Which one is better: a full-time PhD at University of Melbourne, Australia or a part-time PhD while working as a research associate for Rolls Royce Project at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Always take the part-time PhD, so you won’t lose work experience and work seniority time. And Singapore is known for its high excellence.Regards,Peter.

I have not been to University of Melbourne so I can’t comment on it much.I have graduated from NTU so I will talk about it as much as I can. My advice would be to evaluate your options based on your strengths and limitations (academics, logistic, financial, future prospects etc).My time at NTU (Nanyang Technological University) was superb, without any if’s, but’s or when’s. I had great environment, teachers, peers, roommates, accomodations, you name it. If I had to nitpick, I was not able to get a scholarship (but I was able to secure alternate funding).So, if you have gained an admission, especially in a industry backed project, do it. The industry funding is also a key selling point here. A normal, university grant is usually such that your budget is tight. This trickles down onto the PhD candidates. A company funded project has much more room in their budget. This means better workplace (if not a separate building), equipment, etc.On top of that, the biggest selling point for you at NTU is that your status will be that of an employed person rather than a student, your salary will probably be more than what your would get as a student at NTU and that changes the game completely.Now for the bad. Singapore on the whole is becoming quite hostile for foreigners, especially Indians. Mind you, in my time in Singapore, I have never seen any instances of racism or race based violence, but the government policies are changing so that the number of foreigners in the country can be managed. I can’t compare that with Australia, but I reckon their permanent residence program will be much more inclusive and less selective than Singapore, when later down the line you would want to have your residence status changed. But comparatively, I reckon Singaporean society is much more peaceful than in Australia, since Singapore is probably one of the most peaceful country. That said, life is comfortable in both, so which ever you choose, I suspect you will be fine in either country.

First of all congrats on getting selected in both. Thats a tough decision to make. See for your Supervisors’ profile and compare them. NTU is around 13 in global whereas Univ of Melbourne is 40+. But, Rankings donot matter. What matters is the supervisor under which you will be working. Though there is no difference in part time and full time in Singapore as far as I know, except the tenure of Phd which will be 3–7 years in this case. Working as RA in Rolls Royce is very good, but see for the tenure of the project because once the project completes you gotta search for another funding. If you have already worked with any of thee supervisor my advice would be to join him/her.So, most important factors here are: Supervisor Funding NTU vs Aus Decide on the basis of your judgement and continue to do your work until you succeed. Good luck for your PhD!Hope that helps!