The University expects that candidates who enrol full-time in a PhD or MPhil program will engage in regular research and study for at least the equivalent of a standard five-day working week, namely 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Friday, for 48 weeks of the year. The actual pattern of research and study is to be negotiated by the candidate with their advisory team and enrolling school. Candidates are not required to complete timesheets, or work on their research projects solely during the hours set out above. However, they are required to maintain satisfactory progress, which would usually require approximately 35 to 40 hours of work a week, and to avoid taking on additional work or other commitments during those hours.

Candidates who are enrolled part-time are expected to engage in research and study for the equivalent of at least 50% of the full-time rate over the course of a year. The actual pattern of research and study may vary from week to week or month to month, depending on the candidate's personal circumstances and other commitments. Again, the pattern is to be negotiated by the candidate with their advisory team and enrolling school, and the candidate is required to maintain satisfactory progress.

When discussing appropriate patterns of part-time research and study, please note that the Federal government funding provided through the Research Training Scheme assumes that a part-time candidate works at 50% of the rate of a full-time candidate. As a consequence, the University converts part-time enrolment into full-time equivalent enrolment at the same rate (for example, 1 year of part-time enrolment is considered equivalent to 6 months of full-time enrolment).

In addition, it is a requirement of all research higher degree living allowance scholarships that the recipient meets the expectation set out above for a full-time or part-time candidate, as appropriate: if not, the scholarship may be terminated on the grounds of not carrying out the program of research and study for which the scholarship is provided with diligence.

Employment Restrictions on Full-time Candidates

A full-time candidate may undertake up to 18 hours of paid employment per week if the principal advisor and school postgraduate coordinator are satisfied that the candidate's progress is not being affected by the paid employment; otherwise, the candidate must change to part-time status.

In addition to the restrictions on employment that apply because of candidature, some scholarships also involve employment restrictions and scholarship holders should check the conditions of their awards before accepting employment. The Research Higher Degrees Unit can provide advice on employment restrictions in relation to research scholarships.