Since its foundation, the Department has trained many dozens of PhD students. Our graduates have made major contributions to advanced research on society and politics in Asia, with many of them becoming leading scholars in their fields, taking up university posts in Australia, the region, and further afield. Others have taken leading roles in government, international agencies, civil society organisations and elsewhere.
The Department of Political and Social Change offers PhD and MPhil research supervision and training to outstanding graduates interested in the politics and societies of Asia. We are committed to postgraduate training of the highest quality, equipping scholars with the skills to be independent thinkers and world-class researchers.
We strive to provide a supportive environment for students to pursue rigorous, innovative research from a range of perspectives, undertake in-country fieldwork, and share ideas with other students, as well as with Departmental academic staff.
The core component of the PhD and MPhil degrees is a thesis (80-100,000 words for a PhD/ 60,000 words for an MPhil). The thesis must make a substantial contribution to learning and relate the research to a broader literature in political science, sociology, anthropology and/or related fields.
In addition to the thesis, all PhD and MPhil candidates in the Department are required to take a 13-week seminar course on social science research design and writing run by the Department. They may also take other courses relevant to their discipline or for language study.
A full-time PhD program is a minimum of two years and a maximum of four, although scholarships are normally available for three or three-and-a-half years. Part-time candidature may be approved in special circumstances, however, this may have scholarship and visa implications.
Each research candidate at ANU works under the direction of a supervisory panel intended to bring together expertise tailored to the specific needs of the topic. The supervisory panel consists of between three and five members of academic staff, one of whom will be the Chair of the panel.
The Higher Degree by Research (HDR) handbook is a good reference for more details about academic milestones.
Academic requirements
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 3.5/4.
The Department encourages applications for the PhD and MPhil programs from graduates with excellent academic records, training in political science, sociology, anthropology or a related field, and a demonstrated capacity for conducting outstanding fieldwork-based research on political and social change in Asia.
Each year, PSC accepts only a few PhD students. Given this is a very competitive process, we rarely accept applications from students who do not possess a first class honours degree or a GPA of 3.75/4.
Admission does not automatically mean you receive a scholarship. The two are handled separately. More information is available on the fees and scholarships page of this site.
Meeting these requirements does not automatically ensure you will be offered a place. Final decisions are based on available suitable supervisory support among other factors.
English language requirements
ANU requires international students whose first language is not English to provide evidence of English language competence.
For this purpose, 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.
Full information is available: English Language Admission Requirements for Students.
Prospective students interested in applying to our MPhil and PhD program should first submit an expression of interest to the Department’s Higher Degree Research Convenor, Associate Professor Marcus Mietzner
Before you contact the HDR convenor, please review the information on the academic eligibility and English language requirements. If you meet the following requirements, prepare an ‘expression of interest’ before contacting individual academics.
HDR Convenor
Department of Political and Social Change
+61 2 6125 5501
marcus.mietzner@anu.edu.au
Prospective students interested in applying to our MPhil and PhD program should first submit an expression of interest to the Department’s Higher Degree Research Convenor, Associate Professor Marcus Mietzner. Your expression of interest should include the following:
All applicants should include a section in their application detailing the viability of their project in the context of COVID restrictions. This section should either (a) explain how the project is not dependent on travel and/or fieldwork and therefore feasible regardless of restrictions in these domains, or (b) provide a 12-month plan outlining how the project will proceed if the current restrictions on fieldwork and travel continue. Applicants should discuss the viability of their research project under COVID restrictions with their proposed supervisors prior to submitting the application.
Key dates
Applications for admission to the MPhil and PhD programs are accepted on an ongoing basis. However, please keep in mind that: (a) there are deadlines for scholarships; and (b) there are advantages to commencing study early in the Australian academic year (February-March). For one thing, the compulsory seminar in the Department starts in early April
Application rounds for scholarship consideration close 31 August (international students) and 31 October (domestic students) of the previous year.
In order to fulfil the requirements of the University’s internal scholarship application process, prospective HDR must meet a number of deadlines which depend on if they are a domestic or an international applicant.
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 HDR convenor will work with you to refine your proposal further and shape your application to maximise your chance of scholarship success.
You will need to ensure you apply to Doctor of Philosophy.
Expressions of interest must be sent to the department’s HDR convenor as soon as possible, but no later than 31 July.
A domestic applicant who wishes to be considered for an ANU scholarship is required to submit a full application through the ANU Application Manager by 30 September at the latest.
This time frame is designed so that we can help you finalise your application package before the scholarship committees meet.
Applications that are submitted after 30 September but before 31 October will still be considered; however, such applications risk being incomplete at the time of consideration as they will not have benefitted from the abovementioned review process.
For non-ANU scholarships, prospective students must express their interest in the department’s graduate research programs to the HDR convenor at least two months in advance of the respective scholarship program deadlines (if formal acceptance to a university is a scholarship eligibility requirement).
Expressions of interest must be sent to the department’s HDR convenor as soon as possible, but no later than 31 May.
An international applicant who wishes to be considered for an ANU scholarship is required to submit a full application through the ANU Application Manager by 31 July at the latest.
This time frame is designed so that we can help you finalise your application package before the scholarship committees meet.
Applications that are submitted after 31 July but before 31 August will still be considered; however, such applications risk being incomplete at the time of consideration as they will not have benefitted from the abovementioned review process.
