Regulations for awards (research degrees): Section C

Section C: Regulations for the Degree of Master of Philosophy

The following regulations govern the specific rules for award for the degree of Master of Philosophy. They should be read in conjunction with the General Regulations Governing all Research Degrees.

This section does not apply where a candidate is asked to write-up for MPhil as the outcome of a final assessment.

C1. Learning outcomes

C1.1.1 Master's degrees are awarded to students who have demonstrated:

C1.1.2 Typically, holders of the qualification will be able to:

 

C1.2 Master of Philosophy

C1.2.1 The MPhil is awarded to a candidate who, having critically investigated and evaluated an approved topic and demonstrated an understanding of research methods appropriate to the chosen field, has presented and defended work by viva examination, to the satisfaction of the examiners.

 

C2. Thesis length

C2.1 The text of the thesis should not normally exceed 40,000 words (excluding references and appendices).

C2.2 This word count is the maximum allowable length for theses, not necessarily the preferred length. In many instances supervisors may wish to recommend a shorter length.

C2.3 Supervisors should be able to advise on the usual length of theses in their subject area or topic.

 

C3. Period of enrolment

C3.1 A candidate who is registered on a Doctoral degree may choose to transfer to the MPhil award. The timeline for the transferred programme must be calculated as outlined in section C3.2.

C3.2 The MPhil is a two-year full-time programme or four-year programme part-time. Normally a full-time candidate who chooses to transfer will be allowed two years, minus the time that has already elapsed on their Doctorate to complete the award when they transfer. Normally a part-time candidate who chooses to transfer will be allowed four years, minus the time that has already elapsed on their Doctorate to complete the award when they transfer. The time elapsed does not include any periods of approved interruptions that the candidate had been granted. Any requests for transfer after these times have elapsed will not be approved. Candidates may also apply for additional time and/or writing-up period.

C3.3 The allowance of a period of additional time and/or writing-up period does not apply where a candidate is asked to write-up for MPhil as the outcome of a formal assessment. The assessment outcome will specify the amount of time the candidate has available to complete and submit their MPhil work.

C3.4 No later than three months before the end of their programme, candidates may:

C3.5 Where a candidate fails to secure approval to enrol for the writing-up period or additional time, the candidate must submit work for examination by their course end date. Failure to do so will lead to a termination of the candidate’s registration on the grounds of non-submission.

C3.6 At least three months before thesis submission an ‘on track to submit’ meeting must take place between the student and the supervisory team.

 

C4. Final thesis examination

C4.1 The examination for MPhil has two stages:

C4.2 Recommendations following examination:

C4.2.1 These do not apply where the MPhil is being examined as the outcome of a Doctoral examination.

C4.2.2 Following examination, including a viva, the examiners may recommend:

 

C4.3 Recommendations following the submission of minor amendments:

C4.3.1 Where a candidate has been required to complete minor amendments and resubmits work that is not to the satisfaction of the internal examiner, the work must be presented for consideration by all examiners before a recommendation can be made.

                                                                                                                                                           

 

C4.4 Recommendations following the submission of referred work:

C4.4.2 Following the examination of referred work (including a viva where required), the examiners may recommend:

C4.4.3 Upon their initial assessment of the referred work, if the examiners are of the view that the candidate’s work should be failed then they are required to invoke a viva examination before deciding the outcome.