Dear University of Auckland,

For each year 2015-2019, what proportion or percentage of graduate research degree completions were completed in the `minimum' time?

What is the `minimum' time for completing 120 and 360 point research degrees?

Does 35 weeks = 1,500 hours = 120 points, or something else?

Yours faithfully,

A person in New Zealand,

Kelly Roe.

Dear Rebecca Ewert,

The Tertiary Education Commission defines (for the purposes of SAC level 3 and above funding):

120 points = 1 EFT = 34 notional learning weeks.

https://www.tec.govt.nz/funding/funding-...

Last Updated June 17:
Qualifications and Courses
Information about qualifications (and training schemes)
EFTS value of the qualification
Full-time weeks

`The EFTS value can be calculated using the full-time weeks method, by dividing the length of tuition for the qualification in weeks by 34 (the standard number of weeks that equate to one full-time equivalent teaching or tuition year).

The Tertiary education commission states (for the purposes of SAC level 3 and above funding) that the examination period is part of the notional learning weeks.

Last updated June 17:
Qualifications and Courses
Information about qualifications (and training schemes)
Duration
Learning hours

`NZQA defines `learning hours' as all planned learning activities leading toward the achievement of program or qualification learning outcomes. Types of learning activities include but are not limited to:... examination periods.'

https://www.tec.govt.nz/funding/funding-...

_______________

So now let me ask the question, again:

How many / what proportion of PhD students at the University of Auckland have either:

1) Had 360 point PhD theses accepted in fulfilment of regulations for PhD within 34 x 3 = 102 weeks?

Or

2) Had 360 point PhD theses accepted in fulfilment of regulations for PhD within 52 x 3 = 156 weeks (where 54 weeks had been pre-budgeted as `holiday' in their timeline)?

And again, for Masters students.

Or does the University of Auckland not obtain SAC level 3 and above funding for graduate research students?

Yours sincerely,

K Roe

Updating that I *chose* to clarify my request for FYI.org.nz

Dear Rebecca Ewert,

Thankyou for confirming that Graduate Research Degrees do involve SAC funding, in New Zealand.

The Tertiary Education Commission is very clear that 120 points = 1,200 notional learning hours = 34 weeks = 1 Calendar / Academic year's worth of work.

I have provided the references for this.

The Tertiary Education Commission is telling the University (the staff, the students) the amount of work that is required for qualifications of different points values.

The examination process tells the University (the staff, the students) the quality of the work that was done within that time period and whether the quality is high enough for conferral of the Degree.

Is there some `special reason' why the University of Auckland thinks that they are above the rules when it comes to correctly informing staff, students, and the Tertiary Education Commission of the amount of work that was done / the amount of time that was spent on Graduate Research Qualifications?

The University should be keeping statistics on who completes in the `minimum, normal, or standard time' where that means:

120 points = 1,200 notional learning hours = 34 weeks = 1 Calendar / Academic year's worth of work.

That, of course, leaves time for students to take on *additional EFTS* such as a 40 point summer school enrolment and perhaps study some statistics which may (for example) help them with their statistical analysis.

If a 120 point Masters student is *invited* (and not forced or required) to `keep working' for the purpose of converting a 120 point Masters into a 180 point Masters, or a 180 point Masters into a 360 point PhD or a 360 point PhD into a 480 point PhD then that is one thing... If a student is *forced* (by withholding the degree) to produce a 360 point PhD while only signing up for and attaining credit for a 120 point Masters -- then this would seem to violate the Tertiary Education Commission Regulations. It would also violate the contract between the University and the Student when the University did not provide the good / service that the student contracted for (e.g., the University over-supplying).

You did not answer my question of `minimum time completion rates'.

Yours sincerely,

A person in New Zealand,

K Roe