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Victorian College of the Arts
40 Years of VCA
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a program of independent research pursued under the guidance of a supervisor. The PhD involves a substantial piece of original and independent research, which is conducted under expert academic supervision in a research environment.
Entry into this degree requires a first class honours or masters degree with demonstrated evidence of a research component or equivalent. Entry to the PhD is determined by the merit of a research proposal and support material to the field of research (publications, performances, films, exhibitions, recitals etc).
The VCA offers both traditional and practice-led PhD research modes. A “traditional” doctoral thesis takes the form of a written dissertation of approximately 80,000-100,000 words. In the creative arts, a PhD thesis may take the form of performance and/or corpus of creative work, plus a dissertation of 40,000 words which aims to address, elucidate and contextualise the work.
The PhD requires a minimum of three years full-time, or six years part-time, study.
The VCA has a number of competitively awarded APA and MRS scholarships that are available to our PhD candidates.
PhD graduate researchers become part of an active Faculty research culture which includes school based seminars, faculty research symposia and opportunities for funding to attend national and international conferences, symposia, performances, exhibitions, and other events at which they present research or creative work.
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is offered through the Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts and Music and awarded by the University of Melbourne.
The PhD is administered by the VCA Research Office:
VCA Research Office
Faculty of VCA and MCM
The University of Melbourne
234 St Kilda Road
Southbank VIC 3006
Extensive information on the PhD including its structure, minimum eligibility requirements and regulations is contained within the PhD Handbook.
