A PhD degree is a research degree carried out in two stages over 9–12 trimesters (3–4 years) full-time or 15–18 trimesters (5–6 years) part-time. Students who do not complete the requirements for the PhD degree within these timelines must apply for permission to continue.

Schools will assign each PhD student:

1. a Principal Supervisor, who has primary responsibility for your academic supervision. There may also be a co-supervisor, if appropriate, who supports the Principal Supervisor 
2. a Research Studies Panel (RSP) that provides advice, monitors your progress and supports the student-supervisor relationship. The RSP should be assigned to you within the first trimester of your registration and meet at least twice in the first year and at least once a year thereafter.

Each School may have specific programme requirements that every student should make themselves aware of. However, every PhD student must:

1. carry out doctoral level research that is written up in a thesis, which contains materials of a standard and form appropriate for peer-reviewed publication. This thesis forms the basis for the examination for the award of the degree of PhD and is examined through a viva voce examination by a PhD Examination Committee
2. progress from Stage 1 to Stage 2 of the PhD programme by successfully undergoing a formal Stage Transfer Assessment within 5 trimesters of the date of registration for a full-time student and 7 trimesters for a part-time student
3. complete a minimum of 30 ECTS taught credits in the course of the PhD programme
4. successfully complete Research Integrity Training while registered to the programme
5. Document your educational, training and personal and professional development needs, in collaboration with your the RSP, which along with the proposed programme of research, will inform the development of a Research and Professional Development Plan (RPDP). The completed RPDP forms part of the Stage 1 to Stage 2 assessment.

Our PhD lifecycle diagram provides a useful step-by-step reference point.

The final examination is based on a description of your research in a thesis describing the context, nature, methodology and outcomes of the research.

• PhD theses can only be submitted if fees are paid in full, student registration is current and you are compliant with the programme requirements outlined above. 

• All PhD Students must be examined through a viva voce examination by a PhD Examination Committee.

• All PhD theses are submitted as a PDF file to the University for examination via the eThesis Examination System. This system is access via your SISWeb account. You will be sent an email at every decision point, allowing tracking of the progress of the thesis through the examination process.