Selection Criteria

The process involved in applying to do a postgraduate research degree through the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW is outlined below. This information is also emailed to those who enquire about enrolling in a postgraduate research degrees through the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at UNSW .

The first step for you is to establish contact with a prospective supervisor. The responsibility to explore supervision possibilities rests with the prospective students. The search for a supervisor is an important opportunity for the prospective student to demonstrate that they can grasp the nuances of supervisor's research area as well. So, that is a potentially important opportunity for you to introduce yourself.

Academic research interests can be found on the following two websites:

http://www.sphcm.med.unsw.edu.au/sphcmweb.nsf/page/Research

http://www.sphcm.med.unsw.edu.au/SPHCMWeb.nsf/page/ResearchCentresUnits

This second link is a gateway to the numerous research centres and units associated with the School. There are many research students already working in these research centres.

In addition, the Faculty of Medicine has a search function for locating staff research interests. You will find this at:

http://www.med.unsw.edu.au/medweb.nsf/page/Research+Interests


I have pasted a link to the profiles of some of our research students which may be helpful.

http://www.sphcm.med.unsw.edu.au/SPHCMWeb.nsf/page/ResearchProfiles

These steps will help you find a prospective supervisor who is appropriate for your area of interest, and you will need to contact them personally to ask if they would be willing to consider supervising you.

Finding a prospective supervisor does not guarantee entry to a research program. There is a separate University process for consideration of ability to undertake a postgraduate research degree. However, this consideration occurs once a prospective supervisor is identified and a detailed proposal is prepared.

The language of instruction at UNSW is English. Applicants who are applying on the basis of qualifications not conducted in the English language must provide proof of their competence in English. See English Language Requirements at:

http://www.international.unsw.edu.au/future/entry/entryenglish.html

for details of accepted tests of English Competence

http://www.international.unsw.edu.au/future/entry/acceptedenglishtable.html

Before you apply, you need to prepare a research proposal. The proposal must be detailed and accompanied by a time line. In the School of Public Health & Community Medicine, you should seek your prospective supervisor's agreement with the proposal before you make your formal application to the Graduate Research School to enrol in a higher degree research program. You might find it useful to consider the following headings in your proposal:

Title
Statement of Topic
Aims of the thesis/dissertation
Brief review of the literature
Theoretical Orientation
Methodology
Research program timetable: milestones

Both a PhD and a Masters by research are awarded on the basis of a thesis alone. Although students may take preparatory course-work, this is not counted as part of the award (this is quite different to US universities). This means that demonstrating a capacity for independent research, and a readiness to begin working on your chosen topic is an important part of the application.

The information on the following webpages should assist you with preparing your research proposal:

- Information about preparing a research proposal can be downloaded at http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/thesis.html
The Learning Centre provides some useful guidelines for preparation of thesis proposals which may assist you in structuring and planning your proposal.

- The Graduate Research School application form can be downloaded from

http://www.grs.unsw.edu.au/futurestudents/futurehome.html

The School has no scholarships to offer students. Applying for a scholarship is a separate application. Information about some of the scholarships (university and other) available through competitive sources is available at:

http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/fellows/apply/granttype/scholars/public.htm

http://www.unsw.edu.au/currentStudents/postgradResearch/res/cspgrfinsupport.html

http://www.scholarships.unsw.edu.au/

http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/studyin.cfm

http://studyinaustralia.gov.au/Sia/en/StudyCosts/Scholarships.htm

http://www.developmentgateway.com.au/

http://www.dest.gov.au/highered/scholarships.htm#schol

http://www.idp.com/students/scholarships/default.asp/

http://www.acu.ac.uk/cgi-bin/targettop.pl?ml=scholarships&sl=scholarships&select=scholarships&page=scholarships


After you have found a prospective supervisor and finalised a research proposal you will need to submit a formal application. You will also need to attach the following documents to your application:
- a research proposal
- evidence of having made contact with your proposed supervisor to your application.
- a CV outlining your work and research experience
- original or certified copies of academic transcripts of previous degrees
- evidence of English proficiency such as an IELTS test completed in the last two years or evidence that you previous study was completed in the English language.
- evidence of Australian citizenship/permanent residency if you wish to apply as a local applicant.

If you are an international student, the Australian Government operates an overseas student program (OSP) that allows people who are not Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents to study in Australia. Information about this can be found at:
http://www.immi.gov.au/students/index.htm

The Graduate Research School at The University of New South Wales
delivers the full range of services designed to support postgraduate research students from information on scholarships and career opportunities to thesis submission and graduation. The Graduate Research School can be found at:

http://www.grs.unsw.edu.au/futurestudents/futurehome.html