Australian Postgraduate Awards (APAs)

Applications for 2009 are now closed.
Australian Postgraduate Awards (APA) are funded by the Commonwealth Government and are awarded to individuals undertaking a research Masters or Doctoral degree on the basis of academic excellence and research potential. All award holders are allocated a government funded Research Training Scheme (RTS) place. Applicants are strongly encouraged to align their proposed research with one of the themes of the Research Institutes.

In 2008, 39 new Australian Postgraduate Awards were awarded by RMIT. A similar number are expected to be awarded by RMIT in 2009. The base stipend rate in 2009 will be AU$20,427 per annum (full-time rate).

Applicants are advised to familiarise themselves with the Higher Degrees by Research Policy & Procedures Information Booklet (PDF 1.27MB).

Guidelines
Australia Postgraduate Awards Conditions of Award 2009 (PDF 165KB)

General information

Who can apply?
Australian Postgraduate Awards are available for new and continuing research students at RMIT University.

Eligibility
Applicants must have completed at least four years of tertiary education at a very high level of achievement (i.e. first class honours or equivalent) at an Australian or recognised overseas university.

Applicants must be Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens or have lodged an application for permanent resident status.

Applicants who have previously held an Australian government postgraduate award (i.e. APA, APAI, APRA or CPRA) for more than six months are not eligible for an APA.

Value
$20,427 (2009 rate) per annum full-time (tax exempt), $10,957 per annum part-time (taxable).

Allowances
Relocation and removal allowances to Melbourne from another city. Up to $515 per adult and $255 per child to a maximum of $1485.

Thesis allowance of up to $840 (PhD) and $420 (masters), payable at submission stage.

Tenure
Masters candidates: two years.

PhD candidates: three years, plus possibility of six-month extension.

Any period of study already undertaken towards a research degree will be deducted from the tenure of award.

Tenure of scholarship is extended when upgrading from Masters to a PhD.

Mode
Recipients of APAs are normally full-time. Part-time scholarships are available for those who are unable to pursue full-time studies for health or family reasons.

How to apply
The application for scholarships forms part of the 2009 Higher Degree by Research Application form. To indicate that you are applying for a scholarship you will need to tick the appropriate box at the top of the first page of your application for research degree place and fill out the additional application pages at the back of the document.

Please state your broad research concentration in Section G of the Application Form. RTS place, APA, and RMIT PhD Scholarship rankings give preference to applicants nominating one of the key research areas at RMIT University.

Business
Applied economic and financial modelling
Marketing
Social Informatics
e-Business and eGovernment
Systems Solutions for business
Entrepreneurship & Family Business
Logistics & Supply Chain Management
Social and Environmental Accountability
Accounting Education
Internet Law
Strategic Management

Design and Social Context
Urban sustainability
Design in the built environment
Visual arts and media
Teaching and learning
Globalisation

Science, Engineering and Technology
Advanced Industrial Informatics
System Modelling and Optimization
Microplatforms
Advanced Materials
Traditional and Complementary Medicine
Metabolic Diseases
Biomedical Electronics
Interfaces Soft Condensed Matter and Nano Structures
Environmental Change
Aerospace and Automotive Design Research
Geospatial Sciences
Biotechnology

Completed forms submitted in person must be received by the Graduate Research Office no later than 5pm on Friday 31st October 2008. No exceptions are made. Applications being posted must be postmarked 31st October or earlier in order to be accepted. If you miss this deadline you will need to apply next year.

this office is located at:
Building 91, Level 2, Room 17
110 Victoria Street
Melbourne VIC 3001

postal address:
Graduate Research Office
RMIT University
GPO Box 2476V
Melbourne VIC 3001

To view the application timeline, and to see when you can expect to know if your application was successful, please download the Timeline for the Application and Selection Period for APA & RMIT PhD Scholarship 2009 (PDF 34KB).

If you are applying for a scholarship, you will also need referee reports. Please download the Referee Report Form (PDF 41.4KB).

Contact the School
You must contact the School in which you would like to undertake your research degree before submitting your APA application. The School must be able to provide supervision and resources for your proposed research program. You will not be considered for a scholarship unless the school supports the application for candidature and scholarship.

Before you apply
Check your eligibility
The APA - Application Guidelines 2009 (PDF 391KB) (see page 5) explains the eligibility criteria. Be sure that you meet these criteria before you apply.

Assessing First Class Honours Equivalence (PDF 24.8KB)

Make sure your application is complete
Unless your APA application includes the correct documentation it will not be considered in the selection process.

If you have completed a masters by research for which a final numeric mark was not awarded, wherever possible include with your scholarship application copies of the examiners’ reports of your thesis/project.

Original Documents
Remember that all documents submitted as part of your application are retained and will not be returned. Applicants are requested to submit certified copies of original documents.

Transferability
Successful applicants are required to take up the scholarship in the school which offered the APA. APA Scholarships cannot be transferred to another university.

Key Contact: Mrs. Jodi Zak or the Graduate Research Office

Phone: +(61 3) 9925 8355; Fax: +(61 3) 9925 4089

Related Information:

JASON (a nationwide postgraduate scholarship database)
RMIT Postgraduate scholarships list
RMIT Scholarships Office