General Regulations for the Degree of Integrated PhD in Named Subjects (2005/06)

Award of the Degree
  1. The degree of Integrated PhD in [named subject] may be awarded by the Senate to postgraduate students who have successfully pursued a programme of study as prescribed below to the satisfaction of the School concerned. Students will normally initially register for the degree of MPhil, but alternative entry routes from master's level programmes may apply (see individual programme specifications).
Admission
  1. Candidates for entry to the programme must normally possess an undergraduate degree of an approved University or whatever award/range of experience might be deemed equivalent by the School Board using agreed University AP[E/C]L guidelines. Applications from candidates with other non-standard qualifications must be approved by the appropriate Faculty.
Scheme of Study
  1. Candidates are required to undertake the scheme of study over a period of four years full-time registration, to pass the required examinations, and to submit a thesis not more than 12 months later than the end of the fourth year of study. In exceptional circumstances the School Board may approve a later date for submission. If part-time candidates are permitted, they are required to submit a thesis not more than 12 months later than the end of the seventh year of study.

  2. In the first year candidates will be required to follow a prescribed programme of units which will be taught in the University. Candidates who complete these units and pass the required examinations at an appropriate standard at the end of the first year will be permitted to proceed to the second year of the programme. This may also lead to the award of MA or MSc as defined in the relevant programme specification. Candidates who fail to reach the required standard will be permitted to resit the first year units on one occasion only. In the event of failure to achieve the required standard at resit, their programme will be terminated, and such candidates will be considered by the Faculty for transfer to a relevant diploma or master’s level programme for the award of a Diploma or Master’s Degree, as appropriate.

  3. In the second and third years candidates complete prescribed units and a programme of supervised research and skills training sessions leading to the preparation of a thesis. The candidate’s fourth year will be devoted to supervised research and preparation of a thesis.
Supervision
  1. Every candidate shall be allocated to a research supervisory team by the School Board on the recommendation of the candidate's Head of School. The supervisory team shall consist of at least two members, one of whom will be the 'main supervisor'. The main supervisor will have main responsibility for the supervision of the design and progress of the candidate's research project and for providing academic advice to the candidate. The supervisory team may contain additional supervisors and/or advisors and shall report on the candidate's work and progress when requested to do so by the School Board. Paragraph 40 of the Code of Practice for Research Candidature and Supervision sets out the responsibilities of the supervisory team.

  2. Candidates will normally be assigned a personal tutor during the coursework phase of the programme as appropriate.

  3. The Code of Practice for Research Candidature and Supervision applies to students registered on this programme.
Progress
  1. Candidates who successfully complete the programme of prescribed taught units and skills training and progress satisfactorily in supervised research will be eligible to transfer to registration for the degree of PhD not less than six months before the end of the fourth year of the programme. A candidate for the degree of Integrated PhD may be permitted at any time prior to submission of thesis to transfer to a course leading to the degree of MPhil.

  2. A School Board 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 Board may recommend termination of candidature to Senate. The candidate may appeal against the decision by using the procedure set out in General Regulations.

Nominal Registration
  1. The School Board may allow transfer to nominal registration for a period not exceeding twelve months in the first instance. The supervisor(s) must confirm that the minimum period of candidature has been completed, any necessary upgrade process has taken place, research is substantially complete as determined by School Board, and the thesis is being written up. If a candidate is on nominal registration for longer than six months a fee becomes payable (See Section IV of the University Calendar).

  2. Candidates retain access to library and computing facilities until their thesis is examined and, where appropriate, any revisions requested by the examiners have been made. Access to other facilities (eg: office space) may be extended at the discretion of the candidate's School.

  3. With support from his/her supervisor, a candidate may apply in writing to extend the period of nominal registration beyond twelve months.

  4. Periods of nominal registration count towards the maximum period of candidature.
Temporary Suspension
  1. Candidates for either the Integrated PhD or MPhil degree must continue in registration for the degree until such time as they submit their thesis or withdraw, except that the School Board may permit temporary suspension of candidature. A School may allow suspension of candidature having considered a request from the student accompanied by a written justification and supported by the supervisory team. In general, suspensions are allowed in extenuating circumstances (eg: illness, family crisis) but should not be granted as a matter of course. The maximum period of suspension should be stipulated. Periods of temporary suspension shall not count towards the maximum period of study.

  2. Suspended students should not receive supervision nor have access to facilities.
Submission of Thesis
  1. At the end of the required period of study a thesis shall be submitted for examination in accordance with the instructions in the booklet Completion of Research Degree Candidature (available through the School Office and on the Student Resources Network on the University website).

  2. A candidate who is about to submit a thesis shall give at least two months' prior notice in writing to the School Office which shall include the full title of the thesis. Such notice of intention to submit a thesis shall be given not later than 31 January if the candidate seeks award of the degree by the following July.

  3. 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.

  4. In exceptional circumstances access to a thesis may be restricted by the relevant School Board, on behalf of Senate, 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 the relevant School Board, but shall not exceed three years from the date of examination. Each instance of School Board approval of restriction of access to a thesis should be reported to Senate and the Library should be informed.

  5. 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.

  6. A thesis may not exceed 75,000 words in length unless prior permission to exceed this length has been given by the School Board on the recommendation of the supervisor. Candidates who exceed this limit without School Board 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.

  7. For each candidate's thesis, normally one internal and one external examiner shall be appointed; in exceptional cases, one additional internal or external examiner may be appointed. The supervisor may not be appointed as an examiner.

  8. Candidates for the Integrated PhD will normally be required, and candidates for the MPhil may be required, to attend for an oral examination. In conducting the oral examination arrangements will be made, where necessary, to accommodate the requirements of students with special communication needs.

  9. The examiners for each candidate shall recommend one of the following courses of action.

    1. That the degree for which the candidate has submitted a thesis be awarded.

    2. 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. These changes need only be certified by the internal examiner). 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.

    3. 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.

    4. That the candidate be required to attend for a further oral examination.

    5. 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.

    6. 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.

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

  10. 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. Such candidates may be considered by the Faculty for transfer to a relevant diploma or master's level programme in the same School.

  11. 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 School Office.


(Approved by AQSC on 1 June 2005 and by Senate on 22 June 2005)