The University of Northampton:Graduate School

Ian Livingstone

Professor of Physical Geography and Head of the Graduate School

What research degree routes are there at Northampton?

• Traditional PhD/MPhil – submitted thesis and viva

• PhD by Publication – candidates who have already written published research outputs

• Practice-based PhD – combination of thesis and performance or artefact

• Professional Doctorate – directed learning and thesis (generally mid-career)

Administration

• “One-stop shop”

• Admissions: enquiries and applications

• Research degrees gateways

– Enrolment; Registration; Transfer

• Examination (thesis submission and oral exam)

Committee Structure

• Senate (the university’s highest level academic committee)

• Research Degrees Committee

• Research Degrees Boards (four subject-based committees)

• Research Ethics Committee

Student Representation

• Research Student Committee

• Reps on all RDBs, REC and RDC

• Membership of Student Union

• Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES)

How long does it take?• We have minimum and maximum time limits

(guided by the QAA Code of Practice)Minimum Maximum

Full time PhD 2 years 4 years

Part time PhD 3 years 6 years

Full time MPhil 18 months 3 years

Part time MPhil 30 months 5 years

PhD by publication 1 year 2 years

How big is a thesis?

• We have maximum word counts

Word limit

PhD ~ Arts & Social Sciences 80 000

PhD ~ Science 40 000

MPhil ~ Arts & Social Sciences 50 000

MPhil ~ Science 20 000

Who supports the student?

• Supervisors (Director of Studies; First supervisor; Second supervisor; External supervisor; Advisor)

• The Graduate School

– Postgraduate Research Manager, Co-ordinator, Administrator

– Research Training Co-ordinator

– www.northampton.ac.uk/graduateschool

• Research Degree Board members

• Vitae – www.vitae.ac.uk

Student support and monitoring

• Logging sheets for meetings with supervisors

• Annual review meeting

• Pastoral role of RDB members

Levels of research training

• Generic

– Induction (compulsory 4 days)

– Programme of workshops

• Discipline-based

– Masters research methods modules

– School-based conferences

– Seminar programmes

• Project-specific

The RDF• Framework of the knowledge,

behaviour and attributes of successful researchers

• Enables self-assessment of strengths and areas for further development

• Universal language for communicating researcher capabilities

• http://www.vitae.ac.uk/rdf

RDF

4 domains

12 sub-domains

63 descriptors

RDF planner

Supervisor Development

• Masters level modules for new supervisors leading to Postgraduate Certificate in Research Degree Supervision (and Masters in Academic Practice)

• Supervisor Forum

• Programme of workshops

Graduate School Events

• Annual Postgraduate Student Conference

• Annual poster competition

• ‘Images of Research’ competition

• Graduate School Update Day