Sub sections:

PHD Program

English, Communication Studies and Theatre Studies welcomes applications to the PhD program from suitably qualified students.

The Doctor of Philosophy program at UNE is a research degree administered by the University.

The University policy states the doctoral candidates shall pursue a program of research and writing in an approved topic area for a minimum of three years.

Admission Requirements

If you are applying for a PhD program, your academic record and nature of the project are essential considerations.

The normal university-wide requirements for admission to candidature for the PhD apply; candidates must:

1 - show evidence they have potential for research; and

2 - have appropriate academic qualifications as follows:

a Master's degree acceptable to the Committee. The degree must be of a certain minimum standard and clear evidence of research training must be shown; and/or must be accompanied by other acceptable qualifications and/or research experience; or
a Bachelor's degree with First Class Honours or Second Class First Division Honours; or
another degree, plus subsequent acceptable qualifications and/or research experience; or
hold similar qualification(s) acceptable to the Doctoral Committee from another institution(s). Such qualifications must be of the standard of Australian or British universities, in this University's judgement.

I do not have the admission requirements for a PhD. Do I have any other options?

The School of Arts offers undergraduate, Honours and Coursework Masters programs. These courses can provide a pathway to the PhD program.

For further information, please visit the School’s undergraduate and postgraduate information pages.

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General Information

Please visit the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Postgraduate Degrees Information Page.

You can also access PhD Application material online or by contacting:

Research Services
email: hdr@une.edu.au
phone: +61 2 6773 2239
fax: + 61 2 6773 2543

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Applying to enrol in a PhD

To maximise your chances of being accepted you should discuss your application with the School of Arts, before completing the university’s formal application forms. If you know of any academic staff members who you think might make good supervisors [see below] for your project you should contact them first. Otherwise, contact the School's postgraduate coordinator for advice.

Please note that it will help your application considerably if your proposed thesis topic fits within a current research project by one or more members of the School staff.

After an informal contact and on the basis of the advice you are given, you should prepare a preliminary information package about yourself and your project. This should contain:

A statement about which degree you want to apply for – MA (Hons) or PhD.
A resume of 2-3 pages, including your contact details, previous education and degrees, publication history, grants, awards, and any other related information about you as a student which might strengthen your case.
A project outline: 3-4 pages, including the area of your proposed research and its importance, possible topics for the dissertation, possible venues for publication, and a brief overview of the most important previous relevant research published in your area.
A sample of your academic writing: no more than 10 pages; this can be from your proposed project, or from work you have completed in the past.
An indication of any School staff member whose work/research interests intersect with your own and who might be a suitable supervisor. Final arrangements for supervision will remain the responsibility of the School.

The total should be no larger than 15 double spaced, single-sided, A4 pages in 12 pt font, sent in hard copy by mail. Make sure you include your contact details (postal, fax and telephone) and keep copies of all materials, as applications will not be returned.

Application materials will be considered by the School as quickly as possible, and you will be contacted regarding the next step in the process.

Applicants judged not to be adequately prepared for candidature may be advised to enrol in a preliminary course of study or in some other specially directed preliminary program.

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International Students

If you are an international student please contact the UNE International Office. They will forward candidature application material. Alternately you can visit the following web site to download PhD application material. Please mail the original material.

Scholarships
The two scholarships available to international students are the University of New England Research Assistantship (UNERA) (living allowance) and the International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) (tuition fee scholarship). For more information, please visit the Research Services website.

English Language Requirements
To gain a Visa for entry into Australia you will need to successfully complete an IELTS test with a minimum of 5.5 overall. It would be unwise to assume that you will not need an IELTS result and you should check with your Embassy/High Commission. To gain entry into a Postgraduate degree at UNE you will need to successfully complete an IELTS test with a minimum of 6.0 in any one band and a minimum of 6.5 overall.

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Supervision

A list of staff members within the school with links to information about their special research areas, teaching areas and publications is available at http://www.une.edu.au/ect/staff/index.php

For a list of subjects and focus areas for supervision available in the Faculty, please see the Faculty Postgraduate Supervisors webpage.

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ECT Postgraduate Research Handbook

Click here to download English, Communication Studies and Theatre Studies' Postgraduate Research Information Handbook. You will need Adobe Reader to open this file.

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