16.5.1 Following the oral or approved alternative examination the examiners may recommend that:
- the candidate is awarded the degree;
- the candidate is awarded the degree subject to minor amendments being made to the thesis;
- the candidate is awarded the degree subject to major amendments being made to the thesis;
- the candidate is permitted to re-submit for the degree and must be re-examined with an oral examination; However, if exceptionally the examiners agree that the quality of the revised thesis was outstanding, the degree may be awarded without the second viva;
- the candidate be not awarded the degree and be not permitted to be re-examined; or
- in the case of a PhD examination, the candidate is awarded the degree of MPhil subject to the presentation of the thesis being amended to the satisfaction of the examiners.
16.5.2 The examiners shall inform the candidate of their recommendation about the result of the examination, but they shall make it clear that the decision rests with the Research Degree Committee.
16.5.3 The examiners shall, where they agree, make their joint report and recommendation relating to the award of the degree on the appropriate RDC Final Report Form that has been sent with the thesis.
The RDC Final Report Form must be completed and signed by all examiners directly after the Viva and where appropriate, the Independent Chair at the Viva, to note that electronic signatures must be inserted in the final form.
A copy must be sent by email to the Research Degrees Team directly after the oral examination has been completed and definitely within 24 hours of the completion of the examination. Where the examiners are not in agreement, separate report forms and recommendations must be submitted.
16.5.4 Where amendments are required to the thesis, the Internal Examiner will produce a full report as a word document containing all the examiners’ conclusions and where appropriate any revisions required by the examiners and email it to the Research Degrees Team within two weeks of the viva.
This report must not be included in the RDC Final Report form, it must be sent by email as a separate word document to the Research Degrees Team, the examiner(s) must not send a copy to the candidate or their supervisors.
16.5.5 The preliminary reports and joint recommendation of the examiners shall together provide sufficiently detailed comments on the scope and quality of the work to enable the Research Degree Committee to satisfy itself that the recommendation chosen in paragraph 16.5.1 is correct.
16.5.6 Where the examiners are satisfied that the candidate has in general reached the standard required for the degree, but consider that the candidate’s thesis requires some Minor amendments and corrections, not so substantial as to call for the submission of a revised thesis, the examiners shall recommend that the degree be awarded subject to the candidate amending the thesis to the satisfaction of the internal examiner(s) (see sub-paragraph 16.5.1(b)).
The internal examiner shall collate all the comments of the examiners as a Word document and shall produce an agreed list of the minor amendments and corrections required to the thesis. This should be sent by email to the Research Degrees Team within 2 weeks of the date of the oral examination and once approved, the report shall be sent to the candidate.
16.5.7 Candidates should complete the revisions within 3 months of receiving the report from the Research Degrees Team and should produce an electronic copy of the amended thesis and a list of how they have addressed the amendments in the thesis and send them as PDF attachments, by email to the Research Degrees Team, or to the internal examiner to approve as set out in the letter that is issued following the viva.
The internal examiner should notify the Research Degrees Team of their final decision within 1 month of receipt of the thesis. Once the amendments have been approved, an email should be sent to the Research Degrees Team from the examiner, confirming that the amended thesis meets the examiners’ requirements.
16.5.8 Where the examiners are satisfied that the candidate has in general reached the standard required for the degree, but consider that the candidate’s thesis requires some Major amendments and corrections not so substantial as to call for the submission of a revised thesis, the examiners shall recommend that the degree be awarded subject to the candidate amending the thesis to the satisfaction of the internal and/or the external examiner(s).
The internal examiner shall collate all the comments of the examiners as a Word document and shall produce an agreed list of the major amendments and corrections required to the thesis. This should be sent by email to the Research Degrees Team within 2 weeks of the date of the oral examination and once approved, the report will be sent to the candidate.
16.5.9 Candidates should produce an electronic copy of the amended thesis and a list of how they have addressed the amendments in the thesis, and this should be sent by email to the Research Degrees Team, or to the examiner(s) as indicated in the letter that is issued following viva, and this should be completed within 6 months of the date the examiners’ report was issued by the Research Degrees Team.
The examiners should notify the Research Degrees Team of their decision within 2 months of receipt of the revised thesis. Once the amendments have been approved, an email should be sent to the Research Degrees Team from the examiner(s), confirming that the amended thesis meets the examiners’ requirements and they will confirm the outcome with the candidate.
16.5.10 Where the examiners recommend that the candidate be permitted to re-submit for the degree and be re-examined, the examiners shall provide the candidate with written guidance on the deficiencies of the thesis and the further work which is required.
The internal examiner shall collate all the comments of the examiners as a Word document and shall produce an agreed written list of the revisions required to the thesis. This should be sent by email to the Research Degrees Team within 2 weeks of the date of the oral examination and once approved, the report shall be sent to the candidate. The revised thesis shall be submitted to the Research Degrees Team within 1 year of the date the examiners’ report was issued by the Research Degrees Team. The re-examination shall be conducted in accordance with the requirements of Section 17.
16.5.11 Where the examiners recommend that the degree be not awarded and that no re-examination is permitted, the examiners should prepare an agreed statement of the deficiencies of the thesis and the reason for their recommendation, which must be submitted by email to the Research Degrees Team, and once it has been approved by the Chair, the candidate and supervisors will be notified.
16.5.12 Where the examiners recommend, in the case of a PhD examination, that the candidate be awarded the degree of MPhil, the examiners shall prepare an agreed statement of the reason for the recommendation, the full report should be submitted by email to the Research Degrees Team. When the candidate is awarded the degree of MPhil subject to the presentation of the thesis being amended to the satisfaction of the examiners, the maximum timescale for completing the amendments is 6 months. However, where the changes are minor, the examiners may recommend a shorter period of time for completing the work.
16.5.13 A further examination in addition to the oral examination may be requested by the examiners. In such cases the approval of the Research Degree Committee shall be sought without delay. Where such an examination is arranged following an oral examination, it shall normally be held within 2 months of the oral examination unless the Research Degree Committee permits otherwise. Any such examination shall be deemed to be part of the candidate’s first examination.