The regulations in this section cover the preparations and conduct of an oral examination (viva) for a postgraduate research (PGR) student, including for doctoral degrees by published works.
20.1. Research degree examinations require an individual oral examination, which should normally be conducted within four months of submission. An oral examination is required even if the examiners identify significant problems during their initial assessment of the dissertation.
20.2. The oral examination allows the examiners to:
20.2.1. Assess whether the student has achieved the relevant award criteria.
20.2.2. Question the student on the substance of their work.
20.2.3. Assess the ability of the student to present and defend intellectual arguments.
20.2.4. Assess the student’s knowledge and understanding of the discipline and the relevant literature.
20.2.5. Verify that the student’s work is their own and to assess the extent of any collaboration.
20.3. If a PGR student is unable to participate in an oral examination in the event of their death, severe illness or other debilitating condition, the policy on failure to complete assessment for research degrees should be considered.
20.4. The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students) or nominee can exempt a PGR student from attending an oral examination for other significant causes. An appropriate alternative to the oral examination would be required to allow the examiners to assess the student.
20.5. The policy on failure to complete assessment for research degrees and exemptions from the oral examination are separate from reasonable adjustments related to disability and from exceptional circumstances that might affect a student’s performance at the oral examination. Reasonable adjustments and exceptional circumstances are covered by their own rules.
20.6. The examiners complete preliminary reports before the oral examination and a joint final report after the examination has been completed, as described in the examination reports and guidance on corrections section.
20.7. The PGR student, their supervisors, the School PGR Director, and the examiners must avoid any action that might be seen to impair the examiners’ ability to make a fair and impartial assessment of the student’s work.
20.8. Examiners must not comment on drafts of the student’s dissertation prior to the examination.
20.9. PGR Students and their supervisors must not contact examiners prior to the examination beyond discussing the practical arrangements for the oral examination with the internal examiner (or independent chair if there are no internal examiners). This discussion can include raising any reasonable adjustments or relevant exceptional circumstances.
20.10. The internal examiner co-ordinates the practical arrangements for the oral examination. If there is no internal examiner, the independent chair will act as the co-ordinator. If there is more than one internal examiner, the School PGR Director must nominate one of them to act as the co-ordinator.
20.11. Where an independent chair is appointed because the internal examiner is inexperienced, the internal examiner still co-ordinates the oral examination with the independent chair providing any necessary guidance.
20.12. The co-ordinator must ensure that the PGR student is given at least ten days’ notification of the date of the oral examination.
20.13. PGR Students with a disability can be offered reasonable adjustments to the oral examination. Students must contact Disability Services for advice.
20.14. If necessary, a Study Support Plan (SPP) from Disability Services will make recommendations for reasonable adjustments appropriate for the PGR student. The PGR student and their supervisors must ensure that the School PGR Director and the internal examiner (and/or independent chair if appointed) are aware of the Study Support Plan.
20.15. The examiners (and independent chair if appointed), under guidance from the School PGR Director and/or the Faculty PGR Director, must take any recommendations for reasonable adjustments specified in a Study Support Plan into account during the oral examination.
20.16. If there are exceptional circumstances not related to a disability that could affect a PGR student’s performance at the oral examination, the student or their supervisors can raise this with the School PGR Director and the internal examiner (and/or the independent chair if appointed).
20.17. Where appropriate, the examiners (and independent chair if appointed), under guidance from the School PGR Director and/or the Faculty PGR Director, can take any exceptional circumstances into account during the oral examination.
20.18. Oral examinations are not routinely recorded. The Faculty PGR Director can approve the recording of an oral examination where there is justification and with the agreement of the student and the examiners. Approval must be sought prior to the start of the oral examination.
20.19. The Faculty PGR Director can approve other special arrangements for the oral examination on the same basis.
20.20. Schools can seek agreement from the Faculty PGR Director for the regular use of recording or other special arrangements for oral examinations.
20.21. Oral examinations are usually held in person at the University of Bristol but can be held partly online or fully online. The examiners and the PGR student must agree how the oral examination will operate with the arrangements being approved by the School PGR Director and the Faculty PGR Director.
20.22. If the oral examination is partly or fully online, the policy for online oral examinations must be followed.
20.23. In exceptional circumstances, the Faculty PGR Director can approve a request for the oral examination to be held in person in a physical location outside of the University of Bristol. The examiners and PGR student must agree on the location.
20.24. Observers can attend the oral examination if the examiners and PGR student agree to their presence and if this is approved by School PGR Director and the Faculty PGR Director. Observers can be a student’s supervisor/s or other individuals.
20.25. Observers cannot contribute to the discussion during the oral examination.
20.26. Observers cannot see the examiners’ preliminary reports and must withdraw before the examiners start to consider their recommendation. The only exception to this rule is where an observer is an inexperienced academic, who has no close links to the student, and who is attending specifically to gain knowledge of the full examination process.
20.27. Throughout the examination process, examiners (and independent chair if appointed) must treat the PGR student’s work with strict confidence.
20.28. The examiners (and independent chair if appointed) must ensure that the examination is conducted fairly, and that the PGR student is given optimum opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of their project and of the wider research field through the dissertation and in the oral examination.
20.29. All examiners participate in the oral examination with an external examiner normally taking the lead in the discussion of the student’s dissertation. An independent chair, if appointed, presides over the oral examination but only participates as needed to direct the examiners on the regulations and procedures for examination. The independent chair can also provide procedural guidance to the PGR student and can consider any wellbeing issues.
20.30. All participants in the oral examination must behave with respect, courtesy and with integrity towards those present. The oral examination must be conducted in an appropriate and professional manner.
20.31. The oral examination must be conducted in English unless the Faculty PGR Director has approved a request from a PGR student in Modern Languages, who has submitted a dissertation in another language, to hold the oral examination in that language. The examiners must agree to the oral examination being held in another language.
20.32. Examiners (and the independent chair if appointed) are responsible for ensuring that the oral examination is conducted fairly and with consideration of any reasonable adjustments or any special arrangements that have been put in place.
20.33. If examiners suspect academic misconduct (for example, the falsification of data) in the dissertation during their preparations for the oral examination, they must stop the examination process without holding an oral examination.
20.34. If during the oral examination the examiners start to suspect academic misconduct, they can ask the student questions on this matter. If concerns remain, the examiners must stop the oral examination.
20.35. If examiners suspect academic misconduct after the oral examination has concluded, they must stop the examination at that point.
20.35. The internal examiner (or the independent chair if appointed) must inform the student that the examination has been stopped because of a suspected academic misconduct. The examiners must then follow the policy on academic misconduct for PGR examinations and awards.
