So you're interested in doing a PhD in Astronomy or Astrophysics at CSPA?

This is what you should do.

1. Contact the CSPA staff member you are interested in working with. See the Academic Staff and Research Supervisor Matrix for information about possible research projects. If you are not sure about your preferred research topic or supervisor, contact the Postgraduate co-ordinator, John Lattanzio.
   
2. To be accepted to study for a PhD at Monash, you will need either an Upper Second Class Honours degree (H2A) in a relevant field from an Australian or New Zealand university, or qualifications deemed "H2A Equivalent" by the relevant Monash committee. For example, H2A equivalence may be granted for an equivalent overseas qualification. Your academic contact can help you in deciding whether your qualifications are sufficient, and with an application for H2A Equivalence if necessary.


3. Carefully read through the advice on Applying to become a research student on the MRGS (Monash Research Graduate School) web site. Take particular note of the eligibility criteria and the English language requirements.


4. Apply online at http://www.mrgs.monash.edu.au/scholarships/apply/.


5. Most students will want to obtain a scholarship for postgraduate study. Full details are available from the MRGS Scholarships page. Full details are available from the MRGS Scholarships page. To qualify for a scholarship, you need a First Class Honours degree (HI) in a relevant field from an Australian or New Zealand university, or qualifications deemed "H1 Equivalent" by the relevant Monash committee. For example, H1 Equivalence may be granted for an H2A degree and a publication or relevant work experience, or for an equivalent overseas qualification. Your academic contact can help you in deciding whether your qualifications ae sufficient, and with an application for H1 Equivalence if necessary.
6. You should also check out this useful summary of available scholarships.
   
   
   • Australian and New Zealand permanent residents: you will probably want to apply for a living allowance (stipend) scholarship, such as an APA scholarship or Monash Graduate Scholarship (MGS).
   • International students: you may also wish to apply for a fees scholarship such as IPRS or MIPRS. Most foreign PhD students therefore need both a stipend and a fees scholarship.
7. Note that APA, MGS, IPRS and MIPRS are all covered by the same application form; you do not need to apply separately for each.


8. All central scholarship applications must be lodged with the Monash Research Graduate School by 31 October each year.


9. Monash Faculty of Science offers a number of "Dean's scholarships" (open to both resident and international students) for which you may apply at any time, but these cover only stipend or fees, not both. International students will still need to obtain the other, ideally in the normal annual application round. If, however, the timing is wrong for this, CSPA can provide scholarships for international students, allowing them to start any time during the year. Local students can use a Dean's Scholarship to start at any time, provided they have a HI degree and someone to supervise them.