Wondering if your academic experience qualifies you for a Doctor of Philosophy? Here’s a guide to help you determine which pathway to a PhD is right for you – with or without an honours degree.
Some people know immediately that they love research. For them, studying an honours degree is an obvious choice, because it provides the most straightforward path to eventually completing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
But what about those of us who discover our passion for research later? What if you've already finished a bachelor’s degree that didn’t have an honours year built into it?
Well, don't give up on your research dreams too quickly. You may be able to complete a 1-year honours degree as an extension of your bachelor’s degree. For example, UQ offers standalone honours degrees to complement almost all of our undergraduate study areas – from communication and commerce to midwifery and mathematics.
And a standalone honours year isn’t your only way forward, either. Because you can do a PhD without completing an honours degree. In fact, having an honours degree on your transcript is only one of multiple pathways available.
Let’s explore all your options for getting PhD-ready.
PhD pathway #1: bachelor’s degree with honours or a standalone honours degree
If you’ve completed a bachelor’s degree with built-in honours by research* or a standalone honours degree, and you achieved first class or second class (division A) honours or higher, most universities will consider you for their PhD program. This is because an honours degree provides the research experience to prepare you for what’s in store.
*If your bachelor’s degree included an honours year, this will only help qualify you for a PhD program if the honours component was a research project.
At UQ, you’ll need your honours to be in an area related to your proposed PhD topic, and you’ll need to have completed it within the last 10 years.
PhD pathway #2: master’s degree
You could be eligible for a PhD program if you’ve completed a research master’s degree (typically a Master of Philosophy) or a coursework master’s degree* with a relevant research component. Just like with an honours degree, your master’s degree will need to be relevant to your PhD topic and completed no more than 10 years ago.
*At UQ, you’ll need to have maintained a grade point average (GPA) of 5.65 or higher in your coursework master’s degree to be considered for a PhD.
PhD pathway #3: research experience
Whether you can do a PhD without having completed an honours degree or a master’s degree ultimately comes down to demonstrating your ‘research preparedness’.
You may be considered for a PhD if you can provide evidence of considerable research experience (at least 2 years). This proof should demonstrate that you’re capable of planning and executing a body of research with some independence. Examples include:
- substantial contributions to scholarly papers in recognised academic journals
- significant contributions to research or technical reports for industry, government or business (the reports must adhere to academic publishing conventions)
- a portfolio of published creative work alongside critical, scholarly discussion of that work
- industry or work experience in which you’ve planned and executed a research project with a high level of independence.
Even with demonstrated research experience, you’ll also need an approved degree, such as a bachelor’s degree or a postgraduate diploma.
Learn more about UQ’s PhD entry requirements
Which PhD pathway is best?
There really isn’t a ‘best’ path to getting into a PhD program. It just depends on what stage of your academic journey you’re at when you realise you'd like to pursue a higher degree by research.
The factor that all pathways have in common is that you need demonstrated experience in conducting research. Because a PhD isn’t suited to someone learning the ropes and testing the waters – it's for proven scholars who have already discovered their passion for research.
Thinking about applying for a PhD soon? Want some tips for finding a supervisor or writing your proposal? Explore all aspects of starting your research degree in our comprehensive guide: How to get a PhD.
