Graduate Studies
PhD | Assessment
Annual assessment
- Introduction
- First year (third term) assessment & Registration
- Second year (sixth term) assessment
- Third year (ninth term) assessment
- Tenth term assessment
- Eleventh term assessment
- Twelfth term assessment
- Part-time annual interview
- pdf giving full details of the annual monitoring system for PhD students in MML
- Code of Practice
Introduction
All PhD students in MML must attend annual progress interviews in their first three years and termly ones in their fourth year. Part-time PhDs have an interview every year, regardless of whether they're at one of the point listed. This is a BGS requirement. This is partly to meet the AHRC's requirements for the annual monitoring and assessment of doctoral students' individual training needs, but also to solicit feedback from students regarding supervision and institutional support in a more systematic way than has currently been the case. You will find a brief Summary of system of annual monitoring for PhD students below. Click on the link above for full details.
You will be contacted by the Graduate Office with details of the process ahead of the interview, and your supervisor will set up the interview in consultation with the Head of Department.
First year (third term) and Registration assessment
The interview should be completed normally by the end of a student's third term, ie by the end of full Easter Term in the case of October start dates. NB For unregistered students, registration must be completed by the end of the 11th month, ie by 31 August for students who began in October. All new PhDs are 'Probationary' pending the outcome of the First Year assessment. The 3rd term interview should be conducted by the Supervisor and an Assessor who will normally be the student's Advisor, to be appointed by the Head of Department or Graduate Advisor. The Registration interview must be conducted by two independent assessors, to be appointed by the Head of Department.Work to be submitted:
a) completed Personal Development Plan (PDP) which includes a log of training
b) summary of work completed to date
c) plan of the dissertation
d) piece of written work of around 10,000 words
Second year (sixth term) assessment
The interview should be completed normally by the end of a student's sixth term. In the case of students with leave to work away from Cambridge it may be appropriate to hold the interview at a slightly earlier or later date.It should be conducted by the Supervisor and an Assessor who will normally not be the Student's Advisor, to be appointed by the Head of Department or Graduate Advisor. In many cases, the latter may choose to act as Assessor.
Work to be submitted:
a) completed Personal Development Plan (PDP) which includes a log of training
b) short summary of the project outlining its aims and objectives. :
c) account of work completed during the year, research that remains to be done and a timetable for completion.
Third year (ninth term) assessment
The interview should normally to take place early in the student's ninth term. It should be conducted by the same two people who did the student's sixth-term interview, so far as this is possible.Work to be submitted:
a) completed Personal Development Plan (PDP) which includes a log of training
b) short summary of the project outlining its aims and objectives.
c) account of work completed during the year, research that remains to be done and a timetable for completion
The interview will also be used to discuss potential examiners.
Tenth term assessment
Students in their tenth term should submit a report to their supervisor, Head of Department, and the Graduate Office.
Work to be submitted:
an account of work that remains to be done and annotated completion timetable
Eleventh term assessment
Eleventh term assessment will be conducted by the supervisor, Head of Department (or deputy), and the Degree Committee Secretary (or representative).
Work to be submitted:
deadline for submission
Twelfth term assessment
Twelfth term assessment will be conducted by the supervisor and the Head of Department (or deputy).
Work to be submitted:
deadline for submission
Part-time annual interview (summary)
The Board of Graduate Studies require an annual interview for all part-time students, and this should be conducted regardless of where they are in the Monitoring process.
Work to be submitted:
completed Progress (Log).
