Research Degrees

We hope that you will find the information here both helpful and informative.

If you have any queries or feedback about the information provided in any of these pages, please contact Alison Gilry, Education Coordinator, Research Degrees.

Frequently asked questions

I am a new supervisor/new student - How do I access the e-Log?

Please refer to the UCL Doctoral School website.

How do students change their registration status (eg request study leave, interruption, CRS)?

All requests for interruption of study should be made using the interruption of study form, and then submitted to the ICH Research Degrees Office for approval by the Departmental Graduate Tutor.

Other changes to student status should be made in accordance with UCL guidelines - see Changes to your Registration Status

What is the process for the monitoring of student progress and wellbeing?

All MPhil/PhD students registered within the School of Life and Medical Sciences (SLMS) after 1st September 2019 will be required to have a Thesis Committee (TC). It is the Primary Supervisor's responsibility to appoint members to the TC. Students, supervisors, and members of the TC should familiarise themselves with the GOS ICH Thesis Committee Guidelines.

Research Student Progress Timelines:

Timescale	Form
First 4 weeks	Students should meet with their supervisor to discuss their project and draft a
4 months	Students and their Primary Supervisor will be asked to complete an and respectively
8 months	Students should complete a Form C1 Form C1 (for first year students)
Annually	Students who have been registered for approximately 6+ months, and their supervisors, are contacted each Autumn and asked to complete annual progress report forms in line with the responsibilities of students and supervisors as set out in the UCL Code of Practice for Research Degrees. (The annual progress report forms are sent to students and supervisors during the Annual Monitoring season, normally November-March.) Over the years, the annual monitoring progress procedures that we follow at ICH have been highly valued by the students. It is important, therefore, that the annual interviews are conducted promptly on the basis of all the reports (i.e. from both student and supervisor) so that any problems can be identified and dealt with at the earliest possible opportunity.

Once forms have been completed and signed, they should be returned to the ICH Research Degrees Office no later than the stated deadline.

How do students upgrade from MPhil to PhD?

ICH students and supervisors should refer to the

ICH Regulations for Upgrade of Research Degree Students from MPhil to PhD

I am a member of staff. Can I register for a research degree?

Yes. Employees of UCL normally register on a part-time basis except where the terms and conditions of the supporting grant state otherwise. The application process is the same as for external applicants.

How to apply

How much are the tuition fees for UCL staff?

For information on tuition fees, please refer to the UCL Fee Schedules (see Postgraduate Research, Institute of Child Health).

Fees are payable per annum in advance and are reviewed annually.

UCL staff may be eligible to apply for a grant of up to £865 towards the part-time tuition fee under the UCL Study Assistance Scheme.

Further information on the scheme, including the application procedure and eligibility criteria, can be found on the UCL Organisational and Staff Development website - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/od/sas/

Please note that applications for the UCL Study Assistance Scheme (UCL employees) should be made promptly.

Printed applications should be sent to the ICH Research Degrees Office for departmental authorisation.

If you are a UCL member of staff, it may be possible to pay tuition fees in monthly instalments through the payroll. Please contact Yvonne Perry in the Payroll Section at UCL for further details.

How do I formalise changes to my supervisory arrangements?

Students should ask their primary supervisor to notify the ICH Research Degrees Office of any changes to their supervisory arrangements which need to be formalised with UCL Registry.

How do I enter for my research degree examination?

Examination entry

Students are responsible for the completion and submission of the Research Degree Exam Entry Application Form and this should be done around 3-4 months ahead of their predicted submission date. The exam entry application form should be completed online, and this can be found in the 'My Studies' section of the students Portico page, under 'Research Student Administration'.

Once the student has submitted the application form online, the application will automatically be passed to the primary supervisor for approval, and then to the Departmental Graduate Tutor (Research) (DGT-R). Students will receive an email to confirm their exam entry has been successful once it has been approved by both the supervisor and DGT-R. If the exam entry form is not approved (e.g. because the Research Student log has not been completed) then an email message will be sent to the student with the reason and the student will need to resubmit their form for approval. Students will be able to track the progress of their application on Portico and will be able to submit their thesis after receiving confirmation of successful exam entry.

For step-by-step instructions on the process, please see the Research Student Administration: User Guide for Students.

Supervisors will receive an email notification to login to Portico to see the request once a student has submitted an application for exam entry. Once approved, the application will be passed to the DGT-R for review. Both the student and supervisor will receive an email notification once the application has been approved by the DGT-R and the students record has been updated.

For guidance on the process, please see the guidance notes for supervisors below. For step by step instructions, please refer to the Research Student Administration User Guide for Supervisors.

GOS ICH Exam Entry Guidance for Supervisors

Examiner Nomination

Supervisors are responsible for the completion and submission of the Examiner Nomination Form and this should be done at least 3-4 months ahead of their predicted submission date. We advise students to check with their supervisors that this has been done. In a viva there will usually be an internal (UCL) academic and an external expert academic. Supervisors can also be present as observers if the student agrees to this. When considering examiners, supervisors should consult the Academic Manual for guidance on examiner eligibility, in particular the Summary of Examiner Nomination Guidelines.

Both the examination entry and examiner nomination forms should be submitted together, if possible, to the ICH Research Degees Office for authorisation by the Departmental Graduate Tutor (Research) and approval by Registry.

Timescale for arranging the viva: Once the examiners have been appointed and all necessary checks have been carried out by Registry, the thesis will be sent to the examiners - this can take up to two weeks after the examiner appointments have been confirmed and the thesis has been submitted to Registry by the Student. Once the thesis has been sent to the examiners, supervisors should allow 1 month or so for the examiners to read the thesis before the viva takes place.
Supervisors may obtain approval from the UCL Research Degrees Team (researchdegrees@ucl.ac.uk) to send a PDF copy of the thesis to the examiners after the student has submitted the thesis to Registry. (Only supervisors are permitted to do this with Registry approval - Students are not permitted to have any direct contact with the examiners.)

We also ask that students provide us with their examination date once it is known.

For further guidance and forms, please see:

What is the skills development programme and why do students need to do this?

The Doctoral Skills Development Programme is open to all graduate research students at UCL. The purpose of the programme is to give students the opportunity to expand their generic research skills and personal transferable skills. These skills are intended to help students with their research at UCL and also to enhance life skills and employability. Transferable skills training for researchers is an important part of UCL's research strategy and the QAA Quality Code for Higher Education. For further information, please see:

The Doctoral Skills Development Programme

Where do I find information for student support and advice?

UCL Doctoral School - Support and Advice

Are there scholarships available for periods of research in North America?

How can I access financial support for my PhD project expenses?

Student Annual Leave and Attendance Requirement

As a general rule, the holiday entitlement will not exceed eight weeks in each period of 12 months including eight days public holidays and six College closure days.

Students and supervisors must record any leave taken, and may wish to make use of the ICH Student Annual Leave Record Form.

Guidelines for the initial discussion between Supervisor and Research Student

The Preliminary Personal Development Plan (PDP) document is sent to new research students who have registered since September 2018 and their primary supervisor. The document provides additional information which may form the basis of an initial meeting between the supervisor and the student.

Students who have been registered since before September 2018, may also find this document useful.