Enrol at two universities for a truly global PhD

You will be jointly supervised by staff at both universities, spend time at each campus and upon successful completion of the program, will graduate from both universities with a PhD.

Macquarie University’s global PhD programs include cotutelle and joint PhD programs. These are open to both international (inbound) and domestic (outbound) PhD students.

We offer generous scholarships to select high-quality students in our prestigious global PhD program. The scholarship includes:

  • a scholarship for tuition fees for up to three years
  • a stipend while on campus at Macquarie University
  • a travel allowance.

The total value of the scholarship is approximately $190,000 for international students, depending on the length of their candidature and stay at Macquarie.

Strategic partner universities

Our strategic partners for global PhDs are internationally renowned, comprehensive universities with which we have multiple areas of alignment of research strength or emerging competency.

To support focused investment in selected partnerships that align with the University’s priorities, partners are classified as core, specialised or funding-oriented. This classification will guide the scope of engagement and the model of operational support.

Core partners

Specialised partners

  • Centrally managed in close  collaboration with faculties
  • Focused on collaboration through global PhDs, but may also provide access to unique research training environments, facilities or industry engagement opportunities.

Funding-oriented partners

  • Partnerships driven by the availability of scholarship and/or project funding through large third-party funding schemes.

Prospective partners

  • If you are a researcher from a university that is not currently a strategic partner, contact gr.globalprograms@mq.edu.au for more information about the guidelines and process for submitting an expression of interest
  • From time to time, Macquarie may be able to support a prospective global PhD applicant from a globally highly-ranked university that is not a current strategic or specialised partner. Students who have identified a Macquarie academic who would be willing to provide their unique expertise to the PhD project supervision may request the academic to contact gr.globalprograms@mq.edu.au to discuss the proposal.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Yes, provided they will have at least two years (full-time equivalent) remaining in their candidature when they commence the global PhD program.

The agreement process can take anywhere between three to seven months from start to finish as each agreement must address the individual student research needs and meet the requirements of both universities.

No. Students must meet the scholarship criteria and are assessed by both the appropriate department/school/faculty and the Graduate Research Academy. Assessments are based primarily on academic merit and research experience, but can take into account additional information such as:

  • competitively awarded prizes
  • scholarships or other awards
  • peer-reviewed publications
  • conference and poster presentations
  • relevant work or professional experience
  • information provided by your academic referees.