James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2002

CEREMONIAL

ACADEMIC DRESS

  Chancellor
Cap: Black velvet trencher with gold tassel and gold braid edging.
Gown: Light weight blue brocade with gold braid and fabric trim.
  Vice-Chancellor
Cap: Black velvet trencher with silver tassel and silver braid edging.
Gown: Light weight blue brocade with silver braid and fabric trim.
  Council
Cap: Black trencher with silver tassel.
Gown: Black Cambridge-style Masters. Black Oxford-style hood fully lined with silver satin.
  Doctor of Philosophy
Cap: Tudor bonnet of royal blue velvet with gold cord around crown with two small gold tassels.
Gown: Royal blue fabric with facings and linings of faille of ‘doctor’s red’. Hood of same fabric as gown lined with same red faille.
  Honorary Doctor of the University
Cap: Tudor bonnet of royal blue velvet with gold cord around crown with two small gold tassels.
Gown: Royal blue Cambridge-style Doctor of Philosophy with facings and linings in gold satin. Royal Blue Oxford-style hood fully lined in gold satin.
  Honorary Doctorate honoris causa
Cap: Tudor bonnet of royal blue velvet with gold cord around crown with two small gold tassels.
Gown: Royal blue Cambridge-style Doctor of Philosophy with facings and linings in blue satin with a gold edging stripe in satin. Royal Blue Oxford-style hood fully lined in blue satin with a gold edging stripe in satin.
  Honorary Doctorate
Cap: Tudor bonnet of royal blue velvet with gold cord around crown with two small gold tassels.
Gown: Royal blue Cambridge-style Doctor of Philosophy with facings and linings in blue satin. Royal Blue Oxford-style hood fully lined in blue satin.
  Graduate
Cap: Black trencher with black tassel.
Gown: Black Cambridge-style undergraduate. Black Oxford-style hood fully lined with gold satin.
  Undergraduate
Cap: Black trencher with black tassel.
Gown: Black Cambridge-style undergraduate. Black Oxford-style hood fully lined with blue satin. For Bachelor’s honours graduates, the hood carries an edging strip in gold satin.

GRADUATION PROCEDURES

Notification of intention to graduate

Students who have completed the requirements for their course and wish to be awarded a degree, diploma or certificate, should complete an ‘Application for Finalisation of an Award’ form. This form is available at Examinations and Ceremonies (contact details on page 68) or at each Faculty office.

Graduation Ceremonies

Information regarding Graduation Ceremonies will be forwarded to graduands no later than three weeks before the date of their ceremony.

Graduation dates are shown in Important Dates inside the front cover.

Students with outstanding debts are not permitted to graduate.

Any student who does not wish to attend a Graduation Ceremony can have their degree conferred in absentia at a University Council meeting (held monthly except for January).

Academic Dress

James Cook University academic dress must be worn at the ceremony. Dress may be purchased or hired from the Student Association Shop (07 4781 6396). Doctor of Philosophy gowns may be purchased or hired from Examinations and Ceremonies (07 4781 4246).

UNIVERSITY MEDALS

A. CONDITIONS

1.  Each year the Council will award a University Medal to each person who satisfies all the criteria listed below:

  1. a bachelors degree with first class honours;
  2. an honours rank in the top 10 percent of the students awarded first class honours in that discipline over the last five years. (in disciplines with small numbers of honours students, a special case must be made for the excellence of the student); and
  3. a weighted average score of at least 3.6 calculated as outlined below.

In normal circumstances, not more than ten percent of students graduating with first class honours will be awarded a University Medal each year.

2.  A recommendation for the award of a Medal shall be made by the appropriate Faculty to the Standing Committee of the Academic Board.

3.  A faculty may recommend the award of a Medal only if the person concerned

4.  A faculty may recommend the award of a Medal to a person who has taken one year more than the minimum time to complete a degree course provided that the extra time was due to circumstances other than academic failure.

5.  A faculty may recommend the award of a Medal to two or more persons who have studied in the same School in the same year.

6.  A faculty may recommend the award of a Medal to a person who has qualified for a second bachelor degree with first class honours and who otherwise fulfils these conditions.

7.  In considering recommendations from the faculties, the Standing Committee shall maintain, as far as possible, uniformity of practice. Each recommendation of which the Committee approves shall be transmitted to the Academic Board for further recommendation to Council.

B. PROCEDURES FOR PROCESSING NOMINATIONS

1.  As soon as practicable after honours results have been determined, and by a date determined by the appropriate Executive Dean, Heads of School will provide nominations for the award of a University Medal to the Executive Dean. Each nomination must be accompanied by:

(The justification shall include the following information for the last ten years including the previous year:

2.  The nominations from the Heads of Schools will then be considered by the appropriate faculty or Faculty Committee as soon as practicable.

3.  The faculty’s recommendations for the award of University Medals will be submitted for consideration by the Standing Committee as soon as practicable and in sufficient time for the Standing Committee to make its own recommendations to the February meeting of the Academic Board. Recommendations to the Standing Committee will be accompanied by relevant weighted average scores, academic record and justification as in 1 above, together with a list of previous medallists (with weighted average scores).

4.  The Standing Committee regards 3.6 as the weighted average score below which a candidate would not normally be considered eligible – exceptional circumstances which would merit consideration of a candidate with a slightly lower score would include clear evidence of outstanding distinction in final honours result, or evidence that the weighted score fell below 3.6 solely because of illness affecting results in one subject.

C. FORMULA FOR CALCULATION OF WEIGHTED AVERAGE SCORE

1.  The purpose of the formula is to convert into a single score the overall grades obtained by a person being considered for a medal. In the case of a person who undertakes honours after completing the requirements of a three year degree, the WAS is calculated on the basis of the grades obtained in the first three years of study in subjects which have contributed to the honours degree. In the case of a person undertaking a four year professional degree, the WAS is calculated on the basis of the grades obtained in the four years of the degree.

In calculating the score, no account is taken of:

  1. subjects superfluous to the honours degree;
  2. subjects in a different course not credited to the honours degree.

Account is, however, taken of subjects taken at another University and credited to the honours degree (see Condition 3.)

2.  A result in a deferred or special examination is treated as though obtained in the corresponding mid-year or end-of-year examination.

3.  Results in a supplementary examination are ignored; the original failure is regarded as the result for the subject concerned.

4.  The Weighted Average Score (referred to as WAS and calculated to two decimal places) is arrived at by the following formula:

WAS = sum (GUY) / sum (UY)

Where:

  1. G = grading according to the following scale: HD = 4; D = 3; C = 2; P = 1; P-, PC, N = 0;
  2. U = unit value of subject;
  3. Y = year of subject as indicated by first digit in numerical part of subject code.