Ph.D. Student Research Degree Requirements
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Affiliated Research Centre of the Open University
Once a student has been selected (see Student Selection Procedures) they must register for a degree with the Open University: (see Registration with the Open University)
In consultation with the Scientific Director and relevant Institute officials, the Research Degree Coordinator (RDC) administers the graduate student training programme and chairs the Graduate Programme Coordinating Committee.
The bulk of the scientific research project, in fulfillment of the requirements for a PhD with the Open University, consists of experimental laboratory investigation, in addition to any specific training needs, and submission and oral defense of a written thesis.
Coursework related to the project may be recommended by the Student Advisory Committee. The student must actively participate in the training programme of the Stowers Institute, which includes an ethics course, verbal and written skills required for scientists, safety training, animal care and use training (if appropriate), human subjects training (if appropriate), as well as any courses and workshops that are recommended by the supervisors and/or Student Advisory Committee.
The student will meet regularly with the research supervisor(s) to discuss research progress and plans. These meetings will be documented and meeting notes should be kept by the student. Copies of these records should also be given to the supervisor(s). This information should include meeting date, participants, achievements and goals/plan of action. (Suggested form)
The student will meet with his/her Student Advisory Committee at least twice per year. After each meeting, the Chair of the Advisory Committee will write an evaluation which summarizes the Committee’s assessment of the student’s progress. This evaluation will be provided to the student and submitted to the Research Degree Coordinator within two weeks of each meeting.
An annual report must be written by the student summarizing the research progress and directions for the remainder of the 3 year programme. (see Annual Reports from Students) at the anniversary of the initiation of the student’s programme or when required by the Open University, whichever comes first. The review of the report will include an oral presentation of the research by the student, followed by discussion with the committee of the future directions and plan for completing the research project within the recommended 3 year programme. The written report must be approved by the Student Advisory Committee before it is submitted to the RDC, who will forward a copy to the Open University. Dissertation Thesis
The student is required to give the RDC in the ARC at least three months notice of her/his intention to submit a thesis. Notification should include confirmation of the thesis title and a proposed date for submission.
All students must format the PhD dissertation according to the Open University recommendations (see Open University Resources, Guidance notes on the side bar for links to current guidance and forms). All paper size (A4), margins, line spacing and font size should conform to these guidelines. Any published papers that are to be included in the dissertation must be re-formatted to these guidelines. Each dissertation must include the following sections:
Title (Required)
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents (Required)
List of Figures and Tables (Required)
Abbreviations (if applicable)
Abstract (Required)
General Introduction including Review of Literature (Required)
General Materials and Methods (if applicable)
Results -can be in chapter form and include specific Materials and Methods and discussion of results (Required)
General Discussion and/or Conclusions (Required)
Bibliography or References (Required)
Appendix (if applicable)
Examination
The composition of the examination panel are specified by the Open University in their guidance notes. The examination panel will normally consist of one internal examiner, who is a member of staff at SIMR or a collaborating establishment (such as KUMC) and one external examiner, who will normally be a member of academic staff at another university or research institution. At least one member of the examination panel should have previous experience of research degree supervision and examination of a UK PhD degree. No examiner should have had any influence in the supervision of the student, or in the design and implementation of the student’s project; or any collaborative relationship with the supervisor(s), or any vested interest in the students successful completion. Members of the examination panel should be entirely independent of the candidate and each other. Further clarification of the criteria for examiners is provided in the OU guidance documents.
Once the examination panel has been approved, the student should submit three copies of her/his thesis to the Research Degree Coordinator, together with the completed student declaration form (SE13). The Viva (Defense) is arranged by the Research Degree Coordinator.
After the viva, the internal examiner or internal assessor will provide the Research Degree Coordinator with the completed examination panel report form and list of corrections, amendments or revisions the student may berequired to make along with a deadline for completion. If necessary, the ammended thesis will be checked by the nominated examiner to confirm that they have been completed satisfactorily. The Open University Research School will confirm in writing that the academic requirements for the award of the degree have been met.
Bound Copies of the Thesis
Once the Research School has confirmed that all approvals are in place, the student provides the Open University with two final bound copies of the thesis, an additional copy of the thesis abstract, a signed library authorisation form (SE12) and, if applicable, the British Library authorisation form. These will be forwarded to the Research School of the Open University by the Research Degree Coordinator. Two additional copies must be submitted to the SIMR library, one of which is kept by Administration, the other remains in the Institute Library. Additional copies should be provided to the main supervisor(s) and one retained by the (now) graduate. Congratulations!
Specific documents to consult:
HEFC, Joint Statement of the Research Councils'/AHRB's Skills Training Requirements for Research Students, 2001. OU-ARC\S10G, Examination Guidelines, 2005.
OU-ARC\S11G, Examination Guidelines for Students, 2005. SIMR-ARC 7, Student Advisory Committee guidance, 2005.
SIMR-ARC 11, Registration with the Open University, 2005. SIMR-ARC 14, Annual Reports from Students, 2005. SIMR-ARC 15, PhD Examination for Open University Students, 2005. |
