C02028v4 Doctor of Philosophy

Overview

The PhD is awarded to candidates who, through original investigation, criticism or review of a field of research, make a distinct and significant contribution to knowledge in their field of specialisation. The PhD can be cross-disciplinary in nature and both law graduates and graduates of other disciplines are eligible to apply.

The PhD provides an opportunity for graduates to develop their research skills by undertaking an intense period of supervised study and research, culminating in the submission of a dissertation of a standard suitable for publication.

Career options

This degree is particularly valuable for students wishing to pursue a career in research or academia. Graduates may find work in universities, undertaking research, or other academic work including teaching.

Additional admission requirements

Applicants require a Master's degree or a Bachelor's degree with First Class Honours or Second Class Honours (Division 1).

Eligibility for admission is not a guarantee that an application will be accepted. Support for the project, availability of supervision, availability of places and the applicant's overall abilities and experience are all taken into account.

Applicants must submit a research proposal at the point of application. Once final approval is obtained for a research proposal, the topic cannot be changed except with the approval of the University.

Detailed information about the application process can be found online at:

Course duration and attendance

The maximum course duration is four years of full-time, or six years of part-time study.

Students can complete in less than the maximum time. The work may be carried out either on University premises, at a site external to the University, or some combination of both. Candidates are not required to attend classes but are required to make contact with their supervisor(s) at least once a month to discuss the progress of their research.

Course structure

Candidates are required to submit a dissertation of approximately 100,000 words.

Both the candidate and the candidate's principal supervisor are required to submit progress reports at the end of each semester. Within the first semester of candidacy for full-time students, or the first year of candidacy for part-time students, candidates must complete a formalised Doctoral Assessment to ensure that the candidate's progress is consistent with completion of the research program in the prescribed time and demonstrates potential to complete the work to standard.

Doctoral candidates are also required to make an Oral Presentation of their dissertation six months prior to submission of their dissertation for examination.

Further details about candidature can be found at:

Course completion requirements

Other information

Further information is available from: