3. Other Discipline and Programme Specific Requirements
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The assessments is started 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 Director of Postgraduate Research or Deputy. If it is deemed necessary, you may 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 Procedures’
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.
Streatham
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 lead supervisor and the Director of Postgraduate Research or nominee
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 Procedures’
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.
Cornwall
The assessments is started 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 Director of Postgraduate Research or Deputy. If it is deemed necessary, you may 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 Procedures’
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.
i. PhD Biological Sciences-Cornwall
An 18-month mid-PhD review.
- Students should give a 15-minute presentation to their panel outlining progress to that point, followed by 45 minutes of discussion with the panel.
- In the presentation, students should explain what data has been collected, what analyses have been conducted, what results have been found, and what has been written up.
- Changes to the original aims and chapter structure set out in the upgrade report should be noted and explained.
- The panel will provide feedback to the student on their progress, and in exceptional cases may recommend Health Wellbeing and Support for Study Procedures or initiate Unsatisfactory Progress.
ii. PhD Geography
Human Geography
There will be a ‘follow-up’ meeting around 18 months after the Upgrade Viva in the form of a 10 minutes presentation and 20 minutes discussion between the student and upgrade assessor only. The purpose of this meeting is to provide another formal point of contact, to check things are ‘on track’, and to provide an opportunity to reflect on any issues or successes that might have arisen since the Upgrade Viva.
Physical Geography
There will be a ‘follow-up’ meeting around 18 months after the Upgrade Viva in the form of a 10 minutes presentation and 20 minutes discussion between the student and upgrade assessor only. The purpose of this meeting is to provide another formal point of contact, to check things are ‘on track’, and to provide an opportunity to reflect on any issues or successes that might have arisen since the Upgrade Viva.
iii. PhD Geography-Cornwall
An 18-month mid-PhD review.
- Students should give a 15-minute presentation to their panel outlining progress to that point, followed by 45 minutes of discussion with the panel.
- In the presentation, students should explain what data has been collected, what analyses have been conducted, what results have been found, and what has been written up.
- Changes to the original aims and chapter structure set out in the upgrade report should be noted and explained.
The panel will provide feedback to the student on their progress, and in exceptional cases may recommend Health Wellbeing and Support for Study Procedures or initiate Unsatisfactory Progress
i. Year 1
Beginning a PhD is a very exciting time. There's lots to do, not only regarding your research project.
Please download the PGR progression portfolio linked below at the start of your first year to find out what lies ahead.
Meeting your supervisors and pastoral tutors should be a top priority as well as attending the mandatory courses listed below to get you started.
Discuss a sensible student-supervisor agreement content and training needs analysis for the year with your supervisor.
Mandatory courses to be completed in the first study year
These courses are available to you online via Postgraduate Researcher Development ELE (Exeter Learning Environment)
The latest information about mandatory training for all postgraduate researchers and Health and Safety training for Postgraduate Researchers is available on the Doctoral College website
If you require any further advice, please speak to the Researcher Development and Research Culture Team in the Doctoral College: researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk
Download and complete the PGR progression portfolio
To be awarded a postgraduate research (PGR) degree, you need to demonstrate your ability to do independent research. To achieve this, both you and your supervisors will need to plan and monitor effectively the progress of your research and your development as a researcher over several years. Unless you and your supervisors take time to discuss these matters openly, it is very easy to neglect aspects of your development, to ignore problems with your research, and for misunderstandings to grow between you. This document will help you and your supervisors to plan and monitor your progress and development by having constructive discussions at suitable times.
Students download the progression portfolio for Year 1 at the beginning of their study year and upload in MyPGR once a required section is completed. The Training Needs Analysis is completed online.
Assessors will use the forms provided in the Year 1 PGR progression portfolio appendix and send them to PGR Support team in Streatham or Penryn.
ii. Year 2
Year 2 - Things to do
Please download the PGR progression portfolio linked below at the start of your year 2 to find out what lies ahead.
Meeting your supervisors and pastoral tutors should be a top priority. Arrange regular meeting dates as early as possible.
Review your student-supervisor agreement content and training needs analysis for the year with your supervisor. The Training Needs Analysis is completed online.
Download and complete the PGR progression portfolio
To be awarded a postgraduate research (PGR) degree, you need to demonstrate your ability to do independent research. To achieve this, both you and your supervisors will need to plan and monitor effectively the progress of your research and your development as a researcher over several years. Unless you and your supervisors take time to discuss these matters openly, it is very easy to neglect aspects of your development, to ignore problems with your research, and for misunderstandings to grow between you. This document will help you and your supervisors to plan and monitor your progress and development by having constructive discussions at suitable times.
Students download the progression portfolio for Year 2 docx at the beginning of their study year and upload the second year report in MyPGR The Training Needs Analysis form is now completed online.
Assessors will use the forms provided in the Year 2 progression portfolio appendix and send them to the PGR Support team.
iii. Year 3 and beyond
In year 3 you will approach your overall target, finishing your PhD, quite quickly. Time is just flying.
It is important to meet with your supervisor as early as possible to discuss how best to achieve this target in time, to set milestones and identify required support.
Please download the PGR progression portfolio linked below at the start of your year 3.
Meeting your supervisors and pastoral tutors should be a top priority. Arrange regular meeting dates as early as possible.
Review your student-supervisor agreement content and training needs analysis for the year if appropriate with your supervisor. The training needs analysis is completed online.
Prepare for your continuation status Please see all information regarding your transfer to continuation status here.
Download and complete the PGR progression portfolio for year 3
You are now approaching the last phase of your PhD when you need to clearly target your aim to complete in time. To achieve this, both you and your supervisors will need to plan and monitor effectively the progress of your research and personal development. This document will help you and your supervisors to plan and monitor your progress by having constructive discussions at suitable times.
Students download the progression portfolio for Year 3 docx and upload your end of year report in MyPGR once completed. The training needs analysis form is now completed online.
Assessors fill in the Year 3 progression portfolio appendix and send to PGR Support.
Thesis submission, examination, and graduation
To prepare for finishing your PhD please read the information given under
Preparing for Thesis Submission
The Researcher Development Workshops for third year students offer useful skills training to complement your portfolio.
i. Year 1
Maths and Statistics:
To compete in the international job market for research mathematicians, successive International Reviews of Mathematics have found that students need to complement expertise in their specific research topic with a broader mathematical ability. Similar expectations hold for students working on cross-disciplinary projects. To ensure that our graduates have a broad understanding of their field at an advanced level we expect our students to make the most of the available taught courses (see below) to become more effective researchers and to improve their career prospects.
Students are expected to select any modules for which they will be assessed from those offered by Taught Course Centres (see below).
Students whose research is interdisciplinary should also study modules offered by Taught Course Centres (TCCs). However, we recognize that the mathematical background of these students may be insufficiently wide for all such modules to be immediately accessible, and that they may benefit from attending courses in relevant fields of application, such as computer science, biology, climatology or physics.
Apart from courses offered by TCCs and the University of Exeter (UoE) and guided reading with supervisors, students are encouraged to attend other courses such as summer schools, workshops and reading groups. Supervisors will be able to advise students of these.
If a student and the student's supervisor feel that TCCs offer insufficiently many modules relevant to the student's research interests then they may ask permission from the Department Director of Postgraduate Research to be assessed for other courses.
Course criteria:
- must not be specific only to the student's research project,
- must not overlap significantly with modules already passed by the student,
- must be at similar level of technical difficulty to Taught Course Centres, e.g. courses taught on postgraduate masters programmes,
- can be relevant non-mathematics modules at third-year undergraduate level or higher for students of interdisciplinary research.
Students with significant research experience (for example, students who have held a relevant graduate research job for three years or who have completed one year of post-masters training) may ask the Department Director of Postgraduate Research for a full or partial exemption from assessment in this part of the PhD programme, but such students are still expected to engage with opportunities to develop their expertise.
Course assessment and deferrals
Students must demonstrate their serious engagement with taught courses by completing assessments in a subset of the courses that they study: students must complete assessments for modules with a total of at least 100 hours of contact and preparation. Further details are given below. Students may be permitted to progress on the PhD programme even if they fail some assessments, as long as they are judged to have engaged seriously with their modules. Passing assessments is sufficient to demonstrate serious engagement. Students should aim to complete all of their assessed modules in their first year, but may defer a minority of modules to their second year if this allows them to study topics that are closer to their interests. Part-time students should aim to complete their assessed modules in their second year, with possible deferrals to their third year.
Taught Course Centres
Exeter is a member of two TCCs, MAGIC and APTS. These are nation-wide organisations, run by universities to teach advanced courses in mathematics and statistics. MAGIC lectures are accessed by video-conference; APTS runs four, one-week, residential courses each year.
Students must register for any TCC modules that they wish to study. Students will receive assessments from the lecturer. MAGIC assessments are marked by the lecturer, while APTS assessments should be marked by the student's supervisor.
There are four other TCCs (LTCC, MTCC and SMSTC for mathematics, and NATCOR for operational research) that students may wish to consider attending:
University of Exeter courses
Students are welcome to attend any courses taught at Exeter, e.g. Mathematics modules. Please apply for any UoE module you wish to attend by emailing ese-exeter-pgrsupport@exeter.ac.uk
Modules that are taught as part of a postgraduate master’s programme may be permitted to count towards a student's 100 hours taught courses. The relevant UoE postgraduate mathematics modules are coded MTHM***.
Students must agree arrangements for assessment and marking with the lecturer at the start of the module, and then record these arrangements on their student-supervisor agreements. Students who achieve an average mark of at least 50% on a module will be deemed to have passed.
Guided reading: Students may also take a guided reading course with the student's supervisor(s). Best practise is that the student and supervisor(s) meet regularly throughout a period of one term to discuss the reading. At the end, the supervisor(s) administers a short oral examination of the material to the student to determine that the student has engaged. Guided reading conducted in this way will count towards a student's 100 hours taught courses requirement in the same way as a term-long UoE MTHM***module.
ii. Year 2
Computer Science and Mathematics and Statistics
Month 20. You must write a research report that describes your research topic, includes a review of relevant background material, summarizes any results that you have obtained so far, and outlines your aims, plans and timetable for future research. Your report must demonstrate your ability to present your research effectively in writing: it must have a clear structure and must use good English and appropriate referencing. No particular format or length of report is required, but about 5000 words is usually appropriate. You may substitute for your research report any papers that you have submitted for publication, chapters of your thesis that you have drafted, or other written material of sufficient quality, although you must still upload a description of your aims, plans and timetable for future research.
Once you have written a report with which you and your supervisors are satisfied, upload the document to MyPGR. The report will be circulated to your assessors and you will need to arrange a mini viva with them.
iii. Year 3
Computer Science and Mathematics and Statistics
Month 30. You must write a research report that describes your research topic, includes a review of relevant background material, summarizes any results that you have obtained so far, and outlines your aims, plans and timetable for finishing your PhD thesis. Your report must demonstrate your ability to present your research effectively in writing: it must have a clear structure and must use good English and appropriate referencing. No particular format or length of report is required, but about 5000 words is usually appropriate.
In addition, you must include an outline of your thesis: a brief description of the contents of each chapter under section headings, and a timetable for completing each chapter and submitting your thesis. See the University regulations on the presentation of theses.
You may subsitute your research report with any papers that you have submitted for publication or other written material of sufficient quality, although you must still upload a description of your aims, plans and timetable for future research.
Once you have written a report with which you and your supervisors are satisfied, upload the document to MyPGR. The report will be ciruclated to your assessors and you will need to arrange a mini viva with them.
The Researcher Development Workshops for third year students offer useful skills training.
Further information on chaning to continuation status can be found here.
To follow