Master of Philosophy (MPhil)

Like a PhD, an MPhil degree involves work with a CISS supervisor to research and write a substantial work of original scholarship. It is a shorter degree, however, taking 1.5-2 years fulltime or 2-4 years part-time and resulting in a thesis of about 40,000 to 60,000 words.

Full course information

For full course information, click here

Entry requirements

(1) To be eligible to be admitted to candidature by the Dean or Associate Dean, an applicant must hold or have completed the requirements for:

(a) a bachelor's degree from the University of Sydney or equivalent institution, with a minimum Honours Second Class, Division 1 in the subject area in which the applicant wishes to proceed; or

(b) a master's degree from the University of Sydney or equivalent institution, completed by coursework, in a relevant subject area, with a Distinction average for the coursework component and which contained an independent research component that comprised 25% of the requirements for the award of the degree and for which the applicant achieved a result of Distinction or above; or

(c) a master's degree from the University of Sydney or equivalent institution, in a relevant subject area, completed by research.

(2) The Dean or Associate Dean may admit to candidature an applicant who does not meet the requirements of sub-clause (1), provided that the applicant holds a qualification or qualifications that, in the opinion of the Dean or Associate Dean, are equivalent to those prescribed in sub-clause (1).

Additional factors taken into consideration when assessing the application are the quality of the research proposal and its fit with the Centre's program of research, and the availability of a CISS supervisor.

International applicants or those whose first degree was not completed in English must demonstrate their proficiency in English by meeting at least one of the following criteria:

• IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6.0 in each band) OR
• TOEFL 577+ (TWE at 4.5+) TOEFL (Computer based) 233, Essay rating 4.5 or better; (Internet based) iBT 90+ OR
• If a degree in English has been completed within the last 5 years there is no need to provide an IELTS or TOEFL score.

Upgrade from MPhil to PhD

Upgrade from MPhil to PhD is not “automatic” and may not be used to gain extra candidature time. It is recommended that:

MPhil candidates seeking to upgrade should demonstrate an
ability to conduct research at PhD level by:

(i) providing a detailed thesis outline satisfactory to the department
(ii) providing satisfactory chapter drafts of not less than a total of 35,000 words or equivalent (completed during the MPhil candidature)
Normally application to upgrade from MPhil to PhD should be made prior to the fourth semester (full-time equivalent) of MPhil candidature.