Enrol at two universities for a truly global PhD

You will be jointly supervised by staff at both universities, spend time at each campus and upon successful completion of the program, will graduate from both universities with a PhD.

Macquarie University’s global PhD programs include cotutelle and joint PhD programs. These are open to both international (inbound) and domestic (outbound) PhD candidates.

Partner universities

Our strategic partners for global PhDs are internationally renowned, comprehensive universities with which we have multiple areas of alignment of research strength or emerging competency. They are:

Prospective partners

If you are a prospective cotutelle or joint PhD applicant from a university that is not currently a core strategic partner, contact gr.globalprograms@mq.edu.au for more information about the guidelines and process for submitting an expression of interest.

For information on eligibility, minimum enrolment period and supervisory format for our Global PhD program download our guiding principles document.

Macquarie University offers generous scholarships to select high-quality candidates in our prestigious global PhD program. The scholarship includes:

  • a scholarship for tuition fees for up to three years
  • a stipend while on campus at Macquarie University
  • a travel allowance.

The total value of the scholarship is approximately $160,000 for international candidates, depending on the length of your candidature and stay at Macquarie.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

There a typically two ways to initiate the process.

  1. Macquarie University and one of our strategic partners run a competitive call for joint research proposals and a candidate is recruited through this process.
  2. A supervisor at Macquarie University and an international collaborator identify a high potential research opportunity in an area aligned with our strategic priorities and a candidate is recruited through this process.

Yes, provided they will have at least two years (full-time equivalent) remaining in their candidature when they commence the global PhD program.

The agreement process can take anywhere between three to seven months from start to finish as each agreement must address the individual candidate research needs and meet the requirements of both universities.

No. Candidates must meet the scholarship criteria and are assessed by both the appropriate department/ faculty and the Graduate Research Academy. Assessments are based primarily on academic merit and research experience, but can take into account additional information such as:

  • competitively awarded prizes
  • scholarships or other awards
  • peer-reviewed publications
  • conference and poster presentations
  • relevant work or professional experience
  • information provided by your academic referees.

Still have questions? Email the Graduate Research Academy at gr.globalprograms@mq.edu.au.