1. Introduction Administrative Structure of PPLS for PG Programme Director And Postgraduate Advisor Areas Of Responsibility 6

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1 SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGYY AND SCIENCES LANGUAGE Programme Director and Postgraduate Advisor ss Handbook 2013/2014 PPLS Postgraduate Office Dugald Stewart Building Edinburgh, EH8 9AD Tel: Fax:

2 CONTENTS 1. Introduction Administrative Structure of PPLS for PG 3 2. Programme Director And Postgraduate Advisor Areas Of Responsibility 6 3. Programme Directors Programme Structure, Maintenance and Marketing 7 Prospective Students 8 Programme Admissions 9 Student Support 9 Postgraduate Taught (PGT) assessment and Examination Postgraduate Advisors Research Programme Information 13 Prospective Research Students 14 Research Programme Admissions 14 Student Support 15 PGR Assessment and Examination 16 Funding Ranking General Information 18 Absence Complaints Writing References Transcripts University Policy and Regulation Freedom of Information 2

3 INTRODUCTION This handbook sets out the roles and responsibilities of Programme Directors and Postgraduate Advisors with regards to student administration in the School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences (PPLS). The procedures described conform to the University regulations and are adapted specifically to the administrative structure in PPLS. Administrative Structure of PPLS for PG School Management Committee (SMC) Chaired by the Head of School, this committee develops the policy and strategy for the School. The School Postgraduate Director sits on this committee along with the School Undergraduate Director, the School Research Director and the Heads of Subject Area. Other members include the Research Director, Senior Tutor, Marketing Rep and Computing & Equipment Rep. Full membership can be found on the SMC webpage: Postgraduate issues discussed at the School Postgraduate Group which require SMC approval or input will be raised by the School Postgraduate Director. Equally, postgraduate issues raised at central University level will be communicated to the Postgraduate Director at SMC for further discussion at the School Postgraduate Group. School Postgraduate Group (PG Group) Chaired by the School Postgraduate Director, this group develops the postgraduate policy and strategy for the Postgraduate School as well as addressing any postgraduate issues and developing structures for the support and development of postgraduate activities in the School including sharing best practice across Subject Areas. The PG Director is also a member of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Postgraduate Committee and communicates the views of the PG Group to the College. All Programme Directors and Postgraduate Advisors are members of this Group but only Postgraduate Advisors are required to attend the regular meetings. Programme Directors are welcome to attend should they wish to contribute to discussion on any agenda item and there are large single issue meetings held where the full membership attend. The Postgraduate Advisors act as Subject Area representatives at this meeting and are relied upon to raise any Subject Area specific issues brought up at staff meetings and to communicate PG Group discussions to their Subject Area as appropriate. Postgraduate Advisors should contact the Programme Directors in their Subject Area regularly to make sure that they are aware of any issues that need to be brought to the PG Group for discussion. Subject Area Staff Meetings Chaired by the Head of Subject Area, these regular meetings of staff in each Subject Area are held to discuss Subject Area specific issues and help the Head of Subject Area to co ordinate with SMC about the direction of the Subject Area. All members of staff are invited to attend these meetings. The Postgraduate Advisor reports to the Staff Meeting in order to communicate any postgraduate issues or developments; collect the views of subject area colleagues on postgraduate activities in the School and lead discussion on any Subject Area specific postgraduate initiatives that are proposed. Programme Directors also attend these meetings and they provide an opportunity for them to raise any issues for discussion at Subject level which the Postgraduate Advisor can then feed into PG Group discussion as appropriate. 3

4 The Staff Meetings are also a useful tool for Postgraduate Advisors when discussing issues relating to PhD supervision as all staff members can act as PhD supervisors. The Postgraduate Group The School Postgraduate Group (sometimes referred to as the Postgraduate Studies Committee) deals with all policy issues for postgraduate students in the school. The Programme Directors and Postgraduate Advisors in each subject area act as a liaison between subject area staff and the Postgraduate School. The PG Group also approves all new programmes and courses. Membership 2013/14 Convenor Prof Simon Kirby (PPLS Postgraduate Director) Prof Holly Branigan (PPLS Deputy Postgraduate Director) Secretary Miss Katie Keltie (PPLS Postgraduate Administrator) PG Advisors Philosophy Dr Michela Massimi Psychology LEL Dr Martin Corley Prof Alice Turk Programme Directors Ancient Philosophy Dr Inna Kupreeva Philosophy Mind, Language & Embodied Cognition History & Theory of Psychology Human Cognitive Neuropsychology Psychology of Language Psychological Research Psychology of Individual Differences Applied Linguistics Developmental Linguistics English Language Dr Alasdair Richmond Prof Andy Clark Dr Peter Lamont Dr Sharon Abrahams Prof Holly Branigan Dr Martin Corley Dr Alex Weiss Dr Joseph Gafaranga Dr Mits Ota Dr Warren Maguire Evolution of Language & Cognition Prof Simon Kirby (Sem 1) Dr Kenny Smith (Sem 2) Cognition in Science & Society Dr Hannah Rohde (Sem 1) Dr Adam Moore (Sem 2) Student Representatives MSc Research Psychology Student TBC Philosophy Student TBC 4

5 The Postgraduate Office PPLS PG Administrator Miss Katie Keltie PPLS PG Administration Co ordinator PhD Administration including examination PhD Admissions PPLS PG Administrative Secretary Miss Toni Noble PPLS PG PGT Admin Co ordinator PPLS PG Room Bookings (Teaching) MSc Psychology and LEL Administration MSc Psychology and LEL Admissions PPLS PG Secretary Miss Lynsey Buchanan PPLS PG Room Bookings (Teaching) MSc Philosophy Administration MSc Philosophy Admissions PPLS PG Events Co ordinator The PPLS Postgraduate Office (PGO) provides administrative support for all postgraduate programmes, courses and students in the School. Each member of the PGO Team is available to help and provide advice on all aspects of postgraduate administration in the School, however they do specialize in particular areas as detailed above. The School Postgraduate Office is situated in Room 1.06, Dugald Stewart Building. Office Hours 9.30am 12.30pm 1.30pm 5.00pm Tel: Fax:

6 PROGRAMME DIRECTOR AND POSTGRADUATE ADVISOR AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY Programme Directors and Postgraduate Advisors have important roles to play in the running of postgraduate programmes in the School and in providing student support. Role Responsibilities in Brief Programme Directors Programme Structure, Maintenance and Marketing Prospective Students Programme Admissions PGT Student Support PGT Assessment and Examination Postgraduate Advisors Subject Area PG Provision and Academic Support for Programme Directors Prospective Research Students Research Programme Admissions Student Support Supervisor Support PGR Assessment and Examination Funding Ranking Calendar of PG Administration Appendix A This calendar identifies the activities important to you throughout the year. There are some times of year when your presence is required and this calendar highlights those periods when you need to be present in the University or have nominated a deputy. If you are going to be away from the University please arrange for a deputy and inform the PGO. 6

7 PROGRAMME DIRECTORS Programme Structure, Maintenance and Marketing Programme Specification The programme specification provides an outline of the programme and details learning outcomes. The School is asked to keep these up to date and it is the responsibility of each Programme Director to do so. Degree Programme Table (DPT) The DPT sets out the structure of the programme and includes links for core and option courses and must be checked annually to ensure that it is up to date. Prospective students are referred to the DPT so that they can get an idea of potential course choices so it is really important to keep this up to date. You will be asked for updates in January each year. DPTs are published on the University s Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study (DRPS) website The DRPS also lists the postgraduate courses available in PPLS; this information is drawn from the CCAM listings on EUCLID. MSc /Dip (T) programmes should be comprised of 180 credits, 60 of these are assigned to the dissertation element of the programme. Courses As part of the annual update of information it is important that the Programme Director liaises with Course Organisers in order to ensure that the courses needed for the programme will be offered in the coming academic year. Any request for amendments to courses need to be provided to the PPLS Postgraduate Office as they may need to be taken to the PPLS PG Group for approval. Masterclasses The Programme Directors are encouraged to investigate the possibility of offering masterclasses with visiting speakers for their programmes. Further information and guidance on this can be sought through the PGO. Timetable for Programme It is important that the Programme Director liaise with Subject Area colleagues at the point of timetabling for the next academic year in order to ensure that any timetable clashes are resolved prior to publishing the DPT and handbook for the programme. Programme Handbooks Handbooks should be updated annually to be given to students; the handbooks should include all information specific to your programme, for example, details about subject area facilities, courses and important dates. Generally there will not be too many changes required from year to year however these should be completed by August each year. Programme Webpages The webpages are the main source of information for prospective students so it is vital that Programme Directors review their pages regularly to make sure that the information included is as up to date as possible. Prospectus Entries The prospectus entries for both the online and hard copy prospectus are reviewed annually. Programme Directors are asked for amendments in the spring of each year. 7

8 The online version of the prospectus can be updated throughout the year as needed however all major changes should be made in the hard copy version. Welcome Message The PPLS Postgraduate Office send out welcome s to all applicants who hold unconditional offers in July each year. Programme Directors are asked to provide wording for these welcome s. For applicants accepted after this date, welcome s will be sent out when the unconditional offer has been issued. They will be directed to the relevant websites and given any additional information as and when further developments occur. The news section of the PPLS postgraduate webpage will be updated regularly. Welcome / Induction Events In addition to University induction sessions for postgraduate students, each subject area and programme should hold a welcome / induction session for the new students in fresher s week. This should include going through the programme handbook and general information on the programme. At the programme induction session Programme Directors should arrange individual meetings with students to discuss course choices within the first two weeks of semester. The PGO will contact you in June / July to confirm dates and times of induction events. Details of University events will be distributed to Programme Directors and PG Advisors during the summer. The School also has a reception to welcome students and introduce them to School staff. This is an opportunity for students to meet others in the School and for staff to get to know the new intake of students. Following the initial induction events the PGO will confirm the attendance of all new students who have arrived. Marketing the Programme In addition to maintaining a web presence for the programme, Programme Directors are encouraged to consider further marketing and promotion activities for the programme in order to aid in student recruitment (e.g. promoting the programme at conferences). The PGO and School Marketing Officer are on hand to offer advice on this. Amendments to Programme and New Programme Proposals Major amendments to MSc programmes and any proposals for new programmes in the School must go through the relevant approval processes in the Subject Area, School and College. If you are planning major changes to your programme or if you are interested in proposing a new programme, please contact the PGO for advice on the process. Support and Advice The PG Advisor and PG Director are on hand to support and advise Programme Directors should there be any issues you would like to discuss regarding the structure and running of your programme. Prospective Students Programme Enquiries Enquiries from prospective students should come to the PPLS PGO in the first instance so that we can respond to any straightforward requests for information. If the student is asking for specific academic information on a programme, the request will be forwarded on to you as Programme Director for a response. University Postgraduate Open Day 8

9 The University Postgraduate Open Day takes place towards the end of November each year. All Programme Directors are required to attend an informal lunch session and asked to hold office hours later in the afternoon. If any Programme Director is not available for the open day they should nominate a deputy who can advise students on their behalf. Programme Admissions Each year the Programme Director should confirm the admissions arrangements with PGO e.g. confirming if a deadline is in place, whether they would like to consider applications in bulk etc. These arrangements should be confirmed by the end of September each year. Application Process All applications are submitted electronically through the EUCLID system. The PGO checks that the applicant satisfies the University eligibility criteria for English language and first degree result. When the application is complete, it will be sent electronically to the relevant Programme Director for consideration. All applications that satisfy the entry requirements or are borderline for eligibility will be forwarded to the Programme Directors for consideration. The PGO will the relevant staff to inform let them know that an application is ready for consideration. Having considered the application fully, it is the Programme Director s responsibility to recommend whether to accept or reject the application and communicate this to the PPLS PGO as quickly as possible. Recommendations for rejection should be accompanied by a brief description of the academic grounds for rejection. Funding Ranking Programme Directors may be called upon to rank student applications for MSc tuition fee funding (e.g. Global Masters) in the late spring each year. Student Support Personal Tutor (PT) All Programme Directors are also named as Personal Tutor for the students on their programme. Further guidance on the PT role is available from the School PT webpages and training will be provided before the beginning of each academic year. The PT tool included in the EUCLID system allows Programme Directors and students to record meetings with students. As Programme Director you are the first point of contact for students experiencing problems on programme. Students on programme should feel free to approach you with any difficulties they may be experiencing. If students approach you with problems in good time, you will be able to arrange for further support as required rather than having students missing deadlines and trying to appeal at a later date. Programme Directors should be familiar with the Code of Practice for Taught Postgraduate Programmes and the Code of Practice for Supervisors and Research Students, which are published every September; these give details of sources of assistance for students. Should you require any assistance in any particular case, you should contact the Senior Tutor, PG Advisor or Postgraduate Director who will be able to advise you on further courses of action. Student Course Choices 9

10 Programme Directors should meet with students in order to discuss course options and choices at the beginning of each semester. When course choices have been agreed the Programme Director will the details to the PGO who will then update the student record and ensure that students have access to all relevant materials. If the Programme Director decides that a students should be exempt from any core courses for the programme this should be specified in the communication to the PGO. Core courses should be seeded for the programme (this means that students will automatically be registered on these courses). Students must be registered on EUCLID for the appropriate option courses by two weeks into each semester. It is advisable to register students via the PGO for a tentative programme of study by the end of fresher s week (including 2 nd semester options which can be amended at a later date). Schedules of Adjustment (Learning Profiles) Students who have special learning needs will visit the Disability Service (DS) in order to discuss their requirements. The DS will then produce a Schedule of Adjustment including Learning Profile (LP) which lists the academic adjustments required by the student. For the most part these adjustments will be taken care of by the relevant Course Organisers who will receive copies of the LP but Programme Directors will also be copied in and should be aware of students on programme who have LPs in place. The PPLS Convenor of Adjustments (CoA) oversees their implementation and can discuss with COs and PDs how to implement particular adjustments (academic ones). The CoA along with the relevant student support staff (Postgraduate Office) is a first point of contact when specific adjustments are not implemented. Dissertation Supervision In October each year the PGO will put a call out to all academic staff asking them to identify any particular topics that they would be interested in supervising for MSc dissertation. This is then published in December. By the middle of the second semester, students are expected to have discussed potential dissertation projects with members of staff and agree on a dissertation supervisor, with whom they are expected to keep in close contact throughout their research. Programme Directors must ensure that all students on programme have a supervisor in place prior to the summer and should provide a list of all students and supervisors to the PGO by June each year. Research Support Funds These costs are devolved to the Programme Director. Costs may be used for individual students or for groups, in addition any unspent funds may be rolled over to the following year. These costs will be kept at School level for the Programme Director to spend as they see fit on student research support, Programme Directors must apply through the PGO and an accurate record of expenditure will be kept. The additional programme costs cannot be used to support teaching of any credit bearing course, but can be used towards the following: Conference attendance and summer schools Travel expenses Accommodation Participant payment Adding credit to students printing accounts if they use their allocated quota 10

11 Purchase of equipment (either individually per student or to be rolled over an larger equipment purchase) Other specific research related costs Student Representatives Students should be appointed for every taught programme and subject area to represent the interests and concerns of the students by the end of the first week of semester one. Further information regarding the student rep roles can be found in the student handbooks all available online here: Absence Reporting Any taught student planning to be away from Edinburgh for more than one week during teaching or two weeks during the summer research period must apply to their Programme Director / Supervisor for permission. Online forms for this are available on the PPLS student website: When students complete the form it will automatically be sent to the Programme Director for approval through the system. Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Assessment and Examination Student Assessment Queries The Programme Director will be on hand to advise students on how to proceed if they have queries regarding their assessment liaising with course organisers where relevant. Exam Boards Exam Board meetings (one per subject area) normally take place twice a year. An interim board meets in June to approve the progression of students from the coursework element to the dissertation stage of the programme. A final board meets at the beginning of October to approve dissertation marking and recommend award of degrees, diplomas and certificate. In exceptional circumstances, additional board meetings may be held to discuss specific cases. The PGO co ordinates the scheduling and organisation of the Exam Boards each year. As Programme Director (PD) it is your responsibility to work with the PGO as required to ensure that board meetings are organised well in advance. You should familiarise yourself with the role of the board detailed in the University Postgraduate Assessment Regulations and Procedures found online at: External Examiner s Attendance The External Examiner should attend all examination boards held for the programme. According to regulation, Externals may miss one board per year as long as they provide their comments on the coursework / dissertations prior to the meeting and are available by telephone for the duration of the meeting. See the Board of Examiners Meetings section of the Assessment Regulations found online at: for further details. Nomination of Examiners Examiners should be approached directly by the programme director to query if they can take this role on. The PGO can provide you with the External Examiners handbook to pass on so the possible external can see what roles they will be taking on. 11

12 If your proposed examiner agrees to external your programme please send the relevant contact details to the PGO, the PGO will then contact the external directly for the external to complete the nomination form and provide their CV. The nomination form is then sent to the College PG Office for final approval. On approval the College will send the relevant contract information. Further information can be found online here: departments/humanities soc sci/postgraduate/adminguide#state_4. External Examiners can be appointed for up to 4 years, each term will commence from the 1 st November of each academic year. Sample Work Sent to External A sample of work from each course and dissertation element must be sent to your External Examiner. The sample of work is taken automatically by the PGO on the following rules: All failing work All distinction work All borderline work All work where an agreed mark could not be reached between internal markers If class size is over 10, a sample of work from each marking band If you would like any additional work sent to the External Examiner, or would like to select the samples yourself please inform the PGO in late April/early May so that they know to contact you. Shared Courses In the case of courses shared by more than one programme, one External Examiner should be assigned the course so that results are moderated and approved by one board only. In these cases the External Examiner will see a sample of all students taking the course, not just those students on the specific programme that the external is responsible for. The PGO will send out a list of any shared courses on the programme to the Programme Director in July each year so that the most appropriate examiner for the coming academic year can be identified. Special Circumstances Special Circumstances are considered by the appropriate Examination Committee for the programme at their meetings in June and October. It is the Programme Director s responsibility to ensure that any special circumstances for your programme are documented and reported to the PGO so that they can be discussed at the meetings. Graduation The University holds two graduation ceremonies each year in early summer and early winter (June/July and November). The majority of postgraduate taught students will graduate at the winter graduation ceremony which usually takes place towards the end of November each year. 12

13 POSTGRADUATE ADVISORS Subject Area PG Provision and Academic Support for Colleagues Postgraduate Advisors (PG Advisors) are responsible for overseeing the postgraduate provision in their subject area and acting as a representative of the subject area on committees relating to postgraduate issues. PG Advisors are on hand to provide academic support to the Programme Directors and supervisors for postgraduate research students in their Subject Area. PG Advisors should make sure that colleagues understand that they are available to provide this type of support and ensure that any issues encountered by colleagues are raised at the Subject Area Staff Meeting or PG Group where appropriate. In any case where you would like further guidance, the School PG Director will be on hand to help. Research Programme Information Research Handbooks The PPLS Masters by Research and PPLS Research handbooks are updated annually to be given to students, including information specific to students on the MSc by Research, MPhil or PhD. Generally there will not be too many changes required from year to year however these should be completed by August each year. PG Advisors may be asked to review the handbooks and provide feedback. The PPLS Research handbook is available in hard copy from the PPLS Postgraduate Office and online at Prospectus Entries The prospectus entries for both the online and hard copy prospectus are reviewed annually. PG Advisors are asked for amendments in the spring of each year. The online version of the prospectus can be updated throughout the year as needed however all major changes should be made in the hard copy version. Welcome / Induction Events In addition to University induction sessions for postgraduate students, each subject area should hold a welcome / induction session for the new research students in fresher s week. This should include general information on being a research student in the Subject Area. The PGO will contact you in June / July to confirm dates and times of induction events. Details of University events will be distributed to Programme Directors and PG Advisors during the summer. The School also has a reception to welcome students and introduce them to School staff. This is an opportunity for students to meet others in the School and for staff to get to know the new intake of students. The PG Advisors must also be on hand to welcome any PhD students starting their studies in January. The number of students who take this option is small but they will need an orientation of the Subject Area. The PGO will send PG Advisors details of any January start PhD students in November each year so that arrangements for induction can be organised. Following the initial induction events the PGO will confirm the attendance of all new students who have arrived. 13

14 Prospective Research Students PG Advisors are the Subject Area contact for all postgraduate research students. Postgraduate Research Enquiries Enquiries from prospective students should come to the PPLS PGO in the first instance so that we can respond to any straightforward requests for information. If the student is asking for specific academic information on a programme, the request may be forwarded on to the relevant PG Advisor for advice. If any PG Advisor receives a direct enquiry it is useful if they copy the PGO into the response so that the query can be logged. University Postgraduate Open Day The University Postgraduate Open Day takes place towards the end of November each year. All PG Advisors are required to attend an informal lunch session and asked to hold office hours later in the afternoon. If any PG Advisor is not available for the open day they should nominate a deputy who can advise students on their behalf. Research Programme Admissions Application Process When research applications are received by the School Postgraduate Office, the research topic will be ed to the Postgraduate Advisor for advice on who best to show the application to. If the applicant has already identified a potential supervisor the application will be sent directly to them. All applications are submitted electronically through the EUCLID system. The PGO checks that the applicant satisfies the University eligibility criteria for English language and degree results. When the application is complete, it will be sent electronically to the relevant prospective supervisor for consideration. All applications that satisfy the entry requirements or are borderline for eligibility will be forwarded for consideration. The PGO will the relevant staff to inform let them know that an application is ready for consideration. As soon as a principal supervisor has been identified, the Postgraduate Advisor confirms acceptance or rejection and returns the application to the School PGO. If an application has stalled at the consideration process the PGO may contact the PG Advisor for a final decision. Prospective supervisors may wish to interview candidates to assist them in making a decision on an application. Interviews can be carried out over the phone or by skype. Recommendations for rejection should be accompanied by a brief description of the academic grounds for rejection. NB: It is important that potential supervisors look through the application the PG Advisor should not confirm acceptance prior to supervisors examining the application documentation. January is the busiest time for PhD admissions in the run up to the main funding deadline. If any PG Advisor will not be available in January they must nominate a deputy and inform the PGO as soon as possible. 14

15 Student Support Senior Tutor PG Advisors may be asked to deputise for the PPLS Senior Tutor in certain cases. Further guidance on the Senior Tutor role is available from the School Personal Tutor webpages and training will be provided before the beginning of each academic year. As PG Advisor, you are identified as a first point of contact for students experiencing problems on research programmes. Students on programme should feel free to approach you with any difficulties they may be experiencing if they are unable to discuss these with their supervisor. If students approach you with problems in good time, you will be able to arrange for further support as required rather than having students missing deadlines and trying to appeal at a later date. Postgraduate Taught students are also advised to approach PG Advisors for help with any issues that they feel they cannot discuss with their Programme Directors. You should be familiar with the Code of Practice for Taught Postgraduate Programmes and the Code of Practice for Supervisors and Research Students, which are published every September; this gives details of sources of assistance for students. Should you require any assistance in any particular case, you should contact the Postgraduate Director who will be able to advise you on further courses of action. Student Representatives Students should be appointed for every subject area to represent the interests and concerns of the research students. This should be a student in second year or above. Students will be asked over the summer to volunteer however if no students step forward the PG Advisor may be asked to organise a selection process in the Subject Area. Student representative should be identifies by the end of the first week of semester one. Further information regarding the student rep roles can be found in the student handbooks all available online here: PhD Progress and Annual Reports PG Advisors are the main administrative contact for all research postgraduate matters in the Subject Area. The PGO will contact the PG Advisor regarding PhD Progress and Annual Reports each year requesting confirmation on the Subject Area arrangements for the review process. A link to information on the process can be found online here: Schedules of Adjustment (Learning Profiles) Students who have special learning needs will visit the Disability Service (DS) in order to discuss their requirements. The DS will then produce a Schedule of Adjustment including Learning Profile (LP) which lists the academic adjustments required by the student. For the most part these adjustments will be taken care of by the relevant Course Organisers who will receive copies of the LP but PG Advisors will also be copied in and should be aware of students on programme who have LPs in place. In the case of research students the LP is likely to describe work/study environments but may also include adjustments that supervisors need to take into account. 15

16 The PPLS Convenor of Adjustments (CoA) oversees their implementation and can discuss with COs and PDs how to implement particular adjustments (academic ones). The CoA along with the relevant student support staff (Postgraduate Office) is a first point of contact when specific adjustments are not implemented. PGR Assessment and Examination Research Students and Courses The supervisor is the main point of contact for PGR students and will be in charge of informing the PGO of any student who should be registered on a course however in cases where the supervisor is unavailable the PG Advisor may be asked to assist. PhD Examination: Nomination of Examiners When the students complete their intention to submit forms this triggers the nomination of examiners process. This process is normally completed by the student s supervisor however in some cases the PG Advisor may be asked to assist. This is more likely to happen in cases where the examination requires a Non Examining Chair (NEC). In some cases a Non Examining Chair is required for the examination. In some other Schools NECs are nominated for every research examination, in PPLS we nominate an NEC in the following cases: If the nominated internal examiner has not acted as an examiner at the University of Edinburgh before. If the nominated internal examiner is based in a School other than PPLS. On the examiners request. The role of the NEC is to provide advice to the examiners on the examination regulations and to chair the actual examination meeting. If an NEC is required the PGO will copy the PG Advisors in on the request so that they can help to identify a suitable candidate. In all cases, potential examiners must have been approached informally by supervisors/pg Advisors and have agreed to participate in the examination process prior to the Nomination of Examiners form being completed. PhD Examination: The Process The PGO will keep the PG Advisors up to date with all PhD examinations taking place in their Subject Area. In cases where there are difficulties or academic queries with the examination process the PG Advisor may be asked to provide advice and support. The PG Director is also on hand to provide advice for the examination process. Links to information regarding the examination process for research students can be found online at: under Thesis Submission. Graduation The University holds two graduation ceremonies each year in early summer and early winter (June/July and November). PhD students will graduate at the next scheduled ceremony after final submission. 16

17 Funding Ranking Research Support Grant Applications Any student that submits a Research Support Grant application must have a case for support from their supervisor. Students must submit their application to their supervisor in time for the application to be completed and submitted to the PGO on the deadlines set (1 st December, 1 st April and 1 st August). When applications are received, they are logged at the PGO and sent to the appropriate PG Advisor for ranking. The ranking process must take into consideration the year of study the student is on and how relevant the application is to the student s research. The application form will specify how much the student has already been granted (if applicable) and how many conferences they have also attended during their studies (if applicable). This will enable the PG Advisor to make a decision. All ranked application forms must be returned to the PGO within one week. When the applications are returned to the PGO, the Postgraduate Director will look at the ranked applications and award grants. The student will be informed of the decision shortly after this time. PhD Funding Application Ranking The Postgraduate Advisors are asked to represent their subject areas on ranking panels for PhD scholarship opportunities. These rankings tend to take place in February or March each year. When applications are received the list of applicants will be sent to the PG Advisor for Subject Area Ranking. At this point PG Advisors should consult with colleagues in order to come up with a ranking. Once this ranking is complete all PG Advisors in the School will meet in order to agree a School level ranking and confirm any interviews or further actions required. Prospective supervisors should be asked if they want to provide a brief supporting statement for any candidates in particular. This may include evidence from a supervisor s interview with the candidate if they conducted one. PhD Funding Interview Panels For some funding opportunities, it is appropriate to interview candidates before finalising a ranking. Postgraduate Advisors are expected to take an active part in the interviewing process within their subject areas and may be asked to act as an external on the interview panels in other subject areas. 17

18 GENERAL INFORMATION Absence If Programme Directors and PG Advisors are going to be away from Edinburgh for more than one week they should nominate a deputy and inform the PGO. It is also advisable for Programme Directors to contact their students to let them know who to contact for advice in their absence. Complaints Guidelines on how to handle complaints are available on the School QA Website: Writing References Past students requiring references for future employment or education can either contact the Postgraduate Office or approach the relevant member of staff directly. The Postgraduate Office can supply the past student with a general letter describing their past studies, degree conferred upon them and also the date of graduation. However, if they require a more personal reference, then the Postgraduate Office will contact you for this information. If you receive a request from a student who you are not familiar with, please refer their request to the PGO for further action. Transcripts Masters students prior to 2006 should contact the PGO to obtain further copies of their academic references and / or coursework certificates. If the PGO has the relevant information then these will get printed off and passed to the Convenor of the relevant exam board for signing. Transcripts for student who completed after 2006 are issued by the University Registry and students order these through the Registry website. If a student comes to you directly for this information, please refer them to the PGO as there is a small charge and the information is only held here for former postgraduate students. University Policy and Regulations All Programme Directors and PG Advisors will be issued with the following University documents, which are produced annually in August: Taught Assessment Regulations Code of Practice for Supervisors and Research Students Postgraduate Assessment Regulations and Procedure These documents can also be downloaded from: services/policies regulations. All Directors and Advisors should familiarise themselves with these before the beginning of the academic session and have them to hand for reference throughout the year. These documents are updated annually and the changes are described on the website. Programme Directors and PG Advisors are encouraged to review these changes in time for the start of the academic year. Freedom of Information The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by Scottish public authorities except where an exemption legitimately applies. Section 23 of the Act requires Scottish public authorities, of which the University of Edinburgh is one, to adopt, maintain, publish and review from time to time a publication scheme. The scheme must set out the sorts of information (or "information classes") that the University intends to publish as a matter of routine, how the information will be made available, and any charges that will be made for the information. 18

19 The University of Edinburgh is committed to openness and transparency. The University Court and the University's senior management fully support the aims and objectives of freedom of information and are committed to implementing the legislation. The publication scheme is intended to assist staff, students, prospective students and members of the general public to help them find themselves, as far as possible, the information that they are interested in. The University hopes that the publication scheme will become one of the principal methods of accessing information about the University. Please be aware that students can request all documents (including s) that hold their personal details (name, matriculation number etc). Please take this into consideration when writing any s regarding students. 19

20 Sept APPENDIX A: PPLS POSTGRADUATE ADMINISTRATION ACTIVITY CALENDAR SEMESTER 1 Programme Director Postgraduate Advisor Postgraduate Office FRESHERS INDUCTION & WELCOME FRESHERS INDUCTION & WELCOME FRESHERS INDUCTION & WELCOME PT: Individual Student Meetings MSc Exam Board: Final Board prep Student Reps: Confirm reps and inform PGO Student Reps: Confirm PhD Rep with PGO Oct MSc Exam Boards: Final Boards New Programme Proposals: Must be sent to PGO by end of October MSc Exam Boards: Final Boards MSc Dissertation Topics: Call to all Academics for potential MSc topics PhD Reports: Second round of Progress and Annual Reviews starts PhD Reports: Confirm plans with PG Advisors and instructions to students Nov GRADUATION UNIVERSITY OPEN DAY GRADUATION UNIVERSITY OPEN DAY GRADUATION UNIVERSITY OPEN DAY MSc Exams: Papers to Externals Send information re Jan Start PhDs to PG Advisors Dec MSc Dissertation Topics: start the process of pairing students with supervisors Research Support Grants: Ranking to PGO MSc Dissertation Topics: List published for students PhD: Confirm arrangements for Jan induction 1

21 Jan APPENDIX A: PPLS POSTGRADUATE ADMINISTRATION ACTIVITY CALENDAR SEMESTER 2 MSc Assessment: Sem 1 Marks Return students may have questions Programme DPT: Review and Update PhD: January Induction/Introduction PhD Application: Activity will increase in the runup to funding deadline MSc Assessment: Sem 1 Marks Return PhD Applications: Increase in application activity Feb PROSPECTUS: CHECK AND UPDATE PROSPECTUS: CHECK AND UPDATE PROSPECTUS: CHECK AND UPDATE PhD Funding: Subject and School Ranking Mar PROSPECTUS: CHECK AND UPDATE PROSPECTUS: CHECK AND UPDATE PROSPECTUS: CHECK AND UPDATE MSc Timetable: Confirm timetable with Subject Area for next year PhD Funding: Studentship interviews PhD Funding: School Ranking confirmed PhD Funding: Return of Ranking to CHSS MSc Timetable: Room bookings for next year Apr MSc Dissertation: Confirm provisional supervision plan and inform PGO PhD Reports: Check with Subject Area re plan and inform PGO PhD Reports: Confirm plans with PG Advisors and instructions to students Research Support Grants: Ranking to PGO MSc Timetable: Room booking s for next year May MSc Dissertation: Confirm supervision plan and inform PGO PhD Reports: First round of Progress and Annual Reviews starts MSc Exams: Papers to Externals MSc Exam Board: Prep and confirm meeting arrangements Jun July ARRANGE COVER FOR TIME AWAY ARRANGE COVER FOR TIME AWAY Aug Programme Handbook: Updates ARRANGE COVER FOR TIME AWAY ARRANGE COVER FOR TIME AWAY Student and Staff Handbooks: Updates PT Briefing for following year PT Briefing for following year MSc Admission: Confirm admissions plan with PGO for next year Research Support Grants: Ranking to PGO 2