Faculty of Science Department of Information Systems

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is the premier supervised research degree offered by The University of Melbourne.

It is normally completed after three years of full-time study, wherein candidates must demonstrate a capacity for independent research and must make an original contribution to learning.

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy signifies that the holder has undertaken a substantial piece of original research which has been conducted and reported by the holder under proper academic supervision and in a research environment for a prescribed period. In scope, the thesis differs from a research Masters thesis chiefly by its deeper and more comprehensive treatment of its subject.

For comprehensive details regarding the degree please refer to the PhD Handbook

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) 

The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) provides students with the opportunity to carry out independent and sustained research under appropriate supervision, to develop advanced research skills and techniques, and present their findings in a documented scholarly form. The thesis should make an independent contribution to learning or offer a critical perspective on existing scholarship or methodology. For more comprehensive details regarding the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) please refer to the School of Graduate Research Handbook information page for Master of Philosophy (MPhil).

The Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) degree is equivalent to the previously offered Master of Science (Research) degree and the Masters of Information Systems (MIS by Research).

Entry Requirements & Application Process For MPhil and PhD

Eligibility

Applications for Research Higher Degree candidature within the Department of Information Systems are considered using a number of measures, including an assessment of a candidate's knowledge of the discipline and evidence of their ability to complete a rigorous research project. Applicants are required to meet the minimum standards described below, noting that whilst all measures are relevant to both MPhil and PhD applicants, the level of achievement required for entry to the MPhil may not be quite as high as that required for entry to the doctoral program.

Minimum qualifications:

Applicants are normally required to have completed at least a four-year Honours degree at H2A (75%) standard from an Australian university, or a qualification or combination of qualifications considered by the Research Higher Degrees Committee to be equivalent. Examples include:

•  A 3 year Bachelor's degree followed by a discrete Honours year (eg. BSc(Hons), BA(Hons))
•  A 4 year Bachelors degree awarded with Honours (eg BE; LLB)
•  A 3 year Bachelors followed by a Postgraduate Diploma (judged to be equivalent in depth to 4 th year Honours level)
•  A Masters degree (by research or coursework)

Minimum level of academic achievement:

Applicants should have achieved an overall H1 (80-100%), or H2A (75-79%) grade in the relevant Honours or Masters degree.

If an applicant has completed more than one of the above mentioned qualifications, the results for the most recently completed qualification that is relevant to the PhD will normally be used.

Application Process

1. An appropriate supervisor may be found by contacting Dr Martin Gibbs (for details see below) by sending him copies of transcripts of your degrees, CV and draft research proposal
2. Apply for PhD Engineering or MPhil-Engineering by completing the application available via: http://futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/admissions/applications/research
   Please contact the Melbourne School of Engineering as indicated at:
   http://www.gradresearch.unimelb.edu.au/current/faculty-contacts.html in regards to their application procedures

Contact

If you require any further information, please contact: