Why Study/Key Benefits

The Doctor of Philosophy and Graduate Certificate of Research and Innovation Management (Law) combines doctoral-level legal research with structured research and innovation management training.

Key benefits include:

• Opportunity to undertake supervised research designed to make a significant and original contribution to law or a related professional discipline.
• Research may be pure, exploratory, applied, experimental or creative, depending on the approved research project.
• Research areas currently identified by Swinburne include innovation; technology and intellectual property; copyright and trademarks law; artificial intelligence and law; sentencing, criminal justice and criminal law; and commercial and corporations law.
• Development of independent thinking, project management, data analytics, critical thinking and communication skills.
• Access to research training covering areas such as thesis writing, publishing and presenting.
• Internship opportunities are available for Higher Degree by Research students, subject to eligibility and availability.
• The Graduate Certificate component provides formal training in research and innovation management alongside the PhD.
• Students must secure an appropriate and willing research supervisor before their application can be considered.

Programme Structure and Subjects/Topics

The programme has two interconnected components: doctoral research and the Graduate Certificate of Research and Innovation Management.

PhD research:

• Supervised independent research.
• Research may be pure, exploratory, applied, experimental or creative.
• Regular supervision and research training.
• Progress reviews throughout candidature.
• Final doctoral submission consisting of a research thesis, including associated papers, of up to 60,000 words on the current programme structure.

Graduate Certificate core units:

1. Project Management for Research – INF60016 – 12.5 credit points
2. Innovation and Impact in Research – ENT60010 – 12.5 credit points

Students then select two elective units, normally 12.5 credit points each, in consultation with their supervisory team.

Examples of currently listed electives include:

• Research Methods in Science – BIO80005
• Research Methodology – BUS80003
• Quantitative Research Methods – BUS80017
• Qualitative Research Methods – BUS80018
• Research Design and Methodology – CSM80010
• Social Entrepreneurship – ENT80018
• Advanced Research Methods in Health Sciences – HEA40001
• Research Methods – ICT80011
• Applied Research Methods – ICT90003
• Neuroscience Methods – NEU40002
• Research Skills – NPS60001
• Advanced Quantitative Methods – PSY40001
• Statistical Practice 1 – STA60001
• Research Design – STA60004
• Multivariate Statistics – STA70002
• Data Management and Analytics Using SAS – STA70003
• Survey Sampling – STA70005
• Bayesian Statistics – STA80007
• Advanced Research Communication Skills in Science, Engineering and Technology – COM80001
• Research Engagement – MFP60001
• Research Training – MFP60002
• Directed Study – MFP60003

The exact elective combination should be agreed with the supervisory team and confirmed with Swinburne before enrolment.

Progress reviews are currently structured around approximately:

• Pre-confirmation review: 3 months
• Confirmation of candidature review: 9–12 months
• Mid-candidature review: 21–24 months
• Draft thesis review: 33–36 months, with follow-up approximately 3 months before thesis submission.

Disciplines/Specialisations

The programme is focused on Law research.

Current research areas listed by Swinburne are:

• Innovation
• Technology and intellectual property
• Copyright and trademarks law
• Artificial intelligence and law
• Sentencing, criminal justice and criminal law
• Commercial and corporations law

Programme Highlights

• International-only course.
• CRICOS code: 096282B.
• Full-time doctoral research programme.
• Maximum duration of 4 years.
• Law-focused research with a built-in Graduate Certificate of Research and Innovation Management.
• 50 credit points of structured research-management coursework.
• Supervised doctoral research with formal candidature progress reviews.
• Research areas include AI and law, intellectual property, copyright and trademarks, criminal justice, commercial law and corporations law.
• Research training includes thesis writing, publishing and presentation skills.
• Internship opportunities may be available for Higher Degree by Research students.
• Swinburne currently displays historical subject-ranking information of Top 200 in Law in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking by Subject 2023 and Top 150 in Law in the ARWU Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022. These rankings are historical and should not be interpreted as current 2026 rankings.

Career Outcomes

Swinburne identifies the following career opportunities for graduates of this programme:

• Academic
• Researcher
• Entrepreneur
• Consultant
• Policy, market or economic analyst
• Business development roles

International Student Visa Requirements

International students studying this programme in Australia generally require an Australian Student visa (subclass 500).

Key requirements include:

• A valid Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for the course.
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), unless an official exemption applies.
• Meeting the Genuine Student requirement.
• Meeting applicable health requirements.
• Meeting applicable character requirements.
• Signing the Australian Values Statement where required.
• Providing financial evidence if requested or required under the visa assessment framework.
• Providing English-language evidence where required.
• Complying with all Student visa conditions.