Postgraduate Study Thesis and Transfer Committees › sites › ... · 2020-01-16 · University of...

lifesci.dundee.ac.ukUniversity of Dundee

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Postgraduate StudyThesis and Transfer Committees

School of Life Sciences2019/2020

lifesci.dundee.ac.uk


Contents Thesis Committees ......................................................................................................................... 3

Thesis Committees explained .................................................................................................... 4

Second Supervisors explained .................................................................................................... 5

Calendar of Thesis Committee Meetings ...........................................................................6-11

Guidelines for Student Transfer to PhD Status ..................................................................... 12

Timetable for Student Transfer Process .................................................................................. 13

Structure of a PhD Transfer Report .................................................................................... 14/15


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Thesis CommitteesDuring your postgraduate studies, you will meet twice each year with a Thesis Committee whose roles are to monitor your academic progress, and to provide constructive feedback and support.

This booklet has primarily been prepared to:

→ Provide you with background information about the Thesis Committee structure

→ Provide you with information about what you are required to submit to your Thesis Committee

→ Inform you about when you must submit reports and questionnaires to your Thesis Committee

The booklet also provides guidelines for student transfer to PhD status, which occurs towards the end of your first year (please see page 12 onwards).

Please keep this booklet in a safe place as you will need to consult it regularly.

Professor Carol MacKintoshHead of Postgraduate StudiesSchool of Life SciencesJune 2019


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Thesis Committees explainedThe School monitors student and supervisor interactions and progress through a Thesis Committee system. Each Thesis Committee consists of two members of the School, at least one of whom has the status of Senior Lecturer or above. Every new student is allocated to an appropriate committee, which will not include their own supervisor. Students meet their thesis committees formally twice each year (normally in January/February and June/July) during their studentship in order to monitor and discuss progress all round, except in year one where students meet with their Thesis Committee and a Transfer Committee.

Students and supervisors will be asked to complete simple questionnaires in preparation for these meetings, and students will usually prepare a written report and talk to their Thesis Committee about their current work and future plans, using AV aids where appropriate. Progress/ outline reports and questionnaires should be submitted to the Life Sciences PhD Office 1–2 weeks before you meet with your Thesis/Transfer Committee. Any difficulties or problems should be aired on the questionnaires and on the occasion of your meetings.

The Head of Postgraduate Studies, together with MRC, Wellcome and EASTBIO-BBSRC Studentship Programme Leads where appropriate, reviews Thesis Committee reports using a traffic light system:

GreenMost reports indicate no problems outside the normal vagaries of research and are signed off and sent to student and supervisor.

AmberDepending on the issues raised, the committee’s written feedback to supervisor and student may be sufficient to prompt the necessary action, or specific support might be offered to the student and/or supervisor.

RedThe rare cases where the Thesis Committee highlights serious issues, the Head of Postgraduate Studies will meet with the student in confidence in the first instance.


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Second Supervisors explainedThere are two types of second supervisor:1 Two supervisors may propose a collaborative project for a programme such as BBSRC-

EASTBIO or MRC-QI Biomed. In such cases, the collaborative nature of the project is a condition of these Doctoral Training Programmes, and the projects must be advertised as such. In keeping with the collaborations, there should be good communication and coordination between supervisors and students.

2 Even in cases of single-supervisor projects, all students must be appointed with a second supervisor as specified in the University of Dundee Quality Code. For some students, the convenor of the thesis committee will also serve as their second supervisor. The second supervisors are expected to take an active interest in the student’s progress, and to provide additional support whenever this is required (such as if the primary supervisor has a period of absence). In these cases, there is no need to specify the name of the second supervisor in project adverts, and the second supervisor is usually assigned at the time of the student’s appointment, or after the student has completed rotations and has decided on their main project.


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3-Year Studentships(and 4-Year Studentships with rotations in ‘year zero’ after which the scheme below is followed for years 1 to 3 of the main project)

TC Meeting Description

1st TC meeting First meeting with Thesis Committee to discuss the project outline and plans of work. The student should submit a 2–4 page outline of their PhD project/thesis plan for discussion. The student will give a brief (10–15 minute) PowerPoint presentation describing their project and plans to the members of the Thesis Committee, followed by about 15 minutes’ discussion of points arising. Following each meeting, copies of the resulting ‘follow-up’ form will be sent to you and your supervisor. All paperwork should be submitted to the SLS PhD office 1–2 weeks before you meet.

Transfer The student should write a Transfer report (4,000 words – see transfer section on page 14 onwards) in discussion with their Supervisor. The report should state the objectives, the achievements of the research so far and plans for future research, including specific targets. Your report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus your completed questionnaire should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

2nd TC meeting Second meeting with Thesis Committee to monitor your progress and plans for work. You will give a 15 min PowerPoint presentation with diagrams focusing on your most recent results, followed by 15 min discussion of this presentation, your report and questionnaire. The student should write a progress report (maximum 6 pages), in discussion with their Supervisor. The report should state the objectives, the achievements of the research so far and plans for future research, including specific targets. Your report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaire should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

3rd TC meeting Third meeting with Thesis Committee to monitor your progress and plans for work. You will give a 15 min PowerPoint presentation with diagrams focusing on your most recent results, followed by a 15 min discussion on your presentation, your report and your questionnaire. The student should write a progress report (maximum 6 pages), in discussion with their Supervisor. The report should state the objectives, the achievements of the research so far and plans for future research, including specific targets. Your report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaire should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

4th TC meeting All students entering their 3rd Year will display a research poster within the SLS city campus complex. This poster forms the basis for discussion at the 3rd Year (fourth) meeting with your Thesis Committee. By way of a report, students should bring an A4 copy of the research poster they presented in October to this meeting. You will give a 15 min PowerPoint presentation with diagrams focusing on your most recent results, followed by 15 min discussion of this, your report and questionnaire. Also at this stage, the student should have prepared an outline thesis plan with their Supervisor and will discuss it with their Thesis Committee. The A4 poster and thesis outline should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

Students are reminded that they should aim to complete their laboratory work by 2 years and 8 months, allowing up to 4 months to comfortably write up. Theses should be submitted by the end of three calendar years of registration as a graduate student (or four years, depending on what was stated in your original offer letter).

Committee Meeting(9-12 months)


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5th TC meeting Fifth meeting with Thesis Committee to discuss thesis plans. The student will discuss his/her progress with writing up and in particular the thesis plan, followed by a 10–20 min discussion. Experimental work should have been completed; students should now be writing up their theses. Students should discuss with their Supervisor the possible choices of examiners, who will need to be approved by the Postgraduate Registry.

Each student should write a Progress Report (maximum 5 pages), in discussion with their Supervisor. For 3-year students, this progress report should be targeted towards writing the thesis. It should include a draft abstract of the thesis, together with your thesis plan including a timetable of goals and deadlines for writing up the thesis. It should also include an assessment by the student of progress in relation to the original objectives. This report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaires should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

Submission Students should submit their thesis by the deadline. If extraordinary circumstances put the meeting of the deadline in jeopardy, there must be an additional meeting between the student, Supervisor and Thesis Committee members. The Head of Postgraduate Studies must also be consulted at the earliest indication of any anticipated delay. Submission of Thesis: Each student will be asked to give a full-length research seminar to the School – usually on the day of the PhD viva itself. Before you leave the School, it is your professional duty to ensure that any materials and data that may form the basis for future work by others, or form part of a scientific publication, are left in good order such that others can pick up where you left off. If you do not do this, you could miss out on being named in valuable publications.

and Viva


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3.5 year StudentshipsTC Meeting Description

1st TC meeting First meeting with Thesis Committee to discuss the project outline and plans of work. The student should submit a 2–4 page outline of their PhD project/thesis plan for discussion. The student will give a brief (10–15 minute) PowerPoint presentation describing their project and plans to the members of the Thesis Committee, followed by about 15 minutes discussion of points arising. Following each meeting, copies of the resulting ‘follow-up’ form will be sent to you and your supervisor. All paperwork should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

Transfer The student should write a Transfer report (4,000 words - see transfer section on page 8 onwards) in discussion with their Supervisor. The report should state the objectives, the achievements of the research so far and plans for future research, including specific targets. Your report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaire should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

2nd TC meeting Second meeting with Thesis Committee to monitor the student’s progress and plans for work. You will give a 15 min PowerPoint presentation with diagrams focusing on your most recent results, followed by 15 min discussion of this, your report and questionnaire. The student should write a progress report (maximum 5 pages), in discussion with their Supervisor. The report should state the objectives, the achievements of the research so far and plans for future research, including specific targets. Your report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaire should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

3rd TC meeting Third meeting with Thesis Committee to monitor your progress and plans for work. You will give a 15 min PowerPoint presentation with diagrams focusing on your most recent results, followed by a 15 min discussion on your presentation, your report and your questionnaire. The student should write a progress report (maximum 5 pages), in discussion with their Supervisor by the end of this month. The report should state the objectives, the achievements of the research so far and plans for future research, including specific targets. Your report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaire should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

4th TC meeting All students entering their 3rd Year will display a research poster in the MSI/WTB Complex. This forms the basis for discussion at the 3rd Year (fourth) meeting with your Thesis Committee. Fourth meeting with Thesis Committee: students should bring a copy in A4 format of the research poster presented in October as a report to this meeting. You will give a 15 min PowerPoint presentation with diagrams focusing on your most recent results, followed by 15 min discussion of this, your report and questionnaire. At this stage the student should have prepared an outline thesis plan with their Supervisor and will discuss it with their Thesis Committee. All paperwork should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

5th TC meeting Fifth meeting with Thesis Committee to monitor your progress and plans for work. You will give a 15 min PowerPoint presentation with diagrams focusing on your most recent results, followed by a 15 min discussion on your presentation, your report and your questionnaire. The student should write a progress report (maximum 5 pages), in discussion with their Supervisor. The report should state the objectives, the achievements of the research so far and plans for future research, including specific targets. Your report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaire should be submitted to the SLS PhD office. At this stage the student should have prepared an outline thesis plan with their Supervisor and will discuss it with their Thesis Committee.

Committee Meeting(9-12 months)


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6th TC meeting Sixth meeting with Thesis Committee to discuss thesis plans. The student will discuss his/ her progress with writing up and in particular the thesis plan, followed by a 10–20 min discussion. Experimental work should have been completed and students should now be writing up their theses. Students should discuss with their Supervisor the possible choices of examiners, who will need to be approved by the Postgraduate Registry. Each student should write a Progress Report (maximum 5 pages) in discussion with their Supervisor. It should include a fully developed thesis plan including a timetable of goals and deadlines for writing up the thesis. It should also include an assessment by the student of progress in relation to the original objectives. This report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaires should be submitted to the SLS PhD office. Students are reminded that they should complete their laboratory work at least 4 months before their registration period ends. Theses should be submitted by the end of 3.5 years of registration as a graduate student.

Submission Students should submit their thesis by the deadline. If extraordinary circumstances put meeting of the deadline in jeopardy, there must be an additional meeting between the student, Supervisor and Thesis Committee members. The Head of Postgraduate Studies must be consulted at the earliest indication of any anticipated delay. Submission of thesis and preparation for oral viva. Each student will be asked to give a full-length research seminar to the School, usually on the day of the PhD viva itself. Before you leave the School it is your professional duty to ensure that any materials and data that may form the basis for future work by others, or form part of a scientific publication, are left in good order such that others can pick up where you left off. If you do not do this, you could miss out on being named in valuable publications.

and Viva


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4 year Studentships (without rotation projects)TC Meeting Description

1st TC meeting First meeting with Thesis Committee to discuss the project outline and plans of work. The student should submit a 2–4 page outline of their PhD project/thesis plan for discussion. The student will give a brief (10–15 minute) PowerPoint presentation describing their project and plans to the members of the Thesis Committee, followed by about 15 minutes discussion of points arising. Following each meeting, copies of the resulting ‘follow-up’ form will be sent to you and your Supervisor. All paperwork should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

Transfer The student should write a Transfer report (4,000 words – see transfer section on page 8 onwards) in discussion with their Supervisor. The report should state the objectives, the achievements of the research so far and plans for future research, including specific targets. Your report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaire should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

2nd TC meeting Second meeting with Thesis Committee to monitor your progress and plans for work. You will give a 15 min PowerPoint presentation with diagrams focusing on your most recent results, followed by 15 min discussion of this, your report and questionnaire. The student should write a progress report (maximum 5 pages), in discussion with their Supervisor.

The report should state the objectives, the achievements of the research so far and plans for future research, including specific targets. Your report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaire should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

3rd TC meeting Third meeting with Thesis Committee to monitor your progress and plans for work. You will give a 15 min PowerPoint presentation with diagrams focusing on your most recent results, followed by a 15 min discussion on your presentation, your report and your questionnaire. The student should write a progress report (maximum 5 pages), in discussion with their Supervisor. The report should state the objectives, the achievements of the research so far and plans for future research, including specific targets. Your report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaire should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

4th TC meeting All students entering their 3rd Year will display a research poster in the SLS city campus complex. This forms the basis for discussion at the 3rd Year (fourth) meeting with your Thesis Committee. Students should submit a copy in A4 format of the research poster presented in October as a report for this meeting. At this stage the student should also have prepared an outline thesis plan with their Supervisor. You will give a 15 min PowerPoint presentation with diagrams focusing on your most recent results, followed by 15 min discussion of this presentation, your reports and questionnaire. All paperwork (poster and thesis plan) should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

CommitteeMeeting(9-12 months)


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5th TC meeting Fifth meeting with Thesis Committee to monitor your progress and plans for work. You will give a 15 min PowerPoint presentation with diagrams focusing on your most recent results, followed by a 15 min discussion on your presentation, your report and your questionnaire. The student should write a progress report (maximum 5 pages), in discussion with their Supervisor. The report should state the objectives, the achievements of the research so far and plans for future research, including specific targets. Your report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaire should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

6th TC meeting Sixth meeting with Thesis Committee. A short presentation, questionnaires and matters arising are discussed. At this stage the student should have prepared an outline thesis plan with their Supervisor and will discuss it with their Thesis Committee. Students are reminded that they should complete their laboratory work at least 6 months before their registration period ends. Theses should be submitted by the end of four calendar years of registration as a graduate student. The student should write a progress report (maximum 5 pages), in discussion with their Supervisor. The report should state the objectives, the achievements of the research so far and plans for future research, including specific targets. Your report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaire should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

7th TC meeting Seventh meeting with Thesis Committee to discuss thesis plans. The student will discuss his/her progress with writing up and in particular the thesis plan, followed by a 10–20 min discussion. Experimental work should have been completed; students should now be writing up their theses. Students should discuss with their Supervisor the possible choices of examiners, who will need to be approved by the Postgraduate Registry. Each student should write a Progress Report (maximum 5 pages), in discussion with their Supervisor. It should include a draft abstract of the thesis, together with your thesis plan including a timetable of goals and deadlines for writing up the thesis. It should also include an assessment by the student of progress in relation to the original objectives. This report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) plus the completed questionnaires should be submitted to the SLS PhD office.

Submission It is vital that your PhD thesis submission does not exceed 4 years from initial registration, otherwise this counts against the School as a technical failure. Submission of Thesis and preparation for oral viva. Each student will be asked to give a full-length research seminar to the School, usually on the day of the PhD viva itself. Before you leave the School, it is your professional duty to ensure that any materials and data which may form the basis for future work by others, or form part of a scientific publication, are left in good order such that others can pick up where you left off. If you do not do this, you could miss out on being named in valuable publications.

and Viva


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Guidelines for student transfer to PhD statusWhen a student registers to undertake postgraduate studies at the University of Dundee, they are initially registered under Ordinance 12 (which governs all research degree students) for the first 9–12 months and only transfer to Ordinance 39 (PhD status) following the successful fulfilment of a number of minimum criteria. In the School of Life Sciences all transferring students must:

→ Prepare and submit a substantial written report (guidelines on the preparation of your report are given on page 10).

→ Give a short oral presentation (approximately 20 minutes) to an appropriate forum of peers

→ Undergo a mini-viva with a ‘Transfer Committee’ made up of their Thesis Committee + one other PI selected by the Head of Division (HOD) in consultation with the supervisor.

Each student and their supervisor will also be asked to complete and submit a progress questionnaire prior to the presentation by the student.

Following the meeting with the Transfer Committee (up to one hour), the Committee will prepare a report and make recommendations to the School as to whether students should be allowed to progress to Ordinance 39 (PhD status). In doing so the Committee will take into account:

→ The quality of the written report submitted by the student.

→ The quality of the oral presentation given by the student.

→ The performance of the student at their meeting with the Transfer Committee.

→ The student’s work contribution during their first 9-12 months of study.

→ The comments from the student’s supervisor (this will be the single most important factor in determining the recommendation of the Committee).

In the event that all Transfer Committee members are not available on the date scheduled, two members will suffice.


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Timetable for student transfer procedure(please note that dates/months may vary from the dates/months stated below)

Action

November Composition of each Transfer Committee and dates to be established (Gail Guild, SLS PhD administrator, in consultation with Divisional PhD coordinators). Students who commenced their studies in November or later will have their timetable adjusted accordingly.

April - May Each student should write a PhD Transfer Report. The specific requirements and detailed guidelines will be given well in advance by your Divisional PhD coordinator. Further details about the structure of the report are given on page 10 and 11. This report (approved and signed by the Supervisor) and the completed questionnaire should be submitted to the SLS PhD Office by the end of May.

May - June Oral presentations by students to the Transfer Committee (Thesis Committee plus one additional PI). Transfer Committee completes proforma based on their meeting with the student in which they make a written record including their recommendation.

The Transfer Committee can recommend the following options:

→ Transfer to PhD track.

→ Resubmission of the report (within one month).

→ Re-viva (within one to three months).

→ Suggest student writes up for an MSc degree*.

→ Suggest student withdraws*.

Soon after this meeting, students will be informed whether or not the Committee will recommend upgrade to PhD student status.

June University Registry is notified of decisions made by the Transfer Committee. These will go forward to the University Senate for approval.

In the event that termination of studies or submission of a thesis for a Master’s degree is recommended, the student has the right to appeal. The appeal must be initiated within two weeks of notification of termination of studies. A final recommendation should be lodged with the Postgraduate Registry at the beginning of the eleventh month of the studentship. The research funding council or other funding body is informed at the same time. Please note that all students who have become registered for a PhD degree following the transfer process are entitled to submit a thesis for examination for that degree. A supervisor and Thesis Committee can recommend that a student submits for an MSc or MPhil degree, but the decision ultimately rests with the student.

The University Postgraduate Appeals procedure is available to students at dundee.ac.uk/pgla/university- calendar/higher-degree-general-regulations/pg-appeals

Assistance with the preparation of appeals may be obtained by consulting the School Manager for Life Sciences in the first instance Maggie Ogston [email protected] External funding bodies will not normally intervene unless the student has pursued any complaint or grievance through all the available channels within the University, but students are recommended to consult the Studentship Regulations of their funding body for further information.

https://www.dundee.ac.uk/governance/university-calendar/higher-degree-general-regulations/

https://www.dundee.ac.uk/governance/university-calendar/higher-degree-general-regulations/

mailto:m.ogston%40dundee.ac.uk?subject=


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Structure of a PhD Transfer ReportAs indicated above, part of the process of transferring to Ordinance 39 involves the preparation and submission of a substantial written report by each student. Prior to preparing reports students will have an opportunity to participate in writing skills workshops organised by the School of Life Sciences.

The report, which should be succinct and not exceed 4000 words (excluding the bibliography and methods) should be structured in the following way:

→ Summary (150 to 250 words)

→ Introduction and background including Aims and objectives

→ Methods

→ Results

→ Discussion

→ Conclusions and future work

→ Bibliography

For formatting, you may wish to follow the style of a journal relevant to your research area, to be chosen in discussion with your supervisor.

Introduction and backgroundThe section should focus the reader’s attention logically onto the student’s specific area of research by providing background information about, for example, the progressive historical development of a line of research up to the present date or the different interpretations of work carried out by different groups in the form of a literature review. In order to do this effectively, students should cite previous studies to demonstrate their background knowledge. It is not necessary, however, to cite every reference – a few key references that effectively set the scene will suffice. Students should also identify or outline the specific research area or problem being pursued in their report.

Aims and objectivesThis section should specifically describe the aims of the research undertaken and should detail a number of very precise objectives, perhaps presented in bullet-point format.

MethodsThis section should detail the methodology applied in progressing the research thus far.


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ResultsThese should be presented in pictorial (Western blots, etc), figure or tabular form supported by short complementary text. Make sure that all data are presented with titles.

Figures and pictorial data should have a legend to explain each element or function in the figure. The legend should provide sufficient information to make the figure understandable by the reader without having to refer back to the main text. However, Do not waste time explaining the methods, describing or discussing the data here – this should be done within the body of the text. The text should highlight and emphasize interesting or meaningful aspects of the data. There is no need to describe everything that the reader can already see from the data.

DiscussionThis section should demonstrate the student’s understanding of the results by setting them in a wider context – what do the results mean? How do these data support or otherwise what has already been published? What hypotheses can be drawn from the findings? The discussion should complement the aims and results of the work and it is important that the student clearly demonstrates their grasp of the problem being addressed.

Conclusions and future workThis section is extremely important and should summarize the main findings of the work and put forward detailed suggestions to progress this work further.

BibliographyAll cited work and background reading should be detailed here following the style of your chosen journal. Be consistent in style.

Appendix (optional)In rare cases supplemental information, data or detailed Materials and Methods can be added in an appendix. The appendix will not be included in the total word count and should not contain any essential information.

Students should submit a draft copy of their report to their supervisors in plenty of time for them to provide feedback and constructive criticism prior to the submission of the final report to the Transfer Committee.


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School of Life Sciences University of Dundee Dundee, DD1 5EH

t: +44 (0)1382 385828w: lifesci.dundee.ac.uk/phdproge: [email protected]

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