PhD Geography, Health Sciences, Psychology SCDTP 2024-25

Academic Regulations: Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences

SchoolGeography and Environmental Science
Health Sciences
Psychology
Final AwardDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)  
With exit awards of:  
Master of Philosophy 
Programme(s)

PhD Geography SCDTP Full-Time (9277) 
PhD Geography SCDTP Part-Time (9278) 
 

PhD Health Sciences SCDTP Full-Time (9279) 
PhD Health Sciences SCDTP Part-Time (9280) 
 

PhD Psychology Full-Time SCDTP (9281) 
PhD Psychology Part-Time SCDTP (9282)  

Last modifiedApril 2024

The Academic Regulations apply to and regulate the programme(s) listed above.  

On occasion, programmes can be exempted from one or more of the clauses in the Regulations; one or more of the clauses can be varied; and programmes can impose additional requirements.

  • Exemptions are characterised by the omission of the relevant clause.
  • Variations are characterised by the replacement of the clause with alternative wording.
  • Additions are characterised by requirements in addition to those detailed in the Academic regulations.

The programmes listed have approval from the Academic Quality and Standards Subcommittee for the exemptions and/or variations and/or additions to the regulations noted below.

Exemptions

The clause(s) listed below describe where an exemption to the Regulations exists.

None apply.

Variations

The clause(s) listed below describe where a variation to the Regulations exists:

Existing University Regulation 

Regulations for Research Degrees

Approved Variation
6. Duration of Research Degrees
6.1

The duration of each research degree is set out in the following table.

DegreeMinimum length candidatureMaximum length candidature
 Full-timePart-timeFull-timePart-time
PhD - Standard Route24 months36 months48 months84 months

The duration of the SCDTP research degree is set out in the following table.

DegreeMinimum length candidatureMaximum length candidature
 Full-timePart-timeFull-timePart-time
PhD - Standard Route24 months36 months51 months90 months

Additional Requirements

The clause(s) listed below are in addition to the Regulations.

Existing University Regulation

Code of Practice for Research Degree Candidature and Supervision

Approved Variation
18. Progression Monitoring and Reviews
18.8Progression reviews must be sufficiently rigorous to provide an adequate test of the research student’s knowledge and understanding of the subject material, of progress to date, and of plans for the remainder of their candidature.  Faculties will bring to the attention of research students and relevant staff, clearly defined formats for the written report submission which will inform each Progression Review, and the criteria to be used for defining outcomes from Progression Reviews.  Any additional assessment criteria specific to the student’s programme of study will be published in the Academic Regulations.

Where the scholarship holder is required to enrol in and pass any credit-bearing taught modules in line with their funding offer and selected as a result of the Development Needs Analysis, the following regulations will apply.

  • All components requiring summative assessment will be described within the relevant module profile.  
  • The scholarship holder will be required to pass each module at the postgraduate module pass mark of 50% and achieve an average mark of 60% or above across all taught modules they are enrolled on.  
  • If the scholarship holder has an average mark of less than 60%, the SCDTP reserves the right to terminate the scholarship.
  • The scholarship holder may take referral assessments in failed taught modules.  The mark obtained at referral will be capped at the module pass mark and the capped mark will be used for calculating the average.  
  • The scholarship holder will be required to meet the standard criteria to pass the First Progression Review and the criteria associated with any credit-bearing modules as described in these regulations.
  • Failure to pass the First Progression Review at the second attempt will result in (i) transfer to MPhil candidature and withdrawal of the SCDTP scholarship, or (ii) termination of candidature. 

The scholarship holder will be required to undertake a Research in Practice placement lasting a total of 12 weeks, normally after the Second Progression (Confirmation) Review has been successfully passed.  

  • The placement is an integral and assessed part of the SCDTP PhD programme.
  • The scholarship holder will be required to complete and submit a reflective report which demonstrates their learning and skills and which will be assessed by the end of Year 3 of candidature (for full-time students) or the end of Year 5 of candidature (for part-time students). (NB: Please read the Funding Terms and Conditions with regard to the funding implications of not submitting this report). The scholarship holder will be required to meet the standard criteria to pass the Second Progression Review as described in these regulations. 
  • Should the scholarship holder fail to pass any element of the required criteria, they will be deemed to have failed their first attempt at the Second Progression Review.  Failure to pass the second attempt at the Second Progression Review will result in (i) transfer to MPhil candidature and withdrawal of the SCDTP scholarship, or (ii) termination of candidature.

These regulations should be read in conjunction with the Doctoral Programme Profile. 

Disclaimer

As a research-led University, we undertake a continuous review of our programmes to ensure quality enhancement and to manage our resources. As a result, these regulations may be revised during a student’s period of registration, however, any revision will be balanced against the requirement that the student should receive the educational service expected. Please read our Disclaimer to see why, when and how changes may be made to a student’s programme.