22.2 Admission

2.1   Responsibility for the admission of students to a research degree lies with the PVC Dean of Faculty who may delegate that responsibility as described in 2.3 below. 

2.2   Admissions procedures should be clear and consistently applied to ensure equality of opportunity, confidentiality and that only appropriately qualified and/or prepared students are admitted onto research programmes. The Research Degree Policy and Procedures Handbook details appropriate qualifications/ experience (see Section 2.1 to 2.5 of the Policy and Procedures section of this document).

2.3  Admissions decisions should always involve more than one member of appropriately experienced staff.  Normally, the Faculty’s or Department's Postgraduate Research Tutor or their deputy or the Chair of the Faculty Research Committee or Director of Research will be involved in the decision. 

2.4  Admissions decisions will consider the candidate's qualifications, curriculum vitae and previous work. Where appropriate prior experience or certificated learning will be credited according to the requirements of the specific programmes.  Two academic references will be obtained and, wherever possible, the candidate will be interviewed. Where possible a telephone or video-conferencing interview should be conducted for international candidates.  

2.5   Appropriate evidence of competency in the use of English will be required (see section 2.4 of the Policy and Procedures section of this document).

2.6   Admissions decisions will consider whether appropriate supervision is available for the research proposed and whether this supervision is likely to be sustainable (see 4.3 maximum numbers to be supervised). They will also consider the research environment available for the work and only take on students in areas where there is a sufficiently large number of staff to supervise a particular topic.

2.7   Admissions decisions will consider whether a self-funded candidate has, or is likely to secure, the necessary financial support to enable them to undertake their studies for the duration of the programme. Candidates applying from a number of countries may now be required to pay a deposit at the offer stage in order to be granted a visa for entry. 

2.8  Where a studentship is fully or partly funded from a University or external source, the terms, conditions and remuneration available should be clearly communicated to the candidate, together with a clear indication of any other remuneration the student is likely to receive.

2.9  It should be noted that an offer letter constitutes a formal contract with a student and care should be taken to ensure all the details are relevant and accurate.

2.10  The formal offer of a place on a research student programme or research studentship should be made in writing by the Faculty and signed by the Faculty's or Department's Postgraduate Research Tutor and should include:

1.    The total fees, including any other charges such as bench fees, which will be levied;
2.    A brief outline of the proposed research area and the normal period of study, including mode of study; 
3.    The names of the supervisors (normally indicating the Director of Studies, who must be suitably qualified see 4.2) and other supervisory arrangements; 
4.    A clear statement that continuation is dependent on satisfactory academic progress; 
5.    If the research area requires Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) clearance, the correct JACS 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;
6.    The nature and extent of other duties (e.g. teaching) required (if any);
7.    The name and requirements and conditions of any sponsor, CASE award or similar (if any);
8.    A summary of the general facilities that will be made available¹
9.    Requirements of attendance, holiday allocation, progress reports and review¹
10.  Detail of compulsory Faculty or Department research methods or other training courses if any¹
11.  The University’s terms and conditions governing entry to and study on the research programme, Ethics policy, Intellectual Property Rights policy and Health and Safety information¹

¹ These may be included with the covering letter as supporting documentation; however, reference to their importance should be made in the letter.

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

• Academic Integrity;
• Cheating and Plagiarism;
• Data Protection;
• Research Ethics;
• University’s Student Behaviour Policy and the Academic Conduct and Student Conduct procedures.

2.12    Admission decision 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.   

2.13  When admitting a student to the full-time Research Degrees Programme, the Postgraduate Research Tutor must be satisfied that the student has sufficient time available to dedicate to their PhD. 

Normally, 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. 

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.

2.14  It is essential that the Research Degrees Team be informed of the offer as soon as the letter is sent to the student and a copy of all correspondence relating to the offer must be lodged with the Research Degrees Team.