For full-time PhD and MPhil students, in addition to regular meetings with the Primary Supervisor, two Supervisory Boards are held each year – one in December and the other in May.  Before the May Supervisory Board, first and second year students must also submit a 10,000 word report and given an oral presentation at the Departmental Postgraduate Conference (15 minutes for first year and Masters by Dissertation students and 20 minutes for second year students).


Part-time students only attend a Supervisory board in May, and submit a 10,000 word report and given an oral presentation at the end of their second and fourth years.


Full details of the supervisory process and the responsibilities of all those involved can be found in the Post Graduate Research Students Handbook.pdf


Procedure to upgrade from MPhil to PhD


For full-time students, the first Supervisory Board of the second year (normally in December) will review the student’s progress, and make the formal decision either:


  1. (a) to allow the student to proceed to the PhD;

  2. (b) to downgrade the student to MPhil;

  3. (c) to defer the decision and review progress at a later date, not later than the end of the Summer term of the second year.


This formal meeting will be attended by the student, both supervisors, the Chair of the Supervisory Board and the Graduate director or Director of Research Students.


For part-time students this procedure will be conducted during the Supervisory Board in their third year.


The evidence provided to the Board will be:


(a)  The Annual 10,000-word report submitted by the student at the end of the first year.


(b)  A brief report (500 words) written by the student and detailing subsequent progress, so that the Board has a comprehensive picture of progress on the research programme at the time the Board is held.


(c)  Written statements from both primary and secondary supervisors indicating whether or not progress is satisfactory, i.e. that the work to date is of sufficient quality and volume, and that all experimental work will be completed by the end of the minimum period.


In the event of a deferred decision, the first and second Annual reports will be submitted as evidence of progress, if these are both available.

SUPERVISION


Considerable care is taken over the supervision of our Research students.  The principal responsibility for the supervision of research degrees is taken by the Primary Supervisor.  It is expected that students will meet the Primary Supervisor on a regular basis (it is recommended that such meetings take place fortnightly under normal circumstances).  It is essential that the student makes a record of these meetings using the Supervision Meeting Record form.