Triangle

This page is a source of guidance for staff undertaking supervisor, examiner or independent chair roles. It also provides information for those staff interested in undertaking research degrees or obtaining a Higher Doctorate.  

What you need to know

Staff research degrees and higher doctorates 

Staff Research Degrees:

A staff member who meets the prerequisites may be eligible to gain a research degree via the ‘staff by publication’ route. It is expected that the staff member will have already completed a significant amout of independent research work and will require less supervision compared to a standard research degree. We advise all staff interested in this path familiarise themselves with the regulations below:

Submission by a staff candidate for a research degree

Staff who do not meet these requirements may register on a standard research degree programme. However, it is not possible to be registered for a full-time PhD whilst holding a full-time contract of employment (please note, certain exceptions may apply for specific NHS schemes).

Higher Doctorates: 

Persons who meet the requirements may apply to Registry and Academic Affairs (RAA) for one of the higher doctorate degrees, including:

  • Doctor of Divinity (DD)
  • Doctor of Laws (LLD)
  • Doctor of Letters (DLitt)
  • Doctor of Music (DMus)
  • Doctor of Science (DSc) 

Anyone interested in applying should familiarise themselves with the regulations on higher doctorates detailed in the Quality Manual.

Regulations for higher doctorates

 
Guidance for supervisors 

As student’s supervisory team is appointed to provide guidance and assistance to PGR students through their entire student journey. The Quality Manual outlines in detail the responsibilities of supervisors at different points during the student’s journey. 

Supervisors are responsible for providing appropriate and regular supervision for their PGRs until submission of their thesis and any subsequent period of corrections, until such a point that examiners have reached a final decision on the award of the degree. They are also responsible for being accessible at mutually convenient times to listen and offer advice.

Supervision meetings must be at least monthly for full time candidates and two-monhtly for part time candidates, and they must be recorded on NottinghamHub at the earliest opportunity. Further guidance on attandance, including system instuctions, is detailed on staff sharepoint, here. Please also refer to PGR engagement code of practice.

Supervisors should also advise on and assist students with any change of circumstances requests that they may need to make.

When a student is close to submitting, we will request that the supervisors appoint the examiners for the examination, as detailed in the Quality Manual. The link to the Nomination of Examiners form will be provided to Supervisor(s) once student's "Intention to Submit" is approved. When appointing an examiner, all due care must be taken to avoid the nominated examiner having a conflict of interest that could impact the examination. 

School Handbook insert is available here for sharing with your student(s). Please note additional/local information may be available from School-specific sources.

 
 
Guidance for examiners 

Thank you for agreeing to act as an examiner for our research degree examination. We greatly appreciate your time, expertise, and contribution to ensuring a rigorous and supportive assessment process.

As an examiner, you will review the thesis provided to you and participate in the viva voce examination. The thesis will be sent to you as a PDF via email, together with all accompanying documentation required for the examination.

For your reference, the examination guidance outlines in detail the responsibilities of both internal and external examiners throughout each stage of the examination process. We hope you find this guidance helpful, and we are grateful for your commitment to this important role.

 
Guidance for independent chairs 

If deemed necessary, an independent, non-examining Chair may be appointed to preside over a viva voce examination.

Supervisors appointing independent chairs and those taking on the role can find all guidance here.