stole will be calf length jet black and cherry silk that has saffron tassels, a map of Victoria in saffron silk and 'Victoria University' embroidered in saffron on the left end of the stole, and the sun in saffron silk and 'Moondani Balluk' embroidered in saffron on the right end of the stole.

(3) The stole is to be worn under any academic colours.

(4) If there are no academic colours (that is, certificate and apprenticeship recipients) the stole is to be worn under the gown so as not to be mistaken for the colours of the discipline.

8. Trencher

The cap is worn flat or horizontal, with the tassel down over the left eye.

9. Occasions

(3) Academic dress is to be worn on the following occasions-

ceremonies for the conferral and granting of awards of the University unless the University specifies otherwise;
any other formal occasion of the University for which the University specifies academic dress;
ceremonies of other institutions at which the wearing of academic dress is appropriate or requested.

10. Eligibility to wear academic dress- graduates, graduands and candidates

(1) A person is eligible to wear academic dress appropriate to the award if he or she is a graduate or graduand who-

has had an award conferred; or
is eligible to graduate.

(2) Graduates from other universities are entitled to wear academic dress appropriate to the award they have received.

Part 5 - Revocation of Awards

11. Circumstances to be reported to the Vice-Chancellor

If it appears that an award may have been obtained in circumstances that would enable the Council to revoke the award under the Governance, Academic and Student Affairs Statute 2013 the circumstances must be reported to the Vice-Chancellor.

(4) Note

(5) Section 30 of the Governance, Academic and Student Affairs Statute 2013 empowers the Council to revoke an award in specific circumstances.

12. Investigation process

(1) After receiving a report under regulation 11, the Vice-Chancellor may convene an investigation.

(2) The investigation process may be conducted by a person nominated by the Vice-Chancellor.

(3) An investigation process must:

inform the award holder of the reported circumstances;
advise the award holder that their award may be revoked; and
provide the award holder with an opportunity to respond.

(4) If the investigation finds that the degree or other award was obtained as a result of administrative error, the Council delegates to the Vice-Chancellor the power to revoke the degree or other award.

(5) If, after considering the outcome of an investigation, the Vice-Chancellor believes that the award should be revoked because it was obtained:

fraudulently, improperly or by material misrepresentation; or
as a result of transgression of ethical research practice,

then the Vice-Chancellor may recommend the revocation of the award to the Council.

(6) The recommendation under sub-regulation (5) must detail:

the circumstances that enable the Council to revoke the award under the Governance, Academic and Student Affairs Statute 2013; and
the reasons for his or her belief.

13. Council decision

(1) The Council must consider the recommendation of the Vice-Chancellor and decide to revoke or not to revoke the award.

(2) If the Vice Chancellor's recommendation under sub-regulation (1) is to revoke the award, prior to making its decision, the Council must provide the award holder an opportunity to respond to the Vice Chancellor's recommendation.

(3) The Council must require an award holder whose award has been revoked to return the testamur issued.

Part 6 - Testamur

14. Form and content of testamur

(1) A testamur must be printed on parchment paper measuring approximately 375mm by 265mm.

(2) A testamur must include the following content:

an embossed University logo;
the expression "By authority of the Council of Victoria University";
the full legal name of the student;
the expression "having satisfied the requirements of the University was granted the";
the title of the degree, diploma, certificate or other award conferred;
if applicable, a statement that the degree, diploma, certificate or other award was taught in a language other than English;
the date, month and year of the conferral;
the expression "The qualification is recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework";
the name and signature of the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor;
the University common seal or a representation of it; and
a unique document identification number.

(3) It is adequate compliance with sub-regulation (2)(i) if a representation of the signature is used.

(4) The content must be printed in the order, from the top of the paper to the bottom, as listed in sub-regulation (2)

(5) If the degree, diploma, certificate or other award conferred is listed on the Australian Government's National Training Register a testamur must also include the following content:

the degree, diploma, certificate or other award's code number and title on the National Training Register;
the Nationally Recognised Training logo, applied in accordance with the Australian Government's conditions of use; and
if applicable, the wording, "achieved through Australian Apprenticeship arrangements".

(6) If the degree, diploma, certificate or other award conferred is a collaborative award a testamur must also include the following content:

the collaborator's logo; and
if required by the University's policies and procedures:
1. the expression "This programme of study for this course was undertaken in affiliation with the [name of collaborator]": or
2. the expression "This course was undertaken jointly with [name of collaborator].

Part 7 - Revocation

15. Revocation of regulation

The Revocation of Awards Regulations 2013 are revoked on the day on which these regulations come into operation.