• Section 1 - Purpose and Objectives
• Section 2 - Definitions, Terms, Acronyms
• Section 3 - Procedure Scope/Coverage
• Section 4 - Procedure Statement
• Section 5 - Faculty Submission of Nominations
• Section 6 - Calculation of Grade Point Average
• Section 7 - Period of Enrolment

Section 1 - Purpose and Objectives

(1) This Procedure enacts the Awards Policy.

Section 2 - Definitions, Terms, Acronyms

Section 3 - Procedure Scope/Coverage

(2) This Procedure applies to all students at The University of Queensland.

Section 4 - Procedure Statement

(3) Criteria for awarding University Medals each year will be published on The University of Queensland website.

(4) Executive Deans will be advised of the criteria determined by the Committee for Academic Programs Policy (CAPP) by the commencement of second semester of the relevant year.

(5) There may be more than one period in the year in which University Medals can be awarded.

(6) To be eligible for a University Medal, a student must have successfully completed:

1. a level 8 Bachelor Honours Degree (which may be a subsequent degree) with first class honours and have achieved throughout the program a quality of performance above and beyond that required for the award of first class honours; or
2. a level 9 integrated degree with first class honours (for example, the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Master of Engineering) and have achieved throughout the program a quality of performance above and beyond that required for the award of first class honours; or
3. an approved level 9 Masters Degree (Extended) (for example, the Doctor of Medicine) and achieved throughout the program a quality of performance above and beyond that required for the award of that degree (effective as of 2016 graduates, for medals awarded in 2017); or
4. an approved level 9 Masters Degree (Coursework) (for example, the Master of Architecture) and achieved throughout the program a quality of performance above and beyond that required for the award of that degree (effective as of 2016 graduates, for medals awarded in 2017).

(7) The Executive Dean of a Faculty may submit a case to CAPP, for approval by Academic Board, regarding eligibility for a University Medal for other level 9 Masters Degree (Coursework) or Masters Degree (Extended) programs.

(8) The award of a University Medal recognises the achievement of outstanding academic merit throughout the student's program of study for the degree. Essential criteria to be taken into account by faculties in the assessment of academic merit include:

1. achievement of a high quality of performance throughout the program of study leading to the degree, including consideration of:
   1. the GPA attained across all courses comprising the degree, calculated in accordance with clauses 13-21 below;
   2. the overall GPA attained in each semester of the program of study, (i.e. including courses ultimately deemed to be superfluous or contributing to a dual degree), noting that a GPA of less than 6 in any semester other than in the first year will exclude a student from further consideration;
   3. in the case of a full year course, the total unit value will be apportioned evenly across the relevant semesters and the resultant grade will be applied to each of the semesters;
   4. the existence and/or frequency of any failing grades (in accordance with the Assessment Procedure, grades of 3 obtained from Semester 1, 2006 onwards are failing grades for purposes of this clause) (including cancellation with academic penalty); noting that the existence of failing grades in the relevant program, other than in the first year, will exclude a student from further consideration;
2. the period of time taken to complete the award, calculated in accordance with clauses 22-28 below.

(9) For the Master of Architecture (M.Arch), nomination for a University Medal will be based on the combined performance in the level 7 Bachelor of Architectural Design and the level 9 Master of Architecture.

Section 5 - Faculty Submission of Nominations

(10) The Executive Dean of the Faculty shall submit the Faculty's schedule of nominees for the award of a University Medal for consideration by CAPP at the beginning of each year. Details to be submitted include:

1. each nominee's name, program and cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) (calculated in accordance with clauses 13-21 below); and
2. a copy of the nominee's academic record, duly annotated to identify those courses counted in the calculation of the cumulative GPA; and
3. the graduate check template used to calculate the cumulative GPA.

(11) To avoid inconsistencies in application of any limit set by CAPP on the number of medals available to each faculty, students enrolled in multi-faculty programs are considered only within the faculty to which their specific major or sequence of studies belongs.

(12) When calculating the maximum number of University Medal nominations available to each faculty, the number of nominations calculated for that year is rounded to the nearest whole number, with 0.5 rounded up.

Section 6 - Calculation of Grade Point Average

(13) Once academic merit has been established, the calculation of the Grade Point Average (GPA) for the purpose of awarding a University Medal is the average of grades of result obtained by the student, weighted by the unit value of each course, in accordance with the Assessment Procedure.

(14) The calculation of GPA for the purpose of the award of a Medal takes into account results in all courses counted towards the degree. In the case of a course within a dual program, results in courses counted towards the relevant degree only will be taken into consideration.

(15) Where a student has obtained credit for courses above the minimum required for the award of the degree, results in any such superfluous courses will be excluded from the calculation of the GPA. However all courses, including superfluous courses, are taken into account when meeting the minimum semester GPA requirement.

(16) In determining clause 15 above, results in any courses that are compulsory for completion of the degree, including prerequisites of compulsory courses, must be included in the calculation of the GPA.

(17) Where the student has been granted specified credit towards the degree for studies undertaken whilst enrolled in another program at this University or at another institution, the results of specific courses (to three decimal points) individually credited by the faculty under the relevant program rules will be included in the calculation of the GPA.

(18) Where the student has been granted block or unspecified credit, the GPA (or completed GPA) (to three decimal points) obtained by the student across such studies will be included in the calculation. A copy of the official transcript from the other institution, if used in the calculation of overall GPA, must be supplied. Credit mapping documents which identify unspecified credit applied at course level must be submitted.

(19) For the purpose of calculating grade conversion (primarily for exchange studies), and in order to ensure students are not disadvantaged in the conversion from other grading scales to a 7-point scale, both percentages and grades (where available) should be used to perform the calculation, with the student being given the most favourable outcome.

(20) Where a student has two results in a course (e.g. when a supplementary examination has been granted or a course is undertaken multiple times), an average of all results for that course will be used in the calculation.

(21) Results of P (ungraded pass) will be excluded from the calculation of GPA for University Medal calculation purposes; except where an ungraded pass is awarded in a course or courses constituting more than one - third of the units in the final or honours year. The faculty will be required to specify a grade for the purpose of calculating a GPA for the award of a University Medal.

Section 7 - Period of Enrolment

(22) Students who effectively enrolled in a program for more than two full-time semesters (or equivalent) in excess of the normal minimum period required for the award of the degree will not normally be recommended for the award of a University Medal (refer to Program Design Policy).

(23) In determining clause 22 above, semesters of part-time or external study are converted to equivalent full-time enrolment, having regard to the number of units undertaken and the standard student workload.

(24) Where the program rules impose a time limit on completion of the program, the result of any course undertaken earlier than the commencing date indicated by that limitation will not be included.

(25) Students who have been granted credit for studies in another program or another institution will be regarded as having been enrolled for the equivalent period necessary to obtain such credit in the program under consideration.

(26) For a Bachelor Honours Degree, a student who has been granted credit for studies at another institution will be eligible for the award of a University Medal provided that the student has completed the third and subsequent years of the program at The University of Queensland.

(27) For a Masters Degree (Coursework) and Masters Degree (Extended) program for which a University Medal may be awarded, a student who has been granted credit for studies at another institution will be eligible for a University Medal provided that the student has completed the final two years of full-time study (or the equivalent) at The University of Queensland.

(28) Despite clauses 26-27, a student who has undertaken exchange, study abroad or cross-institutional studies in their degree program will not be excluded from consideration for the award of a University Medal.