Research in the Accredited Institutions The Accredited Colleges may offer higher degrees by research under the aegis of the Research Strategy Committee. The Handbook of Accreditation sets out the responsibilities of the Accredited institutions and also the procedures to be followed.

Regulations for the Degrees of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy in the Colleges Accredited by the University

Degrees and Entry

  1. The degree of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) may be awarded by the Senate to postgraduate students who have successfully pursued a course of study as prescribed below and have fulfiled any other University requirements.

  2. The requirements for candidature shall normally be a degree in a suitable subject of any approved university or the CNAA. Candidates with other qualifications approved by the College may be accepted by the Senate.

  3. Candidates satisfying the requirement for candidature may be admitted provided the Senate is satisfied as to both their chosen subject for research and the supervisory arrangements.

  4. In approving candidature the Senate shall state the effective starting date which may not normally be backdated more than four months before the date of the request.

Candidature

  1. The course to be followed shall be one of supervised study and research and shall be either full-time or part-time. The course shall be pursued in the College except in special cases where the Senate permits a period to be spent elsewhere.

  2. A candidate is normally required to register initially for the degree of MPhil. A candidate for the degree of MPhil may be permitted by the Senate to transfer not less than six months before submission of thesis to a course leading to the degree of PhD. A candidate for the degree of PhD may be permitted at any time prior to submission of thesis to transfer to a course leading to the degree of MPhil. The whole or part of the period spent in candidature may be counted towards the period of study required for the degree to which transfer is made.

Supervision and Progress

  1. Every candidate shall be allocated to a supervisor by the Senate on the recommendation of the College. The supervisor shall be responsible for the supervision of the design and progress of the candidate's research project and for providing academic advice to the candidate; and shall report on the candidate's work and progress when requested to do so by the College. The College shall also either appoint one member of staff to act as a general postgraduate tutor or appoint an adviser for each individual candidate in addition to the supervisor.

  2. A candidate may be required to take part in a programme of graduate studies, including lectures, seminars and associated assessments, to the satisfaction of the College.

  3. The College may at any time review the progress of an individual candidate. If this is unsatisfactory and if, after due warning, there is insufficient improvement, the Senate may terminate candidature on the recommendation of the College. The candidate may appeal against the decision by using the College's appeals procedure set out in the Regulations.

Duration of Research Courses

  1. The period of supervised study for a research degree shall be:

    MPhil
    Full-time candidates: not less than twelve months
    Part-time candidates: not less than twenty-four months

    PhD
    Full-time candidates: not less than twenty-four months
    Part-time candidates: not less than thirty-six months

  2. The period of study for a research degree ends when the thesis is submitted. The maximum period of study in full-time candidature is four years (48 months) and in part-time candidature six years (72 months). A candidate who fails to submit a thesis by the end of the maximum period of study shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the course. (See also paragraphs 12 and 17 below).

Temporary Suspension and Nominal Registration

  1. Candidates for either degree must continue in registration for the degree until such time as they submit their thesis or withdraw, except that the Senate may, on the recommendation of the College, permit temporary suspension of candidature. Periods of temporary suspension shall not count towards the maximum period of study.

  2. If, having completed not less than the minimum period of supervised study, a candidate ceases to receive supervision, the Senate may allow transfer to nominal registration for a period not exceeding twelve months in the first instance. A candidate wishing to extend the period of nominal registration beyond twelve months must apply in writing through the College.

  3. Candidates in nominal registration shall, on transfer, pay the fee prescribed in the College's Fees Regulations.

  4. Periods of nominal registration count towards the maximum period of study.

Submission of Thesis

  1. After completion of the necessary period of study a thesis shall be submitted for examination in accordance with the instructions in the leaflet The Production and Submission of Theses issued to candidates by the College. Candidates in Music may submit original musical compositions or offer recital work, together with additional material, specifications for which are set out in a leaflet available from the University's Arts Faculty Office. Candidates in Art and Design may submit an exhibition of original work, together with additional material, specifications for which are available from the WSA Registry office/Arts Faculty office.

  2. The submission following full-time candidature shall be made not later than four years from the date of first registration; and the submission following part-time candidature shall be made not later than six years from the date of first registration. In cases where there have been periods of full-time and part-time candidature, the maximum permitted periods of candidature shall be determined by the Academic Registrar, on the basis that periods of part-time candidature shall be deemed to be equivalent to two-thirds of an equal period of full-time candidature. This time-limit may be extended by the Senate on the recommendation of the College in special circumstances.

  3. A candidate who is about to submit a thesis shall give to the College at least four months' prior notice in writing which shall include the full title of the thesis. Such notice of intention to submit a thesis shall be given not later than 1 February if the candidate seeks award of the degree by the following July.

  4. With the exception of restrictions on access as defined in paragraph 20 below, research work submitted as a thesis for a higher degree shall be openly available and subject neither to security classification nor to restriction on access, and candidates may publish the whole or part of their work prior to its submission as a thesis, provided that in the published work it is nowhere stated that it is in consideration for a higher degree.

  5. In exceptional circumstances access to a thesis may be restricted by the Senate on the recommendation of a College, where such restriction is regarded as desirable on commercial grounds or pending patent applications, or as necessary to maintain confidentiality. The period of restriction shall be determined by Senate on the recommendation of the College, but shall not exceed three years from the date of examination.

  6. On submission of a thesis a candidate shall be required to sign two documents:
    1. a form of consent that the thesis, if successful, may be made available for inter-library loan or photocopying from a date stipulated (subject to the law of copyright);
    2. a declaration stating: that the thesis is the result of work done wholly or mainly while the student was in registered candidature; that where the thesis is based on work done by the candidate jointly with others, a substantial part is the original work of the candidate; the extent to which the thesis incorporates material already submitted for another degree.

  7. A thesis may not exceed 75,000 words in length, unless prior permission to exceed this length has been given by the Senate on the recommendation of the College. Candidates who exceed this limit without Senate's permission will normally be required by the examiners to resubmit in a form which does not exceed the stipulated length. Candidates may in addition submit a separate volume of factual information only, related to the content of the thesis, which must be prepared and bound in the same style as the thesis. Such additional information will be available to the examiners and will form part of the record.

Examination

  1. For each candidate, normally one internal and one external examiner shall be appointed to examine the thesis; in exceptional cases, one additional internal or external examiner may be appointed. The supervisor may not be appointed as an examiner.

  2. Candidates for the PhD will normally be required, and candidates for the MPhil may be required, to attend for an oral examination.

  3. The examiners for each candidate shall recommend one of the following courses of action:
    that the degree for which the candidate has submitted a thesis be awarded, subject if necessary to minor amendments to the thesis being made by a date specified (minor amendments include: minor omissions of substance, typographical errors, occasional stylistic or grammatical flaws, corrections to references, addition/modification of one or two figures, and minor changes to layout, and require no new research. They may be certified by the internal examiner only). The date specified for the submission of such minor amendments should normally be no later than a month after the formal notification to the candidate;

    that the degree for which the candidate has submitted a thesis be awarded subject to the correction of modest errors/omissions of substance being made, by a date specified (the procedure for re-examination of the thesis should be clearly specified in the report). Such amendments may require limited further analysis but will not affect the originality of the central thesis. They will be of a scale to require certification by both the internal and external examiners, though normally not so extensive that an oral is required. The date specified for the submission of such intermediate amendments should normally be no later than six months after the formal notification to the candidate;

    that the candidate be required to attend for a further oral examination;

    that the candidate be permitted to submit by a date specified a revised thesis for the same degree for re-examination on one subsequent occasion. The date specified for submission of the revised thesis should normally be no later than twelve months after the formal notification to the candidate;

    that, in the case only of a PhD candidate who has failed to satisfy the examiners, permission be given to the candidate to apply within a specified time for the award of the degree of MPhil. This may be allowed without re-examination, subject to any minor amendment of the thesis which may be required by the examiners, or may be subject to re-examination of a revised thesis;

    that the degree be not awarded and that resubmission of the thesis be not permitted.

  4. A candidate who fails to submit a corrected or revised thesis by the date set by the examiners shall normally be regarded as having failed the examination and the recommendations of the examiners shall lapse.

  5. Where the examiners recommend that the degree be not awarded and that submission of a revised thesis be not permitted, the candidate may ask for the case to be reviewed in accordance with the procedures laid down by the Senate. A copy of the procedures may be obtained from the College.