Enrolment guidelines and process for LAW5083 Extended research (12 credit points) and LAW5084 Minor thesis (24 credit points)

Enrolling for LAW5083 Extended research and LAW5084: Minor thesis, consists of four stages.  Candidates are advised to understand the process before embarking on the application process.

Stage 1: Eligibility and proposal

Note: WES enrolment into this unit is not available. Students need to follow the steps below in order to enrol in this unit.

Check your eligibility

Students can apply to undertake LAW5083 Extended research or LAW5084 Minor thesis after they have completed four elective units from the LLM postgraduate programme (non-JD core units) and have received results of 70% or above in each of the units.

Proposal preparation

The candidate should independently approach a permanent / ongoing academic member of the faculty within the specialisation of their topic to discuss a proposal (or alternative proposals) to research a topic for the purpose of undertaking an Extended research or Minor thesis. Please note sessional / teaching associate academic staff are not able to supervise LAW5083 / LAW5084.

Candidates can search for suitable academic staff members using the below resources:

The proposal and proposal form is to be prepared by the candidate in consultation with the permanent/ ongoing academic faculty staff member. The proposal form must contain information such as:

  • the title of the Extended research or Minor thesis;
  • field of legal study involved in the proposed research;
  • incorporation of coursework and other work for a degree in Extended research or Minor thesis and;
  • a 600 word outline of the proposed Extended research or Minor thesis.

The completed the Proposal form, signed by both the student and the faculty academic member, must be submitted for approval to via the LAW5083/ LAW5084 Submission Google Form

Proposal Submission

Submit your proposal via the LAW5083/ LAW5084 Submission Google Form

If the form shows an error message about not having permission, please log out of all Gmail accounts, then log into only your Monash Student account, before trying again.

After submission your proposal will be assessed by the Board of Examiners at their next meeting. To confirm Board of Examiners meeting dates and appropriate submission deadlines please contact student services via ask.monash, live chat, or by calling Monash Connect.

Please note there are limited Board of Examiners meetings each year so make sure to enquiry about meeting dates as early as you can.

Supervision

The supervisor (or supervisors) shall be a member (or members) of the faculty.

Where an applicant for candidature is a member of the academic staff of the faculty, the Postgraduate Board of Examiners may admit the applicant to candidature without appointing a supervisor.

A candidate shall maintain regular contact and meet with the supervisor as required by the supervisor.

Stage 2: Approval and progress

Approval of proposal

The completed proposal form will be submitted to the Postgraduate Board of Examiners for approval and the student services team will contact the you with the outcome via your Monash email account.

If the proposal has been approved, you will be provided with an approval letter:

  • The approval letter will outline the approved topic, supervisor and submission date.
  • The submission date will not exceed a period of nine (9) months from the approval date for LAW5083.
  • The submission date will not exceed a period of twelve (12) months from the approval date for LAW5084.
  • Enrolment in this unit will be subjected to the approval and appointment of a Supervisor but it is expected that you will enrol in the unit no more than two weeks from the approval date.

You will also be granted access to the LAW5083/LAW5084  Moodle page.

Supervisor's progress report

The student is expected to consult with the supervisor at least once (or more at the discretion of the supervisor) during the time the student is enrolled in the Extended research or Minor thesis unit.

Your supervisor will have access to the Supervisor's progress report via the LAW5083/ LAW5084 Moodle page. They will fill this out  and save this to Moodle.

Stage 3: Assessment, submission and examination

Assessment

LAW5083 Extended research this unit is taken by completing a 12,000 - 15,000 words (maximum) research under appropriate supervision. Upon successful completion of the unit, the student will receive 12 credit points (2 units) and a mark. For more information, please refer to LAW5083 - Extended research Handbook entry.

LAW5084 Minor thesis this unit is taken by completing a 25,000 - 30,000 words (maximum) thesis under appropriate supervision. Upon successful completion of the unit, the student will receive 24 credit points (4 units) and a mark. For more information, please refer to LAW5084 - Minor thesis Handbook entry.

Submission

Submit the following via the LAW5083/ LAW5084 Moodle page:

By the student:

  1. One copy of the Certificate and statement of candidate form
  2. Electronic copies of the completed Extended research or Minor thesis - One Word file type one PDF file type

By the supervisor:

  1. Supervisor's progress report
  2. Supervisor's final certificate and report

Examination of the thesis

For LAW5083 Extended research the Chief Examiner will appoint two examiners to mark the final submission. Please note that the examiners have 3-4 weeks to mark the submission. The Examiners will provide the final mark and Examiner's report (docx, 86kb) to the Postgraduate Student Services office for submission to the Postgraduate Board of Examiners for approval.

For LAW5084 Minor thesis Chief Examiner will appoint two examiners to mark the final submission. One examiner should be external to the department or school. Please note that the examiners have 4-6 weeks to mark the submission. The Examiners will provide the final mark and Examiner's report (docx, 86kb) to the Postgraduate Student Services office for submission to the Postgraduate Board of Examiners for approval.

Stage 4: Completion

Outcomes

There are three possible outcomes after examination:

  • Requirements met;
  • Requirements met but minor changes required; and
  • Requirements not met.

Requirements met

If the research has met the requirements, an email will be sent to the candidate together with a copy of the examiner's and supervisor's reports. The candidate receives a mark.

Requirements met but minor changes required

If the research requires minor changes, an email will be sent to the candidate together with a copy of the examiner's and supervisor's reports. The candidate will need to re-submit the spiral bound and electronic copies within one month from the date of the letter.

Requirements not met

If the research has not met the requirements, an email will be sent to the candidate together with a copy of the examiner's and supervisor's reports. The candidate receives a Fail grade.

Completion

A completion email notification will be sent to the candidate. The final outcome will be reflected in the WES system and on your transcript.

Other matters

Extension request for submission

An extension can be applied via the Special Consideration process. The extended time of submission of the paper will not exceed a period of 3 months.

Form, style and standard of the paper

It is expected that the limits for Extended research would be 12,000-15,000 words (12 credit points/2 units) and for Minor thesis 25,000-30,000 words (24 credit points/4 units), excluding appendices, bibliography and footnotes that are purely citations.

Candidates should speak to their supervisor if the thesis appears to greatly exceed the limit.

The responsibility for the layout of the thesis and selection of the title rests with the candidate upon discussion with the supervisor.  The candidate should state generally in the preface and bibliography, and specifically in footnotes, the sources of the information and the extent to which the thesis draws on the work of others.

Version date: 05 April 2023