With guidance from your advisory team, you will undertake a significant research project and complete a 40,000-word thesis and an oral examination. In some circumstances your thesis may involve an alternate format.

The MPhil will take you 1.5 to 2 years to complete full time and will enable you to develop advanced knowledge and methodologies.

MPhil work is done independently and you will need a strong academic background to apply. You may need to submit a research proposal and other documents to support your application.

About 500 MPhil students join UQ each year researching a wide range of topics. Many MPhil candidates choose to continue with their research in order to obtain a PhD.

Research at UQ

UQ is one of Australia’s top research-intensive universities. Our research makes an impact on the world's cultural, environmental, economic and social challenges.

Learn more about UQ's research

Domestic International

See full entry requirements

Location : Dutton Park, Gatton, Herston, St Lucia

Duration : 1.5 to 2 years full-time (or part-time equivalent)

Start Semester : Research Quarter 1 (1 Jan, 2026), Research Quarter 2 (1 Apr, 2026), Research Quarter 3 (1 Jul, 2026), Research Quarter 4 (1 Oct, 2026)

Program Code : 7500

AQF : Level 9

Scholarships available

See full entry requirements

Location : Dutton Park, Gatton, Herston, St Lucia

Duration : 1.5 to 2 years full-time

Start Semester : Research Quarter 1 (1 Jan, 2026), Research Quarter 2 (1 Apr, 2026), Research Quarter 3 (1 Jul, 2026), Research Quarter 4 (1 Oct, 2026) : Semester dates for 2027 are yet to be confirmed

Program Code : 7500

CRICOS Code : 0100215\ 0100216

AQF : Level 9

Scholarships available

Program highlights

Be inspired and challenged to explore new ideas and develop greater understanding of complex questions.
Access one of the country's largest libraries, with more than 2 million physical resources and 116,800+ journal subscriptions.
Foster and improve your skills through the Career Development Framework, created with industry.
Learn from researchers whose work addresses national and global cultural, environmental, economic and social challenges.

50 in the world

CWTS Leiden Ranking 2025

65 in the world

Academic Ranking of World Universities 2025

Supervision

You have to find a thesis supervisor before you apply.

This supervisor will support, guide and mentor you through your research, and can introduce you to professional networks that will start your career.

Find a supervisor

3-Minute Thesis

The showcase event for research candidates is the 3-Minute Thesis (3MT).

3MT is held each spring.

Learn more about the 3MT

Career development

UQ offers a range of development opportunities via the Career Development Framework (CDF) to help you develop portable skills for any career or industry.

Learn more about the CDF

Events

See all events

Medicine information evening

17 March - 18 March

Medicine information evening

Online

Occupational Therapy Studies Masterclass

7 April

Occupational Therapy Studies Masterclass

St Lucia

MBA Information Event

30 April - 6 May

MBA Information Event

Multiple locations

Stories

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Entry requirements

GPA equivalent

Select where you studied and your qualification to see the GPA you need to be considered for this program.

Meeting the GPA requirement doesn’t guarantee admission.

Academic entry requirements

You have to prove you are prepared for MPhil study. You do this by showing you:

have completed some relevant experience
have completed an approved university degree and
can meet the English language requirements.
have completed some relevant experience
have completed an approved university degree and
can meet the English language requirements.

Approved degrees

You need one of the following approved degrees to apply for an MPhil:

Bachelor’s degree from an approved university with at least honours class IIB or equivalent, which includes relevant experience; or
Postgraduate degree (at least one year full-time or equivalent) with an overall grade point average of 5 on the 7-point UQ scale, together with relevant experience, approved by the dean; or
Bachelor’s degree plus at least 2 years of documented relevant experience, approved by the dean; or
Other qualifications or experience that show you can meet admission standards.

Relevant experience

You'll be required to provide evidence of relevant experience by providing the following:

A bachelor's degree or master's degree:
with completed courses that aim to develop research skills (minimum value of #1 unit e.g. 50 per cent of a #2 unit course), and/or
the completion of a supervised research project that includes an individually graded written report with a combined minimum course volume equal to #2 units at UQ.

You'll also need to provide one or more of the following:

Scholarly papers involving a substantial contribution as an author, appearing in recognised academic journals or in volumes published by recognised academic publishers.
Research or technical reports prepared for industry, government or business, which adhere to the broad conventions of academic publishing (i.e. contain an up-to-date review of relevant literature, a description of relevant research methods and an evaluation of results, etc.) and which identify you as a significant contributor.
A portfolio of published creative work together with published critical discussion of some or all of that work, or of a comparable body of work by others, and which demonstrates your development of a scholarly approach to creative work as research investigation.
Demonstrable industry or work experience where you can demonstrate that you have planned and executed a project, working with a high level of independence.

Student visas

International students who are accepted into full-time study in the Master of Philosophy are eligible to apply for an Australian Student visa (subclass 500).

This program has two CRICOS codes:

0100215 – Architecture, creative arts, education, health, information technology, management and commerce, mathematical sciences, social and cultural studies
0100216 – Agriculture and environmental studies, dentistry, engineering, human movement, medical studies, natural and physical sciences, pharmacy, psychology, veterinary science

Discuss your proposed project with us to determine which CRICOS code is most relevant for your visa application.

There are a number of requirements you must satisfy before a visa is granted, including the genuine temporary entrant (GTE) requirement.

Learn more about student visas

Additional entry requirements

Many schools and institutes will have additional entry requirements and may request documents to support your application, such as a research proposal. If your nominated supervisor supports your expression of interest, you can discuss these additional requirements with them.

English language requirements

There are a few ways you can meet our English language requirements. If you sit a test, the following scores are needed for MPhil admission:

Test	Minimum overall score	Minimum additional scores
IELTS (clinical projects)	7.0	7.0 in every sub-band
IELTS (all other disciplines)	6.5	6.0 in every sub-band
TOEFL (paper-based)	570	5.0 in TWE (written), and 54 in reading & listening

Read our English language requirements

Scholarships

There are several types of MPhil scholarships:

tuition fee scholarship: this covers the fees charged by UQ for MPhil study
living stipend scholarship: this is afortnightly payment (or stipend) to support your daily expenses
top-up scholarship: may be provided by external organisations, supervisors, or philanthropic donations. They are uncommon, but when awarded provide an additional payment on top of a living stipend scholarship. They cannot be held without a living stipend scholarship.

Each year, we award more than 600 scholarships to attract and support the highest quality higher degree by research applicants.

View all postgraduate research scholarships

University scholarships

UQ scholarships include:

Graduate School Scholarship.

How to apply for a scholarship

You can apply for many UQ scholarships when you apply for your MPhil. External scholarships might have different ways to apply.

Our Scholarships website explains how to apply for each scholarship. If you are applying for any non-UQ scholarships, outcome dates may vary.

View all postgraduate research scholarships

Fees and costs

Tuition fees

Your fees will vary according to your academic field, study load and whether you study internally or remotely.

Learn more about postgraduate research fees

Tuition fees

Your fees will vary according to your academic field, study load and whether you study internally or remotely.

Learn more about postgraduate research fees

Research costs

The department you enrol with will meet all necessary costs for your project, including:

resource and facility costs: at UQ, which may include other organisations in Australia or overseas
travel costs: to complete fieldwork, collect data, or to visit libraries or other repositories
coursework costs: for courses studied outside the department
relevant training: in particular methodologies or techniques.

How to apply

Before you apply

To apply, you will need to submit:

an initial expression of interest (EOI), to ensure a supervisor will support your research
a final application, if invited after the supervisor reviews your EOI.

1. Check your eligibility

Check your eligibility by reviewing the entry requirements for this program.

If you are applying for a scholarship, check the scholarship's eligibility and important dates.

2. Identify a potential supervisor

Find a supervisor in your field with expertise that's relevant to your MPhil and project.

3. Gather your documents

You will need to compile the necessary documents. We will accept scanned copies of original documents, but you will have to keep all original documents for the duration of your studies.

Upload all documents as PDFs and name your files like this: LASTNAME_firstname_document-name.pdf

If any of your documents is in a language other than English, you will need to provide both the original document and an official translation.

You must provide the following documents when you submit your expression of interest (EOI):

Academic curriculum vitae (CV)/résumé

An academic CV assists us to determine your readiness to commence a higher degree by research. Your academic CV should be current (no more than 6 months old) and include information under the following headings:

Personal details

Include:

your full name
your contact details (phone number, email address, city and country of residence)
nationality
languages spoken and proficiency level for each
your ORCID ID or other research output identifier (such as Google Scholar) if you have one (see the ORCID ID and research identifiers information provided by UQ Library).

As the purpose of this academic CV is to determine your academic suitability for a higher degree by research program at UQ and your competitiveness against other applicants, we only require information that is directly relevant to our decision-making processes. With this in mind, do not include the following in your academic CV:

photographs/head shot
marital status
driver license
date of birth/age
hobbies and interests.

Educational qualifications and academic awards

List each of your formal educational qualifications in reverse chronological order (with the most recent formal educational qualification listed first). For each qualification, include:

the commencing and end dates (month and year) for the qualification
the full title of the qualification (for example, Bachelor of Arts instead of B.A.)
the institution attended and the enrolling school/administrative unit
the city and country where the institution is located
your grade point average (GPA) for the overall qualification
any academic achievement awards (such as Dean's awards, subject prizes, University medals, thesis prizes) received for the qualification
if a research thesis was part of the qualification, include the title and word length of your dissertation.

You’ll need to submit academic transcripts and degree certificates for each educational qualification you list.

Do not include:

high school qualifications
the individual subjects/courses undertaken throughout your qualifications or the grades awarded for these
training courses/professional development activities not resulting in a formal qualification.

Professional affiliations and memberships

List any professional or disciplinary associations or committees that you are a member of. Include:

the start and end dates (year only) for the affiliation or membership
the name of the professional association or committee
your membership type (e.g. student member, affiliate member, full member) or role (e.g. committee member, secretary, president).

Employment history

List each of your previous employment roles in reverse chronological order (with the most recent or current employment listed first) and include:

the start and end dates (month and year) for the employment
the title of each position
the name of the employing organisation, and the city and country where you were based
your main duties or accountabilities in that role, providing detailed information on any research-related activities
any achievements during that role that arerelevant to your proposed field of research.

Other research experience

List any voluntary, unpaid or extracurricular research-related projects or experiences you have undertaken (such as summer research projects or internships) and include:

the start and end dates (month and year) of the experience
the name of the organisation, and the city and country where you were based
your main duties or accountabilities in that role, providing detailed information on any research-related activities
any achievements during that role that are relevant to your proposed field of research.

Research outputs

In reverse chronological order (with the most recent output first) list your research outputs. Include, for example:

research published or accepted for publication
research reports
research by creative practice.

If needed, use sub-headings to separate types of outputs, such as refereed journal articles, published conference proceedings, edited book chapters, books, creative works, industry reports, invited papers, patents, media commentary, conference presentations and posters, invited talks.

If applicable, use additional sub-headings to indicate if outputs are:

published
accepted for publication (but not yet in print)
(submitted but) under review.

Do not include any outputs/publications that are 'in preparation'.

For all research outputs, include:

the output or publication reference using an official bibliographical style (such as Turabian/Chicago, APA, Harvard). List all authors in the order that they appear in the work with your name in bold
the Digital Object Identifier (DOI), PubMed Identifier (PMID), International Standard Book Number (ISBN) or URL where applicable
any metrics or measures of esteem relevant to the output and your discipline (see the metrics information provided by UQ Library for more information), for example:
the standing of the journal or conference and the impact of the work (e.g. impact factors, citations and other metrics indicators)
relevant indicators of national or international significance
rejection rates for the outlet etc.
a brief statement (maximum 50 words) outlining your specific contribution to any multi-authored outputs or publications, including:
how much of the original research you were responsible for (i.e. what was your role in the conception and design of the project, and how involved were you in the analysis and interpretation of the research data on which the publication is based?)
the extent to which you authored the paper.

Research grants and relevant awards

Include only those research grants and relevant awards that you have received. Do not list grants or awards that you applied for and did not receive or are awaiting a decision on.

For each research grant or award, include:

the name of the granting or awarding body, and the country in which they are based
the name of the grant or award
the year(s) in which the grant was active or the year in which the award was made
the amount of the research grant or award
if relevant (such as for research grants), the title of your application.

Applicants from creative and professional-based disciplines may also include non-research grants and awards related to their creative or professional practice.

Research achievements relative to opportunity (optional)

In recognition of the diverse personal and professional pathways that applicants have experienced, you are invited to provide information (maximum 200 words) to contextualise your research outputs and achievements, relative to the opportunities that you have had to participate in research-related activities.

This section of the CV is optional and should only be included if you believe there are factors relevant to your research achievements that you would like the selection panels to know. Examples of factors include (but are not limited to):

study or career disruptions due to illness, caregiving, natural disasters etc.
non-linear academic or career progression, or a change in career direction
reduced ability to take up research-related opportunities (such as attending conferences) due to caregiving responsibilities.

Formatting and document specifications

We recommend that you use the below formatting settings to improve the readability of your CV:

margins of at least 1.5 centimetres
single line spacing
no smaller than 12-point Times New Roman font (or equivalent)
left-align text (not full justify)
include your name and page number on each page
be consistent in your formatting and spelling throughout
limit the use of bold, underline, italics and multiple font types.

Please proofread your CV carefully before uploading it.

Save as a PDF and name your file: LASTNAME_firstname_CV.pdf

There is no page limit to your academic CV – it can be as long as required to include the information requested here.

Include all the headings listed above – if you do not have any content to add for a particular heading, state 'None to date' under that heading.

Do not include:

information about professional and service activities
a summary of your relevant research or teaching interest areas and skill sets.

This information would be included in an academic CV for employment within Australia but is not required for application to an HDR program.

Academic transcript

An academic transcript should show:

all study you have undertaken since secondary school, whether complete or incomplete
the institution grading scale.

An academic transcript can also be called:

academic record
diploma supplement
statement of learning
record of achievement.

Degree certificate

A degree certificate (testamur) is a legal document, imprinted with a university seal. It should state:

the name of your qualification
your areas of study.

Include all degree certificates for post-secondary study.

If you studied in China, you must provide a:

transcript
award certificate, and
graduate statement/certificate.

English language documents

All applicants must prove they can meet English language requirements. Any test scores must be valid at your proposed commencement date.

Referee details

When you submit your EOI you will need to provide details of at least 2 referees who support your application and can provide insight into your research experience and academic work.

Do not provide pre-written references or letters of recommendation. We will contact your referees for a report. We can only assess your application after they have responded to us.

If you have previous incomplete higher degree by research studies, you will need to provide details for you supervisor as one of your referees.

If possible, please include at least one:

senior person (preferably your supervisor or the head of your organisational unit) closely associated with your current work, and
person who is not a member of your proposed advisory panel/supervisory team.

If your nominated supervisor supports your EOI, you will be invited to submit a final application. You must provide the following documents with your final application:

Passport

Include a copy of the information page (with your photo) in your passport. This will verify your identity and ensure we can make offers correctly.

4. Submit an expression of interest

Once you have prepared your documents and identified a potential supervisor, submit an expression of interest (EOI) online.

Submit an EOI

What happens next

The supervisor you’ve nominated will review your EOI. You should receive a response within 2 weeks. If you haven’t heard from the supervisor after 4 weeks, you can contact us for advice.

If the supervisor is interested in working with you, they'll contact you to organise an informal interview. This is an opportunity for you and the supervisor to discuss your research interests in more detail and determine whether you're a good match.

If the supervisor supports your EOI, you will be invited to submit a final application.

Important dates

The deadlines to submit your EOI or final application will depend on whether you're applying for a UQ scholarship or project with a specific closing date.

Check application dates

Important dates

The deadlines to submit your EOI or final application will depend on whether you're applying for a UQ scholarship or project with a specific closing date.

Check application dates

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants

For support with applying – or if you have any questions about university life – get in touch with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (ATSIS) Unit.

Contact the ATSIS Unit

Explore other programs

Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy

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3 to 4 years full-time (or part-time equivalent)3 to 4 years full-time

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Master ofPhilosophy

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Master of Philosophy

Overview

Research at UQ

Program highlights

Program highlights

Supervision

3-Minute Thesis

Career development

Events

Medicine information evening

Occupational Therapy Studies Masterclass

MBA Information Event

Stories

Can you do a PhD without a master’s degree?

How to get a PhD

How long does a PhD take?

Stories

Can you do a PhD without a master’s degree?

How to get a PhD

How long does a PhD take?

Entry requirements

GPA equivalent

Academic entry requirements

Approved degrees

Relevant experience

Student visas

Additional entry requirements

English language requirements

Scholarships

University scholarships

How to apply for a scholarship

Fees and costs

Tuition fees

Tuition fees

Research costs

How to apply

Before you apply

1. Check your eligibility

2. Identify a potential supervisor

3. Gather your documents

Academic curriculum vitae (CV)/résumé

Personal details

Educational qualifications and academic awards

Professional affiliations and memberships

Employment history

Other research experience

Research outputs

Research grants and relevant awards

Research achievements relative to opportunity (optional)

Formatting and document specifications

Academic transcript

Degree certificate

English language documents

Referee details

Passport

Other documents

Previous incomplete higher degree by research studies

4. Submit an expression of interest

What happens next

Important dates

Important dates

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants

Explore other programs

Doctor of Philosophy

Express yourself. And your interest.

Sign up for updates