PhD research component

official TOEFL or IELTS results (where applicable) to demonstrate that you satisfy the University’s English language requirements .

official TOEFL or IELTS results (where applicable) to demonstrate that you satisfy the University’s English language requirements .

All applicants must satisfy the University’s English language admission requirements . An international applicant who is not a native English speaker may satisfy these requirements by submitting evidence of an IELTS overall score of at least 6.5, and with no component less than 6.0, or a paper-based TOEFL score of at least 570, with at least 4.5 in the essay component.

All applicants must satisfy the University’s English language admission requirements . An international applicant who is not a native English speaker may satisfy these requirements by submitting evidence of an IELTS overall score of at least 6.5, and with no component less than 6.0, or a paper-based TOEFL score of at least 570, with at least 4.5 in the essay component.

another qualification (e.g. a Master degree) with a substantial research thesis component that the RSFAS HDR (higher degree by research) committee is satisfied is equivalent or superior to a degree mentioned in (a), or

an Australian Bachelor degree (or equivalent) with First Class Honours or Second Class Honours Division A in actuarial studies (or a related discipline), or

If you’re currently completing an academic degree and haven’t yet received your final results and transcript, you should still submit all available documents before the deadline, and forward remaining results once you receive them. We won’t make a final decision on your application until we’ve received all the required documents.

When a PhD candidate is admitted to the program, a provisional supervisor is appointed. The provisional supervisor has the responsibility of overseeing the candidate’s progress until a supervisory panel is chosen. During the first year, it is important that PhD candidates start developing their research topic ideas by consulting with their provisional supervisor and other academic staff within RSFAS.

Either in a candidate’s first year of study, or soon after completion of their coursework, a supervisory panel will be chosen. The role of the panel is to assist, advise, and provide support and encouragement to the candidate for a timely and successful completion of the research thesis. The HDR convenor will determine the composition of the supervisory panel in consultation with the candidate.

PhD candidates may be required to complete up to six semester-length courses during the first year of the program. Required coursework must be completed to a satisfactory level for candidates to progress to the research component. Courses may be chosen from a wide range of graduate-level courses in actuarial studies, statistics, finance, or suitable advanced courses from other disciplines. The specific coursework requirements will depend on each candidate’s background, and the courses will be chosen in consultation with the HDR convenor and the chair of the candidate’s supervisory panel.