Research students FAQ

Two assessors should be identified in conjunction with your supervisor, one should be internal from your division, and one external from your division (but within College).

A list of Postgraduate Education Committee reps can be found on the Postgraduate Education Committee page.

To apply for an Interruption of studies (IOS), you will need to submit a request via MyImperial. Please refer to the IoS webpage for full details on how pausing may affect your studies and specific documents required to apply.

You need to have completed all your experimental work and/or data collection, completed your minimum registration period, and all milestone assessments. The maximum writing up period is 12 months and will terminate at the thesis submission deadline if this is earlier than the writing up allowance. To enter this status, you need to complete the Writing Up Form and return it back to Jennifer or Paige for processing.

The form actually needs to be signed by the Director of Postgraduate Studies – just email or give the form to Jennifer or Paige and they will arrange the signature.

If you are self-funded, please see the fees and funding page.

The Department will provide the necessary computing facilities, but many students like to have their own laptops to take them off-site.  If buying a laptop, you can take advantage of preferential rates by purchasing it through Imperial College.

This might be because you haven’t enrolled for the academic year via your MyImperial account or because the period covered by the last bursary form has expired. Please contact Jennifer or Paige for assistance.

Yes – all forms can be submitted electronically (this is preferred). Originals are only required for degree certificates and funding letters.

Some fellowships include funds for travel to conferences and some host groups fund the cost of conference attendance. It is usual for students to be supported to attend at least one major national or international conference to present a paper; this should be discussed with your supervisor.

Unless otherwise stated, the College’s position is that all research degree students, including international students with a Student Visa, are entitled to a minimum of 30 days to a maximum of 40 days per year (including public holidays and College closure days) of annual leave (pro rata for part-time students). The full Leave Policy can be found here.

You should contact your supervisor in the first instance and then contact Jennifer or Paige to request an Interruption of Studies. Please note that this will also interrupt any bursary payments.

Please see the Graduate School pages for your exact requirements. You must complete a minimum of 2 courses before your ESA and 4 before your LSR, but you may complete as many courses as you want throughout your degree. Please note, that these courses book out extremely quickly so try to book as early as possible.

You can submit a Confidential Report Form at the next reporting window (Dec/Jan or Jun/Jul) or, if you want the issue addressed sooner, please contact Jennifer Simeon.

Yes, this is best done at the first review stage (9 months). Please contact Jennifer or Paige to discuss this.

This is usually because you have reached the end date of your registration or there is a hold on your student account. Please contact Jennifer or Paige for assistance.

The College does not prescribe any particular format and does not provide detailed guidance but offers the following information on Thesis Submission and Vivas.

You should:

• follow academic standards
• use common sense
• consult your supervisor
• if still unsure use Google instructions from more prescriptive institutions for comparison

There may well be copies of previous students’ theses available in the section for you to consult – if your supervisor doesn’t have any of these, try asking one of the local PGEC reps.

You can find all the contacts you will need to help you with your research degree on the useful contacts page. Including College level contacts to help with ID cards, International student support, ICT, records, examinations, bank letters, council tax and accommodation. You will also find divisional contacts in the Department of Surgery and Cancer to help with finance, building access as well as health and safety.

The College strives to ensure the overall wellbeing of all of our students.  If you feel you need support to maintain your wellbeing during any point of your study, you are encouraged to access any of the wellbeing services made available to our students, found here. You can also always approach Jennifer and Paige, your supervisor, your personal tutor, or anyone else on the Education Team to assist you with any issues or queries.