1999 Information Technology Handbooks - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

General
Introduction
Admission requirements

General

Caulfield, Clayton, Gippsland and Peninsula campuses
Course code: 0190
School coordinators: Professor Andrew Flitman (Business Systems), Dr Kim Marriott, Dr Arkady Zaslavsky (School of Computer Science and Software Engineering), Dr Frada Burstein, Professor Don Schauder (School of Information Management and Systems), Professor David Abramson, Dr A Sajeev (School of Computer Science and Software Engineering), Dr Baikunth Nath (Gippsland School of Computing and Information Technology) and Dr Jun Han (Peninsula School of Computing and Information Technology)

Introduction

The Faculty of Information Technology offers a Doctor of Philosophy program by research in each of the academic units of the faculty, across four of the university's campuses. The degree is awarded for a thesis which, in the opinion of the examiners, makes a significant contribution to knowledge or understanding of any field of study with which the university is directly concerned. The award of the degree is generally accepted as showing that the candidate is capable of carrying out independent research.
Areas for research include graphics and image processing, artificial intelligence, inductive inference, parallel and persistent computer architectures, systems analysis and design methodologies, knowledge-based systems, information systems management, inter-organisational systems, data modelling, electronic commerce, computer-assisted software engineering, programming paradigms and languages, object-oriented systems, formal specification, software metrics, decision support systems, executive information systems, human-machine interfaces, distributed systems, information storage and retrieval, robotics, digital communications, microelectronic circuit design, digital systems design, librarianship, archives and records.
The degree is usually undertaken on a full-time basis over three years. Part-time studies are available on conditions approved by the PhD and Scholarships Committee.
In appropriate circumstances enrolment for a masters degree by research may be converted to enrolment for a PhD.

Admission requirements

The minimum qualifications for admission to PhD candidature are:
1 a bachelors degree requiring at least four years of full-time study and normally including a research component in the fourth year, leading to an honours degree at first or upper second class level (HI or HIIA); or
2 a course leading to a masters preliminary qualification at a level rated by the relevant school and faculty as equivalent to a first or upper second class honours degree; or
3 a masters degree which comprises a significant research component, at least equivalent to (1) above.
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at Monash signifies that the holder has completed a course of postgraduate training in research under proper academic supervision, and has submitted a thesis that the examiners have declared to be a significant contribution to knowledge, and that demonstrates the candidate's capacity to carry out independent research.
For further information about the PhD program and attendance requirements, please contact the Research, Training and Support Branch in the Research Services Division of Monash University, Clayton campus.
For further information about the research interests of each school within the faculty, please refer to the section titled 'School information' at the front of this handbook. School coordinators can provide advice and information about research topics and supervision.
Applications for PhD candidature can be made at any time of the year and application forms are available from the faculty offices.