Board of Graduate Studies (BoGS)

Terms of Reference

• To advise the Senate – as necessary – on policy and procedures relating to postgraduate study and higher degrees – including master's degrees, doctorates and higher doctorates – including matters relevant to admission and enrolment, assessment or examination of students, matters pertaining to academic standards, and other matters deemed relevant by the Board or Senate.
• To advise the Senate on changes to postgraduate programmes, including new programmes, amendments to programme names, amendments to programme structures or regulations, and the deletion of programmes.
• To advise the Senate on changes to postgraduate papers and micro-credentials, including new papers and micro-credentials, significant amendments to the content of papers or micro-credentials, amendments to titles, amendments to prescriptions, amendments to prerequisites and other paper or micro-credential rules, amendments to teaching delivery mode or teaching period, the re-statement of suspended papers, and the deletion of papers or micro-credentials.
• To receive notification when the Board of one the academic Divisions approves new content for a postgraduate special topic paper, and to provide feedback as appropriate correcting administrative issues, via a nominated group of administrators.
• To receive reports from the University's representative on the Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP) on the work of CUAP, and to receive reports as needed from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), CUAP representative, or other members of the Board as appropriate on the work of Universities New Zealand Te Pōkai Tara (UNZ).
• To monitor recently introduced postgraduate programmes that are still in the conditional stage of CUAP approval through receiving and providing feedback on Annual Programme Reports and on Graduating Year Review reports, which must be submitted to CUAP before approval of the programme may be confirmed.
• To monitor the external moderation of postgraduate study by receiving and providing feedback on external moderation reports.
• To provide oversight to the Graduate Research Committee (GRC) and to delegate the Board's powers and responsibilities to GRC as appropriate.
• To advise the Senate on matters pertaining to graduate research, particularly such matters as progressed to the Board by GRC.
• To advise the Senate on any postgraduate academic programmes or qualifications offered by the University of Otago English Language Centre, as referred by the Board of Undergraduate Studies.
• To refer relevant matters to the Committee for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (CALT) as they arise and to receive reports from CALT in turn as needed.
• To consider and report on any matter concerning postgraduate studies referred to it by the Senate or the Vice-Chancellor.
• To consider strategic matters relating to the work of the Board, as outlined in the preceding terms.
• To establish working groups, or to commission relevant areas or staff members, to undertake tasks or projects relating to the work of the Board, as outlined in the preceding terms.

Membership

The Board has the power to co-opt as required.

Meetings for 2023

Proposal templates, resources and deadlines

Download templates for new proposals and access resources and annual proposal deadlines