Progress: Flight PhD is cleared for take-off

Flight PhD is cleared for take-off; the baggage is stowed and you’re about to embark on one

of the most exciting adventures of your life. But along with the excitement and anticipation,

it’s natural that you might also feel a little anxious: What will the outcomes be? Is your

research really worthwhile? Are you putting all your eggs in one basket?

Right now, your destination seems a long way off, but completion date will come round

faster than you think! Don’t worry, we’ll support you to make good progress and achieve

timely and successful completion. You should aim:

To be ready for examination in three and a half years

To publish your research along the way, and

To develop into an independent researcher.

You’ll know if you’re on the right track if you’re:

meeting regularly with your supervisors and keeping records of the outcomes

maintaining a research training plan and

completing the required coursework and milestones on time.

Finally you should be attending PhD Up workshops and engaging with others in your

research community.

There are three formal, panel-based milestone reviews on Flight PhD where you’ll get expert

feedback and guidance.

At each milestone you’ll submit written documentation and give a presentation of your

research to date.

Milestones are great opportunities – not only to share your research but to discover what

other research is happening in your School.

You should aim to present around 3 months ahead of your milestone deadline so you have

time to make changes if necessary.

You may experience some instability along the way. This could be due to technical issues,

uncertainties about your research, or not maintaining a healthy work / life balance.

Don’t wait for the next milestone review to raise any concerns, raise them immediately with

your supervisors or HDR staff.

You can also get confidential advice from:

The RMIT Counselling Service, who can assist with stress and study issues, the Safer

Community Unit if you are experiencing unwanted or threatening behaviour, and the School

of Graduate Research for advice on RMIT policies.

The School of Graduate Research also has a range of inflight services to keep you engaged

throughout your journey. These include travel grants and research seminars, Thesis Boot

Camp, internships, PhD Up, and Three Minute Thesis.

So, on behalf of Flight PhD and the School of Graduate Research, settle back, enjoy the rest

of your flight and we look forward to supporting you all the way to your destination.