The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master’s by Research (MRes) are the highest tertiary qualification in Australia, Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Levels 9 and 10.
Candidates are expected to carry out their research with some autonomy and to demonstrate an original and critical research project, resulting in a thesis which makes a significant contribution to existing knowledge in their field of research both nationally and internationally.
Candidates will be mentored by a specialist academic supervisory team throughout their studies.
To be eligible for entry to a PhD you should have completed either:
Please note research experience in the form of publications or creative outputs may be used to increase an honours score or honours equivalency—contact the HDR Team for further guidance.
To be eligible for entry to a MRes you should have completed either:
Please note research experience in the form of publications or creative outputs may be used to increase an honours score or honours equivalency—contact the HDR Team for further guidance.
To decide which applicants to accept, the University considers the academic qualifications, research experience, and other characteristics of the candidate and research proposal.
The following table presents more information about eligibility. Typically, applicants tend to be eligible to enrol in a:
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This is a very crucial step before applying for a research degree at CDU. After you have clarified your research field and topic, you need to find an academic at CDU who is willing to supervise your work. To guide you through your candidature, you will need a panel of supervisors including a Principal Supervisor with compatible research interests to your intended project. Once you’ve agreed to work together, your supervisor will need to provide confirmation in writing.
Browse potential supervisors and project options below:
Financial support for research degrees, including scholarships for living expenses (often called a stipend) and a tuition fee offset, enables you to focus full-time on your research project.
CDU offers a number of different competitive scholarship schemes for domestic research students. To find out more about these scholarships, or to apply for a research scholarship, please visit the CDU Research Scholarship page
For external scholarship opportunities, please visit the Scholarship Finder page.
You can also contact our Scholarships team for enquiries regarding CDU external scholarships.
Fill out and submit the online HDR Candidature and scholarship application.
Fill out the Domestic HDR Candidature and Scholarship Application