The following tables give information on procedural matters and deadlines for research students and supervisors. The procedures cover full-time and part-time students (though the deadlines for part-time students may be different – check the memos), and the memos give more details on what is expected at each stage.
All paperwork will also be emailed out by the PG Office at the relevant time, and forms related to College procedures are also available from the Registry.
The timing of the exercises is given in months after initial registration; the month in brackets underneath assumes a nominal October start and should be adjusted for students who enrolled at other times, or who have been on interruptions of studies.
General Enquiries: Loli Sanchez (Postgraduate Administrator), Blackett 315. Tel: x47512. email: l.sanchez@imperial.ac.uk
Schedule Summary
Higher Degree - PhD
Minimum Period of attendance*
- 24 months - Full Time
- Part Time equivalent decided by College
- RA's and other members of staff depends on their contracts
* The minimum is 24 months; however the standard period of full-time study for a research degree is 3 years.
Registration for Higher Degree
Registration must occur within one month of the beginning of the course.
Direct PhD Registration
3 month initial research plan: as part of the learning agreement between student and supervisor, the planned direction for the thesis work is drafted at this stage.
Early Stage Review normally within 12 months of initial registration (for full-time students).
Students who fail the Early stage review at the first attempt will normally be invited to repeat the process within 6 weeks.
Students who fail the Early stage review at the first attempt will normally be invited to repeat the process within 6 weeks.
Late Stage Review normally within 24 months of initial registration (for full-time students)
Further progress review at 36M and 42M (for full-time students)
PhD Thesis Entry for Examination
includes submission of thesis title and nomination of examiners
Entry to the examination must be made through My Imperial online:
- at least 12 weeks before the submission of thesis and
- no later than 44 months after initial registration
- (for full-time students) and
- within 1 year of completion of the course.
Exam entry is valid for 18 months.
Thesis Submission
Thesis cannot normally be submitted after 48 months after the date of initial registration for full time students and staff.
Thesis Regulations can be found at Exam Entry.
Part time students should submit their thesis no later than 72 months after the date of initial registration.
*If there are mitigating circumstances that prevent submission of the thesis within 48M these should normally be identified at the 42 month review or earlier
Procedural timetable tabs
Month 1 (Oct)
Annual Registration
All students are required to enrol each year at the start of session. They will get a prompt email from Records. We encourage you to enrol as soon as possible using the My Imperial student portal.
Months 2-3 (Nov-Dec)
Research Proposal Confirmation (RPC)
Students are required to complete a research plan with their supervisor within 6-12 weeks of registration.. A memo and proforma are emailed to PG students and copied to supervisors. You will need to submit the completed and signed forms on Blackboard.
Month 12 (September)
Early Stage Assessment Form
Students are required to complete an Early Stage Assessment form at the twelve month stage of registration. You will need to submit the completed and signed forms on Blackboard.
ACADEMIC MENTOR
In addition to your supervisor*, all students must have an academic mentor. The main role of the academic mentor is a pastoral one. It is not intended that the academic mentor should act as a second supervisor or co-supervisor. Each research community has one academic member of staff assigned as an academic mentor for all the PGR students in the community. A list of academic mentors is available here. Your academic mentor will be sending you an email (if they haven’t already done so) and you should feel free to contact them at any point during your time here.
* Note that some students will have more than one supervisor because their research area is interdisciplinary and requires more than one specialist to be involved with the project. In this case there usually is a primary supervisor and a secondary supervisor.
In addition there is the Departmental PG welfare Tutor, Prof Jerry Chittenden, whose role it is to resolve any welfare issues in confidence that cannot be dealt with at community level.
Month 13 (Oct)
Annual Registration
All students are required to enrol each year at the start of session. They will get a prompt email from Student Records. We encourage you to enrol as soon as possible using the My Imperial student portal.
Month 24 (September)
24th Month Late Stage Review
This should be submitted by the end of the second year. You will need to submit the completed and signed forms on Blackboard.
Academic Mentor
In addition to your supervisor*, all students must have an academic mentor. The main role of the academic mentor is a pastoral one. It is not intended that the academic mentor should act as a second supervisor or co-supervisor. Each research community has one academic member of staff assigned as an academic mentor for all the PGR students in the community. A list of academic mentors is available here. Your academic mentor will be sending you an email (if they haven’t already done so) and you should feel free to contact them at any point during your time here.
* Note that some students will have more than one supervisor because their research area is interdisciplinary and requires more than one specialist to be involved with the project. In this case there usually is a primary supervisor and a secondary supervisor.
In addition there is the Departmental PG welfare Tutor, Prof Jerry Chittenden, whose role it is to resolve any welfare issues in confidence that cannot be dealt with at community level.
General
All students are required to enrol each year at the start of session. They will get a prompt email from Student Records. We encourage you to enrol as soon as possible using the My Imperial student portal.
PhD Exam Entry
All candidates must enter for examination at least four months prior to thesis submission.
To enter for examination, candidates should refer to the Examination Entry milestone visible in the Research Degree Milestones tile in My Imperial, where you will be asked to provide details relating to your research topic, thesis title and expected date of submission.
Your main supervisor will be asked to nominate examiners for your thesis, in accordance with the College's Procedure for Appointment of Examiners for Research Degrees.
The examination entry details and the examiner nominations will then be considered by the Director of Postgraduate Studies. Upon their approval, the examination entry will be processed by the Assessment Records Team and you will receive written notification via email once your entry to examination is confirmed.
Please note that candidates must submit their thesis by the given deadline displayed via My Imperial, regardless of the status of the examination entry paperwork.
The forms can be found within the Research Degrees website at http://www.imperial.ac.uk/student-records-and-data/for-current-students/research-degrees/examination-information/
Month 25 (Oct)
Annual Registration
All students are required to enrol each year at the start of session. They will get a prompt email from Student Records. We encourage you to enrol as soon as possible using the My Imperial student portal.
Month 31 (April)
Thesis Progress Review
This is your third-year progress report, and is due by the end of month 34 (July). Please send the completed forms to Loli Sanchez
Month 35 (Aug)
Writing Up Status
Students who wish to retain access to College facilities whilst writing up their thesis may register for a 12-month writing up period. Students will then be awarded “writing up status.”
Please read the Writing Up Procedure Guidance notes [pdf], and return a completed Writing Up Status and send it to the PG Office l.sanchez@imperial.ac.uk.
Students will be eligible, where appropriate, for Council Tax exemption if they were registered as full time students immediately prior to going on to writing up.
Please note:
- To be eligible to register as a writing up student, a research student must have met the minimum registration requirements, completed all experimental and programming work, and be able to demonstrate that they are in a position to submit the thesis within 12 months.
- To be considered eligible for entry to writing up, students must have successfully completed the progression milestone requirements for their registered programme of study. This includes both the Early-Stage Assessment and Late-Stage Review, where applicable.
- As part of the Progress Review, students should submit a timetable of remaining work for review, which must be recommended by the Main Supervisor and approved by the Director of Postgraduate Studies (or nominee), who will confirm that the Progress Review milestone has been completed.
- Students are expected to submit their Exam Entry Form through their MyImperial no later than 4 months prior to their expected submission date.
- The Writing Up registration procedure cannot exceed 12 months and should usually follow immediately after the end of the student’s normal registration period.
Students who do not need or wish to register for the writing up procedure at the end of their standard research period (3 years) will need to contact us and if necesary register paying a further registration fee.
If the student is an international student, there may be visa implications. They should contact the International Student Support Office for further advice.
ACADEMIC MENTOR
In addition to your supervisor*, all students must have an academic mentor. The main role of the academic mentor is a pastoral one. It is not intended that the academic mentor should act as a second supervisor or co-supervisor. Each research community has one academic member of staff assigned as an academic mentor for all the PGR students in the community. A list of academic mentors is available here. Your academic mentor will be sending you an email (if they haven’t already done so) and you should feel free to contact them at any point during your time here.
* Note that some students will have more than one supervisor because their research area is interdisciplinary and requires more than one specialist to be involved with the project. In this case there usually is a primary supervisor and a secondary supervisor.
In addition there is the Departmental PG welfare Tutor, Prof Jerry Chittenden, whose role it is to resolve any welfare issues in confidence that cannot be dealt with at community level.
Month 37 (Oct)
Annual Registration
All students are required to enrol each year at the start of session. They will get a prompt email from Student Records. We encourage you to enrol as soon as possible using the My Imperial student portal.
Month 42 (March)
Thesis Progress Review
Students who register for a fourth year are required to submit an additional thesis progress review. Please send your completed forms to Loli Sanchez
Month 44 (May)
Deadline for PhD Exam Entry
All candidates must enter for examination at least four months prior to thesis submission through their My Imperial.
To enter for examination, candidates should refer to the Examination Entry milestone visible in the Research Degree Milestones tile in My Imperial, where you will be asked to provide details relating to your research topic, thesis title and expected date of submission.
Your main supervisor will be asked to nominate examiners for your thesis, in accordance with the College's Procedure for Appointment of Examiners for Research Degrees.
The examination entry details and the examiner nominations will then be considered by the Director of Postgraduate Studies. Upon their approval, the examination entry will be processed by the Assessment Records Team and you will receive written notification via email once your entry to examination is confirmed.
Please note that candidates must submit their thesis by the given deadline displayed via My Imperial.
All the information on Thesis Submission, Vivas and Awards can be found at Thesis Submission.
Month 46 (July)
Late Entry Case
A late case for late submission must be made using the relevant form. The case should be sent to the Director of Postgraduate Studies for approval and then to be considered by the Graduate School. Complete all the fields on the form below which is also available from https://www.imperial.ac.uk/student-records-and-data/for-current-students/research-degrees/administration/.
Month 48 (Sep)
DEADLINE FOR THESIS SUBMISSION
Full-time students should submit their thesis within 48 months of initial registration. Official interruptions of study are taken into account in calculating the 48 months. Part-time students should normally submit within 96 months (48 months prior for those that registered prior to October 2021).
ACADEMIC MENTOR
In addition to your supervisor*, all students must have an academic mentor. The main role of the academic mentor is a pastoral one. It is not intended that the academic mentor should act as a second supervisor or co-supervisor. Each research community has one academic member of staff assigned as an academic mentor for all the PGR students in the community. A list of academic mentors is available here. Your academic mentor will be sending you an email (if they haven’t already done so) and you should feel free to contact them at any point during your time here.
* Note that some students will have more than one supervisor because their research area is interdisciplinary and requires more than one specialist to be involved with the project. In this case there usually is a primary supervisor and a secondary supervisor.
In addition there is the Departmental PG welfare tutor, Prof Jerry Chittenden, whose role it is to resolve any welfare issues in confidence that cannot be dealt with at community level.