Current Doctoral Researchers

During the initial stages of your application, you will be appointed at least two supervisors. One member of the supervisory team will be identified as your first supervisor and will be your main point of contact during your period of candidature.

Your supervisory team will ensure that your research project is within the scope of the department’s resources. They will guide you so that your topic is not so large that it cannot be completed in the maximum period of candidature nor so restricted that you are unable to demonstrate research ability and critical judgement or to make an original contribution to your field of research.

It may be necessary for a change in supervisory arrangements to be recommended during your period of candidature. This could be because:

• Your supervisor is on sabbatical leave
• Your supervisor has left City
• You are experiencing difficulties in the relationship between you and your supervisor(s).

If you need to discuss a change in supervisors please do so with your supervisors and your Senior Tutor for Research at the first available opportunity. City will support you as far as possible and if necessary a change of supervisors may be arranged subject to the availability of research expertise.

You should agree with your supervisors how frequently you should meet both formally and informally, for full-time students this should be a minimum of a monthly formal supervision meeting, for part-time students once a term.

You should maintain up to date records of what was discussed and agreed in your meetings in Research Manager, as well as actions/progress to be completed before the next meeting.

You may also wish to hold separate or joint meetings with your other supervisors or consultant on a less frequent basis to get their advice.

International students should note that supervisory meeting records are used as part of monitoring your engagement with your degree programme, and failure to keep records up to date may risk your student visa becoming invalid.

An outline for the first year of study may include:

• frequency of meetings between yourself and your supervisor(s)
• expectations of undertaking a research degree with City
• attendance of courses, conferences or seminars and research methods and skills training, as well as the completion of a Training Needs Analysis on Research Manager
• tasks relating to literature reviews, pilot studies or research techniques
• meetings with other researchers.

The frequency with which you meet your supervisor(s) will vary as you progress through your research. It is anticipated that you will meet more regularly with your supervisor(s) in the earlier stages of your research and during the examination stage.

As a full-time student you should expect to meet with your supervisor(s) at least twice each term while part-time students should expect to meet with their supervisor(s) at least once each term.

International students should meet with their supervisor(s) at least once per month and record these meetings on Research Manager.

Please review the frequency with which you and your supervisor(s) meet as you progress through your research.

The objective of these meetings is to review your progress, ensure your aims and objectives are still relevant and that your progress reflects these aims and objectives.

Your supervisor will want to ensure the next stages of your research will progress well and will review this with you to ensure you understand the expectations they have.

Your progress in your first year of study will be reviewed formally after six months of registration. Your progress will also be reviewed annually.

The purpose of these reviews is to ensure that you and your supervisor(s) are content with your progress and to allow you to raise any difficulties that you think might be inhibiting your progress or for you to both discuss ways in which your progress could be improved.

You are reminded that all students are required to re-register each year subject to satisfactory annual progress.

You will normally register as an MPhil/ PhD research student before proceeding to doctoral stage. Transfer from MPhil/PhD to PhD is to show that you are capable of carrying out research at doctoral level.

You will only proceed to doctoral stage after you have fulfilled the statutory minimum period of candidature for the completion of an MPhil and satisfied the specific criteria agreed by the School for transfer of registration. You should discuss what is expected of you with your supervisor(s) at the earliest opportunity.

The examiners also reserve the right to recommend that you be awarded the degree of Master of Philosophy rather than the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the viva voce examination should you not meet the requirements of a doctoral degree.

You will normally be asked to:

• provide a piece of written work
• attend an oral examination and/or
• present your research to peers within your department.

You will normally be assessed by a minimum of two members of academic staff who are not part of your supervisory team, but you should discuss the arrangements with your supervisor(s).

Subject to satisfactory progress, your supervisor(s) and the Senior Tutor for Research may make a recommendation to the City Doctoral College Board of Studies that you be permitted to transfer registration from MPhil/PhD to PhD (or equivalent).

Your supervisors may also recommend that you consider submitting material for the degree of Master of Philosophy should you not meet the criteria for transfer to Doctor of Philosophy.

A Master of Philosophy is an award of considerable distinction in its own right and part of your assessment will be by viva voce examination on the subject of your thesis.

You should familiarise yourself with the qualification descriptors in the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

As a research student, it is likely that you will spend time away from City in order to carry out field work.

You should discuss and agree any time spent away from City for any period longer than two weeks (either within the UK/EU and/or overseas) with your supervisor(s) in advance of leaving City and agree, using the relevant form in Absence section of Research Manager, how your engagement will be monitored while you are away.

Engagement monitoring should take place at least once a month and can be through any type of contact such as a Zoom/Teams meeting or email correspondence.

Please note: research students on a Student visa will receive notification from City’s Visa Compliance Team confirming that the Home Office has been advised of a temporary change of location and to remind students of their ongoing responsibilities while spending time away from the institution.

We advise you to begin writing sections of your thesis as you progress through your research and as soon as you are in a position to do so.

You may reach a stage in your research, however, where you no longer require regular and frequent supervision but do require additional time to finish writing-up your thesis.

Your first supervisor, at this stage, may recommend to the School Board of Studies that you transfer to writing-up.

You will need to have met the following criteria before transfer to writing-up may be recommended:

• You have served the minimum period of candidature
• You no longer require supervision.

Transfer to writing-up is an academic judgment and will not be permitted for financial reasons.

Neither will you be transferred to writing-up at the end of the maximum period of candidature for the degree on which you are registered should it be judged that you still require supervision.

Please be aware that in some subject areas the period of writing-up is not utilised and you may be expected to proceed direct to examination instead.

The role of your supervisor at this stage is restricted to reviewing draft copies of your thesis.

You will be required to pay a nominal registration fee and will be expected to provide your supervisor(s) with regular reports on your progress on Research Manager until you present your thesis for examination.

You will normally be registered as writing-up for a maximum period of 12 months as a full-time research candidate and 18 months as a part-time research candidate.

You are advised that you will normally be reverted to full registration if you not have submitted your thesis for examination within the normal time-frames.

Please note: The Home Office requires that students continue to engage with City while they are writing-up.

Before transferring to writing-up, research students who are studying in the UK on a Student visa must meet with their supervisor(s) to discuss and agree where the writing-up will take place, how they will continue to be monitored and whether a Student visa is still required.

City’s Visa Compliance Team will advise the Home Office if there has been a change of circumstances or if a visa is no longer required and will inform the student once this report has been made.

All Student visa students are advised to discuss any visa implications due to a change of circumstances with the International Student Advice Team in the Student Centre.