University of Southampton Calendar 2017/18


University Calendar 2017/18 Section XI : Academic Regulations - Faculty of Medicine

Academic Unit	Medicine
Final Award	Doctor of Medicine (DM) With exit award of: Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
Programme(s)	Doctor of Medicine
Last modified	May 2017

The General Academic Regulations which are in Section V (Regulations for Research Degrees and Higher Doctorates) and Section IV (General Information and Regulations) of the University Calendar apply to and regulate the programmes listed above.

On occasion, programmes can be exempted from one or more of the clauses in the Regulations; one or more of the clauses can be varied; and programmes can impose additional requirements.

Exemptions are characterised by the omission of the relevant clause.
Variations are characterised by the replacement of the clause with alternative wording.
Additions are characterised by requirements in addition to those detailed in the Academic regulations.
The programmes listed have approval from the Academic Quality and Standards Committee for the exemptions and/or variations and/or additions to the regulations noted below.

Exemptions

None apply.

Variations

The clause(s) listed below describe where a variation to the Regulations exists.

Existing University regulation Regulations for Research Degrees		Approved Variation
24	A research student for the degree of PhD may be permitted at any time prior to submission of the thesis to transfer to a course leading to the degree of MPhil. The period spent in candidature up to the point of transfer will be counted towards the period of candidature required for the degree to which the transfer is made. Details of permission to transfer for other programmes will be detailed in the academic regulations in Section VI to XIII of the University Calendar.	Research students registered for the degree of DM may apply to transfer to PhD registration after at least one year of part-time registered study. Research students wishing to transfer from DM to PhD will be required to successfully complete the Faculty of Medicine's Transfer of candidature to PhD procedures not less than six months before the end of their DM candidature The Transfer of candidature to PhD will normally take the form of a confirmation panel, even if a research student has previously had their DM status confirmed. Time already spent in candidature for the DM will count towards the period of study required for the PhD.
37	The Faculty Graduate School directorate/ERDC may allow transfer to nominal registration for both full and part-time research students 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 taught modules have been successfully completed as required in the academic regulations in Section VI to XIII in the Calendar, confirmation has taken place (in the case of a doctoral level student), research is substantially complete as determined by the Faculty Graduate School Directorate/ERDC, and the thesis is being written up.	If the candidate has completed not less than two years part-time registered study, the Faculty 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 taught modules have been successfully completed as required in the academic regulations in Section VI to XIII in the Calendar, confirmation has taken place (in the case of a doctoral level student), research is substantially complete as determined by the Faculty Graduate School Directorate/ERDC, and the thesis is being written up.

Additional Requirements

The clause(s) listed below are in addition to the Regulations.

Existing University regulation Regulations for Research Degrees		Approved Variation
6	Applicants for a research degree shall hold an undergraduate degree in a suitable subject of an approved university or whatever award/range of experience might be deemed equivalent by the Faculty Programmes Committee/ERDC using agreed University AP[E/C]L guidelines as set out in Paragraph 13 of the University's Code of Practice for Research Candidature and Supervision. Applications from candidates with other non-standard qualifications must be approved by the appropriate Faculty/ERDC on a case by case basis. Candidates may be admitted on transfer from another university (with or without their supervisor) according to the guidelines set out in paragraphs 20 to 23 of the University's Code of Practice for Research Candidature and Supervision.	Candidates must hold a medical qualification which is recognised by the General Medical Council for the United Kingdom, and must have held this qualification for at least three years by the date of submission of the thesis or published works. In addition, candidates must be employed during their period of registered study in appropriate clinical or scientific work in hospitals or institutions associated with the Faculty of Medicine.
6	Applicants for a research degree shall hold an undergraduate degree in a suitable subject of an approved university or whatever award/range of experience might be deemed equivalent by the Faculty Programmes Committee/ERDC using agreed University AP[E/C]L guidelines as set out in Paragraph 13 of the University's Code of Practice for Research Candidature and Supervision. Applications from candidates with other non-standard qualifications must be approved by the appropriate Faculty/ERDC on a case by case basis. Candidates may be admitted on transfer from another university (with or without their supervisor) according to the guidelines set out in paragraphs 20 to 23 of the University's Code of Practice for Research Candidature and Supervision.	Alternative Submission for the Degree Exceptionally, candidates may apply for the award of the DM degree without having pursued a programme of registered study, as follows: Southampton graduates not employed in hospitals or institutions associated with the Faculty of Medicine may apply to submit a thesis for examination without registering as a student of the University if they can provide evidence that they have tried unsuccessfully to submit for the degree at their local university. Any graduates who hold a Consultant or equivalent position, or who work in General Practice and who are employed in local hospitals or institutions associated with the Faculty of Medicine, may apply for the award of the degree by submission of published works. Such works should be broadly comparable to a DM thesis, as specified in regulation 24 below. The normal requirement would be a minimum of four peer-reviewed papers in respected journals which form a coherent body of work. The published material should be bound together with an abstract and a supporting statement indicating the candidate's aims, the nature of the research, and the contributions to it of the works submitted. Where published papers from different sources are included, the candidate must provide a separate introduction which links the material and demonstrates the nature and extent of his/her original contribution. If the published work is already in book form, the abstract and supporting statement must be bound. If the candidate incorporates material which has been produced in collaboration with others, a written statement should be included indicating the share the candidate personally took in the work. Such candidates will not be allocated a supervisor but will be allocated an academic mentor who will provide informal guidance during the preparation of the candidate's thesis or published works. The proposed area of research must be approved by the Faculty normally at least one year before submission of the thesis. The degree of Doctor of Medicine denotes high professional standing and good competence as evidenced by high quality clinically orientated or biomedical research. Candidates must provide evidence that they have mastered a special field within the broad remit of clinical medicine or surgery, or more basic science as it relates to those areas. The scientific and research methods employed by the candidate must be validated. The work should be of a standard that might reasonably be expected from a candidate who has spent at least two years in part-time research. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate they have met the criteria expected of other doctoral level degrees as set out in Paragraph 5 of the Code of Practice for Research Candidature and Supervision.
10	The programme to be followed shall be one of supervised study, including research and generic skills training, and may be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis as specified in paragraph 18. The programme shall be pursued in the University or Accredited Institution except in the case of research students for whom joint supervisory arrangements have been approved in accordance with Regulation 12 below, or in other special cases where the Faculty Graduate School directorate/ERDC permits a period to be spent elsewhere.	A candidate will be expected to take part in a programme of graduate studies, including lectures, seminars and associated assessments, to the satisfaction of the Head of the candidate's Research Group or Division.

These regulations should be read in conjunction with the programme specification.

Disclaimer

As a research-led University, we undertake a continuous review of our programmes to ensure quality enhancement and to manage our resources. As a result, these regulations may be revised during a student's period of registration, however, any revision will be balanced against the requirement that the student should receive the educational service expected. Please read our Disclaimer to see why, when and how changes may be made to a student's programme.