3. Other Discipline and Programme Specific Requirements

Purpose of the MbyRes Progress Review

The Progress Review is designed to:

1. Confirm that you are making satisfactory progress.
2. Act as a structural milestone in your research journey.
3. Provide you with formal and independent feedback on your work and development.
4. Provide you with an opportunity to present your work in written form and orally.
5. Identify any training needs or support requirements.
6. Ensure that your project remains viable within the timeframe of the MbyRes award.

Progress Review Timeline

1. The Progress Review should be completed no later than 7 months of full-time registration, with the Progress Review document submitted at 6 months. The deadline is adjusted on a pro-rata basis for students studying part time (e.g. 12 months to submit the Progress Review report for a student studying 0.5 full time equivalent.)
2. PGR support will notify you and your Lead Supervisor of the progress review deadline on entry to the programme and will send reminder - 6 weeks before the deadline.
3. Deferral: In exceptional circumstances beyond your control, applications for deferral to the deadline may be made and should be submitted no later than 4 weeks before the deadline. Please contact PGR support to discuss this (hls-exeter-pgrsupport@exeter.ac.uk).
4. Failure to submit the Progress report or attend the Progress Review meeting by the deadline may lead to you receiving an initial warning under Unsatisfactory Student Progress and Engagement Procedures.

Note: MbyRes students intending on applying to upgrade to PhD status are still required to complete the Progress Review in a timely manner. Students will also be required to follow the procedures for upgrading to PhD status, as outlined in Chapter 9 of the TQA and should note the limits of an upgrade from MbyRes to PhD, particularly in relation to visas and funding, in the Doctoral College Handbook.

Structure of the Progress Review Process

The Progress Review consists of three phases:

1. Submission of the Progress Report.
2. Review meeting.
3. Panel Report and Outcome.

Phase 1: Progress Report

You must submit a written report no longer than 1,000 words. The report should be clearly written, well-structured, and demonstrate engagement with your research and training plan.

The report should include:

1. Background/introduction to your project.
2. Project aims and objectives.
3. Progress to date, including methods developed and training completed.
4. Challenges and mitigation strategies.
5. Next steps and updated targets.
6. References (not included in the word limit).
7. Generative AI statement (not included in the word limit - see section below).
8. Appendix (not included in the word limit, but restricted to 1 page).

You must submit the upgrade document via the 'My Progress Review' link in MyPGR by the stated deadline.

Phase 2: Review Meeting

The review meeting will take place ~ 2 weeks after submission of your Progress Report and consist of two parts: 1) oral presentation; and 2) discussion of your work and progress with the review panel.

At the start of the meeting, you will be asked to deliver a short (no more than 10 minutes) oral presentation summarising your project and progress to date.

Following the presentation, the review panel will ask questions and discuss your progress.

The review meeting will:

• Discuss your progress.
• Provide constructive feedback.
• Identify any required amendments or new targets.

You will receive written feedback after the meeting via MyPGR.

The review meeting may be conducted in person, online or in hybrid format, and will last ~ 45 minutes in duration. If held online or hybrid, the Chair must confirm that the format has not affected the integrity of the progress review.

Audio, audio-visual or transcript recording of the review meeting is not permitted.

Phase 3: Panel Report and Outcome

The panel will assess whether you:

• Understand the background to your project.
• Have clear aims and objectives.
• Have begun to develop appropriate methods.
• Communicate effectively in written and spoken English.
• Are attending relevant training.
• have made adequate progress against the Development Needs Analysis.

These criteria are evaluated through your written report, presentation, and discussion during the meeting.

The panel will recommend one of two outcomes:

1. The student is making satisfactory progress.
2. The student is not making satisfactory progress. This outcome will likely be followed by an initial warning under the Unsatisfactory Student Progress and Engagement Procedures, where clear deadlines will be given to support you to meet the programme standards.

If progress remains unsatisfactory, further warnings may be issued, which could lead to withdrawal from the programme.

Review Panel

The review panel will consist of the Department Director for Postgraduate Research (or nominee) and the Lead Supervisor. The Department Director for Postgraduate Research (or nominee) will Chair the progress review meeting. This ensures the review combines Department-level oversight with subject-specific expertise provided by the Lead Supervisor, to help evaluate your progress.

Student consultation: After the progress Review meeting, your Lead Supervisor will be asked to leave the room or virtual meeting and you will be given the opportunity to talk about your PGR experience to date to the Department Director for Postgraduate Research (or nominee). You will be asked to reflect on what is going well and given the opportunity to express any concerns that you may have related to your programme of study, including supervisory team. If appropriate, you will be asked for your consent for this to be fed back to your supervisors or pastoral tutor as appropriate.

Adjustments and Individual Learning Plans

1. If you have health and wellbeing challenges and/or specific learning and support needs, you should ensure any reasonable adjustments required for the Progress Review are specified in your individual learning plan (ILP) ahead of the document submission. It is your responsibility to liaise with your PGR Support Team to confirm any reasonable adjustments that are required for your progress Review. It is the responsibility of the Chair to accommodate adjustments during the Progress Review.
2. If you have an ILP, please check this is suitable for your circumstances. If you have concerns, please discuss this with AccessAbility/Accessibility Team and PGR support before the Progress Review takes place. If you don't have an ILP, but feel you may need one, please contact the AccessAbility team (Devon) or the Accessibility team (Cornwall).
3. Further information on inclusive practice within academic study can be found here.
4. Useful links:

• AccessAbility (Devon) or Acessibility team (Cornwall)
• Inclusive practices
• Accessible Teaching and Learning Policy

Generative AI statement

All students must include a statement in their Progress Review submission to declare how they have used Generative AI (GenAI) in their work. The declaration should be included on the title page and PGRs are required to keep a record of the AL they have used and how they have used it, and this record should be included as an appendix with their work.

One of the following statements must be included in the upgrade submission:

Either:

I confirm that I have used AI tool(s) responsibly in my work and that no content from generative AI has been presented as my own work. All generated content from AI has been acknowledged and referenced according to the University of Exeter guidelines.

or:

The use of AI throughout my research degree has been detailed in the methodology and/or recorded in a log as an appendix at the end of the upgrade portfolio.

or:

I have not used any AI tools in preparing this upgrade portfolio.

Taken from the Guidance on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Postgraduate Research.

Note: The absence of any generative AI statement will be considered a declaration that you have not used GenAI in preparing your work.

Please see the Guidance on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Postgraduate Research for further guidance around the ethical and responsible use of using GenAI.

Applicable for MbyRes Biological Sciences starters before 1st August 2026

The assessment is 6 months after initial registration for full time students and 12 months for part time students. MyPGR will send you two automated reminders, but it is your responsibility to meet the deadline.

You will need to submit a progress report (maximum 1,000 words) which reviews your progress towards achieving the targets which you identified in your Supervision (learning) agreement. This report will be evaluated by your primary supervisor and the department’s Director of Postgraduate Research (or deputy).

You will also need to prepare a short talk and a list of bullet points summarising progress against the targets set out in your Supervision (learning) agreement. You will be asked to attend a meeting to assess your progress. A decision on your progress will be made and communicated to you verbally and in writing

Students who have missed the deadline to submit their progress report and failed to request an extension to this deadline by contacting the appropriate PGR Support Office will receive an initial warning, under the TQA Manual Unsatisfactory Progress

If sufficient progress has not been made you will receive an initial warning, under the TQA Manual ‘Unsatisfactory Progress Procedures’ and new target dates would then be set. If progress remains unsatisfactory, you would receive a Final Warning, which could lead to withdrawal from the programme.