The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at Victoria University is VU’s Doctoral Degree (Research) program, and qualifies individuals who acquire and apply a substantial body of knowledge to research, investigate and develop new knowledge, in one or more fields of investigation or scholarship. This unit contributes to the research student’s progress towards the production of a thesis in an approved thesis format for independent examination by at least two external expert examiners of international standing. In this unit of study the student will be expected to demonstrate progress towards thesis completion as per the Learning Outcomes below.
On successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to demonstrate significant progress towards demonstration of:
expert understanding of a substantial body of theory and its practical application at the frontier of a field of work or learning, including substantial expert knowledge of ethical research principles and methods applicable to the field
intellectual independence and cognitive skills to undertake a systematic investigation, reflect critically on theory and practice and evaluate existing knowledge and ideas, including identifying, evaluating and critically analysing the validity of research studies and their applicability to a research problem
expert cognitive, technical and creative skills to:
design, develop and implement a research project/s to systematically investigate a research problem
develop, adapt and implement research methodologies to extend and redefine existing knowledge
manage, analyse, evaluate and interpret data, synthesising key ideas and theorising within the context of key literature
expert communication skills to explain and critique theoretical propositions, methodologies and conclusions; to disseminate and promote new insights; and to cogently present a complex investigation of originality, or original research, both for external examination and to specialist (eg. researcher peers) and non-specialist (industry and/or community) audiences through informal interaction, scholarly publications, reports and formal presentations.
capacity to reflect on, develop and evaluate strategies for achieving their own learning and career goals.
intellectual independence, initiative and creativity in new situations and/or for further learning
ethical practice and full responsibility and accountability for personal outputs
autonomy, authoritative judgment, adaptability and responsibility as an expert and leading scholar.
The student will demonstrate substantial progress towards completion of the research thesis through formal meetings with their thesis supervisors, who will provide formative feedback. The unit will be assessed by the supervisory team, the School and University through 6-monthly progress reports.
To be determined in consultation with the supervisors.
This unit is not compulsory for any specific course. Depending on the course you study, this unit may be taken as an elective.