Assessment and progression

NB. This page provides a summary of the assessment and progression framework.  For full and definitive information, please refer to the Guide for postgraduate research students and their supervisors (hereafter referred to as the 'Guide').

Overview

Research is unlike other activities that most new students have been involved with before. Even a brilliant history of passing examinations on taught courses is not a guarantee of success in research. It is better for all concerned - not least you as students - that we identify those few students who are not cut out for research earlier rather than later. Partly for this reason, we review each student's progress annually at the end of each year of study.

Except in rare circumstances, all research students are initially registered for the degree of MPhil. If all goes well, this is subsequently upgraded to registration for the degree of PhD. The upgrading only takes place when strong evidence exists that the student is capable of research work and of producing a PhD thesis within a total of three or at most four years’ work.

All research students are allocated two supervisors. Your principal supervisor is allocated when you commence your studies and has responsibility for your academic progress during the research studentship. Your second supervisor will be allocated within a month of your arrival and will normally act as a mentor, and as a deputy for when your principal supervisor is away. The second supervisor’s responsibility usually includes being an assessor for the annual reviews (see below) and may sometimes extend to joint academic supervision.

Annual review

Research students’ progress is reviewed annually. These reviews have a common format, but the details vary from year to year. Each review is centred on a meeting of the student and two assessors. One of the assessors (usually the second supervisor) is the principal assessor and is responsible for ensuring the review is carried out efficiently. Assessors are proposed by the supervisor during the first year of study, the choice being ratified by the appropriate Postgraduate Tutor. As far as possible, the assessors remain unchanged over the entire period of study.

The common format for reviews is as follows. The specifics of the review vary from year to year.

1. At least two weeks in advance of the review meeting, student and supervisor send separate written reports to the assessors. The supervisor's report will always be a short (1-2 page) overview of progress. The student's report will vary in length and content according to the year (see below).
2. Soon after the review meeting, the assessors write a review of the student's progress and deposit this and the other reports with the Administrative Officer who will copy it to the student, supervisor and appropriate Postgraduate Tutor. This review will contain recommendations for transfer of registration from MPhil to PhD or to writing up status if appropriate.
3. After the review meeting, the Postgraduate Tutor, in consultation with the Director of Postgraduate Research Studies, will determine any actions that may be required. This might include transfers of registration, remedial action, or ad-hoc intermediate reviews.

For more details, please refer to the Guide.

Strategic discussions

Every three months – October, January, April, July – your regular meeting with your supervisor should include a strategic discussion about your research progress. Typically the first two strategic discussion reports of a first year research student might list courses being taken and papers being read; the second two might contain an outline of an initial research problem and a brief account of associated reading undertaken, and of any progress made. In later years there might be brief details of results proved or research projects to be undertaken, seminars given or to be given, papers or thesis chapters written or to be written and so on. Students should send an e-mail to their principal and second supervisors after the discussion summarising what was said and agreed, copied to the appropriate Postgraduate Tutor and to the address pgreports@maths.qmul.ac.uk read by the Director of Postgraduate Research Studies and the Administrative Officer. The Postgraduate Tutor should reply to students in acknowledgment.

Writing up status

Students in their first three years of study, or who are funded by EPSRC, STFC or College DTAs, are charged fees by the College. (The fees of DTA funded students are paid directly, so the student may not be explicitly involved in this transaction.) Students who are not in this situation (i.e, are in their fourth year and no longer funded) may apply to the College for 12 months of writing up status, under which they may continue to use the College facilities. Failure to make this application may make students liable for payment of fees to the College. Forms are available from the School Office or online.

The form must be signed by the Director of Postgraduate Research Studies, who will only do so if the student and supervisor can provide a plan for completion of the thesis during the writing up period, with realistic timelines. A renewal of writing up status is only granted in exceptional circumstances and incurs a fee of £250.

Transfer from MPhil to PhD

The form for the transfer of a student's registration from MPhil to PhD is available from the School Office. It will often be filled in by the student’s assessors following their recommendation for transfer at the second year assessment or later date (see Section 4). The form must be signed by the Director of Postgraduate Research Studies and accompanied by a completed Personal Development Plan form recording professional and transferable skills courses undertaken and seminars and conferences attended.

MPhil/PhD Examination Entry

A description of the procedure for conducting research degree examinations may be found at the Research Degrees Office (RDO) website. It is best to get your information from there, so you’ll be sure it is up-to-date. The important thing to note is that the official procedures for examination entry, including the appointment of PhD (or MPhil) Examiners, take a considerable time. Therefore, students and supervisors must submit an Examination Entry Form (RD01, available from the RDO website) at least THREE MONTHS before the anticipated date of thesis submission. Note that there is a possibility that the lead time may be increased to four months in 2009-10, so you should check with the RDO website to make sure you have the latest information. Forms connected with examination entry are submission, together with detailed procedures and guidance notes, are available from the RDO's Research Degree Examinations page.