BHVI

Postgraduate degrees are offered either as a full-time or part-time enrolment.  PhD students are required to undertake a programme of research over a period of at least three years (six sessions) full-time study and six years (twelve sessions) part-time and prepare a thesis. Most Masters research degrees require between one and two years (two to four sessions) full-time study. All research programmes can be commenced from either first or second session in an academic year.

Masters Research Programme: This programme is designed primarily as a training course in advanced research. The candidate learns the fundamentals of research and acquires certain new techniques. The candidate must undertake an original investigation but this would normally be more limited in scope and degree of originality than for a doctorate.

Doctoral Programme: A PhD is granted in recognition of successful research experience. The candidate must make a substantial and original contribution to knowledge - of fact and/or theory. For a doctorate, considerably more original work is required than for a Masters research degree. Transfer from MSc to PhD is based on progress reviews that indicate performance consistent with PhD level study.

Applicants for postgraduate degrees shall have been awarded an appropriate honours degree (normally at least upper second class) from a recognised university or tertiary institution or a qualification considered equivalent in a relevant science based area. In most cases, the undergraduate qualification must be relevant to the discipline of the research programme.

Applicants who are applying on the basis of qualifications not conducted in the English language must provide proof of their competence in English. Please see the UNSW English Requirements policy document. For details click here.