The degree of Doctor of Philosophy signifies that the holder has undertaken a substantial piece of original research which has been conducted and reported by the holder under proper academic supervision and in a research environment for a prescribed period.
In scope, the thesis differs from a research Masters thesis chiefly by its deeper and more comprehensive treatment of its subject.
The length of the thesis varies with each discipline with 80,000 words being the norm. The thesis should not exceed 100,000 words (or equivalent) without special approval from the RHD Committee.