How to apply

Check your eligibility

To be eligible for MSDI's PhD program, you will need at a minimum:

• a bachelor's degree requiring at least four years of full-time study in a relevant field, and which normally includes a research component in the fourth year, leading to an honours 1 or 2A
  
  OR
• a master's degree that entails work, normally including a significant research component, including at least 25% of one full-time equivalent year of work, including a thesis. It is normally expected that a grade of honours 2A has been obtained for the research thesis or project. Where ungraded, examiners' reports will be taken into account
  
  OR
• qualifications which, in the opinion of the Graduate Research Committee, are deemed equivalent.

Applicants must also satisfy Monash University's minimum English language proficiency requirements for admission to this research degree.

English entry requirements

Please refer to the Handbook for Doctoral Degrees for comprehensive information on English language requirements.

Not quite eligible?

Explore some pathways to doing PhD research with MSDI.

Find a supervisor

1. Explore our Find a supervisor page to identify potential supervisors within MSDI for your PhD.

2. Once you have found someone in MSDI that you believe could supervise your project, send them an email which includes the information below:

• Undergraduate and postgraduate academic transcripts (certified English translation)
• Your CV/Resume
• Your research proposal – see here for tips on how to write a research proposal

Please do not send bulk emails to a number of academics at one time.

3. If someone in MSDI indicates an interest in supervising your project, you can nominate this academic as a potential supervisor on your Expression of Interest form. If you do not receive a response or if you need any guidance on the supervisor's research area and expertise, please contact our team at: msdi-gr-enquiries@monash.edu.

* Please note that final allocation of supervisors is made based on the supervisors’ existing load, their current research availability and the suitability of their expertise to your proposed research topic. Correspondence with prospective supervisors does NOT guarantee a position in the course or allocation to the supervisor.

Find a supervisor

Submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) form

You will need to complete an Expression of Interest form to apply for a PhD. Please ensure you have the following supporting documentation ready for submission:

• Undergraduate and postgraduate academic transcripts (certified English translation)
• Your CV / Resume
• Your research proposal: see some tips on how to write a research proposal
• English language proficiency test results (if applicable)

If you would like to apply for admission and scholarship, please ensure you apply during the below scholarship rounds.

EOIs can take up to four weeks to process, so please factor this timeframe into the below scholarship deadlines.

Applicants whose EOI is successful will then receive an 'Invitation to Apply' to make a formal application for admission.

Please note: An 'Invitation to Apply' does not guarantee admission into the graduate research degree and will be subject to individual assessment via the application process.

Submit an Expression of Interest here.

Received an invitation to apply?

Congratulations! Now you can lodge a formal application.

As part of the ‘Invitation to Apply’, you’ll be advised on how to submit a formal application using Monash's online application system. Applications for admission-only are accepted all year round.

To assist with your online application, please refer to the Step-by-step application guide.

Applications can take up to eight weeks to be processed. Please note that places in MSDI's doctoral research program are highly competitive and offers are only made when all the admissions criteria have been met and supervisory capacity is available to support your research.