Confirmation of PhD Status
From October 2008, PhD students will be registered for a standard minimum
period (three years for full-time students; six years for part-time students)
with an initial registration status as an MPhil/PhD student. Students will be
supervised as PhD students, but PhD status will need to be confirmed during the
second year (at end of third year for part-time students).
Confirmation Board
In the second year (third year for part timers) the first supervisory board
of the year will be the Confirmation Board. The Board will review the evidence
to confirm whether or not progress and work is at PhD level.
By the Confirmation Board, students should have made significant progress on
the theoretical work in terms of the development of a conceptual framework that
will form the basis of the dissertation. Students should also have made
significant progress on research design and research methodology that will
inform the planning and implementation of data collection.
The Confirmation Board can make the following recommendations to the Research
Students Progress Committee:
- Confirm PhD status
- Defer a decision to the next Board
- Downgrading to MPhil
- Discontinuation
PhD Status
When PhD status has been confirmed by the Dean of the Graduate
School, the student will be sent a letter indicating that their
formal registration status has been changed to PhD instead of
MPhil/PhD. The minimum period will be unchanged. Students will
continue to have two Supervisory Boards each year (one for
part-timers) and the full range of decisions regarding progress will
remain open to the Board ie Confirmation is not a guarantee that a
student will be permitted to enter Completion at the end of their
minimum period or that a subsequent recommendation of downgrading or
discontinuation could not be made if good progress did not continue.
If the first Confirmation Board does not recommend that a
students PhD status should be confirmed the student will
automatically have the right to continue as an MPhil/PhD student
until the next Supervisory Board towards the end of the second year.
If, however, a student accepts the assessment that their status be
downgraded or discontinued, then this change will take place
immediately. In such cases, the student does not have a right of
appeal. A student who is downgraded to MPhil will have revised
minimum and maximum dates.
Second Confirmation Board
If the decision regarding PhD status is deferred to a second Confirmation
Board, or a student decides not to accept the recommendation of the first
Confirmation Board of downgrading or discontinuation, then a second Confirmation
Board will be held towards the end of the second year.
If, following the second Confirmation Board, PhD status is not confirmed,
then the Board will recommend to the Research Students Progress Committee
(RSPC) either downgrading to MPhil or discontinuation. At this point, a
student has a right of appeal against that decision. The RSPCs recommendation
is made to the Dean.