You will need to fully enrol at both Warwick and Monash for the duration of your course to ensure access to University facilities. You will receive instructions by email – please ensure that you check both Warwick and Monash institutional email accounts regularly. Please see information on enrolment at Warwick.
You are required to spend a minimum of 12 months at Monash University, with the date(s) and duration of your trip(s) agreed with your supervisors. You may wish to spend a single 12-month block at Monash or split this into multiple periods, subject to any funding or visa restrictions.
The Monash Warwick Alliance provides funding of up to £2,000 to assist Alliance Joint PhD students whose home institution is Warwick, with their travel to Monash. The funding can be used towards the cost of flights, transfers, visas and health insurance (if applicable). Please complete the Student Travel Grant Release Form.
Any changes to travel dates previously noted in the Joint Supervision Statement (completed during the application process) should be made in discussion with your supervisors and communicated to your academic department and JointPhD@warwick.ac.uk.
Before you travel to Monash you will need to ensure that you have the relevant immigration permissions. You will also need to ensure that you have adequate travel and health insurance to cover your time in Australia. The University’s overseas business travel insurance policy covers PGR students going on a study abroad placement arranged through the University for a period of up to 12 months.
Tier 4 sponsored students travelling to Monash for a period of three months or more are required to request a change of study location. If you are a Tier 4 sponsored student travelling for a period of less than three months should advise the Home Office of any change to contact details and keep in regular contact with your department at Warwick.
Students are required to undertake progress reviews to demonstrate satisfactory progress at 12, 24 and 36 months from the start of the course. Progress reviews will operate as set out in the Guidelines on Supervision and Monitoring. Specific requirements and arrangements vary by department. Both supervisors will agree on how this will operate for joint PhD students.
All students registered on the Joint PhD will have a probationary period of registration of 12 months. If, after the 12 month progress review, a student is not deemed to have demonstrated that they have completed the probationary period, they will be given one further opportunity to demonstrate that they meet the requirements. Students who fail to demonstrate that they meet the requirements at the second attempt may be permitted to transfer their registration to an MPhil (Warwick only degree). Any funding provided through the Alliance would be withdrawn for students who fail to be confirmed in their course of study.
If you need to make any changes to your registration, such as requesting temporary withdrawal or an extension to your registration, you will need to seek approval from Warwick and inform Monash when any changes have been made. You should speak to your supervisors in the first instance to discuss your options. Requests for changes to your registration should be made via eVision. Tier 4 sponsored students should be aware of how any changes to your registration may impact your visa.
Thesis presentation
Your thesis should be a maximum of 80,000 words excluding footnotes, references, appendices, equations, tables, diagrams or other illustrations. Prior approval from both institutions is required for a thesis in excess of 80,000 words. The thesis must be written and defended in English.
You should submit your thesis to the Doctoral College, together with a statement from your supervisor confirming that your thesis is ready for examination. Information on the thesis submission process at Warwick is available in the Guide to Examinations of Higher Degrees by Research and associated FAQs.
Nomination of examiners
Approximately one month before you submit your thesis, you and your supervisors should complete the Nomination of Examiners form – this should be signed by your Head of Department/Director of Graduate Studies. It is a requirement of the Joint PhD that two external examiners are nominated, who should usually have experience in both the Australian and UK styles of examination. In addition, an examination advisor from Warwick with experience of research examinations should be nominated. The completed form should be sent to the Doctoral College () who will seek approval of your examiners.
Viva
When the examiners have been approved, your department/examination advisor will arrange your viva (oral examination). Vivas can take place via video conference, providing that all parties (candidate, examiners, examination advisor) agree. Information on the viva process is available from Vitae. Support in preparing for your viva is available via Researcher Development.
Examination outcomes
Following your viva your examiners will recommend one of the following outcomes:
the degree be awarded,
the degree be awarded subject to minor or major corrections being made to the thesis (within a maximum period of three months),
the thesis be resubmitted in a revised form (within a maximum period of twelve months),
You will need to submit the final version of your thesis to both institutions. Instructions for submitting to Warwick are included in the FAQs and will be emailed to you when the examination process is concluded. You should also upload a PDF version to the Monash University Research Repository.
Following the completion of the examination process you will be asked to choose the institution at which you would like to graduate. You will receive two certificates, one issued by each institution, that act as a counterpart to each other referring to the joint nature of your degree. The certificates will be physically issued by the institution at which you graduate.
