Coursework in Australian doctoral education: What's happening, why and future directions?

Over the past 12-18 months, Australian universities have been working with the idea of introducing formal coursework into the PhD. The provision of coursework in PhD programs is common-place in the United States, Canada and Europe, however until recently, there has been little in the way of coursework in the Australian PhD. The introduction of coursework into the Australian PhD is a development that is being undertaken in the absence of a set of pedagogical, curriculum, organisational and funding principles suited to the Australian context. Therefore, this project examines the issues that are deemed necessary for the possible implementation of formal coursework in the Australian PhD in its many and varied forms.