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PhD program in the Department

Summary

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at Monash University signifies that the holder has completed a course of postgraduate training in research under proper academic supervision and has submitted a thesis that the examiners have declared to be a significant contribution to knowledge and which demonstrates the candidate’s capacity to carry out independent research.

A candidate for the PhD must be an enrolled student in the university and is required to carry out a prescribed program of research for a specified period (see below) under the direct supervision of a member of the academic staff. The candidate, together with supervisor, is responsible for developing the research program to be followed. Both report at regular intervals on the progress of the project.

A candidate may be enrolled on either a full-time or a part-time basis. In fulfilling the requirements for supervised study and research at the university, a candidate is required to attend the Department of Business Law and Taxation on a regular basis and to be involved in the intellectual life of that Department.

The PhD program

Thesis

A major thesis of up-to 100,000 words embodying the results of a supervised research project is the main component of the PhD program at the Department of Business Law & Taxation. The PhD thesis is written under the supervision of one or more members of the academic staff of the Department of Business Law & Taxation.

Probationary candidature

Candidates initially enroll in their PhD on a probationary basis. At the end of one year full-time or 2 years part-time candidature, the PhD student is required to present an oral and written report on their research to a specially convened panel which makes a recommendation to the Monash Research Graduate School on whether or not the student’s candidature should be confirmed.

Length of candidature

The normal length of candidature is considered to be three years full-time or six years part-time. It is strongly recommended that a student design a thesis project which can be completed within three years of the commencement of candidature.

The minimum period of candidature is 24 months of full-time or 48 months of part-time candidature. The maximum period of candidature is four years of full-time or eight years of part-time candidature.

Participation in departmental activities

PhD candidates are expected to participate fully in the intellectual and academic life of the Department of Business Law & Taxation. Full-time PhD candidates are required to discuss their progress with the supervisor in person at least once a month and to attend all departmental research seminars and Faculty PhD workshops.

PhD candidates at the Department of Business Law & Taxation are strongly encouraged to participate in the activities of the department’s, Asia-Pacific Business Regulation Group, the Workplace and Corporate Law Research Group or the Taxation Law & Policy Research Institute.

Admission into the PhD program

PhD applicants must be able to demonstrate a capacity to carry out independent research and have adequate training and ability to pursue the proposed course of study. In all cases, the qualifications described below must be from Monash University or an equivalent institution in Australia or overseas.

The minimum qualifications for admission to PhD candidature are:

  • a bachelors degree requiring at least four years of full-time study, and which normally includes a research component in the fourth year, leading to an honours degree class I or class IIA level, or
  • a course leading to a masters preliminary qualification at a level rated by the relevant department, faculty and committee as equivalent to an honours class I or IIA degree, or
  • a masters degree that entails work, normally including a significant research component, at least equivalent to an honours degree (a ‘significant research component’ in a masters degree will vary from discipline to discipline). It is normally expected that a grade of HIIA has been obtained for the research thesis or project. Where ungraded, examiners' reports will be taken into account, or
  • have qualifications which are deemed equivalent.

If a student's first language is not English, the Monash University's English language proficiency criteria (.doc 29kb) must also be met.

Preliminary assessment

Before making a formal application for candidature, please:

and send it in electronic form to the PhD Program Co-ordinator.

The information provided will be used to determine whether you satisfy Monash University's PhD admission requirements and the availability of appropriate supervision for your research project.

Once this informal process is completed, the PhD Program Co-ordinator will request that you formally apply for admission.

You can download application forms for admission to the PhD from Monash Research Graduate School site.

Attendance and residency

Monash University imposes attendance and residency requirements on PhD candidates. See below for requirements for the external/off campus candidates. The purpose of these requirements is to ensure that candidates have regular and sustained periods of time available for their research and that there is continuous interaction between the candidate and the community of scholars at Monash University.

Throughout their candidature, all candidates must regularly attend the Department of Business Law & Taxation and participate fully in the intellectual, research and academic life of that Department (see below for the different attendance and residency requirements for external/off campus PhD candidates). In particular they required to:

  • discuss their progress with the supervisor, in person, at least once every calendar month (part-time candidates) and every two weeks (full-time candidates)
  • attend the university frequently and on a regular basis, and
  • attend all courses, seminars, workshops etc as are deemed necessary by the head of the academic unit.

In addition to the attendance requirements outlined above, doctoral candidates (other than external/off campus candidates) are expected to fulfil a ‘residency’ or ‘intensive study’ requirement. This is a period or periods of time when the candidate is able to make systematic and intensive use of the university’s facilities. The main objective of residency is to ensure that all students, especially part-time candidates, have a period or periods of intensive full-time study during candidature, when they can give concentrated attention to the research project and thesis preparation. Residency is seen as a supportive measure for the successful completion of research in a timely manner.

External/off campus candidates

Overseas residents who have the personal maturity and research experience to pursue independent, sustained and structured research off-campus may be permitted to enroll in a PhD in an external/off campus mode.

The conditions that apply to admission, time available for research and attendance requirements described above also apply to external candidates, except that there is an annual 5-day attendance requirement. 

The annual 5-day attendance requirement must be met each year. Some or all of this attendance may be off-campus, provided that the candidate is able to interact with the principal or associate supervisor during this time (for example, where the candidate and supervisor(s) both attend a conference).

Experienced overseas law academics (including ALSB members)

The Department of Business Law & Taxation encourages experienced overseas law academics (including members of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business) to apply to enroll in a PhD in an external/off campus mode on a part-time basis.

This is a unique opportunity to study in Australia while undertaking PhD which, pursuant to Monash regulations, may be published in parts as it progresses. Applications for the PhD program are open year-round.

Such candidates may be eligible for a scholarship to cover their tuition fees and their travel expenses (up to $5,000 maximum) to meet their annual 5-day attendance requirement. With prior approval, the 5-day attendance and residency requirement may be satisfied by meeting with the candidate’s supervisor

  • at any one of Monash University’s Melbourne campuses; or
  • at Monash's overseas campuses at London, Prato (near Florence), Kuala Lumpur, and Johannesburg; or
  • at a conference attended by the candidate's principal or at another suitable venue.

Admission, scholarships and stipend inquiries

Preliminary inquiries about admission, scholarships and stipends should be made to:

Abe Herzberg
Department of Business Law and Taxation
Monash University
Clayton, Vic 3800
Australia

Telephone: +61 3 9905 5879
Fax: +61 3 9905 9111


  
In this section

PhD Student Handbook

  • Department PhD student handbook (connect). Accessible to Department PhD & MPhil students & staff enter your Authcate details.