Examination of Research Degrees

Every candidate’s research shall be completed by the presentation of a thesis embodying the methods and results of the research and the approval of such thesis by the Examining Board. The thesis will be examined by internal and external examiners.

Six months before the date of oral examination, the collaborative centre must forward to the University, in writing, the name of the proposed external examiner.

When an external examiner has been formally appointed by the University, the collaborative centre will provide the Validation Unit with one copy of the candidate's thesis. This will be forwarded to the external examiner for examination with Notes of Guidance for Examiners and Chairs (PhD) or (MPhil).

During the thesis examination process, the examiners shall:

• consider the thesis and abstract(s) submitted by the candidate
• report on the scope, character and quality of the work submitted
• satisfy themselves by examination, oral or written, or both, whether the candidate possesses a good general knowledge of the particular field of learning within which the thesis falls.

External examiners and collaborative centres should liaise over dates for oral examination. The purpose of the oral examination is to enable the examiners to assure themselves that the thesis is the candidate’s own work, to give the candidate the opportunity to defend the thesis, to clarify any obscurities in it and to enable the examiners to assess the candidate’s knowledge in his or her particular field of learning.

The following must be present at the oral examination:

• The Chair of the Examining Board
• The external examiner
• The internal examiner

Internal and external examiners are required to complete a report on the candidate's thesis (normally no later than twelve working weeks from receipt of the thesis) and to return this to the Validation Unit.