The School conducts research over a wide range of topics in which potential students research students can obtain research degrees. Details are given below regarding requirements and procedures for enrolment. For more information about the research being conducted in the School, go to the Research section.

APPLICATIONS
Application for research degrees (PhD, MSc, MPhil) should be made to the Registrar, University of New South Wales, on the form headed Application for Enrolment as a Candidate for a Higher Degree by Research.

You can enrol for one of the following research degrees:

If you are interested, the coordinator of the School's research program is Dr Daniela Leonte, although direct contact with potential supervisors may be beneficial in the first instance.

Further details about becoming a research student at UNSW can be found in the section below and at the Graduate Research School

A Bachelors degree of a standard acceptable to the higher degree committee of the Faculty of Science. Normally this means a four year degree with at least a distinction grade average

Where appropriate relevant professional or prior research experience may also be taken into account in recommending acceptance into the program.

A research degree should be a substantial contribution to knowledge.  Candidates for a research degrees in Risk and Safety sciences should conduct research by employing the scientific method, which allows establishment of knowledge by observation, fact or reason.  Science builds knowledge by using methods such as analysis, observation, survey, investigation, experimentation, repeatability, systematisation and synthesis.

Places for research degrees in the School of Safety Science are approved by the Faculty of Science Higher Degree Committee (HDC) on the recommendation of the School Research Student Coordinator or Head of School.  The Committee looks for "research potential" in each application.  Therefore, if you are preparing to make an application to UNSW, you are encouraged to:

• Fill out the relevant UNSW application form.
• Submit a current curriculum vitae (CV).
• Supply suitable proof of competency in English, if required.
• Highlight those grades in transcripts of your qualifications related to academic excellence (particularly in your proposed field of research).
• Highlight those grades in transcripts of your qualifications related to research (for example, honours project, coursework masters project).  The HDC looks for grades of 75% or better in prospective students enrolling in a PhD - anything less is problematic.  (Where prospective research degree students do not have a degree which has a substantial research project (such as an honours project), they will be asked to enrol in an MSc by research and may transfer to a PhD after satisfactory progress and demonstrated research capability.)
• Emphasise those parts of your CV that relate to research activities.
• Provide information on any existing publications, reports or other information about the research you have already completed (publications are useful, but publications in non-English language journals are less so).
• Provide a research proposal of suitable quality (see below).
• If possible, identify a suitable supervisor at UNSW.
• Supply suitable referee's reports from appropriate individuals who can provide information about your research skills.

A student preparing to carry out research while in full time employment will not be allowed to enrol full time.

Research students enrolled in the MSc or MPhil programs may be permitted to upgrade to a PhD, subject to satisfactory progress, agreement of the School, and the approval of the Higher Degree Committee of the Faculty of Science.

This project proposal will enable the School to consider whether:

• the project appears to have sufficient academic depth and scope;
• the proposed methodology appears to be appropriate;
• the proposed academic activities of the student can be conducted within the School or within any other appropriate facility;
• the analytical skills of the student will be adequately developed and evaluated.

As a general principal, research proposals received by the School will not be approved without review.  Normally, the student would identify a general topic area of interest, and consult with that member of staff of the School with research interests closest to that topic.  That academic may have their own ideas about potential projects, and a dialogue then occurs, where the scope of the research project, and its research question(s), can then be better specified. 

The School will not accept an application from a prospective student without an appropriately detailed project proposal.  Each application will be reviewed by a member of School staff with appropriate expertise in the area of the project proposal, and a decision will be made as to whether to recommend that the student be offered a place.