Postgraduate Research Degrees in the Department of English

Entry requirements
A Bachelor of Arts degree with Hons I in English/Australian Literature;
OR equivalent.

Period of candidature: 6 to 8 semesters full-time / 6 to 16 semesters part-time.

Length of thesis: 70,000 words up to a maximum of 100,000 words.
This degree is awarded for a thesis that is considered to be a substantial contribution to knowledge in its field. Three examiners (at least two of them external) are required to report that in their opinion:

• the thesis is a substantially original contribution to the knowledge of the subject concerned;
• the thesis affords evidence of originality by the discovery of new facts AND/OR the thesis affords evidence of originality by exercising independent critical ability;
• the thesis is satisfactory as regards literary presentation;
• a substantial amount of material in the thesis is suitable for publication.

Note: Students may include appropriate material that they have had published during their candidature prior to the submission of their thesis.

Coursework component
Students may, with permission, undertake some undergraduate or postgraduate coursework where it will be beneficial to their research project. This must be approved by the coursework teacher, the supervisor, the English Postgraduate Coordinators, and the Faculty. Such coursework is not assessable towards the award of the degree. No fees will be charged for such courses undertaken at the University of Sydney.

Attendance
All PhD students in their first year of candidature are required to attend the English Postgraduate Seminar held on Tuesday evenings during semester from 5pm to 7pm (in the Rogers Room, N397 in the John Woolley Building).

Entry requirements
A Bachelor of Arts degree with Hons (I or II.i) in English/Australian Literature;
OR a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English/Australian Literature WITH a substantial portfolio of published/professional work (for example, books, films, television programmes, creative work, government reports, etc);
OR a Master of Arts (Research) in English/Australian Literature;
OR a Master of Arts with Merit in English/Australian Literature with a substantial research component;
OR equivalent
AND
A minimum of three years recent, full-time employment or professional experience in a relevant field. For candidates wishing to undertake a Doctor of Arts in Creative Writing, the ‘employment’ requirement will normally be the publication of a substantial amount of creative writing. Please contact the Creative Writing Director, Associate Professor David Brooks, for further information, Room S364, phone 9351 2569
Email:

Period of candidature: 6 to 8 semesters full-time / 6 to 16 semesters part-time.

Length of thesis: maximum 50,000 words.

This professional doctorate incorporates a coursework and a research component. Candidates will complete the following coursework units (normally with an average of 75% or above):

• ARTS9001 Arguing the Point;
• four units normally chosen from the available English postgraduate coursework units of study, though units from other departments and even other universities may be undertaken where the approval of the teacher, the supervisor, the English Postgraduate Coordinator (Research), and the Faculty.

It is expected that the thesis topic will be relevant to the profession in which the candidate works. The theoretically based thesis should demonstrate the candidate’s ability for critical appreciation of current knowledge in the field of study. It should make an original contribution to the field of study.

Two examiners (at least one of them external) are required to report that in their opinion:

• the thesis is a substantially original contribution to the knowledge of the subject concerned;
• the thesis affords evidence of originality by the discovery of new facts;
• AND/OR the thesis affords evidence of originality by exercising independent critical ability;
• the thesis is satisfactory as regards literary presentation;
• a substantial amount of material in the thesis is suitable for publication.

Note: Students may include appropriate material that they have had published during their candidature prior to the submission of their thesis.

Attendance
All DArts students in their first year of candidature are required to attend the English Postgraduate Seminar held on Tuesday evenings during semester from 5pm to 7pm (in the Rogers Room, N397 in the John Woolley Building).

Entry requirements
A Bachelor of Arts degree with Hons (I or II.i) in English/Australian Literature;
OR a Master of Letters in English/Australian Literature;
OR a Master of Arts with Merit English/Australian Literature with a substantial research component;
OR equivalent.

Period of candidature: 2 to 4 semesters full-time / 4 to 8 semesters part-time.

Length of thesis: 40,000 words up to a maximum of 60,000 words.

This degree is awarded for an original thesis. In some cases, subject to departmental approval, the degree may be awarded for a shorter thesis and some postgraduate coursework, but this would be an exceptional arrangement. Two examiners (at least one of them external) are required to report that in their opinion:

• the thesis demonstrates a capacity for original research;
• the thesis demonstrates critical ability;
• the thesis is satisfactory as regards literary presentation.

Note: Students may include appropriate material that they have had published prior to the submission of the thesis.

Coursework component
Students may, with permission, undertake some undergraduate or postgraduate coursework where it will be beneficial to their research project. This must be approved by the coursework teacher, the supervisor, the English Postgraduate Coordinators, and the Faculty. Such coursework is not assessable towards the award of the degree. No fees will be charged for such courses undertaken at the University of Sydney.

Attendance
All MPhil students in their first year of candidature are required to attend the English Postgraduate Seminar held on Tuesday evenings during semester from 5pm to 7pm (in the Rogers Room, N397 in the John Woolley Building)

Entry requirements
A Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English/Australian Literature from the University of Sydney with a distinction average;
OR equivalent.

Period of candidature: 2 to 4 semesters full-time / 4 to 8 semesters part-time.

Length of thesis: dependent on the course structure chosen by the student. The MA (Research) may be undertaken in a number of ways:

• two postgraduate units of study (12 credit points) and a thesis of 26,000-28,000 words in length;
• OR one postgraduate unit of study (6 credit points) and a thesis of 28,000-30,000 words in length;
• OR a thesis of 30,000-35,000 words in length.

The research and writing of the thesis component on an approved topic are to be carried out under the supervision of a member of staff.

All MA(Res) students are required to attend the First Year Postgraduate Seminars held on Tuesday evenings during semester from 5pm to 7pm (in the Rogers Room, N397 in the John Woolley Building).

Note: It is not possible to upgrade from an MA (Research) to an MPhil or PhD.