Information Before Submission of Your Application

Faculty of Engineering and Science offers Higher Degree by Research (HDR) studies at both Master and PhD levels in the following four main research clusters and two research hubs:

• Energy and Environment Cluster
• Intelligent Systems, Design and Control Cluster
• Materials and Structures Cluster
• Bio-Process Technologies Cluster
• Curtin Highway Infrastructure Research & Innovation Hub
• Curtin University Digital Innovation Hub

Aside the multidisciplinary research groups, there are also departmental research capacities and strengths within specific engineering and science disciplines.

Chemical Engineering

• Separation Processes (Supercritical Fluid Extraction, Membrane, etc)
• Bioprocessing Engineering
• Environmental Technology
• Fuels and Energy
• Material Science and Engineering
• Process System Engineering (Multivariate data and image analysis, modelling, control, optimisation, CFD simulation, etc)

Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Renewable Energy, Machinery and Instrumentation
• Computer Systems, Software and Networking
• Signal and Image Processing
• Data Engineering

Environmental Engineering

• Water Treatment
• Solid Waste Management (industrial and hazardous waste management)
• Domestic and Industrial Waste Water Treatment

Civil and Construction Engineering

• Structures and Construction
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Environmental Management

Mechanical Engineering

• Design, Manufacturing and Optimisation
• Thermal-Fluids and Energy
• Structure and Materials
• Dynamics, Control and Automation

Applied Geology

• Organically Influenced Stalagmites
• Geochemistry of Clastics: Implications on Provenance, Paleoweathering and Tectonic Settings
• Hydrogeochemistry
• Environmental Geochemistry: Water and Soil Pollution
• Climatological Studies and Stalactites
• Carbone Geochemistry and Diagenesis
• Patrology and Geochemistry
• Karst Study

For more information, please visit Faculty of Engineering and Science‘s website.

Entrepreneurship and Organisational Performance

• Performance
• Firm Performance, Managerial Accounting, and Audit
• Entrepreneurship

Corporate Governance

• Governance and Disclosure
• Legal Environment

Financial Market and Macroeconomic Dynamics

• Financial Market Integration and Resilience
• Stochastic Financial Modelling
• Dynamic Atmosphere and Economic Growth

Marketing and Tourism

• Branding and Digital Marketing
• Sustainable Tourism

Business Information Systems & Operations Research

• Business Information Systems
• Operations Research

For more information, please visit Faculty of Business‘ website.

Media Studies

Our Media Studies research focuses on the role of media in today’s society. The fast-paced development of new technologies and changing trends, as well as more complex audiences, have become a challenge for the media to understand the changing needs of the world. This research area aims to understand the theories of media and link relevant research to the role and application of media in today’s world. It includes the representation of race and gender in film and television shows, the impact of reality shows on audiences, and the representation of Sarawak natives in films.

New Media

The evolving New Media channels have inevitably impacted the identity and social fabric of nations across the world. This research area explores the immense possibilities offered by online media, how democracy or political changes effect one another, online media and electoral politics, and the interrelationships between old and new media.

Cultural and Indigenous Studies

This research area focuses on changes in social behaviour and the structure of society, and how they affect culture. Areas of study include development and impact on indigenous communities, preservation and sustainability of Sarawak’s ethnic cultures, oral histories and material culture, and ethnographies.

For more information, please visit Faculty of Humanities & Health Sciences‘ website.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Academic admission requirements for PhD can be found here.

Master of Philosophy (MPhil)

For admission to a MPhil program, the academic requirements can be found here.

English requirements for PhD and MPhil are the same and they can be accessed here or alternatively be found in this link.

The amount that you pay for your tuition fees will depend on whether you are a domestic or international student, and the degree or units in which you enrol.

For the details, please refer to Fees and Charges section.

Curtin Malaysia Postgraduate Research Studentship (CMPRS) Full Scholarship (PhD Students only)

An awardee will receive a stipend of RM2,300.00 per month and fee waiver for a period of 3 years. In return, awardees are expected to contribute a maximum of 4 hours of teaching load per week and learning and teaching (L&T) activities during the semesters.

Curtin Malaysia Postgraduate Research Studentship (CMPRS) Partially Scholarship (Partial Fee and/or Stipend)

Please contact GradSchool@curtin.edu.my for the details.

In return, awardees are expected to contribute a maximum of 4 hours of teaching load per week and learning and teaching (L&T) activities during the semesters.

Consumables Support

HDR Consumables Reimbursable Items List

• Expenses related to fieldwork/research data collection;
• Transcription from interviews, and translation services;
• Lab consumables purchased through an approved University provider (where not provided by the Enrolling Area);
• Workshops and training courses (including registration, travel, accommodation and living);
  Specialist textbooks/manuals, journals (where not readily available in the Curtin Library);
• Phone costs – Purchase of phone cards for participation calls to survey recipients (where access to a Curtin phone is not available);
• Thesis binding, editing and proof-reading costs;
• Incentives for research/survey participants on the express written permission (email) of the supervisor (this will never include tobacco or alcohol);
• Creative production costs – e.g. Art and design equipment and supplies (inclusive of set design, technical support, post-production/editing, studio hire, film/developing);
• Travel for off-campus students to supervisory meetings (this may extend to travel interstate or overseas where relevant);
• Specialist software (project specific);
• Safety equipment (project specific);
• Other miscellaneous costs as approved by CMGS

For external scholarships and study supports (Government and Private bodies), please visit Scholarships‘ website.

All supervisors serve as scholarly mentors and professional role models for the students during their Higher by Degree Research (HDR) research. Before you choose a supervisor, please find out a little more about them.

If you are unsure of who to choose, please contact the respective Faculty’s Associate Dean of R&D.

The full list of registered supervisors can be found at Register of Supervisors page.

Assuming you have read Steps 1 to 4 on the Future students page, you are now ready to put together the components required for a higher degree by research application.

For the details, please refer to the Application Process and Flow of Application Process.

Applications need to be verified and approved by Enrolling Faculty’s Associate Dean of R&D or R&D Coordinator before its submission to Curtin Malaysia Graduate School at via online HDR Application for Admission System. Therefore, please discuss with your prospective supervisors in obtaining this approval.

Applications for Curtin Malaysia Postgraduate Research Scholarship (CMPRS) should be made through this link instead.

If you are still unsure about your prospective supervisors and have not contacted any potential supervisor, please discuss with Enrolling Faculty’s Associate Dean of R&D or Curtin Malaysia Graduate School. We will assist you in identifying the right supervisory team for your project.