A person wishing to be admitted as a candidate for the PhD is expected to have a Bachelor's degree with first or upper second class honours or equivalent (including a research component) or a Master's degree (including an appropriate research component) and the overall grade point average for doctoral study is normally expected to be B+ or better. Possession of a Master's degree or other postgraduate qualification (such as a professional diploma) which does not have a substantial research component will not automatically be regarded as a qualification for entry to the PhD programme.
In special circumstances, a candidate who does not have these formal qualifications but can demonstrate appropriate equivalent research experience will also be considered for admission.
It is expected that PhD applicants seeking to present a nominated creative component for examination have advanced training and/or professional experience in the discipline. Advanced training may be understood as a postgraduate degree or diploma, and professional experience may be understood as at least two years of employment and/or professional productivity in the relevant field(s).
The University also has a joint MB ChB/PhD programme whereby a Medical student who has completed a year of study for the degree of Bachelor of Medical Science (with Honours) but has not been awarded that degree, may be accepted as a PhD candidate. This programme of study must be approved by both the Board of the Faculty of Medicine and the Graduate Research Committee.
Acceptance as a candidate also depends on the University's ability to offer expert supervision and provide the necessary resources to support the intended research project.