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Department of History

Annual Reviews

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  • MPhil/PhD Annual Reviews
  • MA by Research Annual Reviews

MPhil/PhD Annual Reviews

Monitoring your Progress - Annual Reviews

The University requires that student progress is reviewed annually for all postgraduate research students. Each year this process requires the student to submit written work, and the supervisor and the student to complete a Progress Review FormLink opens in a new window. Students in their first year of study will be assessed for their upgrade to full doctoral status, whilst students in Years 2, 3 and 4 will be assessed by the Departmental Graduate Progress Review Panel. In the current academic year, this Panel will sit during the Summer Term.

All part-time students who have been upgraded to full doctoral status will be reviewed on an annual basis in the same way as their full-time equivalents. Those at the MPhil stage will be assessed via their MPhil-PhD upgrade interview.

Completing this process annually is a requirement. Students who fail to submit their progress update forms when requested to do so, or who fail to attend a progress review interview without good reason, may be reported to the University’s Academic Office for inadequate engagement.

The Annual Progress Review Panel takes place on dates that will be fixed in the calendar (normally across 2 or 3 days in May) and notified to you well in advance. It is very important that you ensure you are available to attend the Panel meeting when requested. The PG Coordinator will circulate booking information on confirmation of the panel dates.

Note that M4C-funded students have their own timetable for reviews and this process is administered by M4C and overseen by CADRE. Successful completion of the M4C mid-year review will be accepted by the department, so you do not have to duplicate the review processes.

Normally a selection of in-person and online meetings are made available.

Year One (Part-time year Two)

Please see the section on MPhil to PhD Upgrades.

Years Two and Three (Part-time year Four-Six)

The progress of all students in Years 2 and 3 (or years 4-6 for part-time) must be reviewed in the Summer Term, requiring an interview with the Annual Progress Review Panel during term 3.

In preparation for this interview, students are required to submit the following materials to their supervisor(s) no later than 10 working days in advance of the meeting:

These submissions are to be read by the supervisor, who will then provide a short report (no more than 1 page) to the Panel prior to the Review meeting, covering the progress made by the student during the year and highlighting any causes or concerns. This supervisor's report will be submitted directly to the Director of PGR Studies by the supervisor(s) at least 5 working days prior to the meeting of the Departmental Graduate Progress Review Panel. This means that students should normally submit the required paperwork to their supervisors during mid-April.

The Departmental Graduate Progress Review Panel will include two staff members, the Director of PGR Studies and another member of staff. For students supervised by the Director of PGR Studies, an alternative independent panel member will be assigned. The Review Panel will question the student about their progress, paying particular attention to planning the work ahead and to developing a clear strategy toward completion of the thesis. Following the Panel interview, the Director of PGR Studies will prepare a short report on each student, to be sent to the supervisor and the student following the reviews. It is expected that student progress will be deemed satisfactory in the vast majority of cases.

Should the Panel consider student progress to be “unsatisfactory” at a Review in Years 2 or 3, then the Director of PGR Studies will meet subsequently with the supervisor and the student to devise a programme of ameliorative measures that can be put in place to assist the student in reaching an acceptable level of progress. These measures will be documented, and the student’s progress will be reviewed again after six months. If progress remains unsatisfactory after this second meeting, and after providing support and guidance and after a sustained period of poor performance, then the Director of PGR Studies will discuss the options with the student and supervisor and may consider proposing that the student be permanently withdrawn via a Continuation of Registration Committee.

Year Four (Part-time year Seven)

It is important to note that, although all MPhil/PhD students are now registered for four years, the University still expects them to submit within the time for which they are funded. Any additional time required should be devoted solely to the process of ‘writing up’ their research. (Part-time students are normally expected to complete the thesis within six years, but may extend their writing up into the seventh year).

Unless the Director of PG Research receives written advice from supervisors that completion is entirely unproblematic, the progress of all students in Year 4, or year 7 if part-time, must be reviewed in the Summer Term, requiring an interview with the Departmental Graduate Progress Review Panel during May.

In preparation for this interview, students are required to submit the following materials to their supervisor(s) in at least 10 working days in advance of the review meeting:

  • An outline work plan to completion of the thesis, in 2 pages
  • A PGR Annual Review Student Progress Report form.
  • A chapter draft, or other piece of writing related to the thesis research, of between 5000 and 10000 words in length (excluding bibliography).

Supervisors are requested to comment on this plan, and to give a clear indication of the likelihood of successful completion of the thesis by the students end date, and to highlight any potential difficulties that might delay submission. The supervisors report will be submitted directly to the Director of PGR Studies by the supervisor(s) at least 5 working days prior to the meeting of the Departmental Graduate Progress Review Panel.

The Departmental Graduate Progress Review Panel will include the Director of PGR Studies, and other members of staff. For students supervised by the Director of PGR Studies, an alternative independent panel member will be assigned. The Departmental Graduate Progress Review Panel will question the student about their progress, paying particular attention to planning the work ahead and to developing a clear strategy toward completion of the thesis. Following the Panel interview, the Director of PGR Studies will prepare a short report on each student, to be sent to the supervisor and the student following the reviews. It is expected that student progress will be deemed satisfactory in the vast majority of cases.

Should the Panel consider student progress to be “unsatisfactory” at a Review in Year 4, then the Director of PGR Studies will meet subsequently with the supervisor and the student to devise a programme of ameliorative measures that can be put in place to assist the student in reaching an acceptable level of progress. These measures will be documented, and the student’s progress will be reviewed. If progress remains unsatisfactory after a second meeting, and after providing support and guidance and after a sustained period of poor performance, then the Director of PGR Studies will discuss the options with the student and supervisor and may consider proposing that the student be permanently withdrawn via a Continuation of Registration Committee.

MA by Research Annual Reviews

The progress of all MAR students in should be assessed with a progress report from the supervisor in January. Students will then be reviewed in the Summer Term, requiring an interview with the Departmental Graduate Progress Review Panel during May.

The documentation for this should normally follow the requirements laid out for a PGR year 4 annual review rather than a PhD upgrade.

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