Doctor of Philosophy

Accounting

UTS course code: C02008
Testamur title: Doctor of Philosophy
Abbreviation: PhD
Course fee: see note (local); $8,500 per semester (international)

Finance and Economics

UTS course code: C02010
Testamur title: Doctor of Philosophy
Abbreviation: PhD
Course fee: see note (local); $8,500 per semester (international)

Leisure and Tourism Studies

UTS course code: C02011
Testamur title: Doctor of Philosophy
Abbreviation: PhD
Course fee: see note (local); $8,500 per semester (international)

Management

UTS course code: C02009
Testamur title: Doctor of Philosophy
Abbreviation: PhD
Course fee: see note (local); $8,500 per semester (international)

Marketing

UTS course code: C02012
Testamur title: Doctor of Philosophy
Abbreviation: PhD
Course fee: see note (local); $8,500 per semester (international)

Admission requirements
Course duration
Course structure
Assessment
Supervision
Other information

Note: Research degrees are offered on a sponsored, scholarship, faculty part-sponsored, or full-fee-paying basis. See information on Fees below. Students should contact the Faculty or the University Graduate School for further details. There are, however, student service fees to be paid (see Fees and costs).

The PhD is a University-wide degree that involves an intense period of supervised study and research. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is awarded to successful candidates who have made a distinct contribution to knowledge whether by original investigation, review or criticism.

PhD candidates should classify their area of research interest to fit primarily into one of the disciplinary areas of the Faculty's five teaching Schools: Accounting; Finance and Economics; Leisure, Sport and Tourism; Management; and Marketing.

Admission requirements

To be eligible for admission to the program, an applicant should: hold a relevant Bachelor's degree with First or Second Class Honours, Division 1; or a Master's (by thesis) degree; or possess an equivalent qualification; or be a graduate of at least two years' standing of this University or another tertiary educational institution, whose research publications and written reports on work carried out by the applicant satisfy the Academic Board that he or she has the ability and experience to pursue his or her proposed course of study.

Each applicant is required, prior to application, to discuss a thesis topic with the relevant School Research Coordinator who then advises whether appropriate supervisors and resources are available. Applicants are also required to submit a brief thesis proposal with their application.

Further details of eligibility for admission are set out in the UTS Rules for Doctoral Degree Students published in the UTS: Calendar and online at:

www.uts.edu.au/div/publications/policies/rules/contents.html

Fees

Course fees are paid on a semester basis and statements are sent to students shortly after the beginning of the semester by the Fees Office. Most students qualify for the 40 per cent Academic Merit Scholarship. In addition, the Faculty may offer additional scholarships of up to 60 per cent. Students are notified in their letter of offer the total discounted fee payable by them.

Students who have been offered support via a Research Training Scheme place or a Scholarship with Stipend (APA, APA(I), UTS Doctoral, R L Werner, Faculty and School scholarship) are not liable for tuition fees. Tuition fees in these instances are covered by UTS as part of the award.

All students are liable for student service fees and statements are sent to students with their enrolment details.

Course duration

Candidates enrolled full time in a PhD are required to make satisfactory progress on their research over at least four semesters to be eligible for the award of a PhD degree. However, the maximum time for completion is six semesters, and a part-time student is expected to complete their thesis in nine semesters.

Course structure

Coursework requirements

Candidates with an insufficient background in research methods and/or theoretical knowledge in the core fields of study may be required to undertake initial coursework subjects. The School Research Coordinator will advise candidates when this is considered necessary.

Thesis

While candidates may be required to do some coursework, the final assessment for the degree is based on submission of a thesis.

The thesis is examined by three examiners, of which at least two are external to the University and who are experts in the area of research addressed in the thesis. Guidelines for presentation and submission of the thesis are available from the University Graduate School.

Students often ask what length a thesis should be, but exact limits cannot be prescribed. Quality rather than quantity is the most important criterion.

However, as an approximate guide, a PhD thesis is typically argued and presented within the range of 50,000–70,000 words.

Assessment

Both the candidate and the candidate's principal supervisor are required to submit progress reports at the end of each semester.

In addition, a student's candidature is assessed before or at the end of the first two semesters of candidature in the case of a full-time student, or the first four semesters in the case of a part-time student. This assessment is conducted under guidelines approved by Faculty Board and the University Graduate School Board. The following components, considered by a Review Panel, constitute the assessment: satisfactory semester progress reports; successful completion of prescribed coursework prior to the assessment; a written thesis proposal; and an oral seminar on the research topic and written proposal.

The thesis proposal is a substantive piece of scholarship that should identify the research topic/questions, justify its (their) significance and original contribution to knowledge in the field of study, do the former against a critical review of the relevant literature, address resource implications, and outline the proposed research design and methods. Candidates should seek advice from School Research Coordinators on how to formulate a thesis proposal.

A student who does not satisfy the requirements for the assessment will not be permitted to proceed with his or her candidature, unless, with the approval of the Academic Board, the student is invited to re-attempt the assessment.

Supervision

Based on the candidates description of proposed research submitted with his or her application, the University allocates a principal supervisor who has expertise in this area. Co-supervisors are also appointed and these can be drawn from other schools and faculties within the University (or other universities), depending on the PhD topic and the expertise required to ensure a high standard of supervision.

Other information

Further information is available from the University Graduate School and online at:

www.gradschool.uts.edu.au

Further course information is also available from the Faculty of Business website at:

www.business.uts.edu.au/courses