Applying to a graduate research program

As academics, we receive many queries relating to admission to PhD and Masters by Research programs. Most academics are time poor and receive dozens – if not hundreds – of emails each day. 

Graduate programs are highly competitive: at Melbourne Law School, only around 15 applicants are accepted each year.

At an institution like Melbourne Law School, it is not necessary to have a supervisor on board before applying, but it can be useful to have early correspondence with a potential supervisor about a research proposal. 

So how can you make sure you stand out, especially if you don’t already know a potential supervisor? 

• Start by reviewing information provided by the institution, and make sure you have followed what is required (for example, in relation to the format and length of a research proposal). Check you meet the minimum requirements for selection into the course. 
• First impressions matter. Make sure your email to a potential supervisor is coherent and clear, and include the information a potential supervisor is likely to want to review (such as a research topic, developed research proposal, a CV and academic transcripts).
• Please, do not use AI or large language models like ChatGPT in developing your emails or research proposal. The University of Melbourne provides specific guidance on this: while AI is allowed to be used, it must be quoted and cited as a source. And AI is not a reliable source. These Guidelines say:
  • Where text that has been produced, or substantially altered, by a generative AI or other digital assistance tool is included in a publication, proposal, review, or thesis, it must be cited as a quotation and the tool must be named in a footnote. If a prompt for AI was used it must be recorded and provided if requested.
  • The same requirement of clear citation of the use of AI applies to communications such as emails between graduate researchers and supervisors, who need to assess understanding and communication skills.
• When I am reviewing correspondence from a potential candidate, I want to see how you write, and how you communicate your thoughts. Using AI to ’shortcut’ the process means I cannot assess your potential to succeed in the course. 
• Use scholarly references in your proposal, and include pinpoint / specific page citations to relevant references. Do not use AI-generated references in your proposal.
• Make sure your research proposal aligns with the academic’s expertise. If it isn’t a good fit, seek another potential supervisor, or think about re-crafting your proposal. Equally, make sure your experience and expertise is a good fit for the project. If you are applying to a law school, to undertake a PhD in law, for example, we would typically expect that you had some legal experience or law school training. (There are exceptions, of course, including for interdisciplinary projects.)
  • In particular, if you are proposing to undertake research in a different jurisdiction, not the country the university is in or a country the academic has expertise in researching, why do you need this academic’s expertise on the project? The conventions here are perhaps different depending on the area of law; but in an area like discrimination law, for example, laws vary significantly from country to country, so ensuring a potential supervisor has adequate expertise to supervise a project based in another jurisdiction is important. 
  • Equally, if you are seeking to undertake graduate research in Australia on domestic Australian law, and you do not have experience in Australian law, try to demonstrate your understanding of the jurisdiction in the research proposal.

A potential supervisor is trying to assess whether you and they will be a good fit in a supervisory relationship, and whether you have the capacity to succeed in the course. Your first communications are critical in helping them to make that judgment. Take the time to craft that email and your attachments.