Graduate School Handbook part 14 continued

Following your viva, the examiners will make their recommendation to the Taught and Research Degrees Award Board. We will write to you after the Award Board to confirm the viva outcome.

Please refer to the post-viva guidance document (PDF), and if you have not received your letter by the relevant Award Board publication date, then please contact the PGR Assessment Team tel: +44 (0)117 32 82544 or email research.degrees@uwe.ac.uk.

We will write to you following approval of the viva outcome by the Taught and Research Degrees Award Board. The letter will contain the submission deadline (calculated from the date of the letter).

You can submit before the deadline if you have completed the required amendments to the thesis/critical commentary.

Please email research.degrees@uwe.ac.uk to let us know that you are ready to submit your thesis and we will provide you with further instructions. You must not email the amended thesis directly to your examiner(s).

Please email the revised thesis to repository@uwe.ac.uk, and the Library's Research Support team will upload it for you.

You should allow around six to eight weeks from submission of your amended thesis. We will write to you as soon as we have heard from your examiners.

We will write to you following confirmation by the examiners that all amendments required to the thesis have been completed to their satisfaction. This will include guidance on submitting the final version of your thesis to the UWE Bristol Repository. When you have received confirmation from the UWE Bristol Repository that your thesis is publicly available, please complete and return the RD15 form sent to you with your final submission letter.

PGR14.11.1R The Taught and Research Degrees Award Board (RDAB) is the examining board approved by the University to be responsible for granting postgraduate research degree awards, or amending a properly executed decision about postgraduate research degree awards, on behalf of the Academic Board. RDAB must include a Chief External Examiner appointed by the Director of Student and Academic Services on behalf of the Academic Board.

PGR14.11.2R RDAB will decide the assessment outcome and grant research degree awards on behalf of Academic Board on consideration of the reports and recommendation of the examiners following the viva voce examination, and on consideration of outcomes from taught components/modules from the appropriate Field Boards.

PGR14.11.3R The result of the candidate’s assessment and the award granted will be produced by the Graduate School, signed by the Chair of RDAB and published in the format approved by the University.

PGR14.11.4R The candidate will be considered to have completed their award on the date that RDAB decides that the award is granted.

PGR14.11.5R The University may withhold an award from a candidate who:

• has outstanding obligations, financial or otherwise, to the University;
• has not successfully completed the requirement for accredited learning (i.e. taught modules) for the programme;
• is the subject of an ongoing investigation concerning an allegation of a breach of discipline or student conduct, or an assessment offence allegation.

PGR14.12.1 Candidates may appeal against the decision of RDAB only on the grounds that:

“There has been material and significant administrative error or other material irregularity such that the assessment was not conducted in accordance with the approved regulations for the award.”[Appendix H2, extract, H26.4R]

The processes governing the consideration of such appeals for all students of the University including postgraduate research degree candidates are described in the UWE Bristol Academic Appeals Policy (PDF) and in Part S1 of the UWE Bristol Academic Regulations and Procedures.

Ensure that current guidance from the Graduate School is followed.

PGR14.13.1R All candidates for PhD, Professional Doctorate and MPhil awards must deposit the final version of their thesis, incorporating any amendments required by the examiners, on the UWE Bristol Research Repository before the award can be conferred.

PGR14.13.2R For the awards of DPhil/MPhil by publication, the final deposition to the UWE Bristol Research Repository must include:

• the critical commentary; 
• any research outputs published during the award registration and submitted for the award; 
• the bibliography listing all the published works submitted for consideration for the award.   

PGR14.13.3 Where it is a requirement of the research data management plan at PGR10.4.1*, candidates must also deposit the core research data underpinning their thesis and/or submitted outputs produced during their registration on the UWE Research Data Repository. It will be held on a closed access basis for 24 months from the date of the final submission unless other storage arrangements or restrictions have been approved. This must be accompanied by a metadata record, produced in accordance with published UWE Bristol guidance. 

*All PGRs registering for the first time on or after 1 October 2021.

PGR14.13.4 The candidate must ensure that use of any third party intellectual property complies with the requirements of the University’s intellectual property policy. The thesis or critical commentary must include the following statement:

‘Material in this thesis/commentary* is the author’s with the exception of third party material where appropriate permissions have been obtained and attributed. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that no use of material may be made without proper acknowledgement.’

*For awards by publication

 PGR14.13.5 Access to a thesis or critical commentary via the UWE Bristol Research Repository may only be restricted where a previous application to do so has been agreed by RDAB.

The  processes governing the granting of a posthumous award to a deceased student of the University, including postgraduate researchers, are described at section M2 of the UWE Bristol Academic Regulations and Procedures.

PGR14.15.1 After designated staff from the Repository Team and the Officer to RDAB have verified that the final version of the thesis/critical commentary and bibliography has been deposited on the UWE Bristol Research Repository in accordance with University requirements, that any data management requirements have been met and all required paperwork has been completed, RDAB will approve the production of the Certificate and Certificate of Credit. The University will not confer the award, nor may the candidate attend an award ceremony or adopt the doctoral title until the final deposition has been made appropriately.

Further information about attending a Graduation Ceremony should refer to the postgraduate research Graduation Ceremonies guidance.

View more information in the University’s Graduation Ceremonies section. Dates and times of ceremonies will be released on the Graduation Ceremonies section as soon as it becomes available.

You will be notified of the date of the relevant award board meeting, and you will receive confirmation by the Taught and Research Degrees Award Board publication date. The synopsis for inclusion in the Graduation Ceremony programme should be submitted as soon as possible after you have received the guidance letter about the final thesis submission.

Synopses are only required if you wish to attend the ceremony.

Your certificate will be sent to your home address held on the student information system.

Please indicate on the RD15 your change of address and we will update the student information system for you.

The name on the certificate will be your formal name at the time your research degree was awarded; it will not be possible to change this after the certificate has been issued.