anu phd apply

Health & Medicine

• Current students

News & events

• Our history & achievements
• Reconciliation Action Plan
• Student opportunities
• Research & innovation
• ANU Joint Colleges of Science Partnerships with Indigenous Organisations & Communities Fund
• Indigenous Professional Staff Traineeship Program
• College structure & governance
• Award winners
• Grants & fellowships
• Diversity, inclusion & gender equity
• Academic career support
• MChD Admission Guidelines
• Pathway to secondary teaching with UC
• Vertical Double Degree Pathways
• Doctor of Medicine and Surgery
• Graduate certificates
• Joint & Dual Award PhD programs
• Health Executive Education

How to apply

• ANU Scholarships
• Commonwealth Supported Places
• Future Research Talent Awards (Indonesia)
• Future Research Talent Travel Awards (India)
• The Biosocial Shaping of Conservation and Biodiversity in Australia's Capital
• Dean's International Science Excellence Scholarship
• International students
• Internships & careers
• Course guides
• Student experience
• Student stories
• COVID-19 research
• Research schools
• Partnerships
• Research stories
• Academic profiles
• Research projects
• STEM Boxes 2023
• Health & Medicine Case Study Competition 2023
• STEM Challenges
• Indigenous engagement
• Past events
• Drop-in session
• Student blog
• Future students - General enquiries
• Current student enquiries
• Student appointments
• Forms, policies & guidelines
• Structuring your degree
• Coursework research
• Scienceshop
• Feedback & grievances
• Mentoring & volunteering
• Search ANU web, staff & maps
• Search current site content

Read about the ANU College of Health & Medicine.

• Reconciliation
• Science Teaching & Learning Centre

Helen Clark: Politics, policy, and a healthy human future »

Study health & medicine at ANU, one of the world's most prestigious universities.

• Bachelor degrees
• Double degrees
• Master degrees
• PhD & MPhil
• Scholarships

Discover our health and medical research capabilities.

News, Research story:

Connection the key to retaining rural GPs »

Participate in workshops, seminars, and challenges to see what Health & Medicine at ANU has to offer!

• Schools outreach
• Community outreach

Community outreach:

Health & Medicine Case Study Competition 2023 »

Find out what’s happening in the ANU College of Health & Medicine.

Find contact details for all general enquiries and outreach programs.

• Future students enquiries
• Get involved (alumni)

How to apply for MPhil and PhD

Understand the entry requirements.

To be eligible to be considered for admission to a postgraduate research degree at ANU, you must hold:

• An Australian Bachelor degree with at least Second Class Honours - Upper (First Class Honours is often required) or its international equivalent, or
• Another degree with a significant research/thesis component that may be assessed as equivalent to paragraph (1), or
• A combination of qualifications, research publications and/or professional experience related to the field of study that may be assessed as equivalent to paragraph (1).

All applicants must meet the University's English Language Admission Requirements for students.  

Find an academic supervisor

Prospective research students first need to identify a research project and find an academic supervisor.

Review the  fields of research  we offer and contact the academic convenor for advice about potential projects, supervisors, and the pre-application process. The  ANU Researchers  website is also a good place to start looking for a supervisor.

Email your academic supervisor directly to enquire about projects and supervision. Your email should outline the reason(s) why you are attracted to their field of research, the type of research you would like to pursue and a summary of your academic qualifications and research experience. You may also submit a short research proposal, however, this is not mandatory at this point.

The academic supervisor may contact you to discuss your research proposal and possibly other projects, or they may forward your email to other staff in the research school / centre.

Once an academic supervisor has been confirmed to support your application you may proceed to step three.

If you are not sure which area of research or supervisor matches your interest please complete an  expression of interest  and we will get in contact with you. Do not proceed to next step until advised.

Check available scholarships

ANU Colleges and individual research schools, offer a number of  scholarships  which are awarded on a merit basis. You can also talk to your academic supervisor about other sources of funding you might access to assist with living expenses and tuition fees.

Please note, international research scholarships are only awarded to outstanding students and are extremely competitive. Domestic students should be aware that if you are applying for mid-year entry your chances of obtaining scholarship funding may be greatly diminished.

Scholarship applications are included in the program application process, step four.

Submit your application

Applicants should  apply online . Application for admission to a higher degree by research and scholarship is combined in the single application. A one page research proposal and three academic referee reports also need to be included. Ask your referees to complete the  referee report form  and submit directly to ANU.

Applicable programs

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Master of Philosophy (MPhil)

Doctor of Medicine (Specialist research)

• Contact ANU
• Freedom of Information

+61 2 6125 5111 The Australian National University, Canberra TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12002 (Australian University) CRICOS Provider : 00120C ABN : 52 234 063 906

• Current students
• Content manager

PhD & MPhil Study Options

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Full-time Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students normally spend a minimum of three years at ANU, while part-time students spend up to six years. Candidates are normally required to submit a thesis of no more than 100,000 words and must meet the internationally recognised standard for the degree in the relevant discipline.

Master of Philosophy (MPhil)

Degrees of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) are designed for students who require an advanced research qualification, but who want a shorter degree program than the PhD. The MPhil program is offered on a full-time and part-time basis. It usually takes students between one and two years full-time, or between two and four years part-time, to complete.  Candidates are normally required to submit a thesis of no more than 60,000 words and must meet the internationally recognised standard for the degree in the relevant discipline.

CASS requires research students to complete coursework as part of their degree. This will include training on research methods, ethics and other topics as deemed appropriate by your supervisory panel.

Finding a supervisor

Identifying a potential primary supervisor is an important part of your graduate research application. Browse the ANU Researchers database to find and contact a potential supervisor to support your application. In most cases the School or Centre location of your potential supervisor will determine which School or Centre within CASS you will reside in. Please note, that once you have found a potential supervisor, any offer of supervision will be subject to you being formally offered admission to the program and meeting any conditions (if applicable).

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

CBE offers PhD programs across the full range of disciplines within business and economics.

The College’s PhD candidates are required to submit a thesis of no more than 100,000 words. The thesis must be an original work that not only demonstrates the candidate’s ability to undertake world-class research, but that also makes a substantial contribution to the advancement of knowledge in their chosen area of study. Before completing their thesis, PhD candidates are required to complete a selection of graduate-level coursework units, usually during their first year of study, to assist them in completing their dissertation.

Admission requirements, program structure and program duration vary by discipline. You should carefully review all discipline-specific information before applying for entry to a PhD program.

Read more about CBE’s  PhD programs .

Accounting PhD candidates become active participants within RSA's vibrant research community.

Find out more »

Actuarial studies

A PhD in Actuarial Studies equips graduates with expertise in a specialised research topic.

Business information systems

The Research School of Management has world class researchers supervising a diverse range of topics.

The PhD program in Economics is addressed to students of the highest academic ambition.

A PhD in Finance equips graduates with the necessary skills to conduct research in the field of finance.

International Business

Project Management

The Statistics PhD program draws upon the diverse expertise of academic staff throughout the University.

ANU College of Science

• Joint & Dual Award PhD programs

Joint and Dual Award PhD programs provide research candidates the opportunity to conduct research at, and graduate with PhD qualifications from, two world-leading research-intensive institutions.

Joint and Dual Award PhD programs deliver an outstanding research training experience in a collaborative environment across two institutions. Working with many of our top-quality research - intensive partner institutions globally, we have set-up a range of Joint and Dual PhD program partnerships with scholarships to support research candidature at ANU. 

ANU has existing Joint and Dual Award PhD agreements with a number of partner institutions detailed below. 

Joint & Dual Award PhD partner institutions

There are two types of Joint or Dual Award PhD arrangements. 

Institutional Agreements - this is an agreement between the ANU and a partner institution to collaborate and exchange multiple PhD candidates between both institutions.

Individual Agreements - this is an agreement between the ANU, a partner institution and an individual candidate to ensure terms are agreed for a single candidate.

We have Joint & Dual PhD arrangements in place with the following institutions:

- Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM)

- Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

- Humboldt University 

- Fredrick Schiller University, Jena

-Technische Universitat Dresden *

-Peking University

-University of Chinese Academy of Science (UCAS)

-Jiangnan University *

- Universiti Malay (UM)

- University of Rennes 1 *

-Universite Reims Champagne Ardenne *

-Universite Paris Dauphine *

* Individual Joint or Dual Award Agreements.

How does a Joint or Dual award PhD work? 

PhD candidates are enrolled at both institutions, and pay the tuition or enrolment fees at the 'home' institution, whilst the partner institution is known as the 'host'. The candidate works under the direction and responsibility of a supervisory panel co-chaired by a supervisor from each institution. The supervisors collaborate on all aspects of the research project and the candidate spends time (a minimum of 12 months or as agreed under the Joint / Dual PhD agreement) at each institution. 

Following successful completion of the program and achieving a satisfactory result in examination the candidate is awarded either a single Doctor of Philosophy degree awarded jointly by both institutions or two degrees / testamurs recognising that the program was carried out under a Joint / Dual PhD arrangement.  

Am I eligible to apply for the Joint or Dual Award PhD program?

To be eligible for the Joint or Dual Award PhD you must:

• have agreement from a proposed supervisor at both your home institution and a partner (host) institution;
• apply for the PhD program at both institutions (check the programs and courses website at ANU to identify the appropriate PhD program and minimum admission requirements (this is usually an Australian  bachelor degree with first-class Honours or the international equivalent)); 
• apply for the Joint or Dual Award PhD program within six months* of commencing your PhD program at the home institution; and
• commence/enrol in the Joint or Dual Award PhD program within the first twelve* months of your PhD.

* extended timeframes for application and commencement may be allowed under an Institutional Joint or Dual PhD Agreement or in exceptional cases, by approval from relevant delegate/s at ANU.

How do I apply for the Joint or Dual Award PhD program?

In order to receive an offer of admission, you must:

• check the programs and courses website at ANU to identify the appropriate PhD program;
• provide copies of your academic transcript, and completion certificates, up-to-date CV, research proposal and at least two referee reports with your PhD application;
• apply for the Joint or Dual Award PhD program( please contact  [email protected]  for latest versions of the Application Form and Candidature Agreement for Joint or Dual Award PhD program).

For detailed information on eligibility, entry requirements and application process, please click here . 

When can I expect to receive my offer of admission?

ANU accepts applications for the Joint or Dual Award PhD program throughout the year.

Once a complete application (with all required documentary evidence) has been received, it usually takes between 8 to 12 weeks for an outcome to be determined and for the ANU to issue an offer of admission. 

Offers should usually be accepted within 3 weeks of being issued to enable ANU to provide an electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE) to support a candidate's student visa application. .

Will I receive a scholarship for the Joint or Dual Award PhD program?

Applicants to the ANU PhD programs are automatically considered for ANU managed scholarships, however there are some dedicated scholarships for Institutional Joint or Dual Award PhD programs within the College  -   ANU College of Science Joint and Dual Award PhD Scholarships . For further information on other ANU scholarships, their conditions and benefits please see the ANU Scholarships website .

Some Joint or Dual Award PhD programs offer scholarships / stipends funded by both institutions - the proposed supervisors would be able to provide more information on availability of these.

Will I need to pay tuition fees at both Institutions?

No, tuition and/or enrolment fees are paid at the 'home' institution only.  However, candidates are responsible for ensuring they have a valid visa, travel and health insurance as required by the 'host' institution.

Scholarships

We have established a dedicated scholarship program to support outstanding international candidates enrolling in our institutional Joint or Dual Award PhD programs. For details, see ANU College of Science Joint and Dual Award PhD Scholarships . 

There are also various other scholarships available to support studies at the ANU. For more information, please visit our scholarships webpage. 

Eligible candidates would be automatically considered for ANU managed scholarships at the time of application. 

Relevant policies, procedures, forms

ANU Policy: Joint and dual award PhD degree

ANU Procedure: Joint and Dual award PhD degree

Application Form: Joint or Dual award PhD degree - please contact  [email protected]  for the latest version

Candidature Agreement: Joint or Dual award PhD degree - please contact  [email protected] for the latest version

Student experience

       blake curtis,    dual phd between anu and humboldt university.

What was your motivation behind choosing to undertake the Dual PhD program?

The dual award program offered a really unique experience, the ability to gain international research experience while allowing me to continue and expand on my research on Malaria at the ANU. Graduating with a dual PhD was an attractive prospect, and the idea of moving to and being immersed in the vibrant city culture of Berlin was too good an offer too good to pass. 

What have you particularly enjoyed about your experience of conducting the Dual PhD program / undertaking research work across two different labs in two separate countries?

I would say the diversity of techniques and practices I was exposed to. I started my PhD in the field of synthetic medicinal chemistry, however, my research work in Berlin centred around cell biology and parasite metabolomics, allowing me to investigate the drug activity of compounds I had synthesised myself. Each lab in each field has a unique way of approaching research, so it was interesting to learn different ways of tackling both academic and experimental challenges. 

Any words of advice / suggestions to future PhD candidates on why they should consider a Dual or Joint PhD program?

A dual PhD program allows you to actively peruse a subject that interests you while also having the opportunity to try researching in a different environment (as well as potentially a different country) all the while retaining the valuable research network of your home institution. It's an invaluable experience and I would recommend a joint / dual PhD program to anyone considering it. 

• Dean's welcome
• Our history & achievements
• Reconciliation Action Plan
• ANU Joint Colleges Partnerships with Indigenous Organisations & Communities Fund
• Indigenous Professional Staff Traineeship Program
• Research & innovation
• Advancement office
• Business Development
• Human Resources
• International Relations and Partnerships
• Marketing and Communications
• Research Management
• Student Services
• International Relations & Partnerships
• Award winners
• Grants & fellowships
• I.D.E.A events
• I.D.E.A. resources
• Academic career support
• Staff guide on moving to Australia
• Pathway to secondary teaching with University of Canberra
• Vertical Double Degree Pathways
• Master degrees
• Graduate certificates
• Summer Research program
• How to apply
• Commonwealth Supported Places
• Future Research Talent Travel Awards (India)
• Future Research Talent Awards (Indonesia)
• Sustainable agriculture top-up scholarship
• The Biosocial Shaping of Conservation and Biodiversity in Australia's Capital
• Dean’s Science Education Commendation Award
• Dean's International Science Excellence Scholarship
• Australian Research Council discovery project scholarship
• Director’s Scholarship for Academic Excellence
• ANU Chancellor's International Scholarship
• External scholarships & sponsorships
• International students
• Careers & opportunities
• Course guides
• Interview Your Future Self
• Field trips
• Global learning
• Student stories
• 360 Virtual tours
• Our research
• Field sites
• Research stories
• Academic profiles
• Research projects
• Research schools
• Institutes & centres
• ANU Science on Location
• Hosting an intern
• Schools outreach
• 2024 STEM Challenges
• STEM Boxes 2023 (Domestic)
• STEM Boxes (International)
• The National STEM Communicators Challenge: Hidden Mathematics at Work
• Indigenous engagement
• Science Lab: Experiments for home & school
• Science Case Study Competition 2024
• Australian Bee Observation Network
• Student blog
• STEM Guest Lecture Series
• Current student enquiries
• Book an appointment
• Ask a question
• Online drop-in sessions
• Future student enquiries
• Current students
• Alumni events
• Alumni news
• Mentoring & volunteering
• As You See It! Public voting
• As You See It! winners

• Directories

Applying to graduate

Graduating in july and december  .

Most students do not need to apply to graduate.

Generally, students will be automatically identified and assessed by the academic area responsible for their program.

You  do not need to apply to graduate if:

• you are enrolled or active in your program in the semester immediately preceding the July and December graduation sessions;
• you have previously been identified and approved to graduate but did not respond to the graduation invitation; or
• you have been approved to graduate, and deferred the conferring of your award.

You do need to apply to graduate if:

• you had no active enrolment in your program in the semester immediately preceeding the July and December graduation session; 
• you are an ANU student enrolled elsewhere on a cross-institutional or exchange basis. Students in this category must arrange to have an official transcript of results from the external institution forwarded to their ANU College , together with a request to have the course credit applied to your academic record. This must be completed by 1 June for the July graduation session, or 1 November for the December graduation session;
• you are a student in a combined or double degree program who wishes to confer only one of the degrees in that program; 
• you are a student who has applied to have course credit transferred to your current program; or
• you are a student who has been force-transferred into a new program following academic progression proceedings.

Out of Session Conferral

Students who have completed all requirements of their award may confer outside of the July and December graduation sessions. Applications can be submitted throughout the year, however, please note that exclusion periods apply in June, July, November and December each year. 

To apply for an out of session conferral, please complete the form in the Resources section of this page. 

Advisory information

• Eligibility to graduate
• Preparing to graduate
• Application for Conferral (PDF, 596.78 KB)
• Application for Out of Session Conferral (PDF, 87.59 KB)
• Graduation Office

Application timeline for direct undergraduate applicants

ON THE PAGE

• Applications to ANU open earlier than ever before. »
• Does this timeline apply to me? »

ANU Student Recruitment

Ask us a question.

Enquire now.

Applications to ANU open earlier than ever before.

* Indicative dates only. 

** Programs listed on this  link  have additional selection criteria and have earlier deadlines

Does this timeline apply to me?

This timeline applies to domestic applicants who are due to complete their Australian Year 12 or International Baccalaureate (November Session) (IB)  program in 2024.

If this is not you, please review our  other application processes .

Related links

• Accommodation
• Scholarships
• Co-curricular or service requirement
• Supporting your transition to ANU
• Assessing your direct application
• How to apply - domestic undergraduate