The Doctor of Philosophy (Performing Arts) is a three-year full-time research program for students with substantial experience in the arts industry/ profession.  The course provides an opportunity for original, highly accomplished practitioners, performers and artists who aspire towards a more extensive research and creative profile.  The course is available in part-time mode in specific circumstances.  Although this is a discrete award relating to the performing arts, opportunities will exist for cross-disciplinary study through joint supervision of the research.

Candidates will be expected to self-initiate and develop research through and about the practices of their chosen discipline to produce original and interrogative works of art and/or original approaches to performing arts' processes that will extend the knowledge of their discipline/s. The complementary components will normally include a performance, exhibition, event or an embodiment of some form (as in pedagogical investigations) in conjunction with an appropriate written record of their research, detailing their reflective processes and artistic ideas in the context of current professional knowledge. In many instances, the research will involve inter-disciplinary elements that bear conceptual implications when framed within performing arts' contexts. Together, the critical practice and reflection constitute the thesis which is expected to demonstrate the use of appropriate methodologies of inquiry in the performing arts and incorporate current theoretical understandings of the discipline/s involved.

Where the thesis involves live performance, exhibition and/or events, the candidate is advised to pay attention to the examination procedures before the required final submission of the two integral components in a form of examinable documentation appropriate to the research involved.

The Doctor of Philosophy (Performing Arts) is subject to University-wide regulations pertaining to course duration, formal proposal review and ethics clearance procedures and thesis submission.  Copies of the relevant documentation will be provided to all candidates upon enrolment.

Specifically the course aims to:

• create opportunities for developing critical and creative skills at an advanced level
• utilise the resources of the Academy to create leadership opportunities for artists with extensive professional experience to re-define or pursue alternative lines of practical and/or theoretical inquiry
• provide the environment to experiment with cross-cultural or interdisciplinary forms that have the potential to extend the knowledges of the performing arts.

Master by Research or Bachelor with Honours (First or upper Second class) or equivalent in a relevant area of study, or where the applicant can demonstrate the capacity to undertake original PhD-level research.

All candidates will be required to submit a portfolio of work and attend an interview and/or audition (where appropriate).

Conditions for Continuation in Good Standing
Applicants for Doctor of Philosophy are accepted in the first instance on condition of a successful written submission and candidature is confirmed by oral defence of a detailed research proposal.  If the defence is successful, continuation in the Doctor of Philosophy program is granted.  Normally this occurs within 6 months after admission if full-time or 12 months after admission if part-time.

The Doctor of Philosophy program comprises a study program of two to three years full-time, or four to six years part-time involving research culminating in the submission of a thesis which makes a significant and original contribution to the area of study.  Candidates are expected to participate in seminars and workshops on topics of research and related study areas.  A panel of supervisors will oversee the development and progress of the student’s research.
 
A prime requirement is that a Doctor of Philosophy must make a substantial contribution to knowledge in a designated field of study.  It should show how theory is extended or tested to provide new knowledge.  The research methods can be either quantitative or qualitative.  The thesis should consist of 75,000-100,000 words or equivalent ratios of practice and written exegesis.  An adapted version of the Doctor of Philosophy thesis should be of a standard that could be suitable for publication in a reputable journal.
 
Students in the doctoral program are required to make satisfactory progress in each semester for thesis preparation units.  Students who do not make satisfactory progress will not be eligible to remain in the course.
 
Enrolment in Thesis Units
Each semester students enrol into thesis unit: DVA7200 at 50 or 100% of full-time enrolment.

Students are required to continue re-enrolling in the thesis component of their study until the thesis is submitted for examination.  Doctoral candidates will normally complete no less than two years and no more than four years of full time equivalent study by the time their thesis is submitted for examination.