Guidelines for Confirmation and Conversion

Applications for confirmation or conversion should include a summary (one A4 page) of your progress, a brief bibliography, and a projected timetable for completion of the thesis. 

The Arts Faculty requires an additional sample of writing between 8,000-10,000 words.

School of Creative Arts applicants should follow the guidelines below for the sample of writing. 

Four copies of the Confirmation application should be submitted to Coralie Crocker no less than 14 days before the confirmation date as set by the School of Graduate Studies.

Applicants for Conversion should allow six weeks to be notified by SGS as to the outcome of the application.

All applicants will be asked to attend a Confirmation/Conversion Panel convened by the School. You should be prepared to discuss the application with the panel.

Guidelines for Sample of Writing (8,000 – 10,000 words)

Part A:          Title of thesis

Part B:          A description of the research project

• Describe the project eg. This project studies/examines . . .
• Include description of creative work if applicable and ratio of creative work to dissertation (can be up to 50%)
• The aims and objectives
• Background including recent scholarship and creative practice in the area
• Significance

Part C:          Research Questions

• What is the project about?
• What is the important problem or burning questions?
• What are you trying to achieve?
• What is your hypothesis?

Part D:         The proposed research procedure(s)

• What exactly will you do?
• Outline the conceptual framework
• Outline the planned stages of the research
• Provide chapter headings and/or section headings,
• Outline the time-lines for the stages
• If a fieldwork component is envisaged, include this in the work plan to be eligible for the Faculty's Fieldwork funding after confirmation/conversion.

Part E:

List of publications produced or presentations made during Masters / PhD candidature.

Part F:

1. For thesis by dissertation only, a writing sample (8000 words)

• can be draft Introduction and a chapter
• can be two draft chapters

2. For thesis by dissertation and creative work

• draft chapter of dissertation eg. 4000 words
• sample of creative work

Note: All applicants must have the support of their supervisor.