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Department of Human Geography

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Postgraduate Handbook


Welcome Welcome to the Department of Human Geography at Macquarie University. This document outlines departmental policies covering research postgraduates and provides links to other administrative units within Macquarie that you may need during your candidature.

The guide does not cover every question that may arise whilst you are a research postgraduate, but it does provide signposts to whom you may contact. In particular, this guide does not provide detail on university rules and forms regarding enrolment and change of program as it expects you to become familiar with these. In addition, it does not address issues of teaching and other casual employment within the department. These are the responsibility of yourselves, the Head of Department and individual members of academic staff.

PART A:   CANDIDATURE

Supervisor and Student Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the supervisor to: ensure that a candidate maintains satisfactory progress within the specified terms of his/her candidature; that appropriate advice on the content and form of the thesis is offered; and that work towards the thesis is subject to regular and constructive critical review.

Macquarie University has a code of supervisory practice to which all departments must adhere. The details of this code are not outlined here. When you first enroll, you and your supervisor should obtain them from the HDRU website http://www.research.mq.edu.au/students/current_students/hdrguide and discuss them. Pay particular attention to the guidelines pertaining to 'agreement between candidate and supervisor', 'regular meetings between candidate and supervisor to discuss progress' and 'procedures for dealing with problems of supervision or progress'. Supervisor and student responsibilities and relations will also be discussed at progress interviews. Your supervisor should be your first contact with any queries.

It is the responsibility of the student to: become familiar with university rules regarding their enrolment; complete the degree within the specified time period; and complete research at a sufficient standard. Students are also required to complete the formal monitoring processes described below.

Changes to Candidature

You may need to change the details of your candidature - from full-time to part-time, take a leave of absence, etc. Such changes should be discussed with your supervisor. Forms can be found on the HDRU website.

Commencement Program

University and departmental commencement programs are compulsory for all new research students. University commencement programs are held in February and July; details are on the HDRU website. There is a web-based version for those unable to attend in person.

The departmental commencement program is held in late February/early March. This program is summarized here; it is covered in detail in a separate document. The commencement program includes:

Research Training Program

There are two components to the Department of Human Geography Research Training Program.

  1. All new research students must enrol in or audit HGEO806 and HGEO807. These units take students through the main intellectual currents in human geography and provide students with an introduction to methods, ethics and fieldwork. At the completion of these two units, students should have
    1. a comprehensive literature review of their chosen topic
    2. a research proposal ready to be presented to the department.
  2. At the end of the first six months of candidature (pro-rata for part-time) the student will present a proposal to the department.

If the proposal is deemed satisfactory, the research training program will be successfully completed.

Presentation of Proposal

At the end of your first six months of candidature (pro-rata for part-time) you are required to present a research proposal to the department along with a report on progress thus far and goals for the next year. The research presentation will be followed by another meeting between yourself, your supervisor, the Head of Department and the Postgraduate Coordinator in which we will review supervisory arrangements, your progress so far, and outline goals for the subsequent year. If progress is deemed to be unsatisfactory, further goals and timelines will be established, and a further review date established.

Monitoring your progress

It is important to the department and to yourselves that you complete your studies within the timeframe set by the Federal Government - four years for a full-time PhD, eight years for part-time. The department and university thus have in place a set of procedures for ensuring timely completion. It is a university requirement that every postgraduate student complete an annual progress report. Satisfactory progress on this report will not be attained unless the departmental review procedures are satisfactorily met, and the two postgraduate workshops successfully completed.

The department requires you to completed annual review documents (attached to this guide) and an associated interview. These documents ask you to outline your thesis area, progress in the previous year (with reference to previous goals), and your goals and timetable for the next year. A meeting will then be held with a review panel (yourself, your supervisor, the postgraduate coordinator, and Head of Department). The aim of this meeting is to discuss your report.

Delays (if any) in achieving goals are identified by the student in consultation with the review panel. These delays are discussed with the review panel and mechanisms for ensuring timely completion developed. If the review panel believes that insufficient progress has been made (e.g. persistently not meeting deadlines by 3 months or more), then the recommendation for another review in 6 months is made. At the end of this meeting you will receive an agreed upon record of the meeting and an outline of goals for the subsequent year.

During the meeting you will also be asked to comment on the quantity and quality of supervision. Your supervisor will be absent during this phase of the interview. This is part of our commitment to achieving excellence in supervision. Please remember that this meeting is not an inquisition, but an opportunity to reflect on the past year, commend satisfactory progress and/or identify possible difficulties and attempt to rectify them.

Annual Postgraduate Workshop

Although research in the social sciences and humanities is often an individual pursuit, students and the department benefit from discussing issues as a group. Each year, two compulsory workshops will be held. The first will be in May, covering general research issues. These include research design and planning; fieldwork issues; writing strategies; and employment opportunities for graduates.

In October of each year, all postgraduates (regardless of stage) will be required to give a 20 minute presentation at a postgraduate seminar day. The date and details will be available well in advance.

PART B:   FACILITIES

The Postgraduate Studies Section web page contains information on university wide facilities available to you http://www.mq.edu.au/postgrad .

Space: University policy on space is that full-time postgraduates should receive one third of an office and part-time students are ineligible for office space. Nonetheless, all Human Geography research postgraduates will be given office space for the first four years of candidature (eight years part-time), but after that is dependent on availability. Typically office space is shared with other postgraduates and we expect usual sharing etiquette to be followed.

Desktop Computing: each postgraduate will have access to a networked computer that is no less than 2 years old at the beginning of their candidature. All offices house a computer to allow access to email and the worldwide web. The Divisional IT group helpdesk is your first step in troubleshooting:
http://www.els.mq.edu.au/IT-Helpdesk/default-text.html.

Qualitative Data Analysis Software: the Department owns 5 copies of NVivo which are available for postgraduate use. There is a charge of $125 p.a. to cover the maintenance costs of this software. The CD of the software should be signed out from the Human Geography office and the sign-out sheet filled in. The CD should be used to install the software on a desktop computer, and returned immediately to the office.

Quantitative Data Analysis Software: none is currently available to postgraduates, but will be looked into if the need arises.

Photocopying: your library card doubles as a rechargeable photocopy card. There is also a departmental photocopier in E7A level 6. Photocopy charges are to be budgeted for and paid from individual HDRU accounts.

Email/computers: email accounts can be established by Phil Ingram (ext. 8401; email pingram@els.mq.edu.au .

GIS Laboratory: postgraduate students have access to the GIS research laboratory with industry standard software. See Mike Poulsen (ext. 8407; email mpoulsen@els.mq.edu.au) for assistance.

The Department operates a multimedia and design facility to which Postgraduate students can gain access by contacting Judy Davis (ext. 8473; email jdavis@els.mq.edu.au).

PART C:   SAFETY AND ETHICS

Most (though not all) human geography research programs involve some form of fieldwork, ranging from spending a year with a community in the Northern Territory to interviews with corporate executives in Sydney's financial district. You and your supervisor will determine the exact nature of your research, but there are two issues pertinent to all forms of fieldwork - safety and ethics.

Safety
You are obliged to satisfy the department that you are aware of the potential risks your research might pose to yourself, and that you can take reasonable steps to avoid those risks. You should obtain a 'fieldwork proposal' form from your supervisor and fill it in before beginning fieldwork.

Ethics
All research involving human subjects (formal or informal interviews, questionnaires, etc.) at Macquarie University must show that it is ethically appropriate. To do this you must apply to the University Ethics Committee for clearance. Application forms and guidelines are available at: http://www.ro.mq.edu.au/ethics/human/. After consultation with your supervisor, fill in the application form, append the necessary attachments and hand the form to Richie Howitt, the department's representative on the committee. Richie will make initial comments on your application and forward it to the university committee.

PART D:   FUNDING

The University and Department offer generous financial support to research postgraduates: $4,000 per annum for full-time students; $2,000 per annum for part-time students. This support will be available for the relevant candidature periods: up to 4 years for full-time PhD students; up to 8 years for part-time PhD students; up to 2 years for full-time Masters by Research students; and up to 4 years for full-time Masters by Research students. These funds will be made available at the beginning of each year. You will be given an account number, and name. In this guide and the following discussion of policies for expenditure, these are called 'HDRU accounts'.

Appropriate Expenditure

A range of activities could be supported with this sum. The principal guideline is that the money should be used to facilitate the student's research and timely completion of the degree. Likely expenses include (though note this is not an exhaustive list):

Remember, that all items purchased through HDRU accounts remain university property.

Items available from the Departmental Pool of Equipment

It is recognised that you may need some items for only some items (e.g. transcription machines, software, digital cameras). Some of these are available for hire from the Department, and you should see your supervisor for details.

Budgeting and Approval

At the beginning of each year you are required to prepare a budget for the year. These should take the form provided in the Appendix. You should work closely with your supervisor in preparing the budget. When making a purchase, travel booking, etc., you must fill in the approval form and have your supervisor sign it.

Arranging and Managing Expenses

All purchases etc are handled by the Finance Officers in the ELS Centre. The current Human Geography officer is Meredith McGregor. Once you have your supervisors' approval, you should follow University procedures to arrange the purchase, or travel etc.

Statements of expenditure on your accounts can be printed out for you by the Human Geography Office. Remember, though, it is your responsibility to keep track of how much you have spent.

Other Research, Conference and Travel Funding

Macquarie University Postgraduate Research Fund : Once in their period of candidature students are eligible to apply for the. Commonly these funds are used for an international conference, though in special circumstances research costs can be supported. Funds are allocated according to merit and are based on an application. More details are available from the Research Office at http://www.ro.mq.edu.au. Please speak to Robyn Dowling before submitting your application.

Institute of Australian Geographers: this national organization of geographers offers travel grants to postgraduates presenting a paper at an IAG Annual Conference. You can obtain more information from your supervisor and/or the IAG web page at http://www.iag.org.au/ .

Macquarie University International Office offers travel grants to students conducing fieldwork or attending conferences overseas. Various deadlines and criteria apply; see the .pdf file:
http://www.international.mq.edu.au/scholarships/travel_grants

PART E:   IMPORTANT CONTACTS

Department Resources and their Use
(conducted by Executive Officers) E7A room 602

Occupational Health and Safety Issues and After-hours Building Access
(conducted by Ron Claassens) E7A room 725

Finances
(conducted by Human Geography Postgraduate Coordinator and ELS Finance Officer) E7A room 102

Computing support, printing access, photocopying access
(conducted by Human Geography Postgraduate Coordinator and ELS IT Support) E7A room 722

Department Postgraduate Coordinator
(Robyn Dowling, ext.7477; email rdowling@els.mq.edu.au): is the coordinator of Postgraduate Studies for the department. Contact Robyn with general questions you have about departmental policies, scholarships, progress reports etc. The Postgraduate Coordinator can also be contacted to discuss matters you feel you cannot raise with your supervisor.

ELS Centre and Website
(Level 1, Building E7A; http://www.els.mq.edu.au): houses divisional finance officers, an enquiry desk and the Dean of Division. The ELS intranet and G: drive are maintained from here.

ELS IT HelpDesk
http://www.els.mq.edu.au/staff/index.htm: for troubleshooting of PC/Email problems.

Head of Department of Human Geography
A/Prof Richie Howitt; ext 8386; email rhowitt@els.mq.edu.au: responsible for allocation of space and other resources, as well as final signing authority on some university forms. Head of Department can also be contacted to discuss matters you feel you cannot raise with your supervisor.

Higher Degree Research Unit
(ext. 7987; http://www.ro.mq.edu.au/HDRU/; email hdrenq@vc.mq.edu.au): the administrative unit responsible for the oversight of candidature, scholarships, and postgraduate research policy in the university. Any enquiries about candidature that cannot be resolved by your supervisor should go the HDRU. Relevant forms for candidature, scholarship, thesis submission, etc. can be found on the website.

Human Geography Office
(ext.8382; email humgeog@els.mq.edu.au): can answer general questions about stationery, purchases and liaison with the ELS Centre.

Interdisc
http://www.crsi.mq.edu.au/Interdisc.htm is an interdisciplinary discussion group focused on issues of concern to postgraduates in the social sciences, which also aims to provide a forum for people to present papers they're working on.

MUPRA
(Macquarie University Postgraduate Representative Association at http://www.mq.edu.au/mupra/ is the postgraduate student representative body on campus.

PART F:   FORMS YOU WILL NEED

These forms are all in .pdf format.

Request for Funds

Annual Review

Goals Review

Comments and Summary

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