Research thesis describing the background, methods and discussion of research work executed. Students will build upon the research proposal (GEOS6001) developed in their previous semester of studies.
The research PLANNING THESIS is the culminating course activity for individuals in the BRTP program. It is suitable for students seeking to undertake substantial, individual research activity that will provide a solid foundation in research and enhance students' research skills. Upon completion, high achieving students may pursue a research higher degree program or a research-orientated profession. In general, students who undertake research thesis are highly sought after and recognised by potential employers due to their ability to undertake independent, complex, multi-faceted and more research-orientated work.
Students entering PLAN4009 will have obtained official permission to enter the fourth year thesis option of the BRTP. Prior or concurrent studies in GEOS6001 Research Design and is compulsory.
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
GEOS6001 to be completed prior to or concurrently with this course.
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
PLAN4004 or PLAN4005 or PLAN4006 or PLAN4007 or PLAN4008
Bachelor of Regional and Town Planning(Honours) students only.
John Macarthur is the course coordinator, he will chair seminars and moderate grading. He is available by appointment to discuss progress issues or difficulties. The academic content of the course is delivered by individually appointed advisors.
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Students are encouraged to schedule regular meetings with their supervisor to ensure that advice is provided and regular progression is attained. It is the student's responsibility to maintain contact with their research supervisor. Students are encouraged to attend the Course Work Thesis seminar, which combines Honours and coursework Masters students in a collaborative learning experience. See Learning Activities. Students are encouraged to attend the School's Research Seminars where staff discuss their research.
The major aims of the Research Thesis are:
1. To enable students with an adequate background in Regional and Town Planning to pursue further study in one specialist topic in more depth.
2. To enhance students' capacity for independent research (usually involving primary data collection), and to acquire research skills appropriate to their area of specialisation.
3. To develop research capacity sufficient for enrolment in postgraduate research degrees, and for a specialist career.
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Demonstrate mastery and enhanced knowledge in the chosen research field
LO2.
Produce a new body of knowledge and/or improve an existing body of knowledge in a chosen research field
LO3.
Demonstrate enhanced knowledge and skills in data collection, synthesis and analysis
LO4.
Demonstrate the ability to test, validate and evaluate research results
LO5.
Demonstrate enhanced skills in critical thinking and logical analysis
LO6.
Exhibit improved management skills to complete quality research tasks in a timely manner
LO7.
Communicate effectively with expert and non-expert audiences through written, oral and graphical skills
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation | Honours thesis presentation | 20% |
Written submission 1/04/2025 2:00 pm Presentation 1/04/2025 2:00 pm |
| Thesis |
Planning Thesis
|
80% |
16/06/2025 12:00 pm |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Written submission 1/04/2025 2:00 pm
Presentation 1/04/2025 2:00 pm
Assessment Rationale:
Presentation and discussion of developed Research Proposal to the School Thesis seminar submission electronically by 2pm. In person presentation to the seminar from 2-5 pm. This assessment is marked on the written submission only. The proposal should include the following items:
Complex / authentic assessment using AI and/or MT to support learning: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and/or MT tools.
The School of Architecture, Design and Planning uses Blackboard and Turnitin for assessment submission. Turnitin is accessed through the course Blackboard site. Turnitin also checks for plagiarism or instances where the original work of others is not appropriately acknowledged. Uploaded files must contain readable text and not be rasterised. Students are advised to commence assignment uploads with sufficient amount of time (consider possible technical problems with computers, internet speed, etc). After successfully submitting an assignment through Turnitin, a ‘Submission Complete!’ screen will be displayed. It is the student’s responsibility to check assignment preview and confirm successful submission. If the ‘Submission Complete!’ screen isn’t displayed, the student should regard the submission as unsuccessful. Students should download a copy of the digital receipt as proof they have submitted the assignment. Students who are experiencing upload issues must advise the Course Coordinator immediately by email and should include screenshots and a copy of the assessment for submission.
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
If a student wishes to apply for an extension, they must apply online on or before the assignment due date. When possible, it is suggested that requests are submitted 2 business days prior to the submission due date for the assignment to allow processing time. Students with outstanding applications for extensions are advised to submit their assessment by the original due date, irrespective of whether the work is complete, so that what has been done can be graded.
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
An initial penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted for the first 2-hour block. A second penalty of an additional 20% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted for the second 2-hour block (adding up to penalty of 30% of the maximum possible mark). Any submissions received after this point will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each two-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
16/06/2025 12:00 pm
Assessment Rationale:
The expected word limit for the final planning thesis is 8,000-12,000 words. The requirements for the Thesis are a demonstration of research design, methodology and argument as in the Research Proposal developed by the student and agreed by the supervisor. See the Course File for marking criteria.
Complex / authentic assessment using AI and/or MT to support learning: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and/or MT tools.
Identity Verified Assessment
Regular supervisions and submission of work in progress across the semester is required in order for the identity of the student to be confirmed.
The School of Architecture, Design and Planning uses Blackboard and Turnitin for assessment submission. Turnitin is accessed through the course Blackboard site. Turnitin also checks for plagiarism or instances where the original work of others is not appropriately acknowledged. Uploaded files must contain readable text and not be rasterised. Students are advised to commence assignment uploads with sufficient amount of time (consider possible technical problems with computers, internet speed, etc). After successfully submitting an assignment through Turnitin, a ‘Submission Complete!’ screen will be displayed. It is the student’s responsibility to check assignment preview and confirm successful submission. If the ‘Submission Complete!’ screen isn’t displayed, the student should regard the submission as unsuccessful. Students should download a copy of the digital receipt as proof they have submitted the assignment. Students who are experiencing upload issues must advise the Course Coordinator immediately by email and should include screenshots and a copy of the assessment for submission.
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
If a student wishes to apply for an extension, they must apply online on or before the assignment due date. When possible, it is suggested that requests are submitted 2 business days prior to the submission due date for the assignment to allow processing time. Students with outstanding applications for extensions are advised to submit their assessment by the original due date, irrespective of whether the work is complete, so that what has been done can be graded.
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
An initial penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted for the first 2-hour block. A second penalty of an additional 20% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted for the second 2-hour block (adding up to penalty of 30% of the maximum possible mark). Any submissions received after this point will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each two-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 24 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 54 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 55 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Identity verified assessment (IVA) - Thesis Courses
Thesis Courses require students to plan, conduct and report on research in an iterative and cumulative way throughout the duration of the course.
To meet assessment validity and integrity obligations in Thesis Courses students must regularly present and discuss their work with teaching staff over the course of scheduled learning activities including lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops, individual and group consultations, and presentations. Students are expected to participate in at least 80% of scheduled learning activities in which the progress of their work is intended to be monitored and reviewed. If participation in such activities falls below 80%, students may be asked to submit process work (including drawings, analysis of research data, drafts of written assessments). If a student is not able to provide evidence of authorship to the satisfaction of the course coordinator, or if their participation falls below 50%, a maximum grade of 3 will be awarded.
Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.
Supplementary assessment may be considered in thesis courses in some circumstances, for example if the research is complete and the findings reportable, but the final presentation of the work/dissertation is incomplete. Supplementary assessment will not be considered on the basis of incomplete or unfinished research, or in circumstances where there is no practical supplementary assessment option available.
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Tutorial |
Supervision Regular weekly or fortnightly meetings with the Advisor to the equivalent of one hour per week. Regular attendance and showing work in progress is a requirement. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Workshop |
Initial Meeting Tuesday 4th March (Week 2) 2pm-5pm, room 51-304 A briefing on course requirements for thesis students in Architecture and Planning. A short description of topics by the students. Please make sure you have met your supervisor in Week 1 and confirm your topic. Learning outcomes: L01, L05, L07 |
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Workshop |
Seminar Tuesday 1 April (Week 6) 2pm-5pm, room 51-304 Presentation of Updated Research Proposal. Students verbally present their up-to-date research plan, which is then submitted for assessment by 2pm 1 April The verbal presentation is not assessed, it's purpose is formative feedback and peer learning. Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
Week 10 (05 May - 11 May) |
Workshop |
Dissertation workshop Tuesday 6th May (Week10) 2pm-5pm, room 51-304 Workshop on the structuring and writing of the research dissertations. Not assessed, peer learning and staff guidance. Learning outcomes: L05, L07 |
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.