IUMW - International University of Malaya-Wales

Doctor of Philosophy in Professional Communication

Phase 1

Coursework

Two core courses

• Research Process and Academic Writing
• Research Design and Methodology

The Colloquium

Allows students to gain public speaking experience, learn about student research from fields within and outside their academic discipline and experience judging methods used by professional panels for national and international meetings.

Phase 2

Proposal Defence

• Each student must present and defend his/her PhD research proposal. The student is only allowed to continue with his/her research to Phase Ill on the passing of the defence of his/her proposal

Phase 3

Data Collection and Thesis Preparation

• The student proceeds to his/her data collection, data analysis, and thesis writing

The Work Completion Seminar

Serves as a moderation process to assess whether the work done by the candidate is sufficient for the PhD degree. The candidate must pass this before their thesis is allowed to proceed to Viva Voce.

Phase 4

Viva Voce

• After submitting the thesis, the students are required to attend a Viva Voce to defend his/her thesis

Research Proposal

Applicants for the Doctor of Philosophy (Professional Communication) programme are required to submit a comprehensive statement of the research that they propose to carry out. The proposal should comprise the following elements:

• Field of research
• The topic of the research proposal
• Background or a brief literature review on the research topic
• The objective of the study - Explain the objectives that influence the research
• The Methodology of study - Explain the methods used in a study such as a library research, lab work, fieldwork, etc.
• Work schedule
• Equipment required (where applicable)
• Brief bibliography
• The research proposal should contain between 1,500 - 2,000 words or about four (4) pages