You have now made it through the first year of your candidature. Well done! Stage 2 is where you now really focus on making progress on your research so you can reach your goals.
Now more than ever it is critical that you set milestones and refine your thesis plan. Engaging with the annual Research Progress Review (RPR) process is important as it allows you to demonstrate your progress to an independent panel and get feedback and support. While this stage is often focused around conducting the actual research, it is important to continue building your skills, including writing parts of your thesis.
There are not a lot of new policies or requirements that relate to this stage of your candidature. Most of the policies, requirements, and conditions can be found under this tab in Stage 1, so you can head back there to refer to them. However, you may have now reached the point in your candidature where publishing, IP and data management are emerging priorities and are more relevant.
We have included some details about those below. Also, during your candidature you may experience a change in your circumstances or just need to refresh yourself on how to keep going and making progress. Helpful details about these things are also below.
Doing a Higher Degree by Research should be a great experience. Choosing to do your degree at UNSW means that you have the benefit of having many resources, training providers and support structures available to you to enhance your time here. Make sure you utilise the many opportunities and resources that we have across the whole of UNSW. We have tried to list as many services as we can, but it is always a good idea to ask your supervisors, Postgraduate Coordinator, academics or friends about other opportunities that may be available, especially those offered at the School or Faculty level.
Doing your Higher Degree by Research is exciting, but it is also possible for it to be a stressful time. You are not in this adventure alone, and it is important to ask for help when you need it. While your supervisors and school should be a great support for you, it is important to remember that you can get support from other people. The University has numerous resources and support structures in place to help throughout your candidature. Some of the key contacts and support structures are below.
