View Current

Medals and Executive Dean's Awards Policy

This is the current version of this document. To view historic versions, click the link in the document's navigation bar.

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) This policy states the requirements of Charles Sturt University (the University) for recognising students’ academic achievement by awarding the Charles Sturt Medal, University Medals and the Executive Dean’s Awards.

(2) This policy ensures that students’ academic achievements are recognised and celebrated in a manner that is fair, consistent and aligned with the University's values.

Scope

(3) This policy applies to staff and students of the University, including students enrolled in courses delivered in partnership with third parties.

Top of Page

Section 2 - Policy

University Medals

(4) University Medals are awarded to eligible graduating students to recognise outstanding academic achievement, as set out in the following table:

Medal type Number awarded each year Eligibility criteria Awarded by
Undergraduate University Medal No limit
The student must:
  1. be graduating from a Charles Sturt University bachelor degree or an integrated bachelor (honours) degree course
  2. have completed at least 64 points of their study for the course at the University, and
  3. have achieved a grade point average of 6.75 or higher.
Executive Dean or delegate
Postgraduate University Medal
No limit
The student must:
  1. be graduating from a Charles Sturt University master by coursework or master by coursework and dissertation course
  2. have completed at least 64 points of their study for the course at the University, and
  3. have achieved a grade point average of 6.75 or higher.
Executive Dean or delegate
Bachelor (Honours) University Medal
Up to one per faculty per year
The student must:
  1. be graduating from a Charles Sturt University bachelor (honours) course of any duration (including integrated honours)
  2. have completed at least 64 points of their study for the course at the University
  3. have achieved class 1 honours and at least one examiner of the graduand’s thesis or dissertation must have recommended a mark of 90% or higher, and
  4. have the faculty’s highest mark for their thesis or dissertation.
Executive Dean or delegate
Higher Degree by Research University Medal
Up to one per faculty per year for a master by research graduand
Up to one per faculty per year for a doctoral graduand
The University Research Committee will determine the eligibility and assessment criteria, which may include details of publications or presentations given during the candidature, prizes or scholarships won during the candidature or attestations of excellence by the examiners.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or delegate

(5) The Executive Dean or Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) may seek approval from Academic Senate to award more medals in a given year than what is stated in the table above.

(6) Where an eligible graduand is from a course taught by more than one faculty, such as a double degree or a degree with a major taught by a school in a different faculty, they will only be awarded one University Medal by the faculty that manages the course.

Charles Sturt Medal

(7) The Charles Sturt Medal is awarded annually to one coursework student and recognises both academic achievement and public service consistent with the University’s motto ‘for the public good’.

(8) Recipients for a Charles Sturt Medal must:

  1. have graduated or be eligible to graduate from an undergraduate or postgraduate coursework course in the relevant calendar year
  2. have received or be eligible to receive an Undergraduate, Postgraduate, or Bachelor (Honours) University Medal in the relevant calendar year, and
  3. demonstrate a significant commitment to the public good.

(9) One Charles Sturt Medal per year will be awarded by Academic Senate.

(10) Academic Senate may award an additional Charles Sturt Medal in exceptional circumstances.

Executive Dean’s Awards

(11) Each faculty will issue Executive Dean’s Awards to eligible continuing or graduating students to recognise outstanding achievement in coursework courses.

(12) Students are eligible for an Executive Dean’s Award where they complete a minimum of 32 points of subjects in an academic year with a grade point average of 6.0 or higher (or H1 grade for any honours dissertation or thesis subject) for the subjects contributing to the point calculation.

(13) The Medals and Executive Dean’s Awards Procedure provides further information on how eligibility for the Executive Dean’s Award is calculated.

(14) The Executive Dean of a faculty may decide to award an Executive Dean's Award to higher degree by research students who meet the eligibility criteria in their coursework subjects, or to any student in their faculty they determine merits the award.

Presentation of medals and awards

(15) Undergraduate and Postgraduate University Medals will be presented to graduating students at their graduation ceremony or in absentia.

(16) The Medals and Executive Dean’s Awards Procedure provides information on the presentation of Executive Dean’s Awards.

Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS)

(17) Charles Sturt Medals, University Medals, and Executive Dean’s Awards will be recorded on the student’s Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS) once they have graduated from the course:

  1. for which they received the University Medal, and/or
  2. in which they completed the subjects for which they received the Executive Dean’s Award.

(18) Where a medal or award is withdrawn, the medal or award will be removed from the student’s record and a new AHEGS will be issued.

Withholding or withdrawing medals or awards

(19) A University Medal and/or Executive Dean’s Award may with withheld or withdrawn where:

  1. a student or graduate has a finding of misconduct against them and is found ineligible, notwithstanding that they meet the criteria for the medal or award (see the Student Misconduct Rule 2020), or
  2. the Executive Dean determines to exclude an eligible student for another reason they determine necessary. Where this authority is exercised, the reason for the exclusion must be reported to Academic Senate.

(20) Where a medal or award is withdrawn, the recipient’s record and any publication of recipients will be updated, and the recipient will be required to return the medal or award.

Appeals

(21) Where a student wishes to appeal an original decision made under this procedure or has a complaint about their treatment, quality of service or the conduct of staff, the following policies apply:

  1. University Student Appeals Policy and University Student Appeals Procedure
  2. Complaints Management Policy and Complaints Management Procedure
Top of Page

Section 3 - Procedure

(22) See the Medals and Executive Dean’s Awards Procedure.

Top of Page

Section 4 - Guidelines

(23) Nil.

Top of Page

Section 5 - Glossary

(24) This policy uses the following terms:

  1. Academic year – means the period from the start of the first session to the end of the last session in the University's annual cycle of teaching. All subjects with the same year in their term, offering or session code are considered to be sessions in the same academic year, regardless of their start or end date.
  2. Coursework course – as defined in the policy library glossary.
  3. Grade point average – means a student’s average grade over a defined study period, based on the calculations stated in the Assessment Policy.
  4. Higher degree by research (HDR) course – as defined in the policy library glossary.
  5. Integrated bachelor (honours) degree – means a degree in which a bachelor and bachelor (honours) are combined as a single course.