The programme in general

1.1   Overview

The EdD is a ‘Professional Doctorate’ which is equivalent in level to a PhD, but particularly suited to professionals who aim to link research closely with their existing professional practice.

The programme is divided into two stages. The first ‘pre-thesis’ stage (equivalent to 2 years of part-time study) offers modules which provide access to current thinking about key issues pertaining to research in education and provide the opportunity to reflect on and experiment with new concepts and ideas, professional understandings of practice, and research skills within a challenging research environment amidst a supportive community of peers. This stage has a credit of 180 and is divided into three 60-credit modules. Each module is assessed by means of assignments as detailed in the module descriptor. This is followed by a ‘thesis stage’ (equivalent to 4 years of part-time study) in which you complete a thesis that makes a substantial contribution to knowledge and/or practice within a professional field. This stage has a credit rating of 360 (the equivalent of 90 credits per year). This stage consists of a single module which entails the completion of a research thesis within the special field chosen in stage 1.

The programme recognises the particular needs, interests and policy contexts of students who are also professionals in their own right, is flexibly organised to enable doctoral level study alongside existing work commitments.   Modules are available via blended learning, which provides face-to-face contact with tutors and fellow students mixed with online provision and self-study.

The maximum period of study is 7 years part time. There is no minimum period of study, but you may not progress to the thesis stage, or submit a thesis for examination, without first having gained the required credits for the pre-thesis stage This is not formally assessed but will be used to identify a thesis supervisor. It is normally expected that the thesis be submitted by the ‘submission date’ which is 6 years after the commencement of the programme. This is to ensure that the viva voce examination and any amendments required can be completed before the maximum period of study or ‘completion date’ is reached.

1.2 Educational aims of the programme

The programme aims to enable you to work with theoretical/research knowledge at the forefront of your professional field at peer reviewed standards/publication quality. It also expects you to work with due regard to the ethical challenges and dilemmas of your research focus and make an original contribution to knowledge and scholarship concerning your profession.

1.3 Programme structure

The EdD is a programme of study at Regulated Qualification Framework (RQF) level 8 (as confirmed against the FHEQ).

The programme is divided into units of study called ‘modules’ which are assigned a number of ‘credits’. The credit rating of a module is proportional to the total workload, with 1 credit being nominally equivalent to 10 hours of work.

The programme carries a total of 540 credits and is completed in two stages.

Stage 1 (pre-thesis) is normally equivalent to one full-time academic year (12 months) and has a credit rating of 180. This phase is divided into three 60-credit modules. Each module is assessed by means of written assignments (assignment for each module total to an equivalent of 12,000 words).

To progress to Stage 2 you are required, to complete and pass the three ‘core’ modules.

Alternatively, you may exit the programme at the end of Stage 1, with a Master’s in Practice Based Educational Research (Med PBER) if you have gained 180 credits but are not progressing to stage 2.

Stage 2 (thesis) is normally equivalent to two full-time academic years (24 months) and has a credit rating of 360 (the equivalent of 180 credits per year). This stage consists of a single module which entails the completion of a 50,000-word research thesis within the special field chosen in Stage 1.

 

GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

Core module 12,000 word assignment (60 credits)	STAGE 1 (Pre-thesis) (180 credits) On successful completion of Stage 1, you may progress to Stage 2. Alternatively, having achieved 180 credits,you may exit the programme with a Master’s in Practice Based Educational Research (NB – credits used towards the MEd PBER must be less than 10 years old).
Core module 12,000 word assignment (60 credits)
Core module 12,000 word assignment  (60 credits)
Core module One 50,000 word thesis (360 credits)	STAGE 2 (thesis) (360 credits) On successful completion of both Stage 1 and Stage 2, you may be awarded the EdD degree.

1.4 Staffing

The following staff have particular responsibilities within the EdD programme:

• Dr Jonathan Doney, Department Director of Postgraduate Research
• Professor Vivienne Baumfield, Module Lead (EdD)
• Dr Phil Durrant, Module Lead (EdD)

Programme provision

• The programme is offered on a part-time basis. For pre-thesis stage provision, this usually involves the coming together of students during an annual residential weekend each March and a summer school each July. Core modules are presented during these sessions and formative and summative assignments for each module are submitted over the two-year period.

 1.5 Contact with staff

Regardless of whether you are based on or off-campus, you are expected to maintain contact with staff throughout the course of your doctoral studies and a record will be kept of all such contacts. Contact with staff will be recorded through the online portal “MyPGR” and throughattendance registers taken at seminars.

The frequency and nature of your contacts with staff will vary depending on whether you are in the pre-thesis or thesis stage of the programme (further details in Sections 2 and 3).

If you are registered part time and living overseas or in a part of the UK remote from Exeter (i.e., registered as off-campus) you are required to visit the campus often enough to gain experience of working within the atmosphere generated by the School’s research community.

• For pre-thesis stage students, this normally means compulsory attendance at seminars and other timetabled events at our Exeter campus.
• For thesis stage students, attendance at seminars and other timetabled events becomes optional but you are still expected to visit our Exeter campus to maximise your opportunities for engagement with the research community.

The pre-thesis stage

2.1 Overview

The pre-thesis stage (equivalent to 2 years of part-time study) has a credit rating of 180. This stage is divided into three 60-credit modules. Each module is assessed by means of written assignments (each equivalent to 12,000 words).

2.2 The modules

The following tables describe the constituent modules in the pre-thesis stage. There are three modules in total, all are core modules that are undertaken by all students on the programme.

 All students must complete all of the following three core modules:

CODE	TITLE	CREDITS	COMPULSORY	NONCONDONABLE
EEDD050	Issues and Ideas in Education	60	yes	yes
EEDD051	Research Methodologies and Methods	60	yes	yes
EEDD052	Research, Professional Practice and You	60	yes	yes

More detailed information about the module content is available on the module pages of ELE. Each ELE module page contains details about and the dates and times of individual seminar sessions, dates and times for assignment submission, and details about module and assignment content.

2.3 Module registration

You will automatically be registered for your modules each year by administrative staff.  Should you need to alter your registration or modules, please contact the PGR Support Office (hass-exeter-pgrsupport@exeter.ac.uk).

 

2.4 Attendance Requirements

For each module in the pre-thesis stage, attendance is mandatory at all timetabled sessions. Absence from certain sessions may be allowed, however, but only with the prior agreement of relevant staff. You will need to contact the PGR Support Office (hass-exeter-pgrsupport@exeter.ac.uk mailto:ed-edd@exeter.ac.uk) to obtain permission to be absent from a scheduled session.

 

2.5 Assessment

For every module undertaken within stage 1 you will always have the opportunity to receive formative feedback on your progress before the final assessment elements of the module take place.

To ensure that you are developing doctoral level research skills, the summative assignments (ie the final assessment for each module) will be assessed in terms of the doctoral level criteria shown in the table below.

 

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR ASSIGNMENTS

Knowledge & Understanding	1.   Identification of key issues at the forefront of the area of scholarship or professional practice
	2.   Awareness of complexity, contradiction and incompleteness of data in the area of scholarship
Synthesis & Application	3.   Advanced critical capacity allowing independent evaluation of the area of scholarship
	4a. Comprehensive understanding of techniques/methodologies applicable to the research area OR*
	4b. Level of synthesis that generates a contribution to existing knowledge in the research area
Communication & Presentation	5.  Clear and effective communication of complex information
	6.  Presentation of work (regardless of content) at peer reviewed standards/publication quality

*Different modules will specify which variant of criterion 4 (i.e. 4a or 4b) will be assessed.

For each assessment criterion, one of the following evaluations will be awarded, as appropriate:

E - Indicates that there is extensive evidence that doctoral standard has been achieved for this criterion

S -Indicates that there is sufficient evidence that doctoral standard has been achieved for this criterion

I -  Indicates that there is insufficient evidence that doctoral standard has been achieved for this criterion

As is customary for doctoral work, there is a reasonable expectation of revision following feedback, to bring the work up to standard. You will therefore be allowed up to three attempts on the summative assignment for each module.

For each module attempted in Phase 1, any of the following recommendations may be made by the examiners:

§  Pass (P)– Doctoral standard has been achieved for all assessed criteria (ie you will have achieved an E or S for all assessed criteria).

§  Minor Amendments (M1)– Doctoral standard has NOT been achieved for all assessed criteria and minor amendments, to be completed within a specified time frame, are required to bring the work up to doctoral standard.

§  Major Amendments (M2)– Doctoral standard has NOT been achieved for all assessed criteria and major amendments, to be completed within a specified time frame, are required to bring the work up to doctoral standard.

§  Fail (F) – A fail grade will automatically be awarded if:

• The assignment deadline is missed without an application for a deadline extension having been submitted by the student.
• the required major/minor amendments have not been submitted within the specified time allowed for amendments.
• the re-submitted assignment shows insufficient evidence of improvement (i.e., the same recommendation cannot be awarded twice).

NOTE: Failure of ANY SINGLE module represents failure of the programme. On failure of the programme, fees will be charged up to the end of the month in which the failed assignment was submitted.

In stage 1, all pass and fail grades remain provisional until endorsed at the Examination Board APAC.

In stage 2 of the programme, assessment follows the university’s Code of Good Practice for examination of doctoral theses. Full details can be found in the Teaching Quality Assurance Manual (TQA) on the University of Exeter website: Code of Good Practice: Boards of Examiners for Degrees by Research

 

Progression

A flow chart outlining the assessment procedure is depicted below.

 

 

The EdD Pre-thesis stage assessment procedure

2.6 Submitting assignments

Professional Doctorate students must submit summative assignments electronically for EdD Programmes to grs-modules@exeter.ac.uk by 11.59pm UK time.

• Summative first submissions for a module should be made on the day of the deadline only (i.e. sub1s).  Early first submissions will not be accepted(This is to ensure that assignments can be processed quicker and to allow marking to be returned promptly).
• Resubmissions (ie. sub2s and sub3s) must be received by the office no later than the deadline specified in the email that accompanied your assignment feedback.
• Your coversheet, assignment and appendices should be included in one single document with a maximum file size of 8MB.  

 

To submit your work:

• Download most recent assignment template from PGR intranet.
• Complete all requested information in both shaded boxes on the coversheet front page - write or cut and paste your completed assignment into the template as instructed.  Do not apply formatting, such as double spacing to the coversheet pages of your assignment.
• All information relevant to your assignment should be included within the assignment (i.e. in appendices).  Please do not send separate attachments.  Scanned images/photos should be converted to smaller file sizes prior to attaching them to your document).
• Save the file as a Microsoft Word document using only the format below, studentnumbermodulecodesub1/2or3

• o   eg: - 50067899EEDD050sub1 - for a first submission
• o   eg: - 50067899EEDD050sub2 - for a second submission
• o   eg: - 50067899EEDD050sub3 - for a third submission

• Do not write other words in the file name or include spaces
• From your Exeter email account, open a new email, attach your assignment and send to grs-modules@exeter.ac.uk mailto:
• The subject line of your email should be the same as the filename of your assignment.  Do not copy in any other email address.
• Do not include your name or any other contact details in the email or anywhere on your assignment - including appendices
• Personal information should be removed - blank out/erase images or replace with XXXXs in text, as appropriate.
• Please also ensure you submit the correct version of your assignment, as once an assignment has been sent for marking it may be too late to recall it and it will be marked in the condition it is submitted in.
• You will receive an email confirmation once your submission coversheet has been checked. This may take up to 5 working days depending on staffing.

 

Your coversheet will be returned to you to correct if (for example):

• You send it to an incorrect email address
• You give your assignment and/or email an incorrect file name (see format above)
• You do not use the correct assignment template
• You do not complete the coversheet section of the template in full
• The coversheet footer is not present on every page
• There are no page numbers on your assignment
• If your name/personally identifying information appears anywhere on your assignment
• If you send your assignment along with attachments/the file size exceeds 8MB.

 

2.7 Feedback Due Dates

Assignment feedback will be due 3 working weeks following an assignment deadline.  Should your coversheet be returned for any of the above reasons your work will not be sent for marking until a correct version is received.  A corrected coversheet MUST be submitted to the office as soon as possible once requested from you.

NOTE: your feedback will be due 3 working weeks from the date your corrected coversheet is received and not 3 working weeks from the date it was incorrectly submitted to the office.

 

2.8 Resubmitting assignments (after amendments)

For assignments requiring amendments (i.e., M1 or M2) you should resubmit the revised assignment within the specified time.

For part-time student the time allowed for major amendments is 8 weeks and time allowed for minor amendments is 4 weeks.

Resubmitted assignments follow the instructions above for first submission, except you must:

• amend the coversheet information relating to your assignment number and submission date
• re-name the file exactly as instructed previously (e.g sub2) and remove any markers’ initials that may be present
• Delete, correct or overwrite the previous assignment text in the template. Only the corrected assignment text must be resubmitted.
• Include a table of amendments

All resubmitted assignments must be accompanied by a table listing the amendments required and made. An example of the kind of table required and its content is provided below. The table must be inserted into the assignment coversheet template together with the corrected assignment.

EXAMPLE OF A TABLE OF AMENDMENTS

Amendments required	Amendments made	Page or line number ref
There are numerous typographical errors which need to be corrected	The entire script has been proofread and all typos in body of essay and ref list have been corrected	throughout
There is much repetition in this essay and this has affected the cohesion and synthesis of the essay. e.g. p. 6.	I have now organised the essay in terms of subheadings which has helped reduce repetition and improved the flow.	throughout
The section starting on p.5 and extending to p6 of the essay appears to have been added on at random. There needs to be a stronger link with the rest of the essay.	This section has been rewritten and extended to make it clearer how the content in this section is relevant and linked to the other themes raised in the essay	Pages 5-7

 

2.9 Late Assignments

A fail grade will be awarded for any summative assignments that do not reach grs-modules@exeter.ac.uk by 11.59pm UK time on the due date, withouta prior application for an extension having been made by the student 5 working days in advance.

Please note that failure of any compulsory EdD summative assignment, results in both failure of the relevant module and failure of the overall EdD Programme so it is very important that you notify us of requests for an extension or grounds for mitigation in line with these guidelines as soon as possible.

If you have missed a deadline, then you must apply for mitigation, which is only considered in exceptional circumstances (see mitigation below).

 

2.10 Applying for extensions to summative assignment deadlines

Please contact the PGR Support team at hass-exeter-pgrsupport@exeter.ac.uk for advice as soon as possible, if you are suffering from significant ill health or experience an unexpected/unavoidable situation that may impact you for more than a fortnight.

If you have extenuating circumstances that will mean you cannot meet a deadline for a summative assignment, then you can apply for an extension to your due date using the Summative Assignment Extension Form.  Please remember, extensions are given only where serious and unexpected circumstances have had a disruptive impact on your studies AND theseare substantiated by independent supporting documentation.   Please see the table below for further information.

The completed form and supporting documents should be submitted to the PGR Support Team at hass-exeter-pgrsupport@exeter.ac.uk AT LEAST 5 working days before the submission deadline in order to be considered.

If a deadline extension request is submitted within 5 working days of your deadline, then you will be asked instead to apply for mitigation for your assignment.

All extension applications must be supported with independent evidence. What form this evidence takes depends on the circumstances, some examples of suitable evidence include:	Extension for avoidable situations that are not serious and unexpected will not be authorised. Some examples of reasons that will not be accepted for module extensions are:
A Police Crime Report Individual Learning Plan from Disability Resource Centre A copy of a prescription notice A letter from a counsellor/Solicitor/Doctor A death certificate A letter from your place of work	Holidays Not seeing your family or your home country for a while Extensions granted for other modules Your usual workload getting in the way Poor time management

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If supporting evidence cannot be forwarded at the time of your extension application, you must provide a date by when you will supply this.  If the evidence, when produced, is not sufficient to support your request, any extension already granted will be withdrawn and you will have apply for mitigation for your assignment (see mitigation below)).

 

In your application, please state the date that you propose to submit the work or period of extra time you wish to have.  Extensions should relate closely to the length of the affected period, and are not necessarily granted for the period of time asked for.

If you are requesting more than 4 weeks extension to a module assignment and are not studying on a Tier 4 visa, depending on the circumstances, it may be that a period interruption may be more appropriate, however please always discuss this with your relevant pathway lead in the first instance.

 

2.11 Mitigation

Failure to submit a summative assignment by the given deadline results in a module fail and failure of any one of the programme’s compulsory modules, results in failure of the overall EdD Programme.

Full details of the mitigation process can be found at http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/aph/mitigation/.

Applications for mitigation should be made to hass-exeter-pgrsupport@exeter.ac.uk at or before the point of assessment. Applications should therefore be made on submission of the assessment or within 1 working day.

Retrospective or late applications for mitigation should only be considered in exceptional circumstances, where there are compelling reasons why the application was not made at the time. Examples may include an emerging condition, the effect of which was not clear at the time of the assessment, or a condition such as severe clinical depression which affects a student’s ability to understand or engage with the procedures.

Please see Annex E for examples of what circumstances may be considered acceptable and what evidence the Department will require: http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/aph/annex-e/.

Once you have submitted your application and supporting documentation this will be sent to a mitigation committee that will respond within 5 working days via the PGR Support Team.

 

2.12 Appeals      

Students have the right to appeal against the decision by a Mitigation Committee. Such appeals must be submitted within 10 working days of the outcome of the mitigation being communicated to the student.

Please see items 10.6.1 and 10.6.2 at http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/aph/mitigation/ for further information around what grounds one may or may not make an appeal. 

If you have not submitted your assignment by its due date nor contacted the office for an extension or mitigation application, then your programme lead will be in contact with you to explain what this means and to let you know that, unless you have serious mitigating circumstances which prevented you from submission of this assignment on time, you may be deregistered from the programme.

 

2.13 Module review

For every module undertaken within stage 1 you will always have the opportunity to provide feedback on your experience of the module following your completion of the module. Normally a module review sheet will be sent to you when you receive your final mark for the module. Your feedback about the module provides the Department with invaluable information about the appropriateness of the content, teaching and assessment within each module. 

 

The thesis phase

3.1 Overview

Thethesis stage of the EdD is normally equivalent to two full-time academic years (24 months) and is comprised of

• a single credit bearing module EEDD039 (Thesis) which carries 360 credits. This module is assessed by means of one written 50,000-word thesis and a viva voce examination during which the thesis is defended.

In addition to this credit bearing module, you are strongly encouraged to optionally attend ‘research networking’ sessions while you are in the thesis phase. These sessions will take place In Exeter during the residential periods in March and July and are designed to support the research networking activities you began during the pre-thesis phase by

• helping you stay in touch with the research community you built during the pre-thesis phase, and
• facilitating discussions with staff and peers about research issues common to the thesis phase.

If you wish to attend any of the research networking sessions during scheduled residential periods, you will need to inform the PGR Support team at least 1 month prior to attending.

3.2 Transfer from pre-thesis to thesis stage

To progress to the thesis stage you are required, as a minimum, to

• have gained 180 credits in the pre-thesis stage.

Your progress will be monitored through the university’s Annual Monitoring of Research Students (AMR) process. This is to confirm that you are making appropriate progress and that you remain on schedule to meet your target submission date and your completion deadline (maximum period of study). Details of the AMR process be found in the Teaching Quality Assurance Manual (TQA) on the University of Exeter website: Code of Good Practice for Annual Monitoring of Research Students

Condonement is the process that allows you to pass a stage should you fail to achieve the required number of credits in any stage. There are no condonable modules offered in this programme.

The conditions for credit expiry are given in the Regulations Governing Professional Doctorates (for the Doctorate), and in the Regulations Governing the Degrees of Masters (for any Master Exit Award, if available, to this programme): https://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/policies/calendar/part1/regulations/.

Once you qualify to transfer to the thesis stage you will be sent a letter from the PGR Support office stating the next steps to be taken. As part of the transfer procedure, you will normally be asked to submit a research poster, to your pathway leader.

• The poster should outline your proposed area of study in around 500 words.
• The subject line of the email should read “my transfer to the thesis phase”.

The poster will be used by your module leader to recruit a suitable supervisory team for you. All students can expect to have two supervisors and a mentor in their thesis-phase advisory team.  Once your supervisory team has been selected, the PGR Support office will again contact you to advise you of who they are and how to set up a first supervisory meeting with them.

Normally at the first supervisory meeting you are required to fill out a “supervisory agreement form” as well as a “training needs analysis form”. These are both available from the PGR Support team.

3.3 Structure of the thesis

The thesis should be a substantial piece of research written in up to 50,000 words (maximum - exclusive of footnotes, bibliography, appendices and abstract). Your thesis is expected to demonstrate a deep knowledge of the research process at doctoral level, including ethical dimensions and the selection and defence of an appropriate methodological approach; and to make an original contribution to professional knowledge.

DEdPsych Programme Handbook

Area	Artefact	Critical Commentary
Film	20 mins	18-24,000 word critical commentary, which must include an extended introduction, covering the matters specified in s.3.3 of the Presentation of theses/dissertations for Postgraduate Research degrees: statement of procedures. For the MA by Research this would be 12,000 - 16,000 words.
Installations	As agreed with department DPGR.
Poetry	60 pages
Prose/life writing	50,000 words
Screenplay/script	90minutes/pages
Performance Practice	At least one piece of practice, evidenced in filmed documentation	20,000-30,000 word critical commentary, which must include an extended introduction, covering the matters specified in s.3.3 of the Presentation of theses/dissertations for Postgraduate Research degrees: statement of procedures and a conclusion.
Art History and Visual Culture by Practice (Creative/Curatorial submissions)	A portfolio of work consisting of a substantial practice component as appropriate to the research questions articulated in the thesis. The exact scope of the portfolio is to be agreed by the Department DPGR in consultation with the supervisory team.   The portfolio of work may include photographs of artworks/works in progress, storyboarding for graphic books, documentation of exhibitions, scans of studio sketchbooks, examples of curatorial practice or digital outputs including code and/or visualisation, etc.	20,000-30,000 word critical commentary, which must include an extended introduction, covering the matters specified in s.3.3 of the Presentation of theses/dissertations for Postgraduate Research degrees: statement of procedures and a conclusion.
Legal Practice	An introduction to and summary of a case study (or up to three case studies) drawn from your professional legal work in litigation or any other appropriate area of practice (not exceeding 25% of the total word length). The maximum word length for an MPhil dissertation is 60,000 words in total.	A reflective commentary analysing the significance of the legal issues explored and critically assessing the implications and wider context of the professional work undertaken (at least 75% of the total word length). In writing this commentary you will be expected to relate the subject matter of the case study/studies to the existing body of knowledge within the field. The maximum word length for an MPhil dissertation is 60,000 words in total.
A student may fail to upgrade, meaning that they remain on an MPhil programme. In that case the upgrade committee must make a specific recommendation to the department DPGR with regards to what must be submitted for the MPhil, if not otherwise specified above.
Please see ‘Variations to Submission Requirements’ below where specific submission criteria is not specified in this table.
Where the artefact takes a written form and the overall dissertation word limit would apply limitations inappropriate to the form of the artefact, the department DPGR may confirm approval of an extension to the word limit. This approval must be specific, confirmed in writing and appended to the thesis submission.

 PhD

Area	Artefact	Critical Commentary
Film	Film that totals 1 hour made up of one film or a series of shorter films	30-40,000 word critical commentary, which must include an extended introduction, covering the matters specified in s.3.3 of the Presentation of theses/dissertations for Postgraduate Research degrees: statement of procedures.
Installations	As agreed with department DPGR.
Poetry	90 pages
Prose/life writing	75,000 words
Screenplay/script	120 minutes/pages
Performance Practice	3 pieces of practice.  Evidence of the three pieces of practice is provided by submission of an accompanying portfolio of documentation. The portfolio of performance documentation can include video recordings of performance, images, work demonstrations, pedagogical workshops or curricula. The video recordings should total no more than 3 hours in duration. The format of the portfolio should be dictated by the needs and research methods of the project, and can include single or mixed formats.	Each piece of practice should be accompanied by a contextual chapter of up to 10,000 words about each piece. In total, with the extended introduction covering the matters specified in s.3.3 of the Presentation of theses/dissertations for Postgraduate Research degrees: statement of procedures and a conclusion, 40,000 - 60,000 words. Exceptions to this word limit must be approved by the Department DPGR in writing, with a rationale for the exception.   No thesis submitted, where the artefact does not take a written form, should exceed the maximum thesis word limit.
Art History and Visual Culture by Practice (Creative/Curatorial submissions)	A portfolio of work consisting of a substantial practice component as appropriate to the research questions articulated in the thesis. The exact scope of the portfolio is to be agreed by the Department DPGR in consultation with the supervisory team. The portfolio of work may include photographs of artworks/works in progress, storyboarding for graphic books, documentation of exhibitions, scans of studio sketchbooks, examples of curatorial practice or digital outputs including code and/or visualisation, etc.	In total, with the extended introduction covering the matters specified in s.3.3 of the Presentation of theses/dissertations for Postgraduate Research degrees: statement of procedures and a conclusion, 40,000 - 60,000 words. Exceptions to this word limit must be approved by the Department DPGR in writing, with a rationale for the exception.   No thesis submitted, where the artefact does not take a written form, should exceed the maximum thesis word limit.
Legal Practice	An introduction to and summary of a case study (or up to three case studies) drawn from your professional legal work in litigation or any other appropriate area of practice (not exceeding 25% of the total word length). The maximum word length for a PhD thesis is 100,000 words in total.	A reflective commentary analysing the significance of the legal issues explored and critically assessing the implications and wider context of the professional work undertaken (at least 75% of the total word length). In writing this commentary you will be expected to relate the subject matter of the case study/studies to the existing body of knowledge within the field.   The maximum word length for a PhD thesis is 100,000 words in total.
Please see ‘Variations to Submission Requirements’ below where specific submission criteria is not specified in this table.
Where the artefact takes a written form and the overall thesis word limit would apply limitations inappropriate to the form of the artefact, the department DPGR may confirm approval of an extension to the word limit for the artefact. This approval must be specific, confirmed in writing and appended to the thesis submission.

 

Your work must be in a format accessible to all examiners. You should discuss the format of your submission in advance with your supervisory team to ensure that you have given consideration to the feasibility of your format of submission. For more information see the Submission, examination and completion section of this handbook. As a general rule though we expect the format of submission to be as described below:

Film	Written work, in standard thesis format, to be submitted as a PDF file. Plus submission of a film or films, in any appropriate standard file format.
Installations	Written work, in standard thesis format, to be submitted as a PDF file. Plus submission of video recordings, images, or other evidence of installations, in any appropriate standard file format, as agreed with department DPGR.
Performance Practice	Written work, in standard thesis format, to be submitted as a PDF file + portfolio evidence of the three pieces of practice, dependent on the needs of the project. This evidence should be submitted in any appropriate standard file format and can include single or mixed formats. Where previously agreed through a request to submit a thesis/dissertation in an alternative format, you may also be able to submit other mixed media, a website or other form of digital submission, but this should be supplementary to the main body of your work. Please see TQA Chapter 11, Presentation of Thesis, section 3 and ‘variations to submission requirements’ below.
Poetry/ prose/life writing/screenplay/script	Written work, in standard thesis format, to be submitted as a PDF file.
Art History and Visual Culture by Practice	Written work, in standard thesis format, to be submitted as a PDF file plus submission of portfolio of work, in any appropriate standard file format, as agreed with department DPGR, and can include single or mixed formats. Where previously agreed through a request to submit a thesis/dissertation in an alternative format, you may also be able to submit other mixed media, a website or other form of digital submission, but this should be supplementary to the main body of your work. Please see TQA Chapter 11, Presentation of Thesis, section 3 and ‘variations to submission requirements’ below.
Legal Practice	Written work, in standard thesis format, to be submitted as a PDF file.

Variations to submission requirements

This document specifies requirements for the form and size of dissertations/theses for programmes in Creative Writing/Film by Practice/Performance Practice. It is recognised however, that there are likely to be candidates putting forward proposals for the production of an artefact outside of the parameters specified. Students are permitted to request to submit a thesis/dissertation in an alternative format. Where this is the case proposals should be put forward as early as possible, preferably prior to application. Further guidance including the required forms, can be found here.The Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences welcomes such proposals and will give due consideration to the viability of accepting a submission in an alternative format. You will not be able to submit a thesis or dissertation in a format other than those specified without approval – this should not be viewed as a formality, and approval must be sought in all cases of submission in an alternative format.

The relevant Department Director of Postgraduate Research will consider such requests in consultation with the DC Quality Development Team, in accordance with the relevant procedures. This will mean that they take account of: 

• the scope and content of the proposal;
• the ability of the candidate to complete the proposed work within the period of registration for the programme in question;
• whether the Faculty is able to appoint an appropriate supervisory team to support the proposal;
• consideration of the appointment of a Board of Examiners;
• in what format the submission to the examiners will take place, and in what format a final submission to ORE or alternative archiving platform will be made.

Dissertations or theses will not be accepted for examination outside of the submission requirements specified, except where specific approval has been given for a variation to submission and this approval has also been appended to the submission.

As with other PGR programmes, a Board of Examiners will be appointed to undertake the examination of your thesis/dissertation. For ‘by practice’ programmes, your supervisory team will need to be mindful that:

• A Non-Examining Independent Chair (NEIC) must always be appointed.
• Due to the specialist nature of much practice-led research, additional consideration should be given to the identification of examiners at an early stage to ensure that appropriate examiners can be identified.
• For a PhD the Board of Examiners would usually watch recorded performances. If the Examiners wish to, or are needed to witness a live performance they should be be appointed in sufficient time to allow this to happen. 
• Consideration should be given to the information that examiners need about the way in which submission will take place.