Milestone reviews

You must complete milestones within a specific window of time. It’s your responsibility to plan and present before the close of the window. 

View your milestone windows on the candidate details page in Enrolment Online (Go to My Student Records> View Research Candidature details). Your “milestone due date” is the last day of your milestone window. Plan to present well before this date. 

Milestone windows are calculated using Equivalent Full-Time Study Load (EFTSL). This ensures all candidates have the same amount of time to present their milestones, regardless of their study load or if they have changed between full-time and part-time load. 

If you don’t complete your milestone within four weeks of the end of the milestone window, you will be nominated for action and support. Your supervisory team and your HDR Delegated Authority (HDR DA) will work with you to produce a Candidate Action and Support Plan (CASP) to help you get back on track with your research and complete your milestone. 

Confirmation of Candidature 

You are only eligible for an exemption from your Confirmation of Candidature if you transferred between HDR programs at the same level. You will need to submit evidence of successfully completing your Confirmation of Candidature in the previous program. This includes candidates transferring between schools at RMIT and from other institutions. 

Second Milestone Review 

Exemptions can’t be granted for the Second Milestone Review. 

Third Milestone Review 

Exemptions cannot be granted for the Third Milestone Review. However, if your enrolment has been cancelled and you are applying for readmission for the purpose of examination, you may be excused from completing this milestone providing the school is satisfied that your research is ready for examination. 

You will receive a reminder from the School of Graduate Research (SGR) when your milestones are due. Your supervisory team should schedule your milestone presentations for you as part of a milestone conference or, in exceptional circumstances, as a standalone presentation. 

It is your responsibility to keep track of your milestones and be prepared to present during your milestone window. If your milestone review presentation is not scheduled by the time you receive your reminder, contact your supervisors or Research Training Services via the Student Connect portal. 

The HDR milestone process has moved from local school-based events to a college-wide series of conferences. The conferences bring together HDR candidates and academic staff to support their peers and hear about the research being done across their college. 

You will be expected to present your milestone for review at one of several milestone conferences throughout the year. 

Please see the dates for your college below: 

• College of Business and Law
• College of Design and Social Context
• STEM College 

Each milestone requires you to present your research to a review panel and your research community.

Your review panel will be chaired by an experienced, research active supervisor within your school. The panel will also include your supervisors and one or more independent panel member(s). Independent panel members are RMIT supervisors with knowledge in your area of research or methodology, or individuals external to RMIT with a doctoral or equivalent qualification.

Milestone presentations occur at Milestone Conferences, or in exceptional circumstances, at standalone presentations.

The presentations are a minimum of 20 minutes, with more time for questions from both your review panel and the wider audience. At the presentation, your review panel will give you feedback on your research to date, and advice and guidance for the future direction of your research. Audience members are not part of your formal progress review. However, they may give you insights and advice after your presentation.

You’ll be provided with your outcome and formal feedback within three weeks of your presentation.

Your Confirmation of Candidature marks your first significant milestone in your Higher Degree by Research (HDR) program. Your candidature is considered ‘probationary’ until you successfully complete your Confirmation of Candidature. 

In your Confirmation of Candidature, you will produce written documentation with a research proposal and present your research proposal and progress to your review panel and wider research community. 

Discuss the requirements and expectations of your Confirmation of Candidature with your supervisory team and/or your HDR Delegated Authority (HDR DA) before submitting the written documentation. Your school or discipline may have additional requirements. 

Submit written documentation at least 15 days before your milestone presentation to give your panel time to review. You will be given instructions once your milestone is scheduled. 

The written documentation for your Confirmation of Candidature must include: 

• A research proposal 
• Evidence of any pending or completed research outputs, either sole or co-authored (if applicable) 
• Evidence you have completed required courses 
• Evidence of ethics approval and institutional biosafety approvals, if needed 
• Other requirements of your school or discipline.

Research proposal 

You must produce a detailed written research proposal that clearly outlines the research questions you will be pursuing and situates your work within the broader scholarly literature. It must include: 

• Your thesis/project title 
• Abstract (summary of your research) 
• The rationale, objectives and research questions you are planning to focus on 
• An explanation of how your research is situated in the context of your discipline or community of practice 
• Methodology (how you will undertake the proposed project) 
• An initial review of literature and references 
• An outline/summary of your progress against your research plan.

Required courses 

You must provide evidence you have completed, are currently enrolled in or have been exempted from any compulsory courses as outlined in your program plan.

You must also provide evidence you have completed the following online modules:

• Research Integrity
• Respectful Research Training for Candidates
• Module/s covering Intellectual Property and Commercialisation (if appropriate).
• Module/s covering human ethics, animal ethics and institutional biosafety (if appropriate).

See HDR Progress Management and Support Schedule 1 for more information.

Ethics approval 

If you have submitted an ethics application but you have not yet been granted approval, your Confirmation of Candidature outcome may be placed on hold until your ethics approval is granted. 

The Second Milestone Review is the intermediate milestone in your Higher Degree by Research (HDR) program. It marks the mid-way point of your research degree. 

You will now be starting to gain a sense of the ultimate shape of your project or thesis. This milestone review is an opportunity for you to take stock of your progress and to receive valuable feedback from your research community. 

Successfully completing this milestone shows you are on the way to finishing your HDR on time. 

In your Second Milestone Review, you will produce a significant piece of work (written work and/or creative project) and present your research to your review panel and wider research community. 

Discuss the requirements and expectations of your Second Milestone Review with your supervisory team and/or your HDR Delegated Authority (HDR DA) before submitting the written documentation. Your school or discipline may have additional requirements. 

Submit written documentation at least 15 days before your milestone presentation to give your panel time to review. You will be given instructions once your milestone is scheduled. 

The written documentation for your Second Milestone Review must include: 

• A research summary 
• Work towards your research 
• Evidence of any pending or completed research outputs, either sole or co-authored (if applicable) 
• Evidence of ethics approval and institutional biosafety approvals, if needed 
• Other requirements of your school or discipline.

Research summary 

Your research summary must include: 

• Your thesis/project title 
• Abstract (summary of your research) 
• The rationale, objectives and research questions you plan to focus on 
• An explanation of how your research is situated in the context of your discipline or community of practice 
• Updated methodology (how you will undertake the proposed project) 
• Updated review of literature and references including a list of key readings and references 
• Updated outline/summary of your progress against your research plan 
• A summary of any changes to your candidature since your Confirmation of Candidature.

Work towards your research 

The work required depends on your research. 

If you are developing a thesis, you must submit (as appropriate for your discipline): 

• at least two draft chapters of your thesis or 
• equivalent in draft or published papers.

If you are doing creative project-based research, you must submit: 

• a draft of your dissertation and 
• a portfolio of work (a portfolio is a representation of your final project outcome, in images, recordings or text, depending on your project).

Required courses

You must give evidence you have completed, are currently enrolled in or have been exempted from any compulsory courses as outlined in your program plan.

Congratulations! You are now moving into the final stages of your candidature. 

The Third Milestone Review is the third and final milestone in your Higher Degree by Research (HDR) program. Successfully completing this milestone shows you are on track to finish your HDR. 

In your Third Milestone Review, you will produce an advanced draft of your thesis or project (written work and/or creative project) and present your research to your Review Panel and wider research community. 

Discuss the requirements and expectations of your Third Milestone Review with your supervisory team and/or your HDR Delegated Authority (HDR DA) before submitting the written documentation. Your school or discipline may have additional requirements.

Submit written documentation at least 15 days before your milestone presentation to give your panel time to review. You will be given instructions once your milestone is scheduled. 

The written documentation for your Third Milestone Review must include: 

• A research summary 
• Work towards your research 
• Evidence of any pending or completed research outputs, either sole or co-authored (if applicable) 
• Other requirements of your school or discipline.

Research summary 

Your research summary must include: 

• Your thesis/project title 
• Abstract (summary of your research) 
• The rationale, objectives and research questions you plan to focus on 
• An explanation of how your research is situated in the context of your discipline or community of practice 
• Updated methodology (how you will undertake the proposed project) 
• Updated review of literature and references including a list of key readings and references 
• Updated outline/summary of your progress against your research plan 
• A summary of any changes to your candidature since your Second Milestone Review.

Work towards your research 

The work needed depends on your research. 

If you are developing a thesis, you must submit (as appropriate for your discipline): 

• at least four draft chapters of your thesis or 
• equivalent in draft or published papers.

If you are doing creative project-based research, you must submit: 

• an advanced draft of your dissertation and 
• a portfolio of work (a portfolio is a representation of your final project outcome, in images, recordings or text, depending on your project).

Required Courses

You must give evidence you have completed, are currently enrolled in or have been exempted from any compulsory courses as outlined in your program plan.

Generally, you will receive an official outcome notification via your student email address and access to your panel’s feedback via Enrolment Online within three weeks of your presentation. If you have not received your outcome and feedback contact Research Training Services via the Student Connect portal. 

Your milestone has the following possible outcomes: 

• Milestone achieved: you have successfully met the requirements of the milestone and your research is on track. Your milestone review panel may make recommendations. If the recommendations are specified in the formal feedback, you must work with your supervisory team to address the recommendations within a reasonable timeframe. 

• Major amendments required: you have not met the requirements of the milestone. Major amendments to your documentation are required. 
  If you receive this outcome, you will be nominated for action and support. Your supervisory team and your HDR Delegated Authority (HDR DA) will work with you to produce a Candidate Action and Support Plan (CASP) to help you get back on track with your research and represent your milestone to meet the requirements. 

• Ethics pending (Confirmation of Candidature only): your review panel has determined you have achieved your milestone. However, you did not provide evidence that your research has the required approvals from the ethics team. When your ethics is approved, contact Research Training Services via the Student Connect portal to provide evidence of your ethics approval and they will update your student record. 

• Transfer to PhD: you have opted to transfer from a Masters by Research program to a PhD program. This program transfer can only happen during the Second Milestone Review window and must be agreed to by your Milestone Review Panel, your supervisory team and your HDR Delegated Authority (HDR DA) before the milestone takes place. The notification will include instructions on the next steps to changing your program. 
• Achieved, transfer to Masters by Research: you have opted to transfer from a PhD program to a Masters by Research program. The program transfer must be requested before attempting the milestone and be in accordance with the HDR Admissions and Enrolment Procedure. Your milestone outcome notification will include instructions on the next steps for changing your program.
• Not achieved, transfer to Masters by Research: you have not met the requirements of your PhD milestone and the panel recommends that you consider a transfer to a Master by Research program, in accordance with the HDR Admissions and Enrolment Procedure. If you do not wish to transfer to a Masters by Research, the outcome could be changed to 'Major Amendments Required'.