Calendar 2019/20

2.2 Regulations Governing the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
1 Eligibility
1.1 The following may apply for registration as candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy:
  (a) Graduates of the University.
  (b) Graduates of other Universities and Institutions of Higher Education approved by the Senate.
  (c) Other persons who can satisfy the provisions of Ordinance 13.2.
1.2 Applicants will normally be expected to have at least a Second Class Honours degree or to have reached an equivalent standard in a General or unclassified degree or other qualification.
1.3 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, Master of Arts by Research or Master of Science by Research, Doctor of Medicine, Master of Surgery or Doctor of Engineering may be allowed to transfer their registration to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 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 Four Year PhD Programmes
4.1

Candidates registering for a Four Year PhD programme complete the requirements for the award of a specified Masters programme, followed by a programme of research leading to the award of a research degree.
4.2 Candidates shall be required to register full-time, initially on a one year programme of study for the award of the specified Masters programme, and subsequently shall normally follow an approved programme of research.
4.3 In the first year of study, candidates shall be deemed to be also subject to the Regulations governing the Masters programme specified in the Programme of Study.
4.4 Subject to successful completion of the requirements of the specified Masters programme, candidates shall be awarded the Masters degree.
4.5 Candidates will be permitted to progress to year two of the programme, subject to completion of the requirements of the specified Masters programme and any other requirements given in the Programme of Study. Candidates who are subsequently not awarded the Masters degree will be required to withdraw from the programme.
4.6 In accordance with the requirements given in the Programme of Study, candidates may be required in their second year of study to initially follow a programme of research for the award of MPhil. In accordance with a College's normal upgrading procedures, a candidate may subsequently be permitted to follow a programme of research for the award of PhD. Otherwise a candidate shall be examined in accordance with the Regulations governing the degree of MPhil.
4.7 Candidates who progress to a programme of research for the award of PhD shall be subject to the Regulations governing the degree of PhD for the remainder of their permitted period of study.
4.8 Continued registration on the Four Year PhD programme shall be subject to satisfactory completion of other additional requirements as specified in their Programme of Study.
5 Continued Registration
5.1 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.
5.2 A candidate who fails to make satisfactory progress may be required to withdraw.
5.3 Each candidate is required to re-register at the beginning of each academic year until the required thesis has been submitted.
5.4 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.
5.5 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.
5.6 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.
6 Transfer of Registration
6.1 On the recommendation of the Dean/ Associate Dean of the Faculty a candidate may be permitted to transfer registration to another appropriate research degree and to count the period of study already completed under the former registration towards that degree.
7 Assessment
7.1 Each candidate will be required to submit a thesis in the prescribed form which shall not exceed 100,000 words excluding bibliography, appendices and abstract, and will normally be required to take a viva voce examination.
7.2 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.
7.3 In assessing the thesis, please see:
7.3.1 for students who commenced their studies prior to the 2016-17 academic year
7.3.2 for students who commended their studies, or re-registered following a period of interruption, from the 2016-17 academic year1
  7.3.1 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.
  In examining a thesis submitted by a candidate who has been registered on a doctoral programme, the examiners may, in considering the length of the thesis, take into account the additional constraints on the time available to the candidate.
  7.3.2 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.
  In examining a thesis submitted by a candidate who has been registered on a doctoral programme, the examiners may, in considering the length of the thesis, take into account the additional constraints on the time available to the candidate.
7.4 When the examiners consider that a thesis does not reach the standard required for the degree of PhD, 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.
7.5 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.
7.6 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/thesis which they regard as inadequate and the nature and extent of the re-writing required.
7.7 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.
7.8 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 PhD, 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.
7.9 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.
   
   
 

1 The 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.