Postgraduate
Doctor of Philosophy
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The University of Western Australia (M355), 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009
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131 UWA (131 892)
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(+61 8) 6488 1000
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Fees and scholarships
Learn more about the fees that apply to you for this course. For fee type definitions and further assistance, see the Fee Calculator Help page. You can also search our database for scholarships that are relevant to you or this course.
Domestic Student Fees
There is no current fee information available for this course. Please visit the fee calculator to browse course fees from a previous year, or other courses.
Scholarships
Scholarships support UWA's position as one of Australia's leading research-intensive universities and the premier research institution in WA.
The range of scholarships available at UWA include those funded by the Australian Government, the University, philanthropy, external organisations and industry. Scholarship packages may be awarded that include benefits such as: tuition fee scholarship, stipend (living allowance) scholarship, travel and research support costs, a relocation allowance within Australia, and overseas student health cover for international students.
At UWA we award research scholarships through a competitive merit-based selection process which includes publicly available annual scholarship rounds and some additional selection processes. Eligible applicants are ranked according to academic achievement and research potential, based on evidence provided.
Research Training Program
Australian citizens, permanent residents and New Zealand citizens are offered a Tuition Fee Offset Scholarship which offsets the requirement to pay a contribution toward the cost of their research courses if UWA provides them with a Research Training Program (RTP) place.
This Tuition Fee Offset Scholarship is applied for up a maximum of four years full-time equivalent study for the Doctor of Philosophy. The RTP is a performance-based funding scheme administered by the Australian Government Department of Education.
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Admission requirements
If you’re interested in furthering your career by studying this postgraduate degree, find out the admission details below.
Admission Requirements
(2) applicants who have previously undertaken work, which in the Board's opinion is of a sufficiently high standard, towards a research higher degree in this or another approved institution but have not submitted it for any degree and have had their research proposals approved by the Board; and
(3) applicants who have satisfactorily completed an acceptable preliminary program at this University or an approved institution and have had a research proposal approved by the Board.
Doctor of Philosophy
To be eligible for admission, an applicant must demonstrate:
- academic merit, and
- adequate research preparation, and
- English language competency
English competency
English is the language of instruction and assessment at UWA and all applicants, including domestic applicants will need to meet the University’s English language requirements to be eligible for a place. A higher level of English is required for admission to the PhD course.
Academic supervision
The role of an academic supervisor is to guide you to develop your own research. There needs to be a good alignment between their area of expertise and your research project.
Applicants will need to identify potential academic supervisor/s and determine if their research outputs match your own intended research direction.
Search the UWA Research Repository to identify and contact potential supervisors in your field of interest.
Identifying and securing academic supervision is an essential component for admission.
How to apply

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Find out how to apply through our online application portal.
We’ll guide you through the application process including important steps, entry pathways and documents you’ll need.
Course details
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is the University's flagship research degree, which can be taken in any discipline area in the University, providing that appropriate supervision and resources are available.
The PhD is a program of independent, supervised research that is assessed on the basis of a thesis and viva voce. A PhD in the creative field may also include a creative work component, that is examined externally.
The work presented for a PhD must be a substantial and original contribution to scholarship, demonstrating mastery of the subject of interest as well as an advance in that field of knowledge.
About the course
Quick details
- Available
- Perth (Crawley campus)
- Albany
- Kalgoorlie
- Full-time
- Part-time
- On-campus
- Off-campus
- By agreement with their supervisors, students may commence at any time throughout the year, except December and January.
- Full-time students are expected to spend at least 30 hours per week on their research throughout the year.
- Part-time students are expected to spend at least 15 hours a week on their research throughout the year.
- Postgraduate
- 00810
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- 003311E - Science (Paramedical)
- 003312D - Science (Physical and Biological)
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- 003318J - Education
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