Procedures
for Students Completing their Research
Research
students who have completed their approved programmes of
study and are writing-up their theses, currently fall into
three categories:
(a)
Students who have chosen to remain registered with the College
as Completing Research Students. These students do not continue
to pay fees but their Completing Research Status (henceforth,
CRS) entitles them to use College facilities and receive
some supervision.
(b)
Students who have chosen not to re-register as CRS students.
These students are no longer registered with the College
and are not entitled to use any College facilities or receive
any further supervision.
(c)
Students who remain registered (or have re-registered) with
the College as fee-paying students. These students will
normally be those whose approved programme of study has
finished but who have not met all the conditions described
below These students have all the entitlements of any student
similarly registered as well as those accorded to CRS students.
The general conditions to be registered are as follows:
(i) The student
has been upgraded to PhD status
(ii) The student is in a position to submit his/her thesis
within one year (full-time) or 18 months (part-time)
(iii) The student has met any additional Departmental conditions
*Note:
the regulations concerning the CRS status are in constant
reviewing by universities, colleges and even departments.
Therefore, it is advisable to check the latest updates for
such regulations that may apply to you individually.
CRS: Students'
Entitlements
(a)
A student registered under CRS is required to enrol in the
normal way for the start of the academic year. He/she will
be issued with a College identity card and be entitled to
the use of all the general College facilities and services.
(b)
A CRS Student may be admitted to a laboratory and be given
use of College equipment where such admission and use will
materially enhance the quality of the thesis or will expedite
its completion. Such admission and use shall, however, be
on the condition that this does not significantly interfere
with the use of the laboratory or equipment in question
by other students or staff of the College or incur additional
expense. The student's principal supervisor, with the approval
of the Head of Department, shall be responsible for making
any arrangements necessary to comply with this condition.
(c)
Supervision and other assistance: During the writing up
period a CRS Student shall be entitled to have one draft
of all or any part of his or her thesis read and commented
upon by the principal supervisor or secondary supervisor
before the student intends to submit the thesis. The student's
department(s) may, at its discretion, give any other supervisory
assistance during the writing up period.
Duration of CRS and Submission of Thesis
All
CRS registration is for a maximum of one calendar year (full-time
students) or 24 months (part-time students).
All
students must submit their theses before the termination
of their CRS (i.e. no later than one calendar year (full-time)
or 18/24 months (part-time) after the end of their programme
of study.
CRS: Extensions
(a)
A student who, through illness of other serious cause acceptable
to the College authorities, is prevented from submitting
his/her thesis for examination may seek an extension of
his/her CRS period. In such a case, the student must apply
in advance of the period of extension on a form that can
be obtained from the Registry.
(b)
An application for extension must be supported by the student's
supervisor and the Head of Department and submitted to the
Director, Student Administration, Registry.
(c)
If an extension is approved it will normally be for a period
not exceeding one calendar year (or 18/24 months in the
case of part-time students).
(d)
Where an extension to the CRS is granted, all the provisions
of paragraphs 2(a)-(e) will apply and the student will not
normally incur a penalty for late submission providing the
thesis is submitted before the termination of the extended
CRS period
Submission
of Thesis
A candidate
is required to submit to his/her Supervisor a short description
of the content of the thesis in about 300 words, to
be submitted to the Registry with the examiners nomination
forms, to assist in the appointment of suitable examiners.
The form
of entry for the PhD examination as well as the examiners
nomination and the description of thesis forms
may not be submitted earlier than six months
before the completion of the prescribed programme and must
be submitted not later than four months before the
submission of the thesis.
If the candidate
has not submitted his/her thesis for examination within
18 months (or such shorter period as shall be stipulated
by the College) from the submission of the form of entry
for the examination, the entry will be cancelled unless
for special reasons the candidate's College otherwise requests.
Prior to examination,
candidates are required to submit two copies of the
thesis to the Research Degrees Office either typewritten
or printed and bound in accordance with instructions obtainable
from the University of London. A candidate may be required
to provide a third copy of his/her thesis if a third examiner
is appointed at any stage in the examination process. Copies
of the thesis must be submitted to the Research Degrees
Office. Copies of the thesis should not be submitted
direct to the examiners unless special permission has been
obtained from the Graduate Education Executive Sub-Committee.
A candidate
for the PhD degree is required to bring to the oral examination
a copy of his/her thesis paginated in the same way as the
copies submitted to the University.
It is a requirement
of for the award of the degree that one copy of a successful
thesis is placed in the library of the candidate's College
and one copy in the University Library or the appropriate
library of the School of Advance Study. The College copy
shall be an archival copy and shall be in hard-bound form.
A candidate
for PhD degree is required to submit the Abstract of
thesis and the declaration of number of words forms
at the time of submission of his/her thesis.
The supervisor
shall, immediately after he/she has read the final draft
of the thesis, complete and sign the submission of thesis
form and then be copied to the student and the Head
of Department then should be returned to the Registrars
Division.
Candidates
for the PhD degree will at the time of entry to the examination
be required to sign a declaration in the following terms:
(a)
I authorise that the thesis presented by me in [year] for examination
for the MPhil/PhD degree of the University of London, shall,
if a degree is awarded, be deposited in the university Library
and in the library of the appropriate College and that,
subject to the conditions set out.
(b)
my thesis be made available for public reference, inter-library loan
and copying.
(c)
I authorise the University to supply a copy of the abstract of my thesis
for inclusion in any published list of theses offered for
higher degrees in British universities or in any supplement
thereto, or for consultation in any central file of abstracts
of such theses.
(d)
I authorise the University to make a microform copy of my thesis for
the purposes of inter-library loan and the supply of copies.
(e)
I understand that before my thesis is made available for public reference,
inter-library loan and copying, the following statement
will have been included at the beginning of my thesis:
(f)
The copyright of this thesis rests with
the author and no quotation from it or information derived
from it may be published without the prior written consent
of the author.
(g)
I authorise the University to make a microform copy of my thesis in
due course as the archival copy for permanent retention
in substitution for the original copy.
(h)
I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief,
infringe the rights of any third party.
(i)
I understand that in the event of my thesis
being not approved by the examiners, this declaration would
become void.
A candidate
may apply to the College at the time of registration or
thereafter:
for restriction of access, for a period not exceeding two
calendar years, to his/her thesis, and/or the abstract of
his/her on the grounds of commercial exploitation or patenting
or in very exceptional circumstances. An application shall
be submitted to the Director, Student Administration for
consideration by the Graduate Education Executive Sub-Committee,
in accordance with the procedure adopted by the College
for consideration of such applications.
Conduct
of PhD Examination
The student
is obliged to inform the Egyptian Education and Culture
Bureau with the date of examination confirmed by a letter
from his/her supervisor.
The examiners
shall prepare independent preliminary witness reports
on the thesis to assist in conducting the oral examination.
Copies of the preliminary reports should be submitted to
the Academic Registrar of the University together with the
joint report. The preliminary reports will be released to
candidates if the examiners concerned agree and will in
any case be made available to the Principal Supervisor and
Dean of the Faculty and to the members of an appellate committee
in the case of an appeal against the result of the examination
for consideration of an appellate committee hearing. In
such an event the preliminary reports will also be provided
to the candidate. After any oral examination, a
joint final report shall be prepared for submission to the
University. The joint final report will be released
routinely to candidates for their personal information.
It will also be sent to the Head of the College or Associate
Institution at which the student was registered.
Each joint
final report of the examiners shall indicate the thesis
meets the requirements as appropriate and shall include
a reasoned statement of the examiners' judgement of the
candidate's performance.
Examiners have
the right to make comments in confidence to the University
in a separate report. Such comments should not normally
be concerned with the performance of the candidate but may
cover, for example, matters, which they wish to draw to
the attention of the candidate's College or of the University.
The supervisor
shall be invited, unless the candidate indicates otherwise
on his/her entry form, to attend the oral examination of
his/her MPhil/PhD candidate as an observer. The supervisor
does not have the right to participate in the examination
of the candidate but may contribute if invited to do so
by the examiners. Otherwise the oral examination shall be
held in private.
The oral examination
must normally be conducted in city of University. The University
may, however, exceptionally agree that the examination be
conducted elsewhere if there are circumstances which make
this expedient.
The examiners
may, at their discretion, contact the supervisor before
completing their report, particularly if they have doubts
relating to the appropriate decision to be made.
There are seven
options open to examiners in determining the result of the
examination as follows:
1.
If the thesis fulfils the criteria and
the candidate satisfies the examiners in all other parts
of the examination, the examiners will report that the candidate
has satisfied them in the examination for the PhD degree.
2.
If the thesis otherwise satisfies the criteria
but requires minor amendments and if the candidate satisfies
the examiners in all other parts of the examination, the
examiners may require the candidate to make within three
months amendments specified by them. The amended thesis
shall be submitted to the examiners or one of their number
nominated by them for confirmation that the amendments are
satisfactory.
3.
If the thesis, though inadequate, shall
seem of sufficient merit to justify such action, the examiners
may determine that the candidate be permitted to re-present
his/her thesis in a revised form within 18 months. Examiners
shall not, however, make such a decision without submitting
the candidate to an oral examination. The examiners may
at their discretion exempt from a further oral examination,
on representation of his/her thesis, a candidate who under
this regulation has been permitted to re-present it in a
revised form.
4.
If the thesis fulfils the criteria but
the candidate fails to satisfy the examiners at the practical
or written examination prescribed under paragraph 18.1,
the examiners may determine that the candidate be exempted
on re-entry from presentation of the thesis and be permitted
to submit to a further practical or written examination
within a period specified by them and not exceeding 18 months.
The examiners may at their discretion exempt the candidate
from taking a further oral examination.
5.
If the thesis fulfils the criteria, but
the candidate fails to satisfy the examiners at the oral
examination, the examiners may determine that the candidate
be permitted to re-present the same thesis, and submit to
a further oral examination within a period specified by
them and not exceeding 18 months.
6.
If, after completion of the examination
including the oral examination or re-examination for the
PhD degree, the examiners determine that a candidate has
not reached the standard required for the award of the degree
nor for the representation of the thesis in a revised form
for that degree, they may determine, if they think fit,
that the candidate may submit the thesis, in a revised form
if appropriate, for the award of the MPhil degree.
7.
The examiners may determine that the candidate
has not satisfied them in the examination. The examiners
shall not, however, save in very exceptional circumstances,
make such a decision without submitting the candidate to
an oral examination.
A candidate
who fails to satisfy the examiners will not be permitted
to re-enter for the examination, but he/she may apply to
register de novo for a further period of study leading to
the submission of a thesis on a different topic, the title
of which has been approved in accordance with Section 8
above.
The University
has approved a Procedure for Consideration of Appeals by
Candidates for Research Degrees other than Advanced Degrees
in the Faculty of Medicine. An application under the Procedure
must be made within two months of notification of the result
of the examination to the candidate.
Where there
is a dispute between the two examiners, or where the two
examiners do not feel they have the expertise to make a
final decision, they can request that a third examiner be
appointed. In accordance with University regulations, the
third Examiner must be of Professorial standing and external
to the University.
After
PhD examination
In most cases,
after the student is informed with the result of examination
he/she receives a list of amendments (corrections) at the
same day of examination. However, sometimes such list is
sent to the student within a week of the examination via
his/her supervisor.
At the day
of examination, moreover, examiners decide upon the person
to review the required amendments. In case of minor amendments,
usually they choose the supervisor to play this role. And
in case of major amendments, they choose the internal examiner
to review the amendments.
After
all amendments are done and approved by either the supervisor
or internal examiner. He/she sends an email to inform the
other two of his/her approval. Upon such confirmation, both
the internal and external examiners write the joint final
report recommending the award of the PhD degree as well
as filling in a special form regarding this matter.
Such report and form have to be sent directly to the Research
Degrees Office.
In
addition, he/she provides permission to the student to make
the final binding of copies. According to each university
regulations, a specific number of copies and type of binding
have to be submitted to the Research Degrees Office.
Please
note that the process of awarding the PhD degree will commence
if, and only if, the copies and the final joint report
and the special form reach the Research Degree Office at
University.
Within
a week after all requirement are submitted to the Research
Degree Office, the student will receive a personal result
letter confirming the award of the PhD degree as well
as the awarding date (see attachments). The awarding date
of the PhD degree is always the last day of the month in
which the Research Degree Office receives all requirements.
Please
note that the personal result letter is neither recognised
by the Egyptian Education and Culture Bureau nor the Higher
Council of Education as a PhD Certificate. Only the actual
PhD certificate or the Certificate of Registration confirming
the title of thesis and awarding date are considered as
PhD certificate.
Given the situation
that the actual PhD certificate under the seal of the University
is delivered to each candidate who has been awarded a degree
within 3-6 months after the date of award, the student has
two options:
1.
On the first day of the following month of the date of award, the student
may present his/her personal result letter to the registrar
to amends his/her registration status on the spot and provide
him/her with Certificate of Registration confirming
the title of thesis and date of award under the seal of
University.
2.
The Research Degree Office sends a list (the results list) to
the Universitys Registrar within the first week of the following
month of the date of award confirming the names of students
awarded the degree, the title of their PhD(s) and date of
award. Upon receiving such list the Registrar amends the
registration status of students in this list and students
can acquire Certificate of Registration confirming
the title of thesis and date of award under the seal of
University.
Please
make sure to obtain a minimum of 6 original copies
of the Certificate of Registration for the following
procedures at the Egyptian Education and Culture Bureau
and the Higher Council of Education in Egypt.
Requirements of the Egyptian Education and Culture Bureau
1.
(6) Original copies of the Certificate of Registration.
2.
A signed and stamped (university/college/department stamp) letter from
his/her supervisor confirming that he/she has successfully
passed his/her PhD examination and informing the date of
examination, the date of award and his/her title of thesis
and that the student was regularly attending as a full time
student during through out his/her period of study.
3.
The prospectus of his/her University and Department on the year of
award. They have to be signed by the supervisor and stamped
by the university/college/department.
4.
(3) Hard-bound PhD copies signed by the supervisor and stamped
by the university/college/department.
Requirements
of the Higher Council of Education in Egypt
1.
The concerned form for equalisation (see
below)
2.
The original BSc Certificate + 3 copies
3.
The original BSc detailed transcript +
3 copies ( )
4.
The original MSc Certificate + 3 copies
5.
The Original MSc detailed transcript +
3 copies ( )
6.
The Original Certificate of Registration signed by the Egyptian Education
Consular and stamped by the Egyptian Education and Culture
Bureau + 3 copies (see below).
7.
The prospectus of University and Department on the year of award signed
by the supervisor and the Egyptian Education and Culture
Consular and stamped by the university/college/department
and the Egyptian Education and Culture Bureau + 3 copies.
8.
(1) Original copy of the PhD thesis signed by the supervisor
and the Egyptian Education and Culture Consular and stamped
by the university/college/department and the Egyptian Education
and Culture Bureau + 3 copies.
9.
A proof of payment of the fees (L.E. 450) + 3 copies.
10.
A prototype form from ( ) confirming that the student
was a government scholarship holder during the period of
study under the financial and academic supervision of the
Egyptian Education and Culture Bureau + 3 copies.
A letter from the home
faculty addressed to the Higher Council of Education confirming
that the student followed the course of study proposed for
his scholarship before leaving to the UK + 3 copies.
