ucl ioe phd funding

Study With Us

At CRAE, we offer a range of different ways that you can study with us.

If you are a prospective ma student….

You may be interested in our MA in Special and Inclusive Education (Autism). Led by the CRAE team, students will be introduced to cutting-edge theory and research, and consider how it links to policy and practice. This MA will appeal to students looking to develop their professional practice and/or progress to doctoral study.

To find out more about the MA Special and Inclusive Education (Autism), visit our dedicated webpage on the UCL IOE website , and/or contact the route leader and admissions tutor, CRAE’s Laura Crane .

If you are a prospective doctoral student…

IMPORTANT: Our standard application process for doctoral students is outlined below. However, Anna Remington has returned from maternity leave and Laura Crane is not potentially not able to accept applications from prospective doctoral students for the 2023-24 academic year.

Two members of CRAE staff supervise doctoral students: Anna Remington and Laura Crane .

Doctoral programmes at UCL Institute of Education begin in September of each year. It can take several months to prepare an application for a doctoral degree, so we would expect prospective students to contact us about a year in advance of when they intend to begin their studies (especially if funding needs to be sought).

If you are interested in completing a doctoral degree (e.g., PhD , EdD ) with Anna and/or Laura , please email them directly, with a copy of your CV and the following information:

• The degree you are interested in applying for (e.g., PhD, EdD)
• The research area you are interested in pursuing and, ideally, a short proposal of the work you would like to complete (usually linked to Anna/Laura’s research interests/expertise)
• A copy of your CV
• Details of when you would like to start your studies
• Whether you intend to apply for funding (and, if so, which funding schemes you are interested in applying for and what the deadlines are)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Funding Opportunities at UCL Institute of Education (IOE)

IOE-ISH Centenary Masters Scholarships 2020-2021 for Developing Countries–University College, London

• University College London in partnership with International Students House (ISH) is offering these awards: the IOE – International Student House Centenary Scholarship, and the Mary Trevelyan Centenary Scholarship (in honour of the founder of ISH). ... read more and apply

2019 IOE-ISH Centenary Doctoral Scholarship for international (non-UK and non-EU) students

• The UCL Institute of Education (IOE), United Kingdom and its partner the International Students House (ISH), offers the Centenary Doctoral Scholarship to international (non-UK and non-EU) doctoral students in developing countries scholarship to study for 2019/2020 academic session at the institute. ... read more and apply

Top Scholarships

• Wole Ogunyemi Foundation 2024 Undergraduate Scholarship Program
• 2024 Government of Hong Kong Full-Tuition Scholarships For Nigerian Students
• 2024 FEHT ED Scholarship Programme for Undergraduate Students
• 2024 Olusegun Agagu Foundation Scholarship For Undergraduate Students
• 2024 Aiyeku Foundation Scholarship For Undergraduate Students
• 2024 The Gates Scholarship (TGS) For Low-Income Undergraduate Students
• University of Leeds 2024 Undergraduate Scholarship for International Students
• Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) 2024 Annual Essay Competition
• DAAD 2024 Masters in International Development Scholarship for Developing Countries
• Encourage Science Initiative 2024 Essay competition For Nigerian Undergraduate Students

Scholarship Tips

• Best Universities for Medicine and Surgery in Nigeria 2024
• IT Schools In Lagos
• 20 Best Courses to Study in Nigeria 2024
• 12 Scholarship Application Letter Samples (PDF, DOC)
• Federal Government student loan qualification, application and repayment
• How to Print JAMB Examination Slip 2024
• List Of NYSC Orientation Camps In Nigeria
• List Of Bauchi State Scholarship Accredited Centers And Their Locations 2024
• Scholarships by Category
• Postgraduate
• Undergraduate
• College School
• Research Grant
• Entrepreneurs
• Graduate Programme
• Scholarships by Country
• United Kingdom
• United States
• South Africa
• Switzerland

Special Fundings

• Women Scholarships
• Study Abroad
• Partially Funded
• Fully Funded
• Innovation Network
• Innovation Exchange
• Innovation Awards
• Innovation Fellowships
• Innovation Funding
• Innovation Challenge
• Innovation Programme
• Government grants
• Scholarships by School
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Pretoria
• University of Ghana
• University of Cambridge
• Oxford University
• Harvard University
• University of London
• University of Cape Town
• University of Oxford
• University of Toronto
• Scholarships by Sponsor
• Mastercard Foundation
• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
• United Nations
• MTN Foundation
• African Union
• One Young World
• Access Bank PLC
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use

Scholarship Categories

• Undergraduate Scholarships
• Masters Scholarships
• Postgraduate Scholarships
• PhD Scholarships
• Study Abrod Scholarships
• NGO Scholarships
• JAMB CBT Centers

Scholarships By

• Scholarships by Course
• Scholarships by State
• Scholarships Gender

Other Locations

• Study Abroad Scholarships
• Scholarships for African Students
• Scholarships in UK
• Scholarships in Canada
• Study Abroad Community

The UCL, Bloomsbury and East London Doctoral Training Partnership

The UCL, Bloomsbury and East London Doctoral Training Partnership is an ESRC funded organisation that unites six leading social science institutions.

UBEL is a Doctoral Training Partnership between University College London, Birkbeck University of London, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, SOAS University of London, University of East London and University of Greenwich.

UBEL is one of the  15 Doctoral Training Partnerships  across the UK funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) , providing postgraduate students with high-quality social science research training.   

Studentship Competitions

UBEL offers fully funded and co-funded ESRC studentships cover payment of tuition fees per year to eligible students.

Current Students

Find information about managing your studentship and get support with any issues that may be affecting your ability to study.

The UCL, Bloomsbury and East London Doctoral Training Partnership is an ESRC funded organisation that unites five leading social science institutions.

The DTP’s strategic vision is driven by a shared emphasis on interdisciplinary research; a multiplicity of existing connections within and across the partners; a joint apetite for engagement with non-academic partners; and a collective embedding in London, a super-diverse city with global reach and one of the largest populations of doctoral students anywhere in the world.

We are guided by a collective aim to foreground learning how to work across boundaries(disciplinary, institutional and professional) and work to produce graduates with the ability and flexibility to operate at the highest level within the London context and elsewhere, moving between local, national and international concerns. 

Find the right competition for you

ESRC Studentships Main Competition

ESRC Co-funded studentships

ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships

Is a PhD right for me?

Meet our students.

Shomo Basu Birkbeck , University of London

Kieran Robson University of East London

Hamda Mohamed University of East London

Since 2017 UBEL has:

studentships on average per annum across competitions

in our community of funded students

partner institutions

research pathways

non academic partners

Clara Fabian-Therond – Macmillan Cancer Support

Understanding relationships between science, society, gender inequality and cancer Clara Fabian-Therond and Macmillan Cancer Support Throughout March, Macmillan Cancer Support have been publishing a series

Sara Tofiq’s experience with the OLive Scheme

I volunteered with refugees and asylum seekers in the second year of my PhD. The Olive initiative, led in partnership with Bristol University, University of

UKRI Policy Internships Scheme 2023/24

As part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s postgraduate training portfolio, the UKRI Policy Internships scheme provides an opportunity for UKRI-funded doctoral students to undertake

Get in touch

The UBEL DTP support team provide guidance to prospective and current students in relation to ESRC guidelines and internal DTP processes. The UBEL DTP support team are in regular contact with partner colleagues as well as the Director and Deputy Director.  

Alison Freeman ( [email protected] ) – DTP Manager  

Jamie Kozak ( [email protected] ) – DTP Co-ordinator  

Gita Tailor ( [email protected] ) – DTP Administrator  

Freya Moores ( [email protected] ) – DTP Administrator

Current Students Managing your Studentship Funding Opportunities Training and Development Student Support International Institutional Visit Research Training Support Grant (RTSG)

Studentship Competitions Groupings and Pathways ESRC Studentships Main Competition ESRC Co-Funded Studentships ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships

Training and Development Core Skills Events

About UBEL Governance Partner Institutions Contact

© 2023 UBEL DTP All rights reserved.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

IOE Centenary Masters Scholarships

Last updated: 19 Mar 2024 | CURRENTLY CLOSED

Deadline: 3 May 2024 (annual) Study in: London, UK Course starts Sept/Oct 2024

Brief description:

For 2024/25, IOE is offering Centenary Masters Scholarships for students who plan to work either in their home country, or another, to improve the circumstances of disadvantaged, excluded or underachieving citizens.

Host Institution(s):

Institute of Education, University College London in UK

Field(s) of study:

Full-time Taught Master’s Degree programmes offered at UCL Institute of Education

Please note that these scholarships are not available for the MA Educational Neuroscience or for any online courses.

Number of Scholarships:

Not specified

Target group:

Students from low or lower-middle income countries according to World Bank

Scholarship value/inclusions:

Scholarships will cover full tuition fees and accommodation at International Students House for one academic year. Please note that these scholarships do not cover subsistence in London, travel, or any other costs.

The scholarships are tenable for one academic year, subject to satisfactory progress.

Eligibility:

In order to apply for the Centenary Master’s Scholarships, candidates should:

• • domiciled in an eligible low or lower-middle income country according to the World Bank classification (see above list)
• • have an official unconditional offer to study a full time master’s degree at IOE (letter issued by UCL Admissions)
• • not have studied or lived in the UK before.

Application instructions:

Applications are currently closed.

To be eligible for the scholarship, you must have an unconditional offer to study a full time masters degree in London at the UCL Institute of Education. Once you receive your unconditional offer letter, you can complete and submit an online application form. Deadline is 3 May 2024 .

It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

Official Scholarship Website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/about-ioe/global-reach/scholarships-and-funding

Disclaimer: This is NOT the official scholarship page. This is only a one-page summarized listing of the scholarship. While we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, information may change at any time without notice. For complete and updated information, please always refer to the official website of the scholarship provider. Any reliance you place on information from scholars4dev.com is strictly at your own risk. Please read our Terms of Use for more information.

• University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowships
• Danish State Tuition Fee Waivers and Scholarships at Roskilde University
• University of Melbourne Graduate Research Scholarships
• University of Sydney International Scholarship
• Singapore International Graduate Award
• Eric Bleumink Scholarships at University of Groningen
• University of the People Online Tuition Free Degrees
• Joint Japan World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program
• DAAD Scholarships in Germany for Development-Related Postgraduate Courses
• 10+ Scholarships in Canada for International Students
• Top 25 Scholarships in USA for International Students
• Top 5 Countries Where Tuition is Free in 2024
• 10 Distance Learning Scholarships & Tuition Free Online Degree/Courses
• Top 10 Scholarships in Italy for International Students
• 35+ International Scholarships for Development-Related Studies
• Top 10 Prestigious Scholarships for the Best International Students
• Top 15 International Scholarships for Developing Country Students
• Germany Tuition Free Universities and Scholarships for International Students
• 20+ Tuition Scholarships offered by Universities for International Students
• Top 10 Scholarships for Study in Any Country or Anywhere
• Top 25 Foreign Government Scholarships for International Students

Home | About | Contact | Sitemap | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright

IOE - Faculty of Education and Society

Research in the Department of Psychology and Human Development (PHD).

• Current research  
• Centres in the deparment

Current and recent research, funded by a wide range of bodies such as the  Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) , the  Leverhulme Trust  and the  Nuffield Foundation  among others, includes:

• School organisational contexts for learning.
• Language, literacy and numeracy.
• Teaching processes and pedagogy.
• Learning processes.
• Social and emotional competence.
• Special educational needs.

Our research identity is in psychology (particularly in relation to education) and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Educational neuroscience is being developed within our psychology interests.

We publish and research in the following key areas:

• Psychology and typical development, focussing on classroom practices and their relationship with learning (science, maths, literacy, class size, deployment of TAs, motivation).
• Educational neuroscience.
• SEN areas of autism, emotional disorders, hearing impairment, disorders of perception, language difficulties, learning difficulties, literacy difficulties, numeracy difficulties, visual impairment and youth offending.

Doctoral students make a valued contribution in these areas. 

Current research

• The development of empathy in adolescents
• Awareness of developmental Dyscalculia and Mathematical Difficulties toolkit (ADD UP)
• Motor and Executive Cognitive Interaction (MECI) Lab
• Child Development and Learning Difficulties Lab
• The Nurture Lab
• Better Together: a wellbeing initiative for doctoral students
• COVID-19: Global social trust and mental health
• Using technology to measure children’s social life and engagement in primary school
• Empowering staff to enhance oral language in the early years
• Multilanguage and Cognition Lab
• Practice around Access Arrangements for Students with SpLDs (PASS)

Find more about our researchers, publications, activities, groups and themes on  UCL Profiles .

Back to top   

Centres in the department

• Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE)
• Centre for Education and Criminal Justice (ECJ)
• Centre for Educational Neuroscience (CEN)
• Centre for Language, Literacy and Numeracy: Research & Practice (LLNR&P)
• UCL Centre for Inclusive Education

Psychology and Human Development IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society University College London 20 Beford Way London WC1H 0AL

Centre for Doctoral Education

Information for IOE supervisors

Supervisors at the IOE follow the guidance and procedures laid out in the UCL Academic Manual , and the  UCL Doctoral School . This page contains additional information for IOE supervisors and, in addition to the Code of Practice for Research Students a new Code of Practice for Research Staff has been launched to assist individuals in developing their roles as researchers and research leaders and to help prepare them for future career paths, whether within academia or elsewhere.

Becoming a supervisor

Good supervision, first term form, how many students can i supervise, co-supervision, co-supervision outside of the ioe, what should i do if i have concerns about a student, organising an interruption for your students, the annual progress review (apr), writing for publication, special progress review and academic insufficiency, completing research status (crs).

Examination entry

Remote Vivas

Serving as independent chairs, support for students resubmitting a thesis, tier 4 monitoring.

IOE staff who are eligible to supervise students need to complete the IOE Supervisor Approval Form and have this signed off by their Departmental Graduate Tutor. Staff are required to be a member of UCL staff; be research active; to have completed the mandatory training; and not to be on probation. To be a principal supervisor, staff must in addition have previously supervised a student through to successful completion.

Only staff based at UCL can be PhD/EdD supervisors. If a Principal Supervisor leaves UCL, they can become the Subsidiary Supervisor if they have Honorary  status or a tertiary supervisor if not. In such cases, the existing Subsidiary Supervisor can take over as Principal Supervisor, if eligible, or another member of staff can be appointed to that role.

Staff who are not eligible to be appointed as a supervisor may still join supervisory teams, but as a ‘tertiary’ supervisor. (This may be appropriate, for example, for staff who wish to gain experience of supervision, for academics based at other institutions or for retired staff who maintain some involvement with completing students.) The tertiary supervisor can be identified in the Research Student Log, but has no formal responsibilities, and is additional to the normal supervisory team.

The UCL Doctoral School and UCL Arena Centre for Research-based Education can support you in your supervision of research students through professional development and resources

How does UCL evaluate what equates to good supervision of your students? Read the Good Supervision Guide for further information and guidance.

From Autumn 2021 all new students and their supervisors should complete a first term form  within a month of the start of their studies. Copies should be uploaded to the Research Log and sent to the departmental research administrator to store. We hope this will help to address many of the questions that are raised each year by both supervisors and students and help to raise awareness of their mutual responsibilities. Please also make sure they are aware of the current Research Culture List  which we will update regularly. If you discover any new ones which need adding please tell us!

Feedback Expectations

According to UCL regulations for feedback (see  link ) the guidance states that formative feedback should be ‘received by students in good time’ (8.3.2). We suggest that good practice is for the supervisor and student to negotiate a reasonable deadline together, including whether feedback is expected to be written and returned before the next supervision, and ‘within one month’ is usually a reasonable expectation. General expectations for writing and feedback should also be discussed at the outset via the ‘First Meeting Form’.

UCL limits the number of students that anyone can supervise to the equivalent of six full-time students. However, the mechanisms used to calculate this (see section 3.4) are slightly complicated, because the weighting is reduced for part-time students and for subsidiary supervision, providing some flexibility (up to a maximum of nine individual students). Supervisors are advised to discuss the matter with their Departmental Graduate Tutor if they are in any doubt about their current load. Supervisors should be aware that this figure applies pro rata for supervisors on fractional appointments, and that the calculation of load includes students who are on Completing Research Status, and those who have interrupted their studies.

Note that the IOE’s Workload Management System (WMS) is still referred to when calculating the time allocated to doctoral supervision. The use of this varies in practice across departments, and people are advised to discuss their WMS allocation with their line manager/Head of Department. Briefly, the WMS guidance is as follows:

8 days per full-time student; 5 days per part-time student (MPhil/PhD each year in the HEFCE time frame; EdD student once IFS has started; 1 day before then)

This allocation is made per student, and would normally be shared amongst the supervisory team; additional time for supervision might be justified if, for example, they are new to supervision and attend extra supervisions for professional development, in which case these might be counted as part of the 0.05FTE allocation for service and development.

All IOE doctoral students are required to have a principal and subsidiary supervisor. We have put together some examples of models of how co-supervision can be shared , which may be helpful as points of reference when deciding how to share supervisory responsibilities.

Exceptionally, students may also have a tertiary supervisor; for all administrative purposes, these are treated as being additional subsidiary supervisors.

Students can be co-supervised with academics from across UCL. The student should normally be registered with the department of the principal supervisor, and will follow the practices established in that department for supervision, upgrade, monitoring and progression. There should be explicit discussion with the subsidiary supervisor about how to share responsibilities, to avoid any confusion or ambiguity. Financially, the students’ fees will be redistributed annually, through the ‘student load’ exercise. The default split in fees for such arrangements is that the host department receives 20% of the fee for administration and core support, and a further 35% for the principal supervision, with the department of the subsidiary supervisor receiving the final 35% of the fees.

Co-supervision with staff external to UCL is possible, but requires the individual to be appointed as an honorary member of staff which requires an application to be made by the Head of Department.

IOE staff can, at times, also co-supervise students based at other institutions. When doing so, the member of staff must meet any requirements for supervisors set by the host institution. Please note that it is at the Head of Department’s discretion whether it is necessary to invoice the host institution for a proportion of the student’s fees. If a case can be made for the developmental benefit of the supervisory arrangement for either the IOE supervisor or their department, they may choose to waive the fees; however, it is conventional under these circumstances for the time required for supervision to be counted against personal research time under the IOE’s workload management system.

If a member of staff leaves UCL, they should discuss with each student and the DGT what the best options are for the remainder of the student’s study. If the supervisor moves to an academic post at another institution, it may be possible for the student to transfer with them – but this will depend on the regulations at the new institution, and there should be careful consideration of any implications for the student’s funding. If the student remains registered at UCL, there are three options: the DGT can arrange for the supervisor to be replaced; the supervisor can be replaced, but remain involved by being made a tertiary supervisor (an informal association, which gives access to the Research Student Log); or at the Head of Department’s discretion, if there a sufficient amount of ongoing work with the department, be awarded an  honorary appointment and continue to serve formally as a supervisor.

Where a student appears to be struggling and in need of specialist help, UCL provides a suite of services that may be of help. Making sure that students are aware of these is an important first step in providing help.

If a supervisor has concerns but the student does not appear able or willing to seek support, the supervisor should complete a ‘ student of concern ‘ form so that Student and Registry Services can take appropriate action. Advice about dealing with concerns about students’ academic progress is below.

If a student needs to interrupt their studies they should download the new interruption of studies form from the UCL website, please note there is a separate form for research students that can be found in the  Interruptions for postgraduate research students’ section of this page . Interruptions should normally be for no more than 12 months.

Note that students who interrupt due to health and wellbeing issues may be required to meet with the Student Support and Wellbeing team as a condition of their return.

Doctoral students (MPhil/PhD and EdD) are expected to review their progress with their supervisors on an annual basis.  This exercise is undertaken during the Summer Term. The Annual Progress Review helps students, supervisors, the Advisory Panels, and the Departmental Graduate Tutors to monitor the work being undertaken by students.  The aim is to ensure that each student’s training, supervision and support needs are being met, and to identify difficulties the student might be experiencing, and ways to address these.  The APR process involves a discussion between supervisor(s) and students, and completing a form which will be reviewed by a departmental panel. Supervisors will receive notification via departmental administators  of the guidance, forms and deadlines, and should use the process to ensure the student is making satisfactory progress, or alert the Department Graduate Tutor to a cause for concern.

The IOE follows UCL’s guidelines for upgrading, with some minor variations. These have been implemented so that it resembles more closely the final viva process. This allows the upgrade to provide an early opportunity to practice and prepare for the final examination.

Details of the UCL upgrade procedures and the IOE variations are provided on a dedicated page of this site .

Many students seek to publish their doctoral work, either during or after their studies. Guidance on this has been provided on a separate page of this site .

UCL provides guidance on procedures for addressing poor performance in research students . The advised process for this is:

• Informal resolution with the supervisory team, which must involve letting the student know about areas of concern, giving them a chance to explain, agreeing work to be completed and confirming this in writing.
• Where informal resolution fails, referral to the Departmental Graduate Tutor, for a formal review of progress. This step is known within the IOE as a “special progress review”. As part of this step, the student will be given a second chance to improve their performance, and it is expected that a formal learning agreement will be drawn up to manage this. A learning agreement template is available for this. It is expected that the adequacy or otherwise of a student’s progress will be reviewed with a second meeting at the end of this process, and a decision will be taken by the DGT at this point, after giving the student and supervisors the opportunity to explain their view of the situation.
• The final step involves referral to the Faculty Graduate Tutor, for a third and final review of progress. This will follow a similar pattern to the special progress review, but is known at UCL as the  Academic Insufficiency Process (see 4.2 and 4.3 – last updated 2021-22 ). If a student is unsuccessful at demonstrating successful progress at this third attempt, this can result in termination of their studies.

All students following the MPhil/PhD programme are initially registered for the MPhil.

Details of these variations are provided on a dedicated page of this blog .

If your student is eligible they may register as a completing research status (CRS) student while they write up their thesis CRS guidelines. 

Since UCL relaxed the rules on CRS during the pandemic, recommending supervision continue as normal, IOE has included CRS in supervisory workload allocation. We still, however, need to ensure students are at writing up stage since we don’t want CRS to go beyond the permitted time, nor supervisors engaging for a protracted time with non fee-paying students. Do make sure you engage in a discussion about readiness for CRS before submitting this form for approval CRS Application .

The student may apply for an extension under certain circumstances. As a response to the Pandemic, any student who was registered as of 1 March 2020 will be automatically be given 18 (FT) or 36 months (PT) of CRS (writing up) status at the time they take this up –  Extensions

CRS guidelines

All students sitting for the PhD, or MPhil, examination should enter for the examination four months before they plan to submit their thesis. This is done online via the Portico tool. You can find out information here about the examination entry process.

All students will be on UCL regulations for the examination, except for those who first registered at the Institute of Education before September 2015. Students who first registered before September 2015 will be offered a choice of sitting the examination under UCL or IOE Regulations .

If successful, all students will be awarded a UCL degree, whether they take the examination under UCL or IOE Regulations. Students who first registered prior to April 2008 may be eligible for a University of London award.

Choosing examiners for vivas

UCL provides guidance in the academic manual (section 5.3) on the nomination of examiners for research degrees, which also provides more detailed advice about common issues that could prevent a panel from being approved. Anything that might compromise the independence of the process should be declared on the nomination form, for consideration during the approval process. Things that need to be declared would include joint publications (especially ongoing writing, but also any joint work that took place during the course of the student’s registration); joint research projects or funding; line management relationships; and examiners for whom the student has worked as a PGTA.

Honorary appointments at UCL can be nominated as internal examiners. The use of emeritus members of UCL staff as internal examiners is possible within the first three years after retirement, so long as the nominee remains research active. (After this, individuals can still be appointed, but only as external examiners.) It is not possible for both the internal and external examiner to hold emeritus appointments.

Note that, for the EdD, staff who have marked earlier stages of work (including the Institution Focused Study) remain eligible to act as internal examiners for the final thesis, but members of the thesis proposal panel are not.

Supervisors must complete UCL’s appointment of examiners form, which can be found along with guidance notes and other information here . Please note that UCL advises this form should be submitted four months before any planned viva date.

This form includes a ‘description of thesis’ section, which consists of the thesis title and an abstract of up to 300 words. This information is used by the board who approve the examiners. (This information was previously sent by the student on a separate form alongside the examination entry paperwork; this has now been incorporated into a single form.)

Once the form has been completed by the supervisor, it should be emailed to [email protected]. The CDE will process the form, which involves getting sign off from the relevant Departmental Graduate Tutor, appointing an independent chair for the viva, and sending the form on to the UCL registry for central approval. Once the nominated examiners have been approved, the UCL research degrees team will enter the examiners’ information on the student’s record, and then email a confirmation of the appointment to the supervisor and examiners. This email will include links to the various forms required to complete the examination.

Once this email has been received – and not before – the supervisor should schedule the date of the viva. The appointed independent chair must be involved in the scheduling process, as the viva may not proceed without them.

For information about thesis submission and remote Vivas taking place during the Covid-19 pandemic, please see information on the Response plan to coronavirus for UCL’s Postgraduate Research students .

Normally UCL requires Vivas to take place on campus, and this may again become the norm as restrictions ease. If circumstances arise that require one or more parties to take part in a viva remotely, provision for this must be made through a request to the chair of UCL’s Research Degrees Committee for a suspension of regulations. Supervisors need to complete this Suspension of Regulations online form

The IOE appoints independent chairs for all its doctoral vivas. Further information about this role is provided as a separate page on this site .

All principal supervisors are expected to chair one viva during the year, as part of the workload allocation made for their doctoral supervision. The list of eligible supervisors is drawn annually from UCL’s EROS system, to ensure it is accurate. Administrators from the CDE will approach supervisors to ask if they can chair a Viva when the proposed examiners are appointed, so that the chair can be involved in the process of scheduling the viva.

Following thesis submission, students are moved to ‘submitted’ status, which allows them to remain registered for the duration of their exam. This period can extend to 18 months, to cover those who have to resubmit. During this period, a student will continue to have access to UCL’s facilities until any required amendments. There is guidance in the regulations on their entitlements during this period ( see point 4.6 ). This situation is analogous to CRS, and the expectations of staff and student should be guided by this. Student will be entitled to their supervisor’s comments on their final draft, but not to regular tutorials.

In a situation where a student has been asked to resubmit, it may be possible (ideally by mutual agreement, but at the discretion of the department) for the student to re-register. Doing so would allow them to have regular tutorials, and to receive repeated feedback on their work, if needed.

If you have a student on a Tier 4 Visa, you will be required to fill in a short online form (sent to you by the CDE Departmental administrator) once a month to witness their engagement. In normal circumstances this must be face to face (except in July and August), but currently online supervisions are accepted as evidence.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/students/sites/students/files/tier_4_engagement_monitoring_policy_20-21_0.pdf

Recent Posts

• Administrative Data Research UK: Unlocking Linked Data for Research on Children and Young People
• Going a Step Further with Research Data: Open Scholarship at UCL
• Dr. Kusha Anand on information and digital literacies for life