Student Progression John Kirby Graduate School Faculty of Medical Sciences

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Our commitment We are committed to ensuring each student maximises his or her opportunity to gain a higher degree. –Students who submit a thesis very rarely ‘fail’ –No point continuing to struggle with a PhD if along the way we agree that an MPhil is a more suitable degree for you We must make sure all students complete their work within the set time limits

Your project Must be suitable for higher degree research –Peer review Internally by assessment team (usual for MDs) or Externally by grant reviewers

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Your project Must be suitable for higher degree research –Peer review Internally by assessment team (usual for MDs) or Externally by grant reviewers Your supervisor(s) must have appropriate experience –Fellowship of the Graduate School

Day-to-day progress and training Research project specific –Don’t worry if you seem to be progressing more slowly than the next student (he or she might have problems later!) Ask and listen to: –Your supervisor –Post-docs –Technicians –Senior students

Keeping everyone on track is complex! A full-time PhD (regulation a) must be submitted within 4 YEARS A full/part time PhD (regulation b) must be submitted within 5 YEARS A part-time PhD (regulation c) must be submitted within 7 YEARS A full-time MD/DDS (regulation a) must be submitted within 3 YEARS A full/part time MD (regulation b) must be submitted within 4 YEARS A part-time MD (regulation c) must be submitted within 5 YEARS A full-time MPHIL (regulation a) must be submitted within 2 YEARS* A part-time MPHIL (regulation b) must be submitted within 4 YEARS*

Assessment You will be examined by 2 assessors –Experts in your field –Not part of your supervisory team You will submit appropriate written work before the assessment You and your supervisor(s) will receive formal feedback after the assessment It’s good to gain experience of oral examination before the ‘big one’!

Monitoring progress Research Degree (minimum period) 1 st assessment2 nd assessment3 rd assessment4 th assessmentfinal assessment PhD 3 years full-time (including short period JRA & staff) 9 months21 months30 months PhD 1 year full-time + 3 years part-time (including JRA & staff normal period) 9 months21 month33 months45 months PhD 5 years part time12 months21 monthsevery 12 months57 months MD 2 years full-time9 months18 months MD 1 year full-time + 2 years part time 9 months24 months30 months MD 4 years part-time12 months21 months33 months42 months MPhil 1 year full-time6 months MPhil 2 years part-time12 months18 months

Monitoring progress Research Degree1 st assessment2 nd assessment3 rd assessment4 th assessmentfinal assessment PhD 3 years full-time (including short period JRA & staff) 9 months21 months30 months PhD 1 year full-time + 3 years part-time (including JRA & staff normal period) 9 months21 month33 months45 months PhD 5 years part time12 months21 monthsevery 12 months57 months MD 2 years full-time9 months18 months MD 1 year full-time + 2 years part time 9 months24 months30 months MD 4 years part-time12 months21 months33 months42 months MPhil 1 year full-time6 months MPhil 2 years part-time12 months18 months

Monitoring progress Research Degree1 st assessment2 nd assessment3 rd assessment4 th assessmentfinal assessment PhD 3 years full-time (including short period JRA & staff) 9 months21 months30 months PhD 1 year full-time + 3 years part-time (including JRA & staff normal period) 9 months21 month33 months45 months PhD 5 years part time12 months21 monthsevery 12 months57 months MD 2 years full-time9 months18 months MD 1 year full-time + 2 years part time 9 months24 months30 months MD 4 years part-time12 months21 months33 months42 months MPhil 1 year full-time6 months MPhil 2 years part-time12 months18 months

First assessment We recommend the following structure for your report: Table of contents A literature review A clear statement of the aims of your project A summary of the methods developed and results obtained to date A discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of your work to date An outline of your future work In order to stop students from submitting over-long mini- theses, the Graduate School suggests a maximum word limit for this report (excluding references and figures) of 7,500 words (or 3,000 for MPhil)

Assessment report forms

The outcomes

Don’t panic This all seems very daunting – but it really isn’t We are all here to help you to get your degree Everyone involved in your work is an enthusiast and shares an interest in your research –They want to know the answers as much as you do! Good Luck!