1. Completing the Form (Application Checklist)

This form should be completed by applicants who have received a letter of support from the Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam International Education Development and who are seeking admission to USC under this agreement.

In order to submit your strongest application possible (and to avoid submitting an incomplete and ineligible application), you are strongly encouraged to take the time to review this document thoroughly before preparing your application form.

1.  Completing the Form (application checklist)

  Please complete the form electronically, print out and sign (do not hand write).

  You must complete questions 1-8, and appendices A-E (Academic Background, Research Focus, Research Publications, Relevant Professional Research Experience, Academic Referees).

  Applicants must attach their letter of support from VIED in order to be considered for a MoET-VIED/USC Scholarship.

  Applicants from a non-English speaking background must attach original evidence of proficiency in English. Failure to do so will result in your application being deemed ineligible. Where original documents are not provided by the test provider, applicants must be able to verify results online.

  All applicants must attach proof of citizenship documentation such as certified copies of your passport, certificate of citizenship or or birth certificate.

  All applicants must attach original or certified copies of all previous tertiary qualifications undertaken. Where original transcripts are in a language other than English, you must provide transcripts in native language as well as official translated English transcripts. Failure to do so will result in your application being deemed ineligible.

  If applicable, applicants must attach supporting documentation in English for any research publications or technical reports (see instructions for Appendix C and D).

  Creative Arts applicants must also include portfolio of peer-reviewed or refereed research publications or other research works, or a portfolio of original creative arts works.

  Only complete hard copy applications can be accepted (in order to meet the definition of original or certified documents). Please do not email your application; scanned copies of supporting documents cannot be accepted.

  It is your responsibility to ensure that certified copies are complete copies (e.g. must include information on the reverse side of academic transcripts such as the institution’s assessment key).

  Submit (in person or by post) the completed form, including supporting documents such as proof of citizenship, academic transcripts and evidence of research publications to:

Research Training Administrator

Office of Research – ML 26

University of the Sunshine Coast

Locked Bag 4

Maroochydore DC QLD 4558 Australia

2.  Which program? (question 2 on the application form)

See our web site for a full list of HDR programs available at USC.

3.  Finding a supervisor: (question 3 on the application form)

·  Applications can be accepted wihtout a nominated supervisor. However, you may wish to discuss your research proposal with a potential supervisor in the faculty to which you are applying. You can view a list of academic staff in each faculty and their research areas from these websites:

Faculty of Arts and Business

School of Business

School of Communication

School of Social Sciences

Faculty of Science, Health, Education & Engineering

School of Science & Engineering

School of Education

School of Health & Sport Sciences

School of Nursing & Midwifery

For assistance locating a suitable supervisor please contact your faculty: or

·  Alternatively, you can commence your search using our “Find an Expert” search function on the website

4.  English Proficiency (Applicants from a non-English speaking background only, question 8 on the form)

·  English language requirements

·  Applicants must attach original* supporting documentation demonstrating their English proficiency to their application, e.g.:

o  IELTS or TOEFL test results. Test results must not be more than two years old at the time of application submission. Certified copies of IELTS are not accepted.

o  Academic transcript or letter from awarding institution stipulating that the language of instruction was English.

* Where original documents are not provided by the test provider, applicants must be able to verify results online.

Appendix A – Academic Background

·  You must attach to Appendix A original or certified copies of academic transcripts as evidence of your academic background.

·  Detail your achievement in your undergraduate study, and any postgraduate qualifications (e.g. Bachelor Honours, Graduate Certificate/Diploma, Master by coursework, or Master by Research degree). Include details such as:

o  Grade Point Average (GPA) or equivalent (e.g. 6.4/7 to demonstrate the GPA expressed on a seven point scale);

o  Other achievements such as awards or scholarships you received

Appendix B – Research Focus

Areas of research:

Please insert the appropriate codes for this section. Failure to do so will result in your application being deemed ineligible. Your proposed supervisor is the best person to guide you if are unsure of which codes are relevant to your proposed research.

·  Field of Education codes

·  Research Fields, Courses and Disciplines and Socio-Economic Objective Codes

·  Type of Research definitions are available

·  If your research is aligned to one of USC’s Research Centres, Groups or Clusters, please indicate in the section provided.

Research Outline:

·  This is an early outline of your research project. It is expected to be brief (maximum 3 pages) and to be open to some change. It should, however, demonstrate that you know what you want to research, why, and how.

·  Producing this Research Outline should enable you (and your supervisor) to be specific about your research project and to convince the Research Degrees Committee that you have clear and realistic ideas about the project, and that the Faculty has sufficient expertise to provide you with appropriate supervision and adequate resources to support your work.

·  Scholarship applicants must complete the research proposal section (scholarship applications without a research proposal will be deemed ineligible).

·  Applicats who are seeking advice about their eligibility for admission to a HDR program may choose not to prepare a research proposal in the first instance. These applications will be assessed by the Office of Research for eligibility and will not be progressed to the faculty for consideration until a research proposal is provided.

The following areas should be addressed within your outline of intended research:

·  PROPOSED TITLE

Provide a short descriptive title. Avoid the use of acronyms, quotation marks and upper case characters (up to 20 words)

·  SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RESEARCH

Using plain language, summarise aims, significance and expected outcomes (up to 400 words)

·  THE RELEVANT RESEARCH LITERATURE

Brief discussion of some of the main ideas in this literature relevant to the proposed research (up to 600 words)

·  THE METHODOLOGIES AND METHODS TO BE USED IN THE RESEARCH

The recognised approach to research (i.e. methodology, such as ethnography, experimental research, grounded theory, action research). Provide a summary of the research design that will be used to address the stated research questions. Include a brief description of the methods, including statistical analysis where appropriate. Consider attaching your own Gant chart to map out the timelines for your proposed research (up to 500 words).

·  RESOURCES REQUIRED TO CONDUCT THE RESEARCH

Brief description of the resources required to conduct the research (e.g. lab space, consumables, survey instruments, field trips, equipment).

Appendix C – Research Publications

In this section, provide details of publications you have authored or co-authored (i.e. abstract in English, details of publication and copy of the front page).

·  Where publications are co-authored, candidates must include a statement of contribution to the work (e.g. 20%). In cases where the applicant is not the primary author, a statement of contribution signed by the primary author must also be provided.

·  A publication must be accepted by the journal for publication prior to the application closing date (to be considered for the purpose of scholarship application assessment). Publications submitted but not yet accepted cannot be considered.

·  If sufficient evidence of a publication is not provided (abstract or first page or publication, and a statement of contribution signed by the primary author where applicable), the publication will not be considered for assessment of your application.

Appendix D – Relevant Professional Research Experience (if relevant)

·  Briefly summarise the research projects you have undertaken (include when, and the name of the organisation where the research was conducted).

·  Briefly summarise your experience working in the field relevant to your proposed research project.

·  Briefly summarise the outputs achieved from these projects (publications should appear in Appendix C, but here you might include the impact of your research to relevant stakeholders).

·  Scholarship applicants should include a research or technical report/s, a portfolio of publications or a creative arts folio from a major research project undertaken during relevant employment.

Appendix E-F

These sections will be completed by the Faculty and Office of Research.