Doctor of Philosophy
contents
introduction
course content and structure - informal overview
official course rules
current research areas
introduction
A Doctor of Philosophy program aims at producing graduates with the capacity to conduct research independently at the highest level of quality and originality. By the end of this degree students ought to be capable of conceiving, designing and carrying to completion a research program without supervision. The PhD is largely scholarly in nature and should uncover new knowledge either by the discovery of new facts, the formulation of theories or the revision of old ideas.
Students would usually undertake research in an area of major research interest in the School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics.
After successful completion of this degree, a student is eligible to become either an accredited member of the Australian Mathematical Society or to become a graduate member of the Statistical Society of Australia depending on the area of study.
Key Points
• undertaken 100% by thesis
• students may be required to attend lectures in relevant topics from time to time throughout the course
• usually three to four years of full time study
• entry requirement is a good Honours bachelor degree or Honours Masters of Science
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course content and structure (informal overview)
Students contemplating enrolling for the Doctor Of Philosophy degree are encouraged to speak with members of staff in the School before enrolment to help select the general area of their research. Final approval must be sought from the Head of the School before work is commenced. A meeting is usually held with appropriate supervisors and the Head of the School to finalise these arrangements. If it is not possible to define a major thesis topic before enrolment, it should be determined with the Head of the School and submitted to the University Research Committee before the end of the first session.
Each student has a main supervisor and a secondary supervisor, appointed on the recommendation of the Head of the School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics.
Students are encouraged to attend School and other seminars and postgraduate activities, and to discuss their work widely. Apart from their supervisors, they will be asked to discuss their progress with at least the Head of School and other senior staff. Students will be expected to give short presentations on their work to fellow students and department staff, and at the annual Postgraduate Open Day in August to members of the public. Attendance at a conference will be at least partially funded by the University. Students will be encouraged to prepare and present their results for publication in professional journals either individually or jointly with their supervisor.
A full-time student must be registered for the degree for at least four consecutive sessions (two years) and a part-time student must be registered for the degree for at least six consecutive sessions (three years).
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official course rules
current research areas
The following areas of research are currently available to students undertaking the Doctor Of Philosophy degree in Statistics:
• E-education
• Epidemiology
• Experimental design
• Multivariate analysis
• Non- and semi- parametrics
• Sample survey design, analysis and methodology
• Spatial statistics
• Time series analysis
The following areas of research are currently available to students undertaking the Doctor Of Philosophy degree in Mathematics:
• Algebra
• Analysis
• Combustion theory and dynamical systems
• Financial mathematics
• Industrial applications of mathematics
• Logic and type theory
• Number theory
• Numerical modelling: exact solutions of partial differential equations
• Solid and fluid mechanics
• Symmetry analysis: numerical solutions of partial differential equations
• Topology
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