A Ph.D. in Data Science is the testimony of deepened knowledge in the field that is probably producing the greatest number of lucrative jobs in the world right now. Getting such a degree in Australia, where some of the best universities are located, is anything but a bad idea. So, here we have listed for you the seven best universities that offer a Ph.D. degree in Data Science in Australia.
Universities Offering Ph.D. in Data Science in Australia
1. Monash University
There’s hardly any global university ranking where Monash University doesn’t rank among the top 100. The public research university came into being in the year of 1958, and currently has a student population north of 78,000. Two of its largest campuses are located in Melbourne, at the suburbs of Clayton and Caulfield, while a bunch other lie across the state of Victoria.
At Monash, students can attain a PhD in Data Science in Australia by coming up with a research problem within the field that gets approved by the Faculty of Information Technology, and then, independently investigating it. A supervisory team consisting of at least two supervisors will support a student throughout the program. Students will undertake a set of compulsory coursework that covers advanced training in IT research methods. The standard duration of the PhD program is four years in full-time format and eight years in part-time format. It takes place at the Clayton and Caulfield campuses.
2. University of Sydney
Beginning its journey in 1850, the University of Sydney is the oldest university in Australia. Its main campus occupies around 178 acres of land in the inner-west Sydney suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington. QS World Rankings ranks the university first in the Land Down Under and fifth in the entire world for graduate employability. Its total enrolment stands at over 61,000. It is the alma mater of two Nobel laureates and seven Aussie prime ministers.
Sydney’s Faculty of Engineering provides students with the opportunity to earn a Ph.D. degree in Data Science in Australia by submitting a thesis that is an original contribution to the field of Data Science. Students will have access to two research centers: Centre for Distributed and High-Performance Computing and UBTECH Sydney Artificial Intelligence Centre. The Ph.D. program in Australia is available in full-time study mode and ideally takes three years to complete.
3. RMIT University
RMIT University is a Melbourne-based public research university with nearly 87,000 students. It was founded as a night school in 1887, but had to wait for more than a hundred years to gain the status of a full-fledged university in 1992. According to QS World Rankings, it is second in Australia and 15th in the entire world for graduate employability.
One of the many research areas of RMIT’s Ph.D. in Computer Science program is Data Science and Analytics. Ph.D. students with a topic in the particular research area get to use the RMIT Data Analytics Lab as their research incubator. The program usually takes three to four years in full-time format and six to eight years in part-time format.
4. University of Melbourne
Established in 1853, the University of Melbourne (UniMelb) has its primary campus placed in the Melbourne suburb of Parkville, with its other campuses positioned across the state of Victoria. According to Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019, it is the best university in the country and 32nd in the world. The student population stands at over 50,000, with 36 percent hailing from outside Australia. Multiple Nobel laureates and Australian PMs have graduated from this university.
UniMelb’s Doctor of Philosophy (Science) program allows students to specialize in the field of Data Science in Australia. The program takes place at the Parkville campus, with the standard duration being four years for a full-time student and eight years for a part-time student. It doesn’t involve any compulsory coursework, although students may be allowed to take coursework subjects if they request for them.
5. University of Technology Sydney
Founded in 1988, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has been recognized as one of the top ten young universities in the world by QS World Rankings. Its main campus is sited in the Sydney suburb of Ultimo. The total enrolment stands at nearly 46,000, which includes over 15,000 international students.
At UTS, students can pursue a Ph.D. degree in Analytics and Data Science under the Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation. The degree is undertaken entirely by thesis, which is usually a work in the range of 80,000 to 100,000 words. The program, which takes four years in full-time study mode and eight in part-time, is structured in three phases. In the first phase, students and their supervisor negotiate a study plan that includes details on the kinds of support that will be required. The second phase sees students developing their individual program of research, while the third phase finds them preparing and submitting the thesis.
6. University of Queensland
The University of Queensland (UQ) came into being in the year of 1909. Its main campus lies on the bank of Brisbane River, occupying over 281 acres of land at St Lucia, Queensland. According to multiple international university rankings, it deserves a spot among the top 50 universities in the world. Over 53,000 students are currently enrolled at the university, including around 18,000 international students.
A student can earn a PhD degree in Australia in the field of Data Science with UQ’s School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (ITEE). The program available in only full-time format takes around three to four years to complete. Each student’s work is overseen by two or more supervisors throughout the program.
7. University of Western Australia
Beginning its journey in 1911, the University of Western Australia (UWA) was the sixth university to be established in the land of kangaroos. Its main campus lies at the suburb of Crawley in Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Two other campuses are sited at the Perth suburb of Claremont and at the port city of Albany. The public research university has a student population north of 24,000. It has earned the 86th spot in the QS World University Rankings 2020.
Like the universities mentioned above, UWA too provides students with the opportunity to earn a Ph.D. degree in Data Science through an independent, supervised research program. The program is undertaken after a research topic has been mutually agreed upon by a student, their supervisor, head of the Faculty of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, and the Board of the Graduate Research School. It is available in both full-time and part-time study modes with the duration being four years for full-time students.
We hope that this article on universities in Australia with the PhD Program in Data Science was helpful. Make sure to also check out our Data Science Programs for International Students for some of the currently open data science courses around the world!
