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PhD Years 3 and 4

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YEAR 3

By the beginning of the third year, many PhD students will have a clear idea about the direction of their thesis. Some may have already made significant in-roads into the thesis, for example, by drafting a few chapters. Whatever the situation, students should be thinking about their progress and what they have left to do to complete their thesis. Setting clear achieveable milestones with your supervisor to help you monitor your progress will help you to produce your thesis in a timely fashion.

As for earlier years, you are encouraged to further develop your skills as part of your training. If you have not already presented your work at a formal or informal gathering, then you should do so as this is helpful preparation for your viva and any future career.

Progress Report

Students are required to submit a progress report by the end of Term 2. Preparing the report is not meant to be a time consuming exercise. The main purpose is to reflect on the progress made in previous years and provide your own assessment of were things stand in terms of completed your PhD in a timeline fashion.

All PhD students will meet a member of staff to discuss the report as appropriate. The member of staff will be chosen by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the supervisor(s). Progress reports will need to submitted by the end of term 2. The meeting will additionally help to develop links between the student and a member of staff other than the supervisor.

In some cases, where further information is required to establish the level of progress of a student, s/he may be required to undergo an oral examination, normally conducted by the supervisor and the Director for Graduate Studies. The outcome of the oral examination will be reported to the PhD Progress Board. As in the earlier years continued registration on the PhD is subject to satisfactory progress.

What you do submit should be a matter of discussion between you and your supervisor, but if would be helpful to include:

  • a description of what has been achieved since the last progress report
  • papers submiited, preprints/drafts you are working on, etc
  • an indication of how the results achieved will integrate in the thesis (i.e. form the basis of Chapter 2-4 for example)
  • a tentative plan for the rest of your PhD, and the expected submission date. Please indicate if you have requested or intend to request an extension.
  • As for previous years, it may also be appropriate to add information about any courses taken, texts read, reading groups, seminars and conferences attended.

YEAR 4

Students are expected to submit their thesis in around 4 years which reflects the length of funding available for many of the funded students. The department makes every effort to ensure that students submit within this time-frame. In particular, the procedures described for year 3 PhD students will also apply to year 4 students who have not yet submitted a PhD thesis. Extensions beyond four years of registration will only be given by the University in exceptional circumstances (e.g. medical).

To help you to complete the thesis in a timely fashion, third year PhD students must submit a draft of their thesis by the end of January. It is noted that not many students will be in a position to submit a near to complete draft thesis by this stage. What you do submit should be a matter of discussion between you and your supervisor. However at a minimum one would expect a detailed thesis plan and significant progress in the writing of one or two chapters. The plan should demonstrate that you have carefully considered the contents and structure of the thesis and already have (close to) sufficient material (including original research) for the thesis. Such a plan should contain:

  • a list of the chapter (and lower-level) headings, with a description of the content of the chapters where not included
  • a rough indication of the number of pages for each section/chapter
  • progress made towards each chapter/section e.g. 60% of chapter complete (and included in draft), published in conference proceedings, analysis/results complete, more analysis required
  • indication of how long each section/chapter will take i.e. a schedule of work with milestones
  • expected submission date

As for previous years, it may also be appropriate to add information about any courses taken, texts read, reading groups, seminars and conferences attended.

All PhD students will meet a member of staff to discuss the draft/detailed thesis plan as appropriate. The member of staff will be chosen by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the supervisor(s). The meeting will additionally help to develop links between the student and a member of staff other than the supervisor.

In some cases, where further information is required to establish the level of progress of a student, s/he may be required to undergo an oral examination, normally conducted by the supervisor and the Director for Graduate Studies. The outcome of the oral examination will be reported to the PhD Progress Board. As in the earlier years continued registration on the PhD is subject to satisfactory progress.

Extensions

The normal expectation is that a PhD will be completed within 4 years. Given the nature of mathematical research, some students will take a shorter time period, others longer. The University will extend a student's registration beyond 4 years only under exceptional circumstances. If you do not expect to submit before the end of your funded period or you are self-reliant for funding you will also need to have considered how you will support yourself for the duration of your studies.