Progress Review
The annual Progress Review is an important exercise, which allows postgraduate students to give an account of how their work has been progressing. Students should take seriously this opportunity to present and reflect on their work as well as commenting on (and – if necessary – criticising) their teaching/supervision or other aspects of the University's provision of graduate studies. The School carefully studies students' responses and – wherever possible – will take action to enhance our students' learning experience.
a) Review Procedures for PhD students:
During the first year of study at doctoral level (normally in late April of every Academic Year), PhD students will be required to upgrade from a probationary status to full PhD status.
Students at this stage are required to submit:
- a bibliographical essay reviewing the existing literature in the field OR a draft chapter OR an extended essay on a question integral to the planned dissertation OR another suitable genre of text approved by the supervisor (7,500-10,000 words),
- an essay discussing methodological, source-critical or conceptual aspects of the dissertation (3,000-5,000 words) and
- a self-assessment form.
Having examined these submissions as well as a progress report completed by the supervisor the panel will interview the PhD student. Panels will consist of two members of academic staff, who may well not have specialist expertise in the student’s area of research. While the written submissions constitute the crucial element of the review process, the interview will allow the reviewers to clarify issues raised by the submitted texts. They will also want to test the student’s ability to communicate the relevance, purpose and (intellectual as well as practical) viability of his/her research project. Students should be prepared to defend and explain the nature and significance of their work (as will be required, eventually, in their PhD viva). After the interview the reviewers will report to the Postgraduate Committee which will decide whether the student’s progress is satisfactory.
Further Progress Review Exercises will be carried out at the end of each subsequent year of doctoral research. Students will submit
- a detailed chapter plan/structural outline (indicating how much has already been completed and a timetable for completion) and
- a self-assessment form.
Supervisors will submit a progress report (they will be asked to provide specific details on the amount and quality of draft written work submitted to them). Students will then be interviewed by a two-member panel which will decide whether the student’s progress is satisfactory.
If the above process raises significant concerns about a student’s progress, they will be asked to submit material for a re-review, usually in October of the same year. The nature of this material will be decided by the Committee in consultation with the relevant PhD supervisor. The re-review will involve another interview, conducted by two different members of academic staff. If concerns about progress remain at this stage, the Committee will either recommend re-registration for a lower degree (usually MPhil) or request Termination of Studies.
For more information on progress review, see the University’s Policy for supervisors and students in research postgraduate programmes:
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/staff/policy/tlac/postgraduate/research/
b) Review Procedures for Taught Postgraduate Students:
Taught PG students will take part in a Progress Review Exercise towards the end of the first semester of their programme. Students will submit a self-assessment form and Course Directors will submit a progress report. Having read these submissions a member of staff will invite the student for a progress review.