Enrolment in a Doctor of Philosophy involves the independent investigation of a research problem that has been formulated by the student. It is expected that the research undertaken will make a significant contribution to the discipline in which the student is enrolled. Doctoral students are supported by a minimum of two supervisors throughout their enrolment.
Students are also required to complete coursework as part of the Monash doctoral programMonash doctoral program (http://www.monash.edu/migr/future-students/phd). This discipline-specific coursework is designed to impart skills and knowledge that will assist students to conduct their research.
These course outcomes are aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework level 10, the Bologna Cycle 3 and Monash Graduate AttributesAustralian Qualifications Framework level 10, the Bologna Cycle 3 and Monash Graduate Attributes (http://monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/alignmentofoutcomes.html).
Successful completion of the program will signify 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 which demonstrates the student's capacity to carry out independent original research.
Students must, in consultation with and under the direct supervision of a member/s of the academic staff:
1. carry out a program of research on an agreed topic approved by the school or department of enrolment in the student's chosen discipline for a specified period, including attending and/or presenting at seminars and other related activities as indicated by the relevant department/school
2. submit for assessment two parts: a. a major piece of original journalistic practice together with b. a written scholarly exegesis. The materials submitted for assessment should embody evidence of the student's research methodologies and achievements at the required level.
a. The project:
- may be produced in any publication medium appropriate to the content, including print, video, audio, digital multimedia and exhibition; there is considerable flexibility and scope for innovation in the design of the form and content of the journalism project and students should liaise closely with the proposed supervisory team to formulate a rigorous and original project
- must be an in-depth journalism project appropriate for scholarly interrogation across the life of the candidature and presented in a suitable genre and medium.
b. An accompanying critical component of no less than 25,000 - 30,000 words that takes the form of an exegesis which should:
- comment directly on the journalism project in terms of its form and stylistic, theoretical and methodological influences
- demonstrate how the journalism practice component contributes to scholarly knowledge in the field
- locate the exegesis as a whole within the relevant scholarly and professional literature on the research question/topic
- be expressed in scholarly language and conventions of presentation
- offer a defence of the contribution to knowledge made by the journalism practice outcome in concert with the exegesis.
The combined word total of the journalism project and the exegesis must not normally exceed 80,000 words, or equivalent content.
3. satisfactorily complete the following program of coursework study:
Students are required to undertake regular progress milestones to support them in conducting research of an appropriate quality, originality and depth as required by their course of study, in accordance with the Graduate Research Progress Management policyGraduate Research Progress Management policy (http://policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/research/mrgs/grad-research-progress-mgmt-policy.html) and supporting procedures.
