Postgraduate Research Studies

The Faculty of Economics and Business offers two higher degree by research programs, the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and the Master of Philosophy (MPhil).

All PhD candidates must complete 6 units of coursework which includes the core unit, Research Design. The other 5 units will be decided on the basis of the student's previous academic record and the area of research they intend to pursue. All students must complete at least 1 qualitative methods and 1 quantitative methods unit of study.

Credit for up to 3 units may be granted. Students do not need to apply for credit this will be assessed automatically as part of the application process.

Candidates may take units of study at other institutions with approval from the Faculty. For external courses an outline of the course must be provided to the Faculty Research Unit prior to the granting of approval. After completion of the unit a certified copy of the transcript and/or letter of completion must be forwarded to the Faculty Research Unit.

Research Thesis Proposal Defence

All students must formally defend their research thesis proposal. The goal is to ensure that the proposed research is worthwhile, meaningful, viable and feasible, and can be completed within the timeframe given the resource constraints of the program. This will take place in the probation period.

Master of Philosophy courses are awarded on the basis of a research thesis and successful completion of the core unit Research Design although some candidates may be required to undertake specific coursework units as part of their candidature

The scale of the program reflects the central place of the PhD program in the academic interactions and character of the Faculty, as well as the tangible support - in terms of scholarships, research funding, teaching opportunities and support facilities - which underpin it.

Communication Skills

Embedded in the PhD program is the development of high level communication skills and the confidence and capability to engage in debate with the international community of scholars at the highest levels. All of this takes place within the collegial framework of the Faculty and the formal and informal interactions in which our PhD students participate - where ideas, methodological frameworks and perspectives are discovered, challenged and presented as an ongoing part of the academic discourse of a lively Faculty.

Supervision, Induction and Community

Only senior academic staff with proven success may be appointed as principal PhD supervisors. In addition, every PhD student has at least two supervisors in order to ensure supervision and support of the highest quality. All new PhD candidates within the Faculty undertake a formal induction program which establishes a sense of belonging to the Faculty and a sense of cohesion as a group of research students. This induction includes an introduction to the role and expectations of supervisors; strategies to underpin progress and completion of the research thesis; and training in the efficient use of documents, databases and library facilities.

Scholarships and Research Funding

About half of our students are on scholarships - Australian Postgraduate Awards and International Postgraduate Research Scholarships, together with scholarships funded each year from either Faculty or discipline sources. In addition, all postgraduate research students are encouraged to gain experience in academic teaching within the Faculty and our students are able to supplement their incomes in this way throughout their PhD studies.

Research Programs by Discipline

• Accounting
• Business Information Systems
• Business Law
• Economics
• Finance
• International Business
• Marketing
• Operations Management and Econometrics
• Work and Organisational Studies

Research Program by Institute

• Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies