H1 Equivalence Assessing Guidelines
Only applicants holding a First Class Honours (H1) and those assessed as Honours 1 Equivalent (H1E) are eligible for PhD scholarships.
Qualifications requiring H1 Equivalence Assessment
All qualifications other than an Undergraduate First Class Honours (or Australian equivalent awarded in the last 10 years), including H2A honours degree, coursework masters, ungraded research masters, graded masters( research component less than 66%), graduate diploma, overseas or other qualification, require Honours 1 Equivalence Assessment.
Determination of H1 Equivalence
The task of determining H1 Equivalence is undertaken by the Faculty/RC where the applicant wishes to enrol, after the receipt of a full scholarship application.
A Faculty/RC should convene a panel for the purpose of assessing H1 Equivalence.
In deciding whether a student’s qualifications are equivalent to an Australian first class honours degree, a panel of academic staff will consider an applicant’s:
- Academic record – for example, academic qualifications; grade of research component and its % of overall program; thesis examiner reports (where available); coursework unit results; extent to which units relate to acquisition of research skills, and % of coursework in overall program(s)
- Research outputs - publications such as books, journal publications, conference proceedings, major or minor creative works (as listed on page 3)
- Prior research experience – employment in an institution such as a university, research institute, government research organisation (e.g. CSIRO) where employment was for the purpose of conducting original research
- Prior professional experience – sustained/relevant work experience in the area of the proposed research which directly bears on and enhances the applicants’ research capacity.
Preparing H1E nominations
- Summarise the case succinctly using the H1E Assessment Form found at
- Refer to supporting documentation
- Provide scores that can be substantiated by the evidence
- When reviewing marks obtained from overseas institutions, look for the level of accomplishment.
Examples of Honours OneEquivalence
Many applications are favourably assessed through this process. For example, the following qualifications have in the past been considered to be equivalent to an Australian bachelors degree with first class honours:
- An ungraded MA from an Australian institution combined with 30 major solo exhibitions; over 50 juried/curated group exhibitions in Australia and overseas; and nine grants from funding bodies
- An MA from a Canadian university, and an undergraduate degree from a university in Asia; together with a strong thesis examiner report and referee report
- Two bachelors degrees and a masters by coursework with a high distinction grade for the research unit; and one refereed conference proceeding
- An upper second class honours Australian bachelors degree with a first class honours grade for the research project, combined with a first author refereed publication
Descriptions for Research Output
Book – Authored Research (A1)Authored research book (not theses) – a substantial work of scholarship bound and offered for sale under the imprint of a recognised commercial press or publisher
Journal Article – Refereed, Scholarly Journal (C1)
Refereed Journal Articles – substantial works of scholarship published in a scholarly journal following a formal process of peer review
Conference Publication - Full Paper Refereed (E1)
Full written versions of conference papers which are published. Full papers must be peer reviewed and presented at conferences of national or international significance
Book - chapter in Research Book (B)
Research Book Chapters in authored research publications, bound and offered for sale in the imprint of a recognised commercial press or publisher
Major Original Creative Work –ERA Eligible
- a curated solo exhibition in a recognised gallery or museum; must be accompanied by a catalogue;
- professionally published and distributed novel, book of poetry or collection of short stories;
- professionally produced full length play or film script;
- professionally recorded and distributed musical composition;
- professionally curated and disseminated multimedia production;
- design/architectural work: realised, constructed, fabricated building and design projects
Minor Original Creative Work including written or recorded – ERA Eligible
A portfolio of smaller works in any of the above categories: 3+ individual items professionally produced, curated and/or disseminated, accompanied by relevant documentation. In the case of design and architectural works, unrealised works will be accepted provided they are accompanied with evidence of public recognition (eg, have won or been placed in a design award).
In each case, accompany the portfolio with relevant documentation (e.g., exhibition catalogue, performance program, judges’ comments), any public reviews of the work, and a brief (250 words maximum) statement of the research question being explored and the significance and context of that question.
Curated or Produced Substantial Public Exhibitions and Events – ERA Eligible
The research is produced by curators rather than artists and covers exhibitions, festivals and other events accompanied by documentation, published catalogue, public reviews and other evidence of quality impact
From ERA FAQs:
A portfolio is a group of individual works submitted separately which together constitute a single non-traditional research output.
Individual works that are derived from the same underlying research endeavor but do not in themselves constitute research should be identified as being related where the portfolio as a whole constitutes research.
The portfolio should be able to demonstrate coherent research content. Each individual work within a portfolio must be identified by the portfolio name and the portfolio number.
Description for Relevant Research or Professional Experience
Applicants MUST provide any documentation which supports a claim of employment, skills and knowledge directly relating to the proposed study.
Examples of criteria which may be used to assess this category include:
- Writing project report(s) and other research related written materials, such as grant applications, tenders, and project reports;
- Need to show evidence of skills in designing, executing and reporting on research related projects;
- Clearly demonstrated research capability by having submitted authored research report(s) or grant applications, tenders etc;
- Published articles in professional journals (need not be refereed);
- Has provided legal/scientific expert opinion (evidence based);
- Experience in teaching a research methods unit;
- Worked as a researcher with a major firm, corporation, publisher or government agency.
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H1E Guidelines
Research Students Office March 2012