| TERM |
DEFINITION |
| Faculty Programmes Committee (FPC) |
Within a Faculty, FPC is the committee charged with overseeing quality assurance, academic standards and the recommendation of awards for both postgraduate and undergraduate programmes (as delegated by Senate in the Statement of the Senate's Primary Responsibilities and delegated and related matters). |
| Faculty Graduate School |
The structure within a Faculty with the responsibility for overseeing the support and training of postgraduate research (PGR) students. The Faculty Graduate School has responsibility for administration of all PGR student matters including enquiries from prospective students, applications and support for current students. The Faculty Graduate School has oversight of PGR training within the Faculty, ensuring that this is carried out to acceptable levels at a local level. |
| Director of the Faculty Graduate School |
The Dean's nominee with overall responsibility for quality assurance in PGR matters. The Director is a member of the Faculty Programmes Committee. |
| Faculty Graduate School Directorate |
Individuals within a Faculty who have been nominated by the Dean to have responsibility for the tasks/processes outlined within the Regulations and the Code of Practice for Research Candidature and Supervision. Individuals within the Faculty Graduate School Directorate may include academic leads for graduate studies at academic unit level and/or directors of specific PGR programmes or Doctoral Training Centres.
Faculties should have structures in place to ensure that the Director of the Faculty Graduate School can effectively monitor the actions of the Faculty Graduate School Directorate. Some responsibilities of the Faculty Graduate School directorate may be delegated to appropriate committees, but Faculties should have clear policies in place describing which activities are devolved to which committees and how oversight will be maintained at a Faculty level. |
| Doctoral College |
The Doctoral College provides a focal point for doctoral training and researcher development within the University. The Training and Development Subcommittee is responsible for the delivery and enhancement of the Doctoral College Professional Development Programme.
The PGR Quality Monitoring and Enhancement Subcommittee is a subcommittee of AQSC responsible for institution-wide postgraduate research matters, and also reports to the Doctoral College Board. |
| Supervisory Team |
The group responsible for supervising the PGR student and their training and development during their research candidature. Each student will have a supervisory team consisting of at least two members of academic staff, with additional supervisors added as necessary. It is expected that all members of the team will have an active involvement in the supervision of a student.
Members of the supervisory team are listed below. |
| Members of the Supervisory Team |
Main Supervisor |
The main supervisor has responsibility for supervising the design of the study and for supervision of the student throughout the project. The main supervisor will be an academic member of University of Southampton staff , or a senior member of honorary clinical staff in the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Health Sciences, members of staff employed by the Natural Environmental Research Council at the National Oceanography Centre, or a visiting academic. The main supervisor should be available to provide guidance and direction to a student on a regular basis. |
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Co-ordinating Supervisor |
The member of the supervisory team responsible for ensuring that the administrative processes are completed in a timely manner throughout a student's candidature. The coordinating supervisor must be a member of academic staff within the University of Southampton. The main supervisor will usually also act as the co-ordinating supervisor. |
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Second or Co-Supervisor |
Each student must have at least two members of the supervisory team from the University of Southampton. At least one of these (the co-ordinating supervisor) must be an academic member of staff of the University.
Second or co-supervisors may be either University academics or be affiliated to the University through working in organisations such as the NHS or NERC. Supervisors affiliated with the University should have a visitor contract or honorary contract, and should be approved by the Faculty Programmes Committee as having close links with the University and the student's programme of study.
Supervisors working for organisations with less strong links to the University should be considered as external supervisors. |
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External Supervisor |
Additional supervisors can be added to the supervisory team in order to provide specialist expertise or if a funding body/sponsor requires it. If these additional supervisors work for an organisation other than the University of Southampton and do not have a visitor or honorary contract with the University, they are external supervisors. |
| Independent Mentor |
A person outside of the supervisory team who provides support to a PGR student. This may include pastoral support, guidance on training and development or careers advice. Independent mentors may be appointed by the Faculty Graduate School Directorate or may be sought out by the student or supervisor. |
| Academic Mentor |
A person appointed to provide informal guidance during the preparation of the candidate's thesis or published works in circumstances where the student is not registered for a degree but submission is permitted. |
| Independent Assessor |
An academic member of University of Southampton staff who is appointed as an assessor for a Progression Review. In order to allow an objective assessment of the candidate, the independent assessor should have had no involvement with the project. In addition, the independent assessor should not have provided any significant pastoral support to the student prior to the review process - as such those undertaking the role of independent mentor should not act as the independent assessor for a student. The independent assessor in a confirmation panel can go on to take the role of internal examiner at the final viva voce examination if they have no further contact with the student or their work following confirmation of PhD registration. |
| Independent Chair |
An individual who has had no involvement with either the student or the project who chairs a second attempt at a Progression Review viva or a final viva voce examination. An Independent Chair may be appointed: in response to any request from the Faculty Graduate School, an examiner, a member of the supervisory team, or the research student; where the examination team is inexperienced at examining under the UK system; where the internal examiner holds a substantive post within University Hospitals Southampton, or is a member of staff employed at the Natural Environment Research Council or the National Oceanography Centre, or has a similar joint employment status between the University of Southampton and its partners; where there have been substantial difficulties with student progress where the viva is taking place with the assistance of video conferencing and/or other suitable technical communication; where the student is undertaking a second viva either with or without a resubmission of the thesis. An Independent Chair has no role in the academic assessment of the candidate, but ensures that the viva is fair and follows University of Southampton practices. Each Faculty should have clear guidelines on when an independent chair should be appointed, who may act in the role, and the responsibilities of the Chair. |
