A primer on how to apply for entry into the Otago PhD programme, and to apply for a Doctoral Scholarship at Otago University
Thanks for your interest in joining as a PhD student. We have drafted this “primer” to help you get started in navigating the process.
Admission to a PhD at Otago, and applying for an Otago University Doctoral Scholarship:
The first part of the process is to seek admission to the PhD programme at Otago University. More general PhD information is available at http://www.otago.ac.nz/graduate-research/study/phddoctoral/programme/index.html
And at https://www.otago.ac.nz/graduate-research/prospective-students/otago706731.html
1) Assuming that your qualification(s) is sufficient for admission as a PhD student, you would need a potential department and/or supervisor, who has the appropriate expertise, and who is willing to take you as a PhD student More information on this;
http://www.otago.ac.nz/graduate-research/study/phddoctoral/programme/otago417401.html
– we assume you are already at this stage.
2) Formal application is then made to the University for admission to the PhD programme (and for a Doctoral Scholarship) via a portal called E-vision. International students should make contact with the International Office before submitting an application. Often international students will benefit from applying through a university authorized agency to handle initial aspects of the application process, as the agency will carry out transcript verification and facilitate the submission on e-vision. You may apply for both PhD admission and for a Doctoral Scholarship. However, you don’t have to apply for a Scholarship at this stage (see below). A few things differ in the process between international and domestic students (noted below – including the fact that there are different grade criteria for domestic and international students for the scholarship), but mostly the process is the same for domestic and international students.
Information on applying as an international student is available at: http://www.otago.ac.nz/international/otago031359.html.
and also additional information here:
https://www.otago.ac.nz/graduate-research/prospective-students/otago662232.html
Here are some important points:
- You will need your transcript (note: very likely you will need to get your transcript certified by an Otago authorised agent, based at various locations all over the world; a list of these in each country can be found below – this does not apply to domestic students: https://www.otago.ac.nz/international/agents/otago002214.html
- English language test requirement. if English is not your first language you will usually be required to provide evidence of English language capability through a recognised test such as IELTS or TOEFL). This does not apply for domestic students
- A copy of your master’s thesis (within 5MB as one PDF),
- Additional support letters/references. Eg 2-3 reference letters. These are required if applying for a scholarship, and if applying on the basis of a non-Otago degree.
- The name of your primary supervisor
- Importantly, you will need a research proposal. You and your prospective supervisor(s) should prepare this together (2-5 pages roughly. There is no standard guideline available, but your prospective supervisor(s) can provide examples). Ideally, your prospective supervisor will approve the final version of the proposal, which is then uploaded to the system to complete the application.
- Note, your proposed PhD start date may be the 1st of any month (not on any other day in the month); after discussing it with your proposed supervisor you should indicate a realistic proposed start date. The month of starting is flexible to a certain degree.
Note, Otago has upwards of 180 new Doctoral Scholarships available each year. The Otago University Doctoral Scholarship can be applied for after submitting your PhD admission application (applications can be made at any time throughout the year).
In terms of the Scholarship application, there is more information about the Otago Doctoral Scholarships at http://www.otago.ac.nz/graduate-research/scholarships/phd/index.html
3) After you submit your application, an internal process will happen, and at a later date you will receive a communication about the outcome (if you applied for both admission and scholarship, then you will receive both).
4) You may then take these offer letters and apply for a visa. This doesn’t apply to domestic students.