3. Admission

3.1 The admission of research candidates must comply with the requirements stipulated within the University Admission Policy, Code of Practice for Postgraduate Research and the Research Degree Policy and Procedures Handbook.

3.2 Responsibility for the initial admission of candidates lies with each Faculty and the PVC Dean of Faculty who may delegate that responsibility as described in 3.3 below. Admission procedures should comply with Sections 2.1 – 2.8 of the Code of Practice for Postgraduate Research. However, formal registration for a research degree may only take place following approval by the Research Degree Committee of the Academic Board acting on behalf of the University.

3.3 In admitting a candidate to a research degree programme the Faculty or Department’s Postgraduate Research Tutor or their deputy or the Chair of the Faculty Research Committee or Director of Research must ensure that:

the applicant is appropriately qualified in accordance with paragraphs 2.1 to 2.5. In addition, for candidates were English is not their first language, copies of their degree and where appropriate an IELTS certificate from a recognised UKVI Test Centre must be obtained and the RDC English Language Assessment Form completed and signed;
references are obtained;
the proposed programme of research is viable, particularly if the topic has been generated by the candidate;
adequate supervision is available which is likely to be sustainable and the Director of Studies identified;
the necessary facilities exist for the conduct of the research;
self-funded students should provide evidence that they are able to adequately fund the whole of their research degree programme;
Ethical approval has been considered where appropriate;
Intellectual Property Rights have been considered;
if appropriate, formal collaboration is set up with the institutions necessary to undertake the research, and
criminal records check has been carried out where appropriate;
supporting documents and scanned copies of passports are obtained where required in order to undertake fees assessment or to confirm immigration status;
each candidate is interviewed either in person, by skype or by phone and the Postgraduate Research Tutor must be part of the interview panel;
where there is an expectation of teaching being undertaken by a candidate applying for a funded studentship, their suitability for teaching should be considered as part of the admissions process.

3.4 Successful applicants must be issued with a formal offer letter via the online application system which will be signed by the Faculty or Department’s Postgraduate Research Tutor or their Deputy or the Chair of the Faculty Research Committee or Director of Research. The offer must be accepted via the online application system.

3.5 It should be noted that the offer letter constitutes the contract between the student and the University and should therefore contain sections covering all the contractual elements in accordance with the Code of Practice, Section 2.9, the offer letter shall specify:

The total fees, including any other charges such as bench fees which will be levied;
A brief outline of the proposed research area and the normal period of study, including mode of study;
The names of the supervisors (normally indicating the Director of Studies, who must be suitably qualified see 9.2) and other supervisory arrangements;
A clear statement that continuation is dependent on satisfactory academic progress;
If the research area requires Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) clearance, the correct HECOS code must be noted. In addition to the code, a paragraph providing a concise, but detailed account of the proposed research must be included, complex technical details should be included if appropriate;
The nature and extent of other duties (e.g. teaching) required (if any);
The name and requirements and conditions of any sponsor, CASE award or similar (if any);
A summary of any non-standard facilities and other entitlements that will be made available;
Requirements of attendance, progress reports and review;
Detail of compulsory Faculty or Department research methods or other training courses if any, and
The University’s terms and conditions governing entry to and study on a research degree programme, the Ethics policy, Intellectual Property Rights Policy and Health and Safety Information.

3.6 Should the need arise, the University will implement other regulations and policies relating to misconduct, including plagiarism as laid down in the following documents:

3.7 Admission decisions must consider the needs and requirements of students with disabilities and other special needs. A clear statement must be made at the outset, indicating the level of support available for the student from both the Faculty and University.

3.8 When admitting a student to the full-time Research Degree Programme, the Postgraduate Research Tutor must be satisfied that the student has sufficient time available to dedicate to their PhD. A full-time student must allocate at least 35 hours a week to work on their research programme and should not undertake more than 20 hours per week paid employment or other commitments, at any time during the course of the programme. Part-time candidates should have a minimum of 15 hours per week available for their programme of study over the full duration of their programme.

3.9 When offering a student, a place on the programme, Postgraduate Research Tutors must satisfy themselves that a candidate about to begin their research degree has given due consideration to their personal and financial circumstances before accepting the offer. Probationer Research Students may not apply for a formal suspension or take unapproved periods of suspension during the first full year of enrolment (See Section 7). Where a student is not in a position to comply with the University’s policy, the offer of a place should be deferred for up to one year. A new application for a place on the programme should be submitted at a later date when the candidate is able to meet all the entry requirements.

3. Admission

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