POST GRADUATE RESEARCH.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20, 24 January 1912, Page 2

POST GRADUATE RESEARCH.

♦ — ■— DOCTOR OF SCIENCE. discussion aFtiie senatr. Mr Hogben moved at tho University! •Senate to-day: "That in the statute^' 'Post Graduate Research,' a now clauaa be added, providing for the conferring of the title, 'Research Student' on graduates approved by the Senate, who give evidence that they are qualified to prosecuto research, and are actually engaged in research under the supervision oi a, teacher of an affiliated institution." It was decided to defer consideration until next eewion. Another motion by Mr. Hogb*n waa ac follows :— "That a candidate who liae produced evidence satisfactory to th* Ren&tc- that he has 1 industriously prosecuted resettreu work for a, periwl 6r no4> less than ten yearns from the date of lim graduation may be allowed to prewnt a thoftiu for the Degree of Doctor of Science without complying witJi the condU tion in claufto h. of tho oiatuto 'The D«gree of Doctor of Science, 1 which requires that he shall hay© attained first* class honours in the subject chosen by, huii. The mover expressed th* opinion, that he did not know of auy other university tbat required a nifcu 10 take firnt<:lttsa honours after ho had gone through a ton years', research to qualify for his Dogrco of Doctor 61 Science. Mr. yon Haaat considered ihat it would borathor hard on. a candidate who had produced a worthy tbesi6, that bo should bo required to take nmt-claea honours bofore he could be granted hi* Doctor's Degree. Professor J.,R*nki)ie Brown (Victoria College) said that th* thesis va« the epsential point in the doctorate— not the preliminary examination*. They should take care to see that the thesis only oi a high standard and worthy of the honour should be accepted, and then t ho thought, thore would be little chance of lowering the value of the degree. This principle would enable a largo number of people, who were discouraged by the present regulations, to prosecute te-. search work. "My opinions coincide with those expressed by Professor Brown," said Professor Hight (Christcaurch). Peraonallx, he knew of certain students who had been discouraged from research because of their only having taken second-class honours. He advocated a publishing of the thesis beforehand, so that it might be generally criticised. Very definite opinions were expressed by Professor F. D. Brown (Auckland), who declared that the value of the dcfrreo did not at all depend on the prelminary examinations, but on the value of the thesis. "We ought not to depend entirely on our examiner in England. There is always a chance of this examiner being somewhat careless in tho matter^ and let through a thesis which was a really worthy one." A committee should sit in judgment on the examiner's report. Personally, he would lik« to see even third-class honours accepted. After further discussion, it wa« decided to allow the mover to withdraw the motion. It is projected to brine forward a general motion dealing with all ,de-. grees.