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PhD - Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated): Security science

Australia

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What will I learn?

The Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated) is a research degree commencing with a cohort-based foundation year of research preparation followed by an independent, supervised research project.

The subjects covered in the first year support the development of the research project and include generic research training and discipline-specific units. These provide you with strategies for a successful research journey, appropriate research design and methodology, timely completion, and effective writing and communication skills. You must achieve an overall weighted average mark (WAM) of 70% in the first year of research preparation in order to continue into the thesis component of the course.

A PhD (I) may be undertaken in any School within ECU, provided there are supervisors available in your proposed research area, and the resources and facilities required to complete your proposed project are accessible. ECU encourages interdisciplinary research that may span multiple research fields and Schools. We encourage you to view the Research Activity pages of the School websites for ECUs areas of research focus.

Course Learning Outcomes

  • Apply communication skills to explain and critique theoretical propositions, methodologies and conclusions, and cogently present findings of a complex and original investigation to peers and the broader community.
  • Integrate substantial and systemic understanding of complex discipline knowledge with research principles and methods to demonstrate expertise in the field.
  • Take responsibility and show initiative for designing and executing original research, demonstrating capacity to generate new knowledge with intellectual independence.

Security science:

Security science is an empirical endeavour, seeking to describe, analyse, explain and counter security and other malevolent centred actor problems in a rigorous and impartial manner.

The university’s focus on security science has been recognised as world leading, with scholars within the School of Science educating students on the application of scientific knowledge through the scientific method to diagnose, infer about, and treat security problems accordant with empirical evidence. The Schools research across the domain of security science seeks to add to the security science body of knowledge through empirical research outcomes. Security science research at ECU concentrates on: Risk, Resilience, Intelligence and Counterintelligence, Cyber/Physical security intersection, Security technology, Corporate security, Community security and Crime prevention, Surveillance, Security education, Terrorism and Violent extremism. Specific research topics related to the above are developed in conjunction with academic supervisors. The School has a range of facilities, including a security science laboratory to facilitate research, and also places a high emphasis on industry collaborations and government agencies to enhance post-graduate research outcomes and student experience.

Employment opportunities

Students will develop new knowledge and skills for enhancing their employment across government agencies, the corporate security and intelligence sectors, local councils and private consulting.

Possible future job titles

Security, intelligence, risk, counter–terrorism, crime prevention, resilience, continuity, technology, cyber-physical.

Which department am I in?

School of Arts and Humanities

CRICOS

085717D

Study options

Full Time (4 years)

Tuition fees
A$40,450.00 (US$ 26,361) per year

*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution

Start date

Expected February 2025

Venue

Edith Cowan University (ECU)

Joondalup Campus,

270 Joondalup Drive,

JOONDALUP,

Western Australia,

6027, PERTH, Australia

Entry requirements

For international students

All applicants are required to hold a Master by Coursework in a related field. Alternatively applicants can hold an Honours degree, or the equivalent in a relevant field from a recognised University, Applicants seeking online study will be required to provide additional information to support their application, as not all projects nor disciplines are suited to online study.

Academic admission requirements (Band 10) may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

  • Masters Degree (Research);
  • Masters Degree (Coursework) in a related discipline area;
  • Masters Degree (Coursework) with 2/3 research component; or
  • Bachelor Honours Degree.

English competency requirements may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:

IELTS Academic: An overall band score of 6.5, with no individual band less than 6.0. (Results are typically valid for only 2 years.); TOEFL Paper-Based Test (PBT): Minimum score of 573, including Test of Written English of 5.0 or better. (Results are typically valid for only 2 years.); TOEFL iBT or TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition: Minimum score of 84, with no individual score less than 17. (Results are typically valid for only two years.); Pearson Test of English (PTE): PTE Academic 58, with no score less than 50 for postgraduate standard entry courses. (Results are typically valid for only 2 years.)

*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.

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About Edith Cowan University (ECU)

For the third year in a row, ECU students have rated it the top public university in Australia for overall undergraduate experience (QILT 2023).

  • Among world’s top 100 best young universities (THE)
  • Offers a range of industry-relevant programmes
  • World-class research profile
  • Enjoys broad industry connections

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