The regulations in this section cover the selection and approval of internal examiners, external examiners, and independent chairs for research degree examinations.
19.1. PGR students and their supervisors must agree on an intended submission date and discuss potential examiners. The main supervisor must propose examiners and, if necessary, an independent chair on the appointment form no later than three months before the agreed intended submission date.
19.2. Examiners are fundamental to the integrity of examinations and to the academic standards of research degrees. External examiners also assure that research degrees at the University of Bristol remain comparable with other institutions.
19.3. Examiners assess a PGR student’s dissertation (or submission for a doctoral degree by published works) and performance in the oral examination and determine if the student has achieved the relevant award criteria.
19.4. An independent chair, if appointed, oversees the examination process but is not an examiner.
19.5. Examiners and, if appointed, the independent chair are collectively responsible for ensuring that the examination is conducted appropriately and in line with regulation.
19.6. The examining panel must consist of a minimum of two examiners of which at least one must be an external examiner.
19.7. A typical examining panel will comprise one internal examiner and one external examiner, but other configurations are permissible.
19.8. Additional examiners could be appointed, for example, if the examination of a dissertation requires wider expertise or if a larger panel is required by a partnership agreement.
19.9. An independent chair will be appointed to oversee an examination in specific circumstances, but they are not required for all examinations.
19.10. If a PGR student is a member of staff at the University of Bristol (or if they may become a member of staff before they are awarded), the examining panel will usually consist of two external examiners without an internal examiner.
19.11. The Faculty PGR Director can waive the requirement to appoint two external examiners if they are satisfied that there is no perceived conflict of interest or any other reason that could undermine the impartiality of an internal examiner.
19.12. Examiners must be competent and respected individuals in their area of study.
19.13. Examiners must hold a research degree or have other relevant expertise.
19.14. An individual who is registered for a research degree cannot be appointed as an examiner.
19.15. The examining panel (including the independent chair if appointed) must collectively have adequate experience of examining research degrees.
19.16. Any examiner who has not completed the examination of at least two research degree students is deemed to be inexperienced. If any examiner is inexperienced, an independent chair must be appointed.
19.17. An internal examiner must normally be a non-probationary member of academic staff at the University of Bristol holding an open contract of employment of at least 0.5FTE.
19.18. Exceptionally, an honorary, visiting, or emeritus member of academic staff at the University of Bristol, who meets the other appointment criteria, can be selected as an internal examiner but normally with the addition of an independent chair.
19.19. An internal examiner must fulfil the following criteria:
19.19.1. They must not have any connection with the student, the research project, or the supervisors, that could be seen as undermining their ability to make a fair and impartial assessment of the student’s work.
19.19.2. They must understand the regulations and procedures for examination, which can be with the assistance of an independent chair if necessary.
19.20. If a proposed internal examiner has been a reviewer for an annual progress monitoring review for the student, the Faculty PGR Director must be satisfied that their level of involvement with the research project has not undermined their ability to make a fair and impartial assessment.
19.21. An external examiner must fulfil the following criteria:
19.21.1. They must have the required expertise in the student’s research area.
19.21.2. They must be a member of academic staff at another institution or, where appropriate, from professional practice or industry.
19.21.3. They must not have any connection with the student, the research project, the supervisors, or with the University of Bristol could be seen as undermining their ability to make a fair and impartial assessment of the student’s work.
19.22. Emeritus staff from other universities can be appointed as an external examiner if they are still appropriately active in the field.
19.23. University of Bristol honorary, visiting, and emeritus staff cannot be external examiners, but they can exceptionally be internal examiners.
19.24. An individual who has held a post at the University of Bristol, including in honorary or visiting roles, cannot be an external examiner until five years after they have left the University.
19.25. An individual cannot be appointed as an external examiner more than twice in one year except in either of the following circumstances:
19.25.1. If an external examiner has been appointed for multiple research master’s examinations.
19.25.2. If the Faculty PGR Director has approved an exemption to this rule because of the specific circumstances of an examination.
19.26. External examiners cannot be appointed through a reciprocal arrangement with another institution unless this relates to a partnership agreement.
19.27. An individual from a partner institution can be appointed as an external examiner if they do not have any connection with the student, the research project, the supervisors, the University of Bristol, or with the partnership that could be seen as undermining their ability to make a fair and impartial assessment of the student’s work.
19.28. Individuals from other institutions can be appointed as an internal examiner if this is specified in a partnership agreement. In these cases, an independent chair and/or an additional internal examiner from the University of Bristol must also be appointed.
19.29. Where a partnership agreement permits academics from another institution to be an internal examiner, individuals from that institution cannot be appointed as an external examiner for any students linked to that partnership.
19.30. An individual who was employed by a partner institution where they were permitted to be an internal examiner cannot be appointed as an external examiner for students linked to the partnership until five years after the individual has left that partner institution.
19.31. The Faculty PGR Director can appoint an external examiner for a period of three years to cover multiple research master's examinations. An external examiner appointed under this approach can examine up to 15 students within those three years.
19.32. An extended appointment can cover, for example, a cohort-based research master’s programme or a research area where several research master’s students are registered at the same time.
19.33. An external examiner with an extended appointment must still be approved on the appointment form for each individual student.
19.34. At the end of an extended appointment, an external examiner cannot be re-appointed to this role for at least five years.
19.35. An independent chair must be appointed in any of the following circumstances:
19.35.1. There are only external examiners on the examining panel.
19.35.2. An examiner/s is inexperienced (they have not completed the examination of at least two research degree students).
19.35.3. The Faculty PGR Director decides that an academic with extensive experience is required to oversee the examination.
19.36. An independent chair must fulfil the following criteria:
19.36.1. They must be an academic member of staff employed by the University of Bristol and have a good understanding of examination regulations and procedures.
19.36.2. They must have extensive experience of oral examinations as an examiner. The Faculty PGR Director will decide on the level of experience required, but the independent chair’s experience must at least exceed the level required to be an experienced examiner.
19.36.3. They must not have any significant connections to the student or to the research project.
19.37. An individual who is registered for a research degree cannot be appointed as an independent chair.
19.38. Where an independent chair is required, the main supervisor can ask the School PGR Director to recommend an appropriate academic to undertake the role.
19.39. The Faculty PGR Director, on behalf of Senate, appoints examiners and independent chairs for research degrees.
19.40. The School PGR Director agrees the proposed examiners and, if necessary, the independent chair before the Faculty PGR Director grants formal approval.
19.41. If the School PGR Director or the Faculty PGR Director has a close link to the student – for example, if they are a supervisor or a proposed examiner – they must nominate another senior member of academic staff in the school or faculty to approve appointments.
