Supervision
Student support
Students join one of the research groupings within the School. Each of these groups holds regular meetings aimed at:
- Discussing students’ progress in a wider research context
- Providing a forum for staff and students to present research findings and ideas in a supportive atmosphere
- Discussing key papers via a journal club
- Discussing and giving advice on conference presentations
There is a detailed system to monitor the progress of PhD and MPhil students. Students must submit work at specific stages and meet with their supervisors throughout their course. Some meetings are informal, while others are formal and documented. A similar process of supervision (though not the same) is available to MRes students.
Submissions
All students must submit a literature report at the end of the first three months (six months if part-time). They must then submit a continuation report at the end of 11 months (23 months if part-time) which must be of the quality and style of a masters thesis and which is accompanied by a viva examination.
Meetings
Each formal meeting is timetabled and has a specific focus. For instance, there is a planning meeting in the first month (or second month for part-time students). Students are encouraged to raise and document, via these meetings, any difficulties experienced, and to formulate a plan of action to deal with problems which may have arisen.
Monitoring
The Faculty provides guidance notes to accompany each stage, and the accompanying progress forms. All stages of monitoring are formally signed-off by the supervisor(s) and advisors, as well as by the postgraduate tutor.
Resources
When students register, they receive a postgraduate handbook which explains the monitoring procedures in detail, including flowcharts for easy planning. This information is also available on the Faculty intranet, which students gain access to upon registration.
