The Business School offers two research higher degree programs, the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and the Master of Philosophy (MPhil). Additional information can be found on the UQ website for each program, or by downloading a copy of the current UQ Business School Research Higher Degrees Handbook.
Entry Requirements
The entry requirements for each program are as follows:
Entry to the Master of Philosophy and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program is by invitation only, which usually results after a prospective student has demonstrated, on their application form, that they meet certain criteria.
The Business School will make a recommendation to the UQ Graduate School regarding the acceptance or rejection of an application. This recommendation is dependent on the applicant meeting the entry requirements, the proposed field of research and the capacity of the Business School to ensure appropriate supervision.
Information about the current research strengths in the School and for specific academics please refer to Research Expertise; Our Staff; or for all UQ staff refer to UQ reSEARCHers.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Qualifications
To be invited to join the Doctor of Philosophy program, the entry requirements are:
An Honours degree (Class I or 2A), a research master's degree, or equivalent qualification. Acceptable alternatives are:
- a research thesis constituting 25% or more of a coursework program 1 (with a grade of at least 6.0 on a 7-point scale in the thesis and a grade point average of at least 5.75 over the whole degree); or
- a bachelor's degree plus at least one year of full-time postgraduate study involving research experience deemed by the Business School's Director of Research Programs and the Dean of Postgraduate Students to be comparable to an Honours I or 2A degree; or
- a bachelor's degree plus at least two years of documented relevant research experience, e.g. research publications or written reports.
Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
To be invited to join the Master of Philosophy program, the entry requirements are:
An Honours degree (Class 2B or above) or equivalent qualification. Acceptable alternatives to an Honours degree are:
- a research thesis constituting 25% or more of a coursework program 1 (with a grade of at least 5.0 on a 7-point scale in the thesis and a grade point average of at least 5.75 over the whole degree); or
- a bachelor's degree plus at least one year of full-time postgraduate study involving research experience deemed by the Business School's Director of Research Programs and the Dean of Postgraduate Students to be comparable to at least an Honours 2B degree; or
- a bachelor's degree plus at least two years of documented relevant experience deemed to prepare the applicant for research work.
1 Where a thesis derives from a recognised Coursework Masters program and is worth at least 8-units (I.E. maximum 25,000 words or 125 double-spaced pages). UQ Business School Masters programs to which an 8-unit thesis can attach are: MBA Advanced (#40) (not offered after 2007), MBus Advanced (#32), MCom Advanced (#32), and MTM (pre-2005 #24).
GMAT Requirements
In addition to these academic requirements, please note that the UQ Business School requires evidence of performance in the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) for all applicants except those holding an Australian Honours or Master's degree.
This is a test of several hours duration measuring quantitative, analytical and verbal skills. It is administered by the U.S. Graduate Management Admission Council, and conducted in locations around the world. Tests, which are scheduled several times a year, must be sat at designated exam centres and is a cost to the applicant. The minimum satisfactory score is 600, and test results up to five years old are accepted.
The UQ Business School assesses applications on a portfolio of criteria of which the GMAT score is only one component. Information regarding the GMAT score may be found at the following website. Applications (from those without an Australian Honours or Master's degree) will not be processed until evidence of a GMAT score is provided.
International students
In addition to the criteria noted in Qualifications above, it is necessary for international students to meet the English language requirements.
Application Process
How to apply
Domestic applicants: If you are an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or New Zealand citizen, you are a domestic student.
Domestic applicants must complete the Application for Admission and Enrolment for Research Higher Degree Candidates Form (plus the form's requested attachments) and the Proposal for a Research Project Form. Forms should be submitted to:
Research Higher Degrees Liaison Officer
UQ Business School
University of Queensland
Brisbane Qld 4072
No further admission forms are required unless you are applying for a scholarship, which is assessed independently of admission requirements. These forms are located on the UQ Graduate School website.
Fees: Domestic applicants pay no tuition fees, but must pay UQ's Student Services Charge.
SCHOLARSHIPS
The closing date for domestic scholarship applications is 15 October each year. In the later part of each year, information and forms are located on the UQ Graduate School website.
The Business School also offers a small number of scholarships each year, information about these scholarships are available from the Research Higher Degrees Liaison Officer.
International applicants: If you are not an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or New Zealand citizen, you are considered an international student.
The International Student Application for Research Studies Form should be accompanied by a Proposal for a Research Project Form retrievable from the UQ Graduate School's website. Once the application has been processed by the UQ International Admissions Section (IAS), it will be sent to the Business School for academic evaluation. UQ's International Admissions Section is entirely responsible for the application process of all international students. International applicants should therefore send application forms and documentation to IAS, not the Business School.
The Business School is not at liberty to advise international applicants of the School's recommendation. Rather, applicants will be formally notified by IAS of the outcome when the application process is complete. International admission procedures usually take several months, making it necessary to apply well in advance of the intended commencement date.
Fees: Please refer to the Fees and Costs webpage for information regarding tuition fees and other costs.
SCHOLARSHIPS
International scholarships for study in the following year close off at the end of August each year. To apply for scholarships at point of application you must mark (tick) the appropriate boxes within the international application form.
The Business School also offers a small number of scholarships each year, information about these scholarships are available from the Research Higher Degrees Liaison Officer.
Online Application for International Students
International students can now apply online for the Master of Philosophy and the Doctor of Philosophy.
Prospective International Students can get further information from the following sites:
Online enquiries (fast response) www.uq.edu.au/international/enquiry
Phone: Outside Australia: + 61 3 8676 7004
Within Australia (Free Call): 1800 671 980
Email: study@uq.edu.au
Closing dates:
The Business School normally enrols research higher degree students twice per year with candidature beginning in January/February (for first semester) or July (for second semester).
Closing dates for applications
Domestic Students: for each intake are September 30 for Semester One of the following year and March 30 for Semester Two that year to allow processing time between application and commencement.
International Students: for each intake are June 30 for Semester One of the following year and March 30 for Semester Two that year to allow processing time between application and commencement.
Ethical Research
It is the responsibility of all research students to ensure research undertaken is ethically sound. In its simplest form, ethics is acting in a way that is, as a very minimum, acceptable to society at large. At The University of Queensland, there are three underlying principles of which sound ethical research must be based. (1) "The requirement to do good; (2) the duty to avoid causing harm; (3) respect for the person". In addition, for research to be considered ethical, there are a number of general procedures that must be followed. These include such things as the safety and retention of data collected; statements of authorship of the research; and the disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest.
Research students within the UQ Business School are required to read and become familiar with The University of Queensland Guidelines for Ethical Review of Research Involving Humans and related links found o the web site of the Ethics Office.
The Ethics Office is part of the office of Research and Postgraduate Studies, located in Cumbrae-Stewart Building, telephone: (07) 3365 3924, Email: humanethics@research.uq.edu.au.
Applying for Ethical Clearance within the UQ Business School
Students submitting their proposals to the UQ Business School's Ethics Committee are asked to use the resources from the Ethical Clearance pages on this site.
Where approval of the Head of School is required, students are required to submit a written proposal, initially to the Honours Coordinator.
