Doctor of Philosophy - Engineering (DR-PHILENG) // Attributes, outcomes and skills

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of the degree students should be able to:

• Demonstrate advanced research skills and mastery of theoretical and analytic techniques as appropriate to the field of study, such as the use of archival or primary evidence, analysis of data, and judgment of conflicting evidence;
• Demonstrate specialist theoretical and applied knowledge, and a high level of awareness of past and current research in the field of study;
• Clearly articulate the research hypotheses and findings of their research project;
• Present the results of their research at an internationally publishable standard; demonstrate an understanding of, and commitment to, research integrity, ethics or code of practice

Graduate attributes

Doctoral degrees at the University of Melbourne seek to develop graduates who demonstrate academic leadership, increasing independence, creativity and innovation in their research work. The University expects its doctoral graduates to have the following qualities and skills: an advanced ability to initiate research and to formulate viable research questions; a demonstrated capacity to design, conduct and report sustained and original research; the capacity to contextualise research within an international corpus of specialist knowledge; an advanced ability to evaluate and synthesise research-based and scholarly literature; an advanced understanding of key disciplinary and multi-disciplinary norms and perspectives relevant to the field; highly developed problem-solving abilities and flexibility of approach; the ability to analyse critically within and across a changing disciplinary environment; the capacity to disseminate the results of research and scholarship by oral and written communication to a variety of audiences; a capacity to cooperate with and respect the contributions of fellow researchers and scholars; a profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethics of research and scholarship; an advanced facility in the management of information, including the application of computer systems and software where appropriate to the student's field of study; an understanding of the relevance and value of their research to national and international communities of scholars and collaborators; an awareness where appropriate of issues related to intellectual property management and the commercialisation of innovation; and an ability to formulate applications to relevant agencies, such as funding bodies and ethics committees. The University provides a variety of opportunities in addition to the supervised research program to facilitate a student's acquisition of these attributes.