Do a Research Degree at SICS

The first step is to identify the topic that you might like to investigate. As part of the application process you will need to provide some details on your proposed research ideas so that the most appropriate supervisors can be found for you. This means that you will need to take a look at the literature concerning your chosen topic area and start to write some initial ideas for your proposed research project, which will you undertake for your research degree. These ideas should include the research problem or some research questions you’re thinking of looking into, and possible methodologies/methods you might use to do this. You should also note references to relevant literature. This will give us a starting place for an initial conversation about how your project might best fit with current gaps in the research, as well as areas of staff expertise here in the School. We encourage you to send us a brief document (around two pages) that serves as a preliminary proposal, for us to share with potential supervisors as part of the application process.

We can offer supervision for both full-time or part-time students, and to both internal and online students. You can study either on one of our campuses, or online from any location in the world. Students work with their supervisory team to prepare for the endorsement of their proposed research and in all stages of the research degree process. Most of our students are pursuing a PhD, but we do also offer an MPhil, which has a similar structure, but takes less time and involves a smaller-scale piece of research. We admit students in all three sessions of study, so you can begin the application process at any time. It is important to note that this process may take a number of weeks or months, depending on the availability of supervisors, amount of documentation to be gathered, etc.

Take a look at the Faculty of Arts and Education's PhD course (i.e., program) overview details, or the one for the MPhil. These websites provide details on the course structure, admission requirements, study costs, etc. You will need to gather relevant documents (e.g., transcripts) so that they are available as part of the application process. It's important to review this website for the specific information we require.

Take a look at the SICS staff profiles to see who might be a good fit to supervise your work, or watch the recording of this session, in which the staff talked about their particular research areas. This may also give you some ideas re: possible topics and/or ways to narrow things a bit. At the admissions stage, we require a minimum of two staff members to supervise – i.e., one to be Principal Supervisor and one to be a Co-Supervisor – but we can add other members to the team after you've started the program, once the proposal starts to take shape.

Once you have an idea of your research topic, possible supervisors and the general requirements for application and admission, you may either approach one of the possible supervisors directly, or you can contact the School’s HDR Coordinator, Professor Philip Hider, to discuss your proposal (HDR = Higher Degrees by Research). He will answer any questions you may have about the PhD or MPhil process itself, as well as the application/admissions process.

Professor Philip Hider
School of Information and Communication Studies
Charles Sturt University
Locked Bag 588
WAGGA WAGGA NSW 2678 
Australia
Email: phider@csu.edu.au
Tel: +61 2 6933 2733

Once you and Professor Hider have discussed your proposed application, your potential supervisors may invite you to discuss your work by video or teleconference (e.g., through Zoom). You may be asked questions about your proposed research topic, your previous experience, your career plans, etc.

At this stage in the process, we will have all the information needed to process your application for admission. You need to start by filling in the ‘Expression of Interest’ form here. Once your application is received it will be reviewed by the School, by the Faculty of Arts and Education and by the Research Office before you are notified of a decision. You can apply for admission and for a CSU scholarship at the same time.