Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy provides candidates with opportunities to collaborate with industry partners and build the next generation of innovative products.

The program takes a design-led, team-based approach to preparing students to become entrepreneurial industry-ready applied researchers in their field.

Working in multidisciplinary groups, students spend time with industry partners to identify gaps in the market and opportunities.

Supported by mentors from industry and academia, students work on projects that match their skill set and pitch them to industry partners.

Projects are taken through to research and development phases, and students develop detailed business plans through to commercialisation.

• have some prior research experience
• are interested in a pursuing a career in research
• have a desire to make an original contribution to research in a particular field
• have a naturally inquiring mind and a desire to know more
• wish to gain an internationally recognised qualification
• want to enhance their employment opportunities.

This program has been designed to support the development of industry-ready applied researchers in the field of biomedical devices and diagnostics. However, in principle it can be applied to any area of high-tech research and development. The program will take a designed approach to performing innovative research, initially focusing on a team-based approach to the identification and evaluation of customer needs, followed by the planning and execution of a solution-focussed research project.

Applicants must have completed at least four years (or equivalent) of tertiary education studies in a relevant discipline at a high level of achievement, and must have been approved for the award of the degree(s) for which they studied.

• a Bachelor’s degree (three or four years) and a Masters by Research; or
• a Bachelor’s degree (three or four years) and an Honours year; or
• a Bachelor’s degree (three or four years) and a Masters by Coursework; or
• a Bachelor’s degree (three or four years) and a postgraduate diploma in Psychology; or
• a Bachelor’s degree (four years) in an approved discipline

Find out more about entry requirements.

The Doctor of Philosophy program has the objective of producing graduates with the capacity to conduct research independently at a high level of originality and quality. Graduates will demonstrate a capacity to design, conduct and report sustained and original research. While the research is conducted under a supervisor students are expected to demonstrate the ability to work independently.

A Doctor of Philosophy graduate is expected to be able to:

• conduct independent research at a high level of originality and quality
• independently conceive of, design, conduct and complete a research project or program
• understand their given substantive area as well as the given methodological approach(es)
• communicate an argument convincingly, with clarity and relevance to appropriate audiences.

Other key skills obtained by research graduates include:

• Independent thinking
• Decision-making skills
• Good judgement
• Logical thought, rationality
• Communication skills
• Project management skills
• Data analysis
• Problem solving
• Critical thinking