We are keen to hear from prospective PhD scholars. If you are interested in applying for a PhD with us, we ask that you review the information on this page and, if you meet the requirements, prepare an ‘Expression of Interest’. Please note that the Department does not offer MPhil degrees.

Academic eligibility

To gain admission to the PhD program you will need to have at least an upper second-class honours degree (in the Australian system) or its equivalent if you are an international applicant. In the US system this equates to a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.5. We have a strong preference for this degree being in International Relations or a cognate field. As the IR Department only accepts a few PhD students each year, we rarely accept applications from students who do not possess a first class honours degree or a GPA of 3.75.

Meeting these requirements does not automatically mean that you will be offered a place. Final decisions are based on a range of factors, including available supervisory support. At the same time, admission does not automatically mean that you receive a scholarship. The two are handled separately. More information is available on the fees and scholarships page.

English language requirements

The University requires international students whose first language is not English to provide evidence of English language proficiency. It uses the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and requires an overall band score of 6.5, with no individual scores below 6. The test needs to be dated within the last two years. More information is available here: Policy: English Language Admission Requirements for Students.

Applying: Stage 1

The first step in your application is to prepare an ‘Expression of Interest’. This is not a formal application to the University. Instead, it helps you make contact with the Department and gives us an opportunity to assess whether you meet the entry requirements, what the nature of your work is, and what faculty might be suitable, and available, for supervision.

The Expression of Interest has three parts to it.

1. An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (CV).
2. Academic transcripts from your previous degree(s).
3. A PhD proposal.

The PhD proposal should be a document of 3,000-4,000 words, which includes: a clear statement of the central question you wish to address, an explanation of why this question is interesting and how it contributes to existing debates in IR, a brief statement of the methodology you propose to use, and a draft timeline for completion of the thesis. This proposal should also include a bibliography of key works.

This document is very important – it is our first step in assessing your potential to undertake a PhD with us.

Where do I send my Expression of Interest? What happens next?

Once you have prepared an Expression of Interest, it should be forwarded to the Deputy HDR Convenor in the Department (currently Luke Glanville). We ask that potential students do not contact individual staff members first. All inquiries should be directed to the Deputy HDR Convenor.

The Deputy HDR Convenor will review your Expression of Interest to assess whether it meets our requirements. If they believe it does so, the Expression of Interest will be forwarded to other colleagues. This allows us to arrive at a preliminary assessment of your application and establish whether supervisory support is available.

At this point, the Deputy HDR Convenor will send you an email outlining the Department’s decision on whether we wish to proceed with your application.

Stage 2: Formal application

If your Expression of Interest has been accepted, the next stage is to make a formal application to the university for admission and for any relevant scholarships. The application process for admission and university scholarships is combined, so you will only need to submit one set of documents and forms.

The Deputy HDR Coordinator, or another relevant staff member, will work with you to refine your proposal and shape your application to maximise your chance of scholarship success.

When applying, pleasure ensure that you apply to the following course:

Doctor of Philosophy, International, Political and Strategic Studies, with the course code 9510 and the Graduate Research Field Pol. Sci. and Internat. Rels.

When filling in the application, you will be asked who you have already contacted. Please indicate that you have contacted the Deputy HDR Convenor.