Calendar 2019/20

Regulations Governing Academic Programmes

2 Faculty of Graduate Research

2.10 Regulations Governing the Degrees of Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery
1 Eligibility
1.1 The following may apply for registration as candidates for the degrees of Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Master of Surgery (MS):
  (a) Applicants who are medically qualified and eligible for professional registration approved for this purpose.
1.2 Applicants whose native language is not English must provide evidence of competence in English Language sufficient for research study, and after admission to the University may be required to take additional instruction in English Language, normally in the University English Language Centre (INTO).
2 Registration
2.1 Registration shall be effective not earlier than the beginning of the term in which the candidature is formally approved. 
2.2 Subject to the approval of the Dean/ Associate Dean of the Faculty, candidates registered for a degree of Master of Philosophy may be allowed to transfer their registration to the degree of Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Master of Surgery (MS) and to have all or part of the period of study already completed under the original registration counted towards the period under the new registration.
3 Conditions of Study 
3.1 Candidates will be registered as full-time or as part-time students with a supervisory team approved by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor & Executive Dean of College according to the requirements set out in the ‘Code of Good Practice - Arrangements for the Supervision of Research Degree Students’.
4 Continued Registration 
4.1 All candidates are required to submit a report on their research at the end of each academic year; failure to submit will normally result in termination of registration.
4.2 A candidate who fails to make satisfactory progress may be required to withdraw.
4.3 Each candidate is required to re-register at the beginning of each academic year until the required thesis has been submitted.
4.4 Students who do not re-register within 4 weeks of the designated registration period will be deemed to have withdrawn and will have their registration terminated. Subsequent requests for reinstatement will be considered under the terms of reinstatement of registration.
4.5 Candidates may, with the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor & Executive Dean of College, be registered on Continuation Status provided they have completed their research and will not be undertaking any significant additional research.
4.6 Candidates may not register for more than the specified programme length set out in the 'Statement of Procedures: Periods of Registration and Changes to Registration Status for Graduate Research Students' . In exceptional cases the Pro-Vice-Chancellor & Executive Dean of College may grant a stipulated period of extension.
 5 Transfer of Registration
 5.1 On the recommendation of the Dean/ Associate Dean of the Faculty a candidate may be permitted to transfer registration to the degree of MPhil and to count the period of study already completed under the former registration towards that degree.
 6 Assessment
6.1 Each candidate will be required to submit a thesis in the prescribed form which shall not exceed 60,000 words excluding bibliography, appendices and abstract, and will normally be required to take a viva voce examination.
6.2 Candidates must normally submit two copies (which shall include a summary of approximately 300 words), in the format prescribed by the ‘Presentation of Theses/Dissertations for Degrees in the Faculty of Graduate Research: Statement of Procedures’, or three copies for staff candidates, which shall become the property of the University.
6.3 In assessing the thesis, please see:
6.3.1 for students who commenced their studies prior to the 2016-17 academic year
6.3.2 for students who commended their studies, or re-registered following a period of interruption, from the 2016-17 academic year1
  6.3.1 For students who commenced their studies prior to the 2016-17 academic year: In assessing the thesis the examiners will require:
  (a) evidence that it forms a distinct contribution to the knowledge of the subject
  (b) evidence of originality
  (c) evidence of the candidate's ability to relate the subject matter of the thesis to the existing body of knowledge within the field, and
  (d) a satisfactory level of literary presentation.
  6.3.2 For students who commenced their studies, or re-registered following a period of interruption, from the 2016-17 academic year: In assessing the thesis the examiners will require evidence of:
  (a) the creation and interpretation of new knowledge, through original research or other advanced scholarship, of a quality to satisfy peer review, extend the forefront of the discipline, and merit publication;
  (b) a systematic acquisition and understanding of a substantial body of knowledge which is at the forefront of an academic discipline or area of professional practice;
  (c) the general ability to conceptualise, design and implement a project for the generation of new knowledge, applications or understanding at the forefront of the discipline, and to adjust the project design in the light of unforeseen problems;
  (d) a detailed understanding of applicable techniques and advanced academic enquiry;
  (e) a satisfactory level of literary presentation.
6.4 When the examiners consider that a thesis does not reach the standard required for the degree of MD/MS, it shall be within their discretion to make one of the following recommendations:
  (a) that the degree be awarded subject to the candidate making minor amendments to the thesis to the satisfaction of one or more of the examiners as may be agreed between them.
  (b) that the degree be awarded subject to the candidate making major amendments to the thesis to the satisfaction of the examiners as may be agreed between them.
  (c) that no degree be awarded but that the candidate be permitted to submit a revised thesis.
6.5  In making their recommendation, examiners may take into account any circumstances which may make it impracticable for a candidate to undertake a further period of study.
6.6 When making recommendations (a), (b) or (c), the examiners are required, when making their final report to the Dean/ Associate Dean of the Faculty, also to indicate for the information of the candidate the reasons for their decision, and where amendments are required (whether minor, major or revisions prior to re-submission) to indicate those aspects or parts of the thesis/dissertation which they regard as inadequate and the nature and extent of the re-writing required.
6.7 A thesis may be re-submitted on one occasion within such a period of further study as the examiners recommend and the Dean/ Associate Dean of the Faculty approves. A candidate preparing for resubmission will be required to maintain registration as a continuing registration student.
6.8 On examination of a re-submitted thesis, if the examiners again consider that a thesis does not reach the standard required for the degree of MD/MS, it shall be within their discretion to make one of the following recommendations:
  (a) that the degree be awarded subject to the candidate making minor amendments to the thesis to the satisfaction of one or more of the examiners as may be agreed between them.
  (b) that the degree be awarded subject to the candidate making major amendments to the thesis to the satisfaction of the examiners.
  (c) that the degree of Master of Philosophy be awarded
  (d) that  the degree of Master of Philosophy be awarded subject to the candidate making minor amendments to the thesis to the satisfaction of one or more of the examiners as may be agreed between them.
  (e) that no degree be awarded.
6.9 In the case of a student registering under a joint award agreement, the examination of the thesis shall normally follow the procedures of the institution at which the majority of the candidate's full-time studies have been undertaken..
   
   
   
  1The assessment outcomes for awards within the Faculty of Graduate Research, as outlined in these Regulations, have been bought into line with the language used in the 'Credit and Qualifications Framework', a direct adoption of the language contained in the national ‘Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies’. The outcomes for students who commenced their studies prior to the 2016-17 academic year, also aligned with the national frameworks, but did so without direct adoption of the Framework language.