Transfer from MPhil to PhD

All doctoral research students are initially registered for the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and must achieve the transfer to Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) within their period of study.

The student should arrange with their supervisor to make a Procedural Paper presentation at least six months before the end of a student’s period of study [twenty-four months (full-time) or forty-eight months (part-time)] and produce a substantial Procedural Paper for the transfer panel to consider.  The transfer panel will normally consist of at least two members of faculty. Procedures in each School may vary slightly and you should consult your own School Handbook provided at registration for details of the procedure and requirements for your School.  Copies of the School Handbook can be found on your School webpage and from the Postgraduate Research Office, (Elizabeth Fry Building 2.30).

The panel Chair will provide a report on the outcome and the report will be counter-signed by the School’s Director of Research Students.  The report is passed to the SSF PGR office which will write to the student and supervisor to confirm the result and to advise the new period of study end date and thesis submission deadline date.

The objective of the panel is to establish:

• the viability of the topic as doctoral research, its originality and intellectual level;
• the competence of the candidate to fulfil the research;
• scholarly methodology (including appropriately evolving bibliography);
• command of  presentational conventions;

• capacity to keep to the schedule of work.

Recommendations - the options available to the panel are:

• to recommend the transfer from MPhil to PhD;
• to recommend that the student resubmit a further application within a certain time.  In this instance the panel should give clear guidance as to what modifications are needed;

• to recommend proceeding with an MPhil, and not transfer to PhD.