The Faculty of Arts only accepts applications for Graduate Research study to commence in Semester One. No mid-year intake is offered.

Deadlines for applications

Applications from	Closing dates	Applications notified
International applicants*	31 August	11 October
Domestic applicants	31 October	13 December

To be considered for Graduate Research Scholarships applications must be complete and received by the closing dates. Application outcomes will be available approximately eight weeks after the application closing date.

*International applicants

To be considered for Graduate Research Scholarships please make sure that you submit a complete course application before 31 August. Most international Graduate Research Scholarships will be awarded in October
If you are successful in obtaining a scholarship, you must commence your course by the first day of Semester 1 of the academic year you have been made an offer for
Please ensure you have allowed adequate time for your student visa application to be processed between your admittance into the course and the late date you must start your course
In order to be eligible for consideration for a Graduate Research Scholarship, applicants must have met the University of Melbourne English Language Entry Requirements by the application closing date

Application process

Step 1: Ensure you meet the minimum entry requirement

Please familiarise yourself with these courses before deciding on the course most suitable to you.

The Faculty of Arts offers three research degrees:

Please check if you are eligible for consideration by viewing our entry requirements before you proceed further.

If you do not meet the minimum entry requirements for direct entry into our graduate research degrees, you may wish to consider undertaking the Graduate Diploma in Arts (Advanced) as a pathway into Graduate Research. For further information, please email arts-graduateenquiries@unimelb.edu.au.

Step 2: Finding a Supervisor

Before you can submit an application, you need to first confirm that there is a supervisor who is willing to supervise you.

You can look for potential supervisors by

Exploring the University's Find an Expert directory. You can search by topic key words, name, faculty or school
Browsing the Faculty of Arts School websites including their staff lists

When contacting a potential supervisor, you should include:

CV (resume)	In your CV please highlight your academic achievements and any relevant professional experience
All your higher education transcripts	Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual mark received in your university-level qualifications to date
A 2,500-word research proposal	The research proposal is the starting point for your thesis. It should include a brief introduction and conclusion, and the following outline: 1. The specific area of your intended research, with a clear title 2. A brief summary of the key literature in this field, including a short bibliography and summary of key relevant works 3. A sketch of the key research questions you hope to answer 4. A description of the methodology required to conduct this research
A 5,000-word writing sample	Please include a sample of your written work typically your Honours or masters thesis, or a recent essay or paper that you think demonstrates your research and writing abilities. Please provide a very brief explanation of the context, ie. whether this is a chapter from your thesis, or a 4th year essay, or a paper writing in a particular context. Ensure both documents are labeled with your name, the School to which you are applying and the date.

Please ensure that all documents are labelled with your name, the student to which you are applying and the date.

Step 3: To submit an application

To submit an application please visit our online application web pages:

Please note: you may proceed with your application only when you have written confirmation from a supervisor.

You will be asked to submit the following documents with your online application:

A copy of an email or letter indicating that your nominated supervisor has agreed to support your application
A current CV outlining your all complete and incomplete academic qualifications and work experience, and details of any research publications (if relevant)
A copy (or copies) of all higher education transcript(s), showing the subjects studied and numeric marks obtained. If you have already completed your degree, copies of your official degree certificate will also be required. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation. If you are still studying, you can apply now before completing your degree by including current transcripts of at least up to the first semester of your final year studies
A 2,500-word research proposal
A 5,000-word writing sample

Important information

Your research proposal will assist the School selection committee to make a qualitative assessment amongst the many applications received for available places. It will also enable the School selection committee to ensure that appropriate expert supervision is available, as well as the resources necessary to facilitate your proposed research. The School selection committee recognises that it is common for research proposals to go through different stages of development, and your proposal is considered indicative, rather than binding, in all details
Ensure both research proposal and writing sample documents are labelled with your name, the School to which you are applying and the date

Referee reports

To support your application you will need to nominate two referees who can comment on your academic ability and research potential.

All referee reports must be submitted using the online tool. On submission of your application, your referees will be emailed a link to access the online referee form and they must provide their references using this online form. You will be notified when they submit the reference. Your application may be deemed as incomplete if the referee reports are not submitted before the application closing dates.

Ungraded Masters thesis

If you have completed, or are competing a masters thesis, which will not receive a numeric mark on your transcript or your thesis component will not appear on your transcript, you must include this detail in your online application or attach a separate statement to your application which explains this. You must attach a copy of your thesis and examiners reports (if relevant).

We recommend that you nominate an academic referee who can comment directly on your thesis. They should provide as much information as possible about your thesis by completing all relevant sections of the academic referee report and may also choose to attach a separate letter.

More information

Scholarship applications

To apply for the Graduate Research Scholarships no separate application is required. You will be automatically considered for these scholarships.

Please note: In order to be eligible for consideration for a Graduate Research Scholarship, applicants must have met the requirements by the application closing date.

For all other scholarships please follow the relevant application instructions and complete the scholarship application section in the online form.

Enrolment

If you are successful in obtaining an offer for a place, you must complete your enrolment and commence your course by the first day of Semester 1.

All commencing graduate researchers are invited to an Orientation Welcome Session before the start of the semester. At this session you'll be introduced to your Graduate School, learn about our facilities and services, and get a chance to meet coordinators and peers from your program. For more information please visit the Faculty of Arts Orientation and Induction web page.

Graduate Researchers completing a Doctor of Philosophy (Arts) Phd degree are required to complete 4 coursework subjects in the first year. For more information about coursework requirements and candidature management please visit the Faculty of Arts Graduate Research web page.

Residency requirements

Graduate researchers must be resident in Victoria for at least one third of their candidature. For more information on residency requirements please see the Melbourne Policy Library Selection and Admission Policy (MPF1295).

Transferring applicants

Transferring students apply through the same application process as new applicants. Please note, however, that the ability of students to transfer into the Doctor of Philosophy (Arts) has been severely limited because of the requirement to complete the PhD coursework in the first year prior to confirmation. Generally only unconfirmed students who have been enrolled for 6 months or less (full-time equivalent candidature) can successfully transfer.

Information about Student visas

Frequently asked questions

For questions, please check our frequently asked questions. If you still can't find what you're looking for, contact one of our friendly advisors for help.

Personalise your experience

Master of Arts (Thesis only)

Navigation

Where will this take me?

Overview