Dissertation (PUBH7959)

Course overview

The dissertation allows students to consolidate and extend the knowledge and skills acquired during the coursework and apply these in a scientific way in a public health. It can form the basis of a paper publishable in a (inter)national peer-reviewed journal in the dissertation's topic area.

Before enrolling, students must successfully complete #8 units of core coursework and obtain permission from the course coordinator. It is recommended that students have a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 5.5 over the core courses. Full-time students enrol in PUBH7950 and complete the dissertation in one semester. Part-time students enrol in PUBH7955 if commencing in Semester 1 and submit Dissertation at the end of Semester 2 of the same year, or PUBH7959 if commencing in Semester 2 and submit Dissertation at the end of Semester 1 of the following year.

A dissertation is a major research undertaking in the School of Public Health which is worth 8 credit points.

Course requirements

Assumed background

This needs to be discussed on an individual basis with your dissertation supervisor.ﾠﾠIn some cases specific electives will be recommended. It is assumed that the dissertation will be completed in a student's final two semesters of study.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

8 units of core coursework

Recommended prerequisites

We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:

A minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 5.5 over these core courses

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

GHSP7950 or GHSP7955 or PCAH7020 or PCAH7022 or PUBH7017 or PUBH7018 or PUBH7950 or PUBH7955 or PUBH7957 or SP800

Course contact

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Classes are not timetabled for this course.

Students and their research supervisor/s should establish regular meeting times to discuss the conduct and outcomes of this course.ﾠ Students should submit drafts regularly to their supervisor/s for feedback and incorporate that feedback into their final submission.ﾠ

Aims and outcomes

The aim of the Dissertation is to consolidate and extend the knowledge and skills acquired during coursework and apply this knowledge and utilise these skills in undertaking a guided research activity in a public health or (clinical) epidemiological context.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Research Pitch

Mode

Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia

Category

Presentation

Weight

20%

Due date

14/10/2024 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07

Task description

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Dissertation Report

Mode

Written

Category

Thesis

Weight

70%

Due date

30/05/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08

Task description

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Please see 10. Policies & Guidelines

Supervisor Report

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Placement

Weight

10%

Due date

13/06/2025 2:00 pm

Task description

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

The Dissertation Rubric is available from the Learning Resources section of theﾠBlackboard site for PUBH7959.

Students completing dissertations are unlikely to have their degree conferred until the end of the semesterﾠfollowingﾠsubmission of their dissertation.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

The final grade awarded will be based on the results of the supplementary assessment only, and a passing grade will be awarded if, and only if, the student receives at least 50% of the marks on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

Students and their research supervisor/s should establish regular meeting times to discuss the conduct and outcomes of this course. Students should submit drafts regularly to their supervisor/s for feedback and incorporate that feedback into their final submission.

Process for submission of Dissertation

1. The principal supervisor will nominate and gain agreement to mark the dissertation from two examiners. Usually, one examiner is internal to the School of Public Health (SPH) and the other external. However, both examiners can be external. The chief examiner must be confident that no conflict of interest exists. It is the principal supervisor's responsibility to submit the names and contact details of the examiners to SPH Teaching & Assessment Support Team (email:ﾠmed.sph.teachassess@uq.edu.au). The student and the principal supervisor must agree that the final report is ready for examination.
2. Students must complete and attach a School of Public Health cover sheet to the final report.
3. Final reports are due on the last Friday of teaching weeks for the semester.
4. The Dissertation Rubric is available from the PUBH7959 Blackboard site under the Learning Resources.ﾠ
5. The student will submit a final copy of the dissertation electronically via the community Blackboard site, plus forward a PDF copy to SPH Teaching & Assessment Support Team (email:ﾠmed.sph.teachassess@uq.edu.au).

Dissertation examination

Examiners are requested to complete the marking of a dissertation within a 6-8 week timeframe. A third examiner may be asked to assess the final report if there is a difference of more than 20 marks between the two examiners’ marks. If a third examiner is used, the final grade will be moderated by the Course Coordinator and/or Program Director. The examiner's marking sheet, comments, and final mark will be forwarded to theﾠSPH Teaching & Assessment Support Teamﾠso that a grade can be finalised. Comments will then be forwarded to the student and the supervisor.

Students completing dissertations are unlikely to have their degree conferred until the end of the subsequent semester following submission of their dissertation.

Learning resources

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

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

To be decided between the supervisor and the student

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

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:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

Course guidelines

School of Public Health (SPH) Guidelines for late submission of progressive assessment - Preamble

To apply for an extension to the due date for a piece of progressive assessment (eg assignments, oral presentations and computer-based assignments) students should complete the online request at  https://my.uq.edu.au/node/218/1 

Information regarding deferral of in-semester exams and end-of-semester exams is available from https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/deferring-exam 

If requesting an extension on medical grounds, a medical certificate must be provided. The extension will be approved for the number of days included in the medical certificate that the student was not fit to study or work, eg if the medical certificate is for 3 days, an extension will be approved for 3 days maximum regardless of the student's request.  

If requesting an extension using a Student Access Plan for Disability (SAPD) as evidence, a maximum of 7-day extension will be approved in the first instance. Updated medical documentation, as well as a copy of the SAPD, is required if requesting an extension for more than 7 days. 

The maximum time for an in-semester extension is four weeks.  

The following SPH guidelines are consistent with the UQ policy. However, the SPH Guidelines contain specific rules and interpretations for SPH courses, and requests for extension and penalties for late submissions will be judged according to the guidelines outlined in this document. You should read both the information in your my.UQ at the following link: https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/applying-assessment-extension?p=1#1 and the SPH guidelines (below) before submitting a request for an extension. The SPH Guidelines apply to all courses offered by the School of Public Health unless the ECP explicitly states otherwise.

SPH Guidelines for late submission of progressive assessment

Initial extension for an individual item of assessment – the SPH Teaching & Assessment Support Team and/or the Course Coordinator decides.

This could be for medical or compassionate reasons, or if, in the opinion of the Course Coordinator, there are exceptional circumstances.

Acceptable and unacceptable reasons for an extension are listed at the following link, along with the required evidence to be provided: https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/applying-assessment-extension?p=1#1 

All requests should be lodged at least 24 hours prior to the due date for the assessment.

If applying for an extension after the due date and time of the assessment item, your request may not be approved. An explanation as to why your request was not submitted prior must be included.       

If approved, a new due date will be set. This would generally be no later than 7 days after the original due date, however this can be modified to take account of the circumstances of the request and the time that would have been lost from studies.

If the new due date is past the date for submission of end-of-semester results, the student will receive an INC (incomplete) result.

Second and all subsequent extensions for an individual item of assessment – the SPH Teaching & Assessment Support Team and/or the Program Director together with the Course Coordinator decides.

This would only be approved for exceptional circumstance with supporting documentation.

• Online requests must be made at least 24 hours prior to the due date from the first extension.
• The SPH Teaching & Assessment Support Team and/or the Course Coordinator will consult with the Program Director, who will make the final decision.
• If approved, the new due date would generally be no later than 7 days after the first extension due date.
• The Program Director should consider if remedial or other support should be offered to the student.
• The Program Director should provide a report on these matters as needed at SPH Examiners’ Meetings.

Please Note: In order to support course progression, extensions that total more than 14 calendar days from the original due date of an assessment item will only be approved in very exceptional circumstances. These requests are assessed and approved or denied on a case-by-case basis. 

If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty.

Penalty for late submission

Submission of assignments, practical reports, workbooks, and other types of written assessments after the due date specified in the Electronic Course Profile (ECP) will receive a penalty.

The penalty will be a deduction of 10% RELATIVE PERCENTAGE per day (24 hour period or part thereof, including weekends and public holidays) or for work graded on a 1-7 scale, a deduction of one grade per day, e.g If the original mark is 73%, then 10% relative percentage is 10% of this value, ie 7.3%, The final mark for this assessment item after applying the penalty for 1 day late submission would be 73 -7.3 = 65.7% The same outcome is achieved by multiplying the original score by .9; ie 73 x .9 = 65.7%

The penalty for multiple days late is the relative percentage multiplied by the number of days late. 

A submission that is not made within 10 days of the due date will receive a mark of 0% for that assessment item.

Where a student has sought more than one extension, the due date for calculating the penalty will be the due date for the most recently approved extension.

Submission of Medical Certificates

Students are responsible for ensuring that any medical documentation they submit is authentic and signed by a registered medical practitioner. Such practitioners can be identified via the AHPRA website. Also note that:

• Not all online medical services are staffed by registered practitioners
• If the registration status of the practitioner cannot be verified, then an alternative practitioner should be sought
• Students will be held fully responsible for all documentation they submit, even if done so in ignorance of the practitioner's registration status

Medical documentation may be subjected to an audit by the University.

SPH Assessment Guidelines

The School of Public Health assessment tasks have been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. While students may us AI 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 AI 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 tools.