Attendance is required at initial scheduled lectures to frame the design research thesis process.
Attendance is required at the scheduled meetings with the supervisor.
Attendance is required at scheduled workshops and presentations.

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Part of this course may require additional resources. This may include specialised materials, tooling, hardware, or software. Where possible the programme will supply these items to students at cost price through the Creative store, however, students also need to be prepared to source these items at their own expense.

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license. You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Students wanting to make use of the Design Lab will need to have been inducted into the workshop. Once inducted, work within the Design Lab will be undertaken according to the Health and Safety oversight of the Design Lab technical staff.

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

• Honesty - in all aspects of research work
• Accountability - in the conduct of research
• Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
• Good stewardship – on behalf of others
• Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
• Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

All thesis submissions will be evaluated for academic integrity through Turnitin.

Generative AI tools, such as Grammarly, ChatGPT and DALL.E 2, should be approved for use by the Course Director and Supervisor. The use of AI tools should be acknowledged in a written statement in the thesis detailing any tools used and the prompts applied (where relevant).

A total grade of 50% or higher is required to pass this course.

Students are required to submit a midway progress report, co-signed by their supervisor, to the Course Director at the end of their first semester.

In the MDes Thesis, the final research outcome will include a maximum 30,000 word document, and potentially, aligned creative practical work, which must be fully documented in the written thesis (no examined practical work).

In the MDes Thesis with Creative Practice, the final research outcome is a maximum 18,000 word document (60%) and substantial practical work that can effectively stand on its own, which is assessed as 40% of the total mark.

The Guide to the Presentation and Submission of Research Components in Sub-Doctoral Qualifications provides an overview is what is expected in the final thesis outcome: https://cdn.auckland.ac.nz/assets/auckland/students/academic-information/postgraduate-students/postgraduate-policies-guidelines-and-forms/masters-policies/Guide%20to%20the%20Presentation%20and%20Submission%20of%20Research%20Components%20in%20Sub-Doctoral%20Qualifications_2023%20(002).pdf

All assignment submission items requested by the course coordinator must be uploaded to Canvas through Turnitin. No email submission will be accepted. The final thesis is submitted to the faculty for examination by the student through Web DropOff.

The Head of Programme (or suitable nominee) will appoint two examiners to assess the thesis. Neither examiner may have supervised the work nor been part of the supervisory team. At least one of the examiners must be from outside the University of Auckland. The examiners must not be from the same institution. Examiners must be appointed according to the Masters Examiner Appointment Procedures. One Graduate Advisor who must not have been involved in the supervision of the student or been an examiner of the thesis, will also be appointed.

Work must be submitted in line with the University Regulations on Masters Degrees. 

Note that all extensions or suspensions must be approved by the School of Graduate Studies. See your Supervisor or the Director of the MDes if this is required.

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor. Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

We recognise that things may happen that are outside of your control and affect your ability to complete your studies.

To apply for an extension of time, which means that you are asking for additional time to complete your research component beyond the expected submission date due to exceptional circumstances, please visit: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/postgraduate-students/postgraduate/postgraduate-extensions-and-suspensions/extension-of-a-postgraduate-programme/extension-of-a-postgraduate-programme.html

To apply for a suspension, which means that you need to take time off your programme, please visit: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/postgraduate-students/postgraduate/postgraduate-extensions-and-suspensions/suspension-of-a-postgraduate-programme.html

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.