The Doctor of Philosophy involves three year full-time (or part-time equivalent) research program which culminates in the submission of a thesis. The course consists of the preparation of a research proposal, the conduct of research, the preparation of a thesis, and participation in seminars and conferences.  Although formal coursework is not a stipulated part of requirements, coursework may be required and will be assigned by the School on an individual basis.

The candidate will be provided with an initial adviser and once the research proposal has been formally accepted a supervisory team will be appointed consisting of a principal supervisor assisted by at least one additional supervisor.  The principal supervisor normally will be a staff member of the relevant School.  Additional supervisors may be staff from within Edith Cowan University or other universities, or may be from research institutes, government or industry.

The course refers to the following field of study in the Doctor of Philosophy degree:

• Sports Science

A relevant Bachelor degree with 2A Honours or better, or a relevant Master degree which has a substantial research component. 

Each semester students enrol into thesis unit: SPS7200 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.

 
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.  An adapted version of the Doctor of Philosophy thesis should be of a standard that could be suitable for publication in a reputable journal.