The Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated) in the School of Geography and Sustainable Communities is for graduates of a related degree program who have a strong background in research and wish to explore a specialized topic in depth, with the added component of research related coursework. This program will lead to an internationally recognized research Doctoral Degree qualification and will enhance your research and career prospects. This degree The Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated) is a four-year research degree which incorporates a traditional three-year PhD thesis with one year of coursework subjects, combining generic research training and discipline-specific content into a single degree. All students must undertake the coursework component of this degree and achieve a minimum of 65% in each subject before being admitted into the three-year research component. What you will study The first year of this degree comprises coursework subjects and research training skills. The research skills include: research methodology; literature review, critical analysis or laboratory projects; and advanced topics or a minor research project. Course structure (Current year structure - subject to change) Course Learning Outcomes Students graduating from the Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated) will be able to: Demonstrate expert, specialized cognitive technical and research skills in a discipline within social sciences to independently and systematically generate original knowledge and understanding to make a substantial contribution to the field. Critically reflect on, synthesize and evaluate a substantial and complex body of knowledge at the frontier of a discipline area in social sciences. Communicate research findings, explaining and critiquing theoretical propositions, methodologies, results and conclusions to peers and to the community. Apply detailed knowledge of research, research integrity, ethics and the rights and safety of others, to plan and execute original research in the field of education with intellectual independence and with full autonomy, authoritative judgment, adaptability and responsibility for personal outputs. Course Structure The Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated) requires the successful completion of 192 credit points comprising: 24 credit points of research training coursework subjects; 24 credit points of relevant Masters level coursework subjects approved by the Head of Postgraduate Studies (HPS); A substantial research component to the value of 144 credit points; and A minimum of 65% needs to be attained in the coursework subjects to be admitted into the three-year research component. Why choose this course UOW is home to Human Geography researchers who are leaders in their field in Australia and internationally. Our academics will supervise you to build your own career through supervised independent projects and our research seminar series. At UOW you will have the opportunity to develop your practical skills and professional networks, making you a career-ready UOW graduate.