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Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is an ungraded degree awarded for research that demonstrates that the candidate has the capacity to conduct research independently, and form a distinct contribution to the knowledge of the subject and to afford evidence of coherence and originality shown either by the discovery of new facts or by the exercise of independent critical power. The candidate’s program of study will be supervised by at least two supervisors.

The degree requires that a thesis with a maximum length of 75,000 to 100,000 words (depending on the Department) be submitted for a written assessment by three examiners external to the University. Before submitting a PhD thesis, all candidates must have followed an approved program of study and research within the University for a period determined by the Higher Degree Research Committee (normally not less than two years).

A candidate’s program of study must be supervised by an eligible Macquarie academic staff member, and will normally be carried out within the University. There is, however, provision for a candidate to be permitted to carry out much of the program outside the University with Faculty approval.

In some disciplines further research training or the completion of a preliminary coursework program in research preparation may be required prior to admission. For further information please refer to the section on Pathways to Macquarie Research Programs and to the Faculty sections of this prospectus.

Admission requirements (2013)

To be eligible for admission a candidate must normally possess either a Masters degree with a substantial research component, or a Bachelor degree with First-Class or Second-Class Honours Division 1 from a recognised University or another tertiary institution. Requirements for admission to research degrees are defined in the University Rules published in the Calendar of Governance, Legislation and Rules. Further information on admission to candidature is available in the How to Apply section of this Prospectus.

Note: Requirements for PhD admission will change as from 1 January 2014 (see below).  Applications for 2014 admission will be assessed based on the new admission criteria.

Calendar of Governance, Legislation and Rules: http://www.universitycouncil.mq.edu.au/legislation.html

Length of candidature

The PhD is a four years equivalent full-time program. The minimum period of candidature is two years and the maximum period is four years for full-time candidates and eight years for part-time candidates. A full-time candidate is expected to commit on average a minimum of 40 hours per week to their research study program. A part-time candidate is expected to commit on average a minimum of 20 hours per week to their research study program and consult weekly with their supervisors.

Admission requirements for 2014

From 1 January 2014, admission to Macquarie University’s Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program will have the following new requirements:

  1. Applicant to have completed the Macquarie University’s Master of Research (MRes) with at least 75% in second year of the MRes; OR
  2. Applicant to have completed a Master of Philosophy; OR
  3. Applicant with Master’s degree from another institution with major research component (at least 50% thesis, approx. 20,000 words) at Distinction level (75% or greater).

All other peer-reviewed research output may be taken into consideration under Rule 2(8) of the University’s Doctoral Degree Rule for admission to the new PhD program.

Candidates who have not completed an MRes degree and do not meet the above criteria may be asked to undertake the Master of Research as a research training pathway to the new Doctoral degree.  Candidates with previous study at Bachelor Honours or Masters level may receive credit towards the MRes for a maximum of 50% of the program. The period of candidature for the new PhD will be 3 years.  Students admitted under (ii) or (iii) above may be asked to undertake a six months probationary period in their PhD (determined on a case-by-case basis), thus making the PhD candidature 3.5 years.