Doctor of Social Sciences

Doctorate (PhD)

Please note: This course will no longer be available from 2022 onwards. Please apply for Doctor of Philosophy (Arts and Social Sciences) instead.

Key details

Degree Type

Doctorate (PhD)

Duration

4 years full-time, 8 years part-time

Course Code

045008J

Study Mode

In person

About this course

Please note: This course will no longer be available from 2022 onwards. Please apply for Doctor of Philosophy (Arts and Social Sciences) instead.

The Doctor of Social Sciences (DSocSci) is a professional doctorate which is designed to respond to the rapid changes taking place in professional workplaces that create demands on industry professionals to upgrade their qualifications.

The degree involves units of coursework training (12 credit points) and a thesis of 50,000-80,000 words, for candidates not also submitting a significant creative project, or a thesis of 20,000-30,000 words for candidates also submitting a significant creative project.

The DSocSci differs from a PhD. The thesis component may have a tighter word limit than a PhD thesis, and it should be focused on questions of professional practice, such as policy analysis and advice in the case of the social sciences, or critical exegesis in the case of theses accompanying creative works.

The exact nature of the significant creative project will be determined by the disciplinary norms of the department through which a student is enrolled. Applicants must discuss their proposed significant creative projects with the department to ensure that the department has the relevant expertise to supervise the projects.

Examples of significant creative projects include novels, biographies and memoirs, sets of short stories, poetic works, plays and other performance scripts, performed pieces, audio and/or video works, documentaries, collections of feature articles, and documented interventions in public debates, such as submissions, reports and major essays.

From 2021, Higher Degree by Research students will be required to complete some coursework as part of their candidature. Students will have access to a range of specialist units of study relevant for research students.

Entry requirements

To be eligible to be admitted to candidature by the Dean or Associate Dean, an applicant must:
- hold or have completed the requirements for:
  - a bachelor's degree from the University of Sydney or equivalent institution, with first or second class honours, in a relevant subject area; or
  - a bachelor's degree from the University of Sydney or equivalent institution, in a relevant subject area, with a substantial portfolio of published/professional work (such as books, films, TV programs, creative work and/or government reports) equivalent to or greater than an undergraduate honours thesis; or
  - a master's degree from the University of Sydney or equivalent institution, in a relevant subject area; and
- have a minimum of five years' recent, full-time employment or professional experience in a relevant field.
The Dean or Associate Dean may admit to candidature an applicant who does not meet the requirements of sub-clause (1), provided that the applicant holds a qualification or qualifications that, in the opinion of the Dean or Associate Dean, are equivalent to those prescribed in sub-clause (1).

Study locations

Camperdown/Darlington

Graduate outcomes

Graduate satisfaction and employment outcomes for Humanities, Culture & Social Sciences courses at University of Sydney (USYD).

83.5%

Overall satisfaction

85.9%

Skill scale

79%

Teaching scale

77.5%

Employed full-time

$67.1k

Average salary

Data source