Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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Be part of a proud tradition of research excellence.

In the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program, you will conduct independent research on an extensive project in your chosen discipline, supported by a minimum of two academic supervisors throughout your doctoral candidature. Your study will result in a research thesis of 100,000 words, which makes a valuable contribution to the current body of knowledge on your chosen topic.

Monash scientists are consistently setting new standards that influence technological developments, contribute to improvements in health and social well-being, support environmental sustainability, and result in advances in industrial practices.

By undertaking a PhD in Science, you'll become a member of a dynamic community of scholars committed to innovation and discovery and contribute to the advancement of knowledge within your area of expertise in a stimulating, supportive and professional environment. You'll have access to internationally renowned research centres and develop connections with local industry and government.

Eliminating parasites

Professor Qasim Ayub is studying the genetic diversity of human hosts and pathogens, and how our immune systems respond to parasitic infections to change the way we treat them.

Doctoral students at Monash Malaysia research lab

Top 100 in the world

Your doctorate degree will be recognised wherever you want to work or study in the world. Monash University is ranked (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026):

No. 26 for Life Sciences and Medicine
No. 41 for Anatomy and Physiology
No. 47 in the world for Chemistry
No. 52 in the world for Environmental Sciences
No. 56 for Biological Sciences
No. 58 for Natural Sciences.

Research excellence

Our interdisciplinary teams of researchers collaboratively work on critical problems at the intersection of biology, chemistry and medicine to deliver solutions for food, water, environmental and health. If you’re open-minded, practical, curious, and able to question why, you have what it takes to make scientific discoveries that’ll change the world we live in.

Finest infrastructure

Our research is supported by specialised facilities and comprehensive resources that can meet the demands of academic research and industrial collaborations. You’ll have access to innovative and high-performance infrastructure providing quality research services.

Advanced genomics facility

The first laboratory and research platform at Monash University Malaysia to achieve the ISO 9001:2015 standard, our genomics facility provides moderate to high throughput nucleic acid sequencing services to support researchers from the Malaysian and Australian campuses. It has produced over 150 publications and generated more than 1.7 terabytes of sequencing data.

Delivering impact

Significant developments in biology over the past 50 years are enhancing our ability to understand and shape the biosphere. Researchers on our Tropical Medicine and Biology platform are driving transformation in Southeast Asia and the tropics in key focus areas such as food security and biodiversity, telemedicine, immunity and infection, clinical research, human genetics, systems biology, and genomics.

Be supported

We're committed to supporting young scholars who want to change the world for the better. Click here to view our range of prestigious scholarships.

Entry requirements

To enter Monash University, you must satisfy particular academic, English language and age requirements.

To apply for the Doctor of Philosophy, you must have completed at least one of the following:

A bachelor’s degree requiring at least four years of full-time study in a relevant field, and which normally includes a research component in the fourth year, leading to an honours 1 or 2A in a relevant field
A course leading to a level rated by the University as equivalent to an honours 1 or 2A in a relevant field
A master’s degree that entails work, normally including a significant research component, including at least 25% of one full-time equivalent year of work, including a thesis. It is normally expected that a grade of honours 2A has been obtained for the research thesis or project. Where ungraded, examiner’s reports will be taken into account
Have qualifications which in the opinion of the Graduate Research Committee and Monash Graduate Research Office are deemed equivalent.

Please refer to the Admission criteria for more details.

Application process

Admission
Please refer to the Entry Requirements listed above or visit this page for further information on admission criteria for graduate research degrees.
Enquiries
For further information, please contact the Monash University Malaysia Graduate Research Office (MUMGRO) at mum.gro@monash.edu
Scholarships
To explore our range of scholarships, please click here.
Graduate research degrees involve the independent investigation of a research problem formulated by students in consultation with their supervisors. Potential supervisors can be viewed using this link.
Submit your application here. To check the application requirements, take a look at our application submission guide. When you submit your application, you can select your intended Monash University Malaysia scholarship. Discover available scholarship opportunities here.

Once you’ve submitted your application, it will be reviewed and you will be notified via email of the outcome. Please allow 4-8 weeks for your application to be processed. If you are offered a place at Monash University Malaysia, your letter of offer will explain the enrolment process.

For further information and clarifications, please contact the Monash University Malaysia Graduate Research Office at mum.gro@monash.edu

Related courses

Master of Science (Research)

Get in touch

Visit the School of Science or contact the Monash University Malaysia Graduate Research Office at mum.gro@monash.edu for more information about this degree.

Malaysia