Approval of results

Research Degrees Examination Board (RDEB)

RDEB considers examiners’ reports at its scheduled meetings.  There is a deadline for the submission of reports for each meeting.

In exceptional circumstances, the RDEB chair can consider examiners’ reports outside of the meeting schedule. Exceptional circumstances include, for example, if the student needs the award for employment or visa reasons.

RDEB can

• Accept, change, or reject examiners’ recommendations
• Where necessary, require examiners to revise joint final reports if they the report is completed incorrectly or is insufficiently detailed

Results

When RDEB decides on a result, the following actions are taken.

A: Award unconditionally

E: (Doctoral students only) Award the relevant research master’s degree unconditionally

• The student is sent an award letter and is permitted to proceed to graduation.
• The student and their supervisors are sent copies of the examiners’ reports.
• There are no further tasks for the examiners.

B: Award with minor errors

F: (Doctoral students only) Award the relevant research master’s degree with minor errors

• The student is sent an award letter and is permitted to proceed to graduation.
• The student and their supervisors are sent copies of the examiners’ reports.
• The student is informed that – if they have not done so already – they must correct the minor errors and email their corrected dissertation to their internal examiner (or independent chair if there is no internal examiner) within 28 days of the notification.
• See the corrections and resubmissions guidance on the further tasks for examiners.

C: Require the correction of errors or omissions of substance

• The student is not awarded at this point.
• The student is sent a letter informing them of the outcome and requiring them to email their corrected dissertation to their internal examiner (or independent chair is there is no internal examiner) normally within six months of the notification.
• The student and their supervisors are sent copies of the examiners’ reports.
• See the corrections and resubmissions guidance on the further tasks for examiners.

D: Permit the student to resubmit in a revised form

G: (Doctoral students only). Permit the student to resubmit in a revised form for the relevant research master’s degree.

• The student is not awarded at this point.
• The student is sent a letter informing them of the outcome and requiring them to resubmit their dissertation for re-examination (including for a new plagiarism review) normally within twelve months of the notification.
• The student and their supervisors are sent copies of the examiners’ reports.
• See the corrections and resubmissions guidance on the further tasks for examiners.

H: Fail.

• The student is not awarded a research degree.
• The student is sent a letter informing them of the outcome.
• The student and their supervisors are sent copies of the examiners’ reports.
• There are no further tasks for the examiners.