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• Student Support  /  Support For Your Studies  / Mitigating Circumstances

Mitigating circumstances and extension requests

If personal circumstances affect your exams or assessments, or your attendance at teaching activities, you can make a request for mitigating circumstances. This includes extension requests on assessment deadlines. A panel will assess each request, and where necessary take action to mitigate for any impact on your performance.

Mitigating circumstances might include a significant short-term illness or injury, a long-term or recurring medical or mental health condition, the death or illness of a close family member, acute stress from personal or financial issues, absence for public service (e.g. jury service), or technical issues during an online exam or assessment. If you are going through any of these circumstances, remember that there is support available and always somebody to talk to. As well as applying for mitigating circumstances, be sure to seek additional support if you need it. 

Our mitigating circumstances policy gives further examples of what are and are not considered mitigating circumstances.

When can I request mitigating circumstances?

If the issue affects you for  seven days or less, and does not affect an exam or assessment,  you do not need to request mitigating circumstances. You should instead complete the  student self-certification of absence form  and send this to your  School support team .

If the issue continues for  more than seven days , or  affects an exam or assessment , you can request mitigating circumstances. You can do this either before or shortly after an assessment deadline or exam.

Before a deadline

You can request an extension – please do this as far in advance as possible to give us time to process your extension request. Individual arrangements for automatic extensions through the Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS) will all remain in place.

After a deadline or exam

Your School will have a cut-off date for how long after an assessment deadline or exam you may submit a mitigating circumstances request. This information will be available from either your programme handbook, your School student intranet, or  your School Support Office .

You can submit a request after the published deadline, but this will only be considered if you provide strong evidence* to explain why it is late. Once the Exam Board has sat you can no longer make a mitigating circumstances request, though you may be able to submit an  academic appeal .

*As evidence of your request, you will need to provide credible and compelling reasons. If you didn't tell your School about your mitigating circumstances at the time they happened, you must explain your reasons for this. Setting out your reasons can help to demonstrate what has happened. You will have to show it was understandable that you didn't submit mitigating circumstances before or around the assessment date. The University could reject reasons such as not knowing about the procedure, personal feelings of embarrassment or pride, or having concerns about confidentiality. These reasons may only be accepted if they can be supported with evidence.

What evidence do I need?

You should provide as much supporting information as possible with your mitigating circumstances request. This helps us to understand the severity of the situation and assess the best solution. All evidence will be treated confidentially.

Evidence you might include

You may include any evidence that supports your request, such as:

• Extracts from your medical notes (you can request these from your GP practice)
• Copy of prescription or photo of name label on prescribed medication
• Photo of labelled positive COVID-19 test result (if available)
• Appointment cards from medical unit or hospital admissions letter
• Confirmation text of medical appointment
• Communications from a school or care facility confirming that they are closed or the person you care for is unable to attend
• An obituary or letter from a family member, in the case of bereavement
• Police, security or insurance report
• Press or media report
• Internal confirmation of existing engagement with our counselling / Advice and Response service

For medical conditions we do  not  require a specific letter from your GP or healthcare provider, and in cases of bereavement we do  not  require a death certificate. However you can still include either of these as supporting evidence if you wish.

If you are registered with DASS, they will confirm with your School directly - you do not have to seek this evidence from them.

What mitigation will be applied?

Where the panel grants a request, they have a choice of several mitigation options – they will recommend the one they feel is most appropriate for each individual case. This could include granting an extension, offering a resit, excluding a mark from a unit average, or directing you to further support inside or outside the University.

Our  mitigating circumstances procedures  explains the full process and possible mitigation outcomes.

How do I make a request?

Before making a request.

• You should read the University’s  mitigating circumstances policy and procedures  – this explains when you can make a request and how it will be assessed.
• The Students’ Union also has  advice on submitting a mitigating circumstances request .

To make a request

You should make your mitigating circumstances request to your School. Each has their own process – details are available from either your School student intranet or your School Support Office .

Long-term or recurring conditions

If you have a long-term or recurring medical or mental health condition that affects your studies, you should strongly consider  registering with our Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS) . This will allow you to access a variety of support that is appropriate to your needs.

Students who are registered with DASS will not normally have to provide medical evidence for mitigating circumstances requests that are related to your DASS support plan.

Even if you're not registered with DASS, we will only ask for medical evidence once for mitigating circumstances relating to a long-term or recurring medical or mental health condition, with the exception of cases where there are accreditation or fitness-to-practise requirements. 

How to register with DASS

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Department of Physics and Astronomy

Funding for postgraduate research

We provide a range of funding options to help our researchers fulfil their potential.

Explore the funding options available for doctoral candidates in science and engineering and learn more about the University's flagship funding scheme for outstanding doctoral candidates.

Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund

Applications are now open for the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund.

The Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund (the Fund) aims to encourage greater diversity in physics by supporting students from groups currently under-represented in physics who wish to study for a doctoral degree.

The Fund was made possible thanks to the generosity of Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who won the prestigious Breakthrough Prize for physics in 2018 for her role in the discovery of pulsars. Dame Jocelyn chose to donate her £2.3m prize award to the Institute of Physics (IOP) in order to set up the Fund.

• Apply on the Institute of Physics website

Global Challenges Research Fund

The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) is a £1.5 billion fund announced by the government to support cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries.

GCRF forms part of the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment. ODA-funded activity focuses on outcomes that promote the long-term sustainable growth of countries on the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list. 

The University of Manchester is offering fully funded four year PhD studentships with an integrated teaching certificate. For a list of available projects and further details about the funding please see the University website .

Global Doctoral Research Network Partnerships

The University of Manchester has collaborations with a number of international partners.  As an extension of this joint research, we are developing dual-award PhD programmes to allow postgraduate research students access to world-class facilities, expertise and field environments. Visit the University website for more information about the Dual-awards via the Global Doctoral Research Network.

Manchester Master's Bursary

The University of Manchester offers 100 bursaries for master's students, each worth £3,000, to UK and EU students. The bursaries are awarded each September to coincide with the start of study, and applications usually open in the spring of the year prior to study. To find out more about the bursaries and how to apply, please visit the Manchester Master's Bursary page .

Postgraduate loans

If you’re coming to Manchester this year to begin postgraduate study, you could qualify for a loan from the UK government. To find out more, please visit the central University funding pages .

President's Doctoral Scholar Awards

The President's Doctoral Scholar Award is a flagship funding scheme supported by the University's President and Vice Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell. It offers the most outstanding home and international students the chance to win one of 100 elite studentships each year. Successful students will be awarded funding for their doctoral studies as well as a further £1000 towards their living costs. Through the award you will also be invited to take part in extra-curricular activities that support and enhance your work here at the University.

To find out more about the awards on the President's Doctoral Scholar Award website . Information on how to apply can be found on the Faculty of Science and Engineering website .

Research Council Awards

Research Council Awards are funded by the government Research Councils including: the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) , and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) . Typically the awards cover the university fees for a 42-month PhD and maintenance costs and are applied for directly through the councils themselves. They are open for applications by British and European nationals resident in the UK, where British nationals qualify for funding to cover university fees and maintenance and European nationals for university fees only.

Faculty funding

Search the funding awards for which you may be eligible as a doctoral candidate in science and engineering.

The Department's most outstanding PhD applicants could qualify for the University's flagship funding scheme.

Research projects

Find information about the studentships and funded projects available to all UK and EU students.

Explore our projects

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Funding for postgraduate research

Our Department is committed to providing a range of funding opportunities to our postgraduate research students.

There are several funding streams that you can take advantage of when you come to study a PhD with us, including bursaries, scholarships and the University's flagship funding scheme for outstanding doctoral candidates.

Explore your options below.

Doctoral Loans

The UK government has confirmed that new doctoral loans will be available for those studying PhDs (and equivalent doctoral programmes) from 2018/19.

The loan will be for a maximum of £25,000 over the duration of the course.

UK nationals, who are ordinarily resident in England, aged 59 or under, who are not already receiving funding via a UK Research Council, will be eligible. The government is currently considering making EU students eligible.

The loans will be available for all types of doctoral study (eg PhD, as well as all professional doctorates such as DBA, EdD), at all UK universities.

Additional information will be published to this page once further information has been confirmed by the UK government.

• A summary of the main features of the loan is available on FindaPhD.com .

Faculty PhD Studentships

The Faculty of Science and Engineering has historically made up to a further ten PhD studentships (also known as Dean's Awards ) in previous years, although this is not normally announced until around February time.

These awards are open to all nationalities and research areas within the Faculty. The awards have been allocated to outstanding applicants seeking PhD training opportunities, based on the academic track record of applicants and evidence of research potential.

Global Challenges Research Fund

The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) is a £1.5 billion fund announced by the government to support cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries.

GCRF forms part of the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment. ODA-funded activity focuses on outcomes that promote the long-term sustainable growth of countries on the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list. 

The University of Manchester is offering fully funded four year PhD studentships with an integrated teaching certificate. For a list of available projects and further details about the funding please see the University website .

Global Doctoral Research Network Partnerships

The University of Manchester has collaborations with a number of international partners.  As an extension of this joint research, we are developing dual-award PhD programmes to allow postgraduate research students access to world-class facilities, expertise and field environments. Visit the University website for more information about the Dual-awards via the Global Doctoral Research Network.

Postgraduate loans (PGL) for taught and research master’s students

Postgraduate loans were introduced by the Department of Education and the first cohort commenced in September 2016. The loans support up to £10,000 per student for the purpose of master's study. A PGL for master's study will be a contribution towards the cost of studies ie it will be at the student's discretion to use the loan towards tuition fees, maintenance cost or other costs. It is non-means tested and is paid directly to the student.  

• Further information can be found on the Student Finance England website .

President's Doctoral Scholar Award

The University of Manchester offers more than 100 studentships every year through the President’s Doctoral Scholar Award scheme, launched by Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell. These awards allocate full funding for doctoral study, as well as a £1,000 enhancement.

PDS Award holders will also be invited to attend a series of exclusive events where they will have the opportunity to meet the President and Vice-Chancellor, interact closely with the University’s academic community, and network with other PDS Award students. In addition, each PDS Award holder will receive a President’s Doctoral Scholar medal at graduation.

• Find out more about the President's Doctoral Scholar Award on the University website.

Research projects

Find information about the studentships and funded projects available to all UK and EU students.

More about fees

All the information you need regarding fees for postgraduate research at the University.

More about funding

Visit the main University website to find out more about funding your postgraduate research.

Search for funding

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• Progression and Assessment
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Progression and Assessment ¶

Each year, there are a set of activities you have to go through to demonstrate that you are making good progress in your research, and have a good plan to complete on time.

There is a less formal review, called the Research Progress Review where your supervisory team and an independent assessor will evaluate your work, and give you feedback and suggestions. They may also give you remedial actions, which you will have to complete before the end of your current year. You may be required to produce a larger piece of work, such as the long report during the first year. This would be assessed by your supervisor and an independent assessor.

It is a requirement that all postgraduate researchers at the University of Manchester create an ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) 3 and make it known to the University. ORCID is a non-profit organisation supported by a global community of organisations with interest in research. Your ORCID provides a unique research identifier that distinguishes you from every other researcher and links your professional activities. Registration to ORCID is free and will mean that research outputs can be tagged and tracked more easily throughout your career. ORCIDs are now routinely being requested by publishers and funders and it is therefore important that all researchers create an ORCID and make it available to the University. Registering for an ORCID is quick and easy and we have set up a dedicated web page to help you to claim your ORCID. You can create your ORCID and connect it to your PGR record by following a few simple steps. If you have any questions about how to claim your ORCID please contact the Library’s ORCID Support Service.

At the end of years 1 you have a formal end of year examination in front of a panel consisting of one (or in some cases, two) Internal Examiner(s). This end of year assessment will take into account the outcome of the research progress review and updates on your performance from your supervisor(s), the report from the second reader, as well as your performance during the end of year exam. Evidence concerning your level of engagement, such as failure to participate in the required modules, could also be taken into account.

Your independant Assors must be independant of your supervisory team. They cannot be directly involved in your supervision.

The possible outcomes from the end of year examinations are: proceed into the next year, withdraw from the programme, but with the possibility of submitting for a lesser degree, typically MPhil, or withdraw.

If by the end of year 3 you are not ready to submit your thesis, you may request a change of registration to ‘submission pending’. This is to allow extra time to prepare the thesis up to six months.

The submission of the thesis must take place within 3 years and 6 months of the start of registration of the PhD.

Progression Overview ¶

Each PGR will go through yearly examinations in order to demonstrate that they are making satisfactory progress towards production of novel research results leading to a Doctorate. In each of these years, the PGR will produce a Summary report which is a short report summarising the research and whatever progress has been made, and a plan for the subsequent year(s).

At month 9 of year 1 the PGRs will go through an interview called a Research Progress Review with their supervisor and an independent assessor. The purpose of this interview is to provide an initial assessment of the PGR’s progress, and provide feedback, and if necessary, assigned remedial actions or achievement milestones to help get a faltering PGR back on track.

At the end of years 1 and 2 there is a so-called End-of-Year (EoY) interview. This should be viewed as an exam, because it makes the formal decision whether the PGR progresses into the next year. Possible outcomes are: progress into the next year or do not progress. In the case of non-progression, the possibility of submission for a lesser degree may be offered, typically and MPhil.

This describes the procedure for full-time PGRs. The procedure for part-time PGRs is described in the ‘Part-Time’ Chapter.

The PGR will present the work (including slides) to an End of Year Examination Panel. They will make the ultimate determination whether the PGR can progress to the next year, has to withdraw, or has to withdraw but can register for MPhil, using evidence provided by the PGR’s performance, the supervisor, the independent assessor, and other information available on eProg.

1st year ‘Research Progress Review’: ¶

(prompted by eProg), the supervisor informally recruits the Independent Assessor, who should be a domain expert or in a closely related domain to the PGR. And is selected by the supervisor in consultation with the PGR. This assessor will also examine the PGR’s ‘additional work’ if needed.

The PGR submits Research Progress Report (via eProg) comprising a research proposal, a brief summary of the research so far, and a research plan, and also emails to both the Independent Assessor and the Supervisory Team.

This report should be 1500 words excluding references - 500 words to include the social / technical / research impact explicitly (along with the PGR’s ORCID 4 ). The supervisory team and the assessor will check the format and length and can return this to the PGR unread if it does not meet specification.

The Research Progress (Summary or short) Report is primarily a research proposal. It needs to make clear: what is the research problem, why it is important or interesting to address it, what is the approach the PGR intends explore to try to address it, and how success or failure is going to be evaluated. It should also contain a brief summary of progress so far and a plan for how the research is going to be carried out. The report should be 1500 words (if you exceed this the report may be returned and/or your assessor can refuse to conduct the review) excluding references (along with the PGR’s ORCID 4 ). *Ultimately, it will need to readable by the end of year examiners, who will not necessarily be experts in your branch of computer science. Thus, it needs to be readable by an well-educated, general computer science audience*

In addition to the summary, the report should include:

Impact of the Research be that social / technical / research impact (500 words to include the explicitly)

a research plan for the next year, concerning how the research should be carried out,

A plan as to how this will lead to a thesis (e.g. proposed structure of a thesis at the level of chapter and section headings),

a list of publications, published or submitted,

a plan for other activities, including any visits, internships, targeted conferences or journal publications, and public engagement activities.

This is organised by the supervisor and could take place in the supervisor’s office or a small meeting room. The review times and locations are set between the interested parties (the independent assessor will inform SSO of the time/date/location). The review gauges the fitness of a PGR for continued study and assesses progress to date.

This event will last about one hour with 15-20 min presentation given by the PGR, followed by questions and discussions led by the independent assessor. This presentation is pitched to the independent assessor, who, it is assumed, will not know the motivation of the research. This should be viewed as a research talk, and the discussion can be technical in nature. The outcome is documented via eProg and can be 2-fold:

Progress is as expected, PGR is on good path towards completion: no further action required.

Progress is unsatisfactory/questionable: the PGR will have to submit additional work (via eProg 2 ), which is assessed by the independent assessor. This work is by default the Long Report, however, the independent assessor can assign remedial action (any reasonable additional work if it is explicitly documented), such as writing a paper, performing a critical review, etc. The remedial action being stored in the PGR’s eProg document store, and emailed to the supervisory team and internal assessor 1 month before the progression interview. This is reevaluated by the independent assessor for Progression (Research Progress Update eProg-COMPM2000). This assessment report being available one week preceding the progression interview and sent to SSO (who will pursue reports not returned) for onward distribution to the Progression Examiner.

The Long Research Report is a substantial document at the level of an MPhil thesis or a journal paper with no page limit and ample space for literature review and technical details. The latter is particularly appropriate if an alternative format thesis is planned. A typical length would be around 15,000 – 20,000 words.

Additional Notes and Checklist ¶

The Research Progress Report (aka the short report) is a key piece of evidence about whether you should progress to the next year. However, you really want the short report to be usefully informative . We see a lot of unhelpful short reports in spite of massive amounts of supervisor effort and the Academic Writing Class. It’s a good idea to keep your report in a source control system like Gitlab, so a simple thing to do is to add a version of this document as your README.md.

Remember the audience : It depends on whether you’re doing a 9 month Research Progress Review or an End of Year interview! Consult with your supervisor about the examiner’s background. Don’t hesitate to contact the examiner!

Some problems are big and some small, but you want to minimise them. So here’s a quick checklist.

Checklist ¶

[ ] short , that is, 1500±150 words ( excluding references - if you exceed this the report will be returned and/or your assessor can refuse to conduct the review).

[ ] contain appropriate number of diagrams/charts/images?

[ ] contain approximately 500 words explicitly describing the impact (social/technical/research)?

[ ] put the title, your name, year (e.g., EOY1 CDT), and ORCID 4 ) on the report?

[ ] proofread the report?

[ ] check paragraph size/shape? is the purpose of each paragraph clear?

[ ] use enough lists/tables/diagrams (but not too many )?

[ ] What is your area ?

[ ] What is the subarea ?

[ ] Roughly what sort of problems are investgated in your subarea?

[ ] What sort of methods are standard in this area?

[ ] What’s your goal ?

[ ] What kind of methods will you use?

[ ] What will be different about the world and our knowledge of it after your thesis?

[ ] What’s the state of the art (if any)?

[ ] What are the parts of your project and how do they form the content of a thesis (see thesis outline)?

[ ] Which parts of your thesis outline can you flesh out ?

[ ] What took longer or shorter than you anticipated?

[ ] What are your publications or other tangible evidence of progress?

[ ] Did you focus on the contribution chapters no sub-bullets for intro or conclusion, minimal for background)?

[ ] Did you put estimates at least on your private version?

[ ] Are you ready to discuss the weight of each point?

[ ] How will the work for each chapter go?

[ ] Can your refer to your progress to help ground estimates of future progress?

[ ] What are likely risks to complete?

[ ] What are some possible mitigations ?

[ ] Your supervisor has read the near final draft?

[ ] Someone else (other PGR or member of staff) read the near final draft?

The Three Questions Remember, the short report (along with interviews, supervisor meetings, etc.) helps to answer three questions:

[ ] Is the proposed project big enough for a PhD?

[ ] Is the proposed project small enough to be completed on time?

[ ] Is this PGR going to be able to complete on time?

Every part of your report should help answer one of these questions. If you can’t say how each part does, that’s a signal to rethink that part.

End of Year Examination: ¶

An End of Year (EOY) interview is one of several progress monitoring mechanisms designed to check whether you are on track to on time submission and successful defense of you dissertation. It is a bit high stakes as it is the canonical point for involuntary leaving the program (i.e., “failing out”). That being said, almost everyone passes their EOY interviews, so the main normal purpose is twofold:

force you think hard about your progress and planning

get feedback from people uninvolved in your supervision

The Three Questions Remember, the interview is the last point to answer three questions:

Every part of your presentation should help answer one of these questions. If you can’t say how each part does, that’s a signal to rethink that part.

By the end of month 12 some clearer plan is required. Think of it as a scientific paper - a background literature review leads you to an evidence- and argument-based hypothesis, you plan an experiment to test the hypothesis, then you conduct the experiment and you publish the results and the conclusions of your work. At month 12 you are expected to have the hypothesis and the plan of the experiments, but not necessarily to have started doing them (although you will probably have done some preliminary studies). The experiment may not prove the hypothesis or may prove more difficult than you expect, in which case your plans will change but that is no reason to not have a clear plan now.

Examiners ¶

Examiners are not required to assess the technical achievements of the PGRs, this is why the supervisors have to be there and are invited to comment at the end. I expect that each examiner will spend 45 minutes preparing for the exam by reading the short report and, comments on remedial action, and the Independant assessors report detailing their happined (or not) with how the PGR has addressed those remedial actions. 45 minutes will be spent on the interview and a further 30 minutes writing the progression report.

The progression interviews/examinations are intended to determine whether the PGR has suitable plans for their PhD, and you are expected to explain things like: what the problem or research question is; what approach are you planning to use to solve it; how long do you think it might take; what risks are there and what are you doing to mitigate the risks; what publications do you hope to generate as well as a statement of progress; what your thesis plan is (which bits of work will go where in a thesis); and how far along have you gotten, for which some reporting of results to date is required.

You are expected to explain this in terms that can be understood by any academic from any of the far reaches of the Department, and that is a significant part of the challenge for the PGR (not for the interviewer/examiner - if the interviewer/examiner can’t understand then the failure is the PGR’s). Part of the benefit for the PGR is that when confronted with this hard challenge you are forced to pull out of the detail of your work and look at the bigger picture from a distance, and try to explain what you are doing from that perspective.

Doing this sometimes helps you to see problems when you would otherwise remain too deep in detail to think about, or where you have formed the view that your task is to build something really complicated without really thinking about what it is for and who will care when it’s done.

The supervisor should be doing that but even supervisors can sometimes be engrossed in technical challenge.

The interview should force the PGR to think about significance or purpose, and impact - for a PhD you are required to make a contribution to knowledge and understanding, but not just to do something that hasn’t been done before so you should be able to explain possible impact - do you understand that and have they got a clear picture of what you are trying to bring to the world, who might use it and what use it will be? If you can’t explain that to a third-party in a way that they understand then there is possibly a problem.

The progression interviews were also set up to try to reduce the chances that the PGR is just pursuing directionless research without clear objectives or is undertaking a sequence of semi-random tasks for the supervisor that won’t lead to a coherent body of work that can be written as a thesis by the end of the programme.

..Warning:: You can think of progression as a gate that is closed. It is up to yo to convince the examiner to open it for you. If you are not able to convince the examiner, then you will exit the programme here.

The Short Report (eProg-COMPM1998) - uploaded via eProg, with 15 min presentation (including slides), followed by 30 min Q&A – with 1 (or 2) examiners, PGR, supervisor(s). Organised by the supervisor/examiner, reported in eProg.

If significant additional work has been requested by the Independent Assessor, then two examiners are required;

If no significant additional work has been requested by the Independent Assessor, then one examiner is required;

If the the examiner is new to the duty, then two examiners are required;

Examiners are randomly allocated to a PGR (and their supervisory team), by PGR Support. In this case, it should be assumed that the examiner is not an expert in the particular research field, and the technical level should be pitched accordingly.

The Supervisor and Examiner arrange a time/date/location between themselves and at a minimum the examiner and supervisor are present (optimally the supervisory team is present) to conduct the examination (the Examiner will inform SSO of the time/date/location). SSO will issue prompts if arrangements have not been made, and the PGR will not progress or be able to register without this interview.

The PGR will give a 15 minute oral presentation describing the goals of the research, why the research is important, a summary of work complete, work underway, and future direction. This will be followed with questioning by the examiner and supervisory team and include technical question by the supervisory team. The interview is not intended to be a rubber stamp but an in depth presentation, Q&A, and discussion which both assesses the PGR’s progress and gauges the PGR’s ability to complete, while also providing the PGR with a learning experience of answering detailed questions in examination conditions. It should be assumed that the examiner(s) are not experts in the particular research field, and the technical level should be pitched accordingly.

The PGR will leave and the examiner and supervisor, informed by the supervisor and independent assessor reports, will reach a conclusion. If any remedial action was given at the Research Progress Review, the supervisor will inform the panel whether it was satisfactorily completed (and the work stored in eProg may be accessed - Research Progress Update eProg-COMPM2000). The goal of this examination is to ascertain whether the PGR has made sufficient progress and is on track to succeed at producing a doctorate in time.

If they are satisfactory, the PGR progresses to the 2nd year. If not, the PGR may be offered the opportunity to complete an MPhil, otherwise if progress is not sufficient for an MPhil then the PGR is not able to progress. There is no ‘conditional progression’ subject to remedial action at this stage.

What is the Short Report The Short Report is repurposed from the Research Progress Report with small changes made based on the experiences of the RPR. Notably you will now include an extra section ‘RPR Responses and Comments’ (outside the word count) which lists all of the comments from the RPR and a detailed description of how you address them. Not just changes to the report but in real life - think of responses to a paper review. For example (1) if a comment was that the presentation was poor, you might have made efforts to go on presentation courses, to give presentations to lab members, and to spend more time doing presentations. You’d then detail this in the responses to the RPR. Or (2) if your evaluation plan was not as expected, you might detail changes you have made to make it successful. Remember, the Short Report is how your evidence the thing you have done, it is not the thing itself.

The PGR will present the work to an End of Year Examination Panel comprising the supervisory team. They will make the ultimate determination whether the PGR can progress to the next year, has to withdraw, or has to withdraw but can register for MPhil, using evidence provided by the PGR’s performance and the supervisory team, and other information available on eProg.

2nd year ‘Progression’: ¶

via eProg, and repurposing that created in year 1 with updates and changes clearly identified.

Examined via a 20 minute interview by the supervisory team. A decision is generated and recorded in eProg.

If progress is as expected, PGR is on good path towards a Doctorate: no further action required. If not, the PGR may be offered the opportunity to complete an MPhil, otherwise if progress is not sufficient for an MPhil then the PGR is not able to progress. There is no ‘conditional progression’ subject to remedial action at this stage. The decision as to recommendations of MPhil or no possibility of progress will be via a Departmental Examination comprising two examiners in a similar format to the first year progression.

The student will prepare a Short Report, with 15 min presentation (including slides), followed by 30 min Q&A – with 2 examiners and supervisor(s). Organised by the supervisor/Examiners, reported in eProg. Examiners are randomly allocated to a PGR (and their supervisory team), by PGR Support. In this case, it should be assumed that the examiner is not an expert in the particular research field, and the technical level should be pitched accordingly. The Supervisor and Examiners arrange a time/date/location between themselves and at a minimum the examiner and supervisor are present (optimally the supervisory team is present) to conduct the examination (the Examiner will inform SSO of the time/date/location). SSO will issue prompts if arrangements have not been made, and the PGR will not progress or be able to register without this interview. The PGR will give a 15 minute oral presentation describing their progress towards their PhD, the plans they have to finish, the timeline, and the novelty and impact of the work they will produce along with the goals of the research, why the research is important, a summary of work complete, and work underway This will be followed with questioning by the examiners and supervisory team and include technical question by the supervisory team. It should be assumed that the examiner(s) are not experts in the particular research field, and the technical level should be pitched accordingly. The PGR will leave and the examiners and supervisor will reach a conclusion. The goal of this examination is to ascertain whether the PGR has made sufficient progress and is on track to succeed at producing a doctorate in time. If they are satisfactory, the PGR progresses to the 3rd year. If not, the PGR may be offered the opportunity to complete an MPhil, otherwise if progress is not sufficient for an MPhil then the PGR is not able to progress. As previously stated, there is no ‘conditional progression’ at this stage.

Many PGRs are aiming to finish by the end of year 3 (typically your funding will have run out). In this case, you need to submit a form indicating your intention to submit and nominating your examiners (via eProg). Your main supervisor will select the examiners in consultation with you. See the ‘Submission’ section for more details.

However, some PGRs may not have completed after 3 years because their programme is longer than this, or because they are delayed for some reason. If you are delayed then you should request a transfer to the additional 6 month ‘Submission Pending’, which is a writing up period.

In order to do this, you need to submit a End of 3rd Year report form, along with a plan for achieving what is necessary within the 6 monthss available to you. This form will need to be signed by the main supervisor and the PGR Director (if the supervisory team thinks it necessary), via eProg.

3rd year ‘Progression’ ¶

must submit a Completion Plan, comprising a brief report describing what they have completed, what they have yet to do, and outline a detailed plan for completion (via eProg), email the plan to Simon Harper (HoPGR) 1 and discuss this with the supervisory team (recorded via eProg).

If progress is as expected, the PGR is on good path towards a Doctorate Simon Harper (HoPGR) 1 will confirm by email that the move to Submission Pending is approved and that no further action is required.

At the request of the Supervisor or the Head of PGR the PGR will also have a 1 to 1 interview with the Head of PGR (or their nominated representative). If the Completion Plan is approved the PGR can move to submission pending.

If the Supervisor or Head of PGR deems the PGR is not making progress as expected when either may refer the PGR for a Departmental Examination; comprising two examiners in a similar format to the first year progression.

The student will prepare a Short Report, with 15 min presentation (including slides), followed by 30 min Q&A – with 2 examiners and supervisor(s). Organised by the supervisor/examiners, reported in eProg. Examiners are randomly allocated to a PGR (and their supervisory team), by PGR Support. In this case, it should be assumed that the examiner is not an expert in the particular research field, and the technical level should be pitched accordingly. The Supervisor and Examiners arrange a time/date/location between themselves and at a minimum the examiner and supervisor are present (optimally the supervisory team is present) to conduct the examination (the Examiner will inform SSO of the time/date/location). SSO will issue prompts if arrangements have not been made, and the PGR will not progress or be able to register without this interview. The PGR will give a 15 minute oral presentation describing their progress towards their PhD, the plans they have to finish, the timeline, and the novelty and impact of the work they will produce along with the goals of the research, why the research is important, a summary of work complete, and work underway This will be followed with questioning by the examiners and supervisory team and include technical question by the supervisory team. It should be assumed that the examiner(s) are not experts in the particular research field, and the technical level should be pitched accordingly. The PGR will leave and the examiners and supervisor will reach a conclusion. The goal of this examination is to ascertain whether the PGR has made sufficient progress and is on track to succeed at producing a doctorate in time. If they are satisfactory, the PGR progresses to the 4th year or Submission Pending. If progress is not satisfactory and ther eis a viable Thesis available (as determined by the examiners) the student may submit this for examination. The PGR may be offered the opportunity to complete an MPhil, Otherwise if progress is not sufficient for an MPhil and there is no viable thesis to submit, then the PGR exits the programme.

As previously stated, there is no ‘conditional progression’ at this stage.

Submission Pending ¶

Your PhD programme period is 3 years (if it is 4 years then there is no Submission Pending). The Submission Pending period is not guaranteed and is supposed to be granted in exceptional circumstances. All Research Work must be complete by the end of year 3 (by University Regulation); There are no interrupts allowed in Submission Pending - there are in certain cases extensions granted by the Faculty; and, you can’t get any extra time for internships and the like in Submission Pending.

Submission ¶

The only exception is for an interrupt period or Programme Extension.

Progression Limit ¶

You must submit within 3 years and 6 months - 3 years ‘In Programme’ and a further 6 months in ‘Submission Pending’. Extensions and Interruptions will always add the additional time to the ‘In Programme’ portion and in cases of illness and will typically extend the ‘Submission Pending’ portion. We would expect that internships etc would be only granted to good students who would be able to complete in 3 years and 6 months total.

There are also circumstance where is may be appropriate to extend the 3y 6m. This could happen, for example, if you have a breakdown of equipment or are unexpectedly awaiting for delayed equipment which is essential to your research . In these circumstances, an extension can be requested to FSE Graduate Panel. Again, look at the policy document for more details.

EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowships ¶

Application Deadline: usually start of the summer each year

Interviews take place in August for a September start (although candidates can start their project up to 12 months after first submission).

The EPSRC Doctoral Prize is a prestigious scheme aimed at developing the very best EPSRC funded students beyond the end of their PhD and help them launch a successful career in research as potential future research leaders.

Successful applicants will be expected to take their research to the next level and undertake significant new research; the Prize must not be viewed merely as an opportunity to continue/complete PhD work although continuation of specific work from the applicants’ PhD that will result in publications may be permitted. Benefits

The University will provide Fellows with excellent research and training environments including a first class and challenging career development training programme. In addition to a Project Sponsor (a research - active member of The University’s academic staff who is willing to support an applicant’s project and, where appropriate, host the project in their lab), recipients of a Prize will also have access to an academic mentor who will offer advice and support regarding the mentee’s research and career development throughout the duration of the award. Successful applicants will be awarded a tax-free living allowance of £24,370 per annum (pro rata).

Award duration

Awards of up to 12 months in the first instance are available to successful candidates. How to apply

All applications should be made in accordance with the scheme’s guidelines, which can be found at the end of the application form (see links to application documentation below). Applicants must include a work plan that takes into account the impact of COVID 19 on the project deliverables.

Candidates must have been funded for their PhD by the EPSRC in the form of fees and/or stipend and have submitted their PhD thesis no more than 12 months before commencing the EPSRC Doctoral Prize fellowship.

The deadline for application is typically start of November.

Full applications, including application form and a letter of support from the Head of Department where the EPSRC Doctoral Prize research will be carried out should be returned by e-mail to epsgraded @ manchester . ac . uk . Please note that the word counts and page limits listed on the application forms are not flexible.

Candidates will be shortlisted and interviewed by a panel of senior academics. The decision of the panel is final. Contacts

If you have any queries regarding the University’s EPSRC Doctoral Prize scheme please contact the Postgraduate Research Services Team ( epsgraded @ manchester . ac . uk ; +44 (0)161 306 8694).

mailto:simon . harper @ manchester . ac . uk

http://www.eprog.manchester.ac.uk

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=29356

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School of Environment, Education and Development

How to apply

Before you submit your application, we recommend that you read all guidance fully, so that you know what to expect when you apply to us.

To apply for any programme in the Humanities Doctoral Academy, you must complete and submit the  online application form .

Please ensure to include all required supporting documents with your application. A list of required documents is given on the application and selection tab of each programme page.

Read full guidance on the application process.

Find out more

• MyManchester
• Faculty StaffNet

• PGR handbook - Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Writing up and submitting your research

You can find up-to-date guidance on submitting your thesis on the Doctoral Academy website:

• Thesis submission

The guidance includes information on:

• plagiarism and referencing
• how to format and present your thesis
• using a journal format for your thesis
• electronic submission
• submission deadlines, including submission pending
• thesis binding
• the viva/oral exam
• getting your result.

Presentation of thesis

The University has a specific format required for PGR theses. You will find this detailed in the Presentation of Theses Policy .

If you have queries about presentation, you can ask staff in the Doctoral Academy , or ask them to have a look at a draft document.

Traditional and journal thesis formats

You may hear your supervisors or other PGRS talk about the different types of thesis format that are accepted for examination at Manchester.

These are currently defined as 'standard' and 'journal' format, although you shouldn't get too concerned about the terminology used. One format is not inherently better or more widely regarded than the other.

The standard thesis will have an introduction, literature review, materials and methods, results and discussion and conclusion, references and appendices.

The journal format thesis comprises chapters that have been written in the form of journal papers.

These may be papers that have been submitted to a journal, already accepted and published or chapters that are written as journal papers but are not yet or even are not intended to be submitted.

The advantage of this format is that it gives you the experience of writing in journal paper format. This format is increasingly popular in some disciplines, and yet may not be appropriate for all projects. Your supervisory team is the best place to start discussing your thoughts on this.

There is no requirement to request permission to submit in journal format. However, it is important that you discuss the relative merits of this format with your supervisory team, and ensure that you pick the right format for you and your project. Further guidance is available in Journal Format Theses - Guiding Principles for Students and Staff (PDF).

Submission pending

• Three-year PhD, MD and part-time - 12 months
• MPhil and 3.5-year PhD - 6 months

If you are a PGR on one of the programmes above and you do not submit by the end of programme, you may be able to register for the submission pending period.

You will need to have completed all your research (such as data collection and experiments) and should have a draft of the thesis completed (usually 80% of chapters in a reasonable draft form).

Your Student Support Administrator will provide details on registering for submission pending and paying the fee (£225 in the 2023/24 academic year).

You should be aware that during this writing up period, you are not considered to be a full-time PGR at the University.

You will still have access to facilities and your supervisory team will continue to support you towards submission of the thesis and preparation for the oral examination (as appropriate).

Once you enter submission pending, you may be returning to full-time work or be involved in a number of external activities that will reduce the amount of time that you have to spend on writing your thesis.

Please note that due to HMRC requirements, the University cannot make stipend payments to a PGR during the submission pending period.

Submission deadlines

It is important for your career development that you submit your thesis within the period of your programme as set out in your initial offer letter.

If you are eligible to use the submission pending period, remember that it will be increasingly difficult to find time to dedicate to completing your thesis once you are in full-time work.

Your final submission deadline will be stated on your original offer letter. If you are granted any periods of interruption or an extension to your programme, you will be notified of any change in your final submission deadline in the letter confirming this change to programme.

You will also see your submissions deadline displayed in eProg ('Thesis Submission Deadline' on the 'My Profile' page).

Extensions to final submission deadlines

Extensions to your final submission deadline will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and where permission is sought at least two months prior to the final submission deadline. Visit the Forms page on the Doctoral Academy website for the relevant forms to complete.

You will need to provide clear, documented evidence as to how your mitigating circumstances have impacted your ability to meet the deadline. Examples of appropriate exceptional circumstances can be found within the policy on circumstances leading to changes to postgraduate research study .

It is expected that your mitigating circumstances will have occurred within the submission pending period, or the last 12 months of a four-year programme.

Should your request for an extension to the final submission deadline be rejected, you will have the right of appeal.

Please note that even if you submit an appeal, you should still submit your thesis for examination by the final submission deadline.

Oral examination/viva

An integral part of the PhD/MD process is the oral examination (viva). This will take place at Manchester with your internal and external examiner.

The Academic and Researcher Development Team provide courses on preparing for this examination, and you will also receive guidance from your supervisory team on what to expect.

MPhil PGRs may have to undertake an oral examination, and this will be determined by the examiners following initial review of the thesis.

You may find it useful to refer to the full University policies on PGR examination .

Examiner recommendations

• A (i) no corrections
• A (ii) subject to minor corrections (four weeks to complete, exceptionally up to 12 weeks can be granted for completion of minor corrections)
• B (i) permitting submission of a revised thesis without further research and without further oral examination (six months to complete)
• B (ii) permitting submission of a revised thesis without further research but with a further oral examination (six months to complete, exceptionally up to 12 months)
• B (iii) permitting submission of a revised thesis with further research and with a further oral examination (12 months to complete)
• C (i) but award the degree of MPhil
• C (ii) award the degree of MPhil subject to minor corrections (four weeks to complete, exceptionally up to 12 weeks)
• C (iii) advising that the thesis be submitted, after revision, for examination for the degree of Master (six months to complete)
• C (iv) not permitting resubmission
• Your programme

Science and Engineering Doctoral Academy

Apply for a period of Submission Pending

The submission pending period gives you additional time to complete the writing up of your thesis.

You can apply for a period of submission pending if you have completed all research and laboratory activity but are unable to submit your thesis within the final year of your programme and by the original submission deadline.

Four-year doctoral degrees do not allow a period of submission pending and the thesis must be submitted within the fourth year of the degree unless an extension has been approved.

To determine whether you are eligible for submission pending, refer to the Submission Pending Procedure for Postgraduate Research Students .

Completing the form

What you'll need to complete the form.

To complete your application for a submission pending period you will need to upload any relevant supporting evidence and a completion plan approved by your supervisor. Without the approved completion plan, your application will not be considered.

You will need to show that you have completed all research activity by the end of your programme. This includes all primary research and laboratory work.

In your completion plan, you should also be able to provide a timeline for submission of your thesis or dissertation within the proposed submission pending period.

Download a template of the completion plan .

Before completing the form, you should have:

• checked if there are any implications for your visa or ATAS status (if you are an international student). Further guidance is available from the Student Immigration Team ;
• read and understood the implications for your tuition fees . All postgraduate researchers granted the Submission Pending period must pay the appropriate fee;
• read and understood the University’s Change of Circumstances Policy for Postgraduate Research Students and the Submission Pending Procedure for Postgraduate Research Students ;
• discussed the application with the Doctoral Academy and with your supervisor(s);
• discussed the application with your sponsor if you are on a funded studentship.

Once your application has been submitted, it will be reviewed by your department and then by the FSE Degrees Panel. It can take up to five weeks for a decision on your application to be reached. If you require any additional support regarding your application, please email the FSE DA Progression and Welfare team .

Complete the form

Submit the submission pending period application form via MS Forms.

Complete the online form.

• Student intranet /
• Staff intranet

Department of Computer Science

Postgraduate research in computer science

Manchester was the place where AI was born.

Study a PhD, MPhil or EngD postgraduate research degree with us and you’ll join a vibrant and engaging research community in a renowned, inventive Department, surrounded by leading facilities.

Our flexible approach to research is inspired by academics who lead innovative approaches to solving real-world challenges.

Explore postgraduate research in computer science

Browse our range of computer science PhD, EngD and MPhil postgraduate research programmes.

Search research programmes >>

Live projects

Start your PhD journey by finding a research project that you’re passionate about.

Search live projects >>

Supervisors

Getting in touch with a potential supervisor for your project is a crucial part of your PhD journey.

Search for supervisors by name or area of study >>

Browse research themes and find supervisors linked to each theme >>

There are lots of ways you can secure funding for your postgraduate research. Browse our funding pages to find out about available scholarships, studentships and awards before speaking to your supervisor for further guidance.

Find funding >>

Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs)

Find out more about fully funded PhD opportunities available through our CDTs, where you can combine research with practical training as part of a cohort and collaborate across research areas, institutions and industry.

Explore CDTs >>

Start your new tomorrow. Find out how to submit an application.

How to apply >>

Discover your tomorrow

Get ready for a life changing experience like no other; find out about postgraduate research at The University of Manchester.

Discover more about our research

Artificial intelligence

We are forging a path toward seamless integration of intelligent systems into our natural environment.

Data science

Our expertise spans the full data science lifecycle: from information management to bio-health informatics.

Future computing systems

Identifying novel ways to exploit the complexity of the transistor microchips that will become commonplace.

Human centred computing

We work in diverse fields to pioneer new forms of technology that will transform our lives.

Software and e-infrastructure

Building the next generation of tools and infrastructure to support best practice for software engineering.

Centres and institutes

The Department works with a number of interdisciplinary centres and institutes.

Discover the fantastic labs, computing and audio visual equipment that our researchers use in their work.

Start your PhD journey

Browse projects built on your research passion, find a supervisor that shares your vision and discover how your PhD could be fully funded.

Disability Advisory and Support Service

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• Contact and see us
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Automatic 1 week extensions

Where it states 'yes' next to automatic 1 week extensions, students have been approved automatic extensions on pieces of assessed written work. This does not apply to group work, presentations or where formative work is needed and feedback cannot be given before summative work is required. The student should not be required to apply for an extension or use mitigating circumstances unless they require an extension of longer than 5 working days.

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Submission deadlines

You are expected to submit your thesis before the end of your final year of registration. However you may request additional time at the end of your programme for writing up. This additional time is known as a Submission Pending period.

During Submission Pending you may not conduct any experimental work or data collection, this time is solely for writing up of the thesis.

Submission pending

If you’re on a 3 or 6 year PhD or 2 or 4 year MD programme you will be eligible for a full year of Submission Pending. For MPhil, 3.5, 5 or 7 year PhD programmes the Submission Pending period is 6 months.

You will need to register for this period and will be contacted by your local School Graduate Administrator regarding online registration.

If you're on a 4 or 8 year programme, you are expected to write up within four years, as you are not entitled to a submission pending period.

Fees for submission pending are £225 for the 12-month period. If you are unsure of your final submission deadline, in the first instance please check your eProg details page. If you are still unsure you should contact the Doctoral Academy office at [email protected] .

COVID-19 update

The University will waive the submission pending fee for any PGR with an original programme/funding start date before  September 2022 (before any COVID-related extension may have been applied), regardless of their funding source.

If you meet the end date criteria and your submission pending application is approved then the fee will be waived automatically.

If you have any questions please first contact  [email protected] .

An extension is where there is a change of circumstances that requires additional time. If you have any approved interruption during your programme, that time will be automatically added to your programme.

If you require any additional time, contact us at  [email protected] . 

• Essential information
• Thesis submission

Alternatively, use our A–Z index

Your tuition fees will cover the cost of your postgraduate research programme at the University as well as charges for registration, tuition, supervision, examinations and graduation.

Payment of fees will also entitle you to membership of the Library, the Students' Union and the Athletic Union.

Some programmes incur higher expenditure than others and it is, therefore, important that you check the exact rate of tuition fees for your chosen research programme .

You can find details of individual course fees in the relevant postgraduate programme profiles.

Visit our Crucial Guide for fee amounts for submission-pending and joint-award payments .

Your tuition fee status

Like other UK universities, we charge different tuition fees depending on whether you’re classed as 'Home' or 'Overseas' for tuition fee purposes.  

The information you submit on your application to study at the University will be used to determine your tuition fee status. Detailed information on how we assess your tuition fee can be found on our Your tuition fee status page. 

Paying your fees

Students must be able to provide documentary evidence from a sponsor that these fees will be paid on receipt of an invoice or that they will be able to meet the cost themselves.

A late payment charge will be incurred if your fees are not paid by the due date.

If you have a question concerning your fees, please email our Student Services Centre at [email protected] .

Learn more about applying for funding for your postgraduate research.

Do you need to make a payment to the University?

We're here to help make it as easy as possible for you.

Fees for postgraduate research study

Tuition fees for your PhD/MPhil will cover the cost of your study at the University, as well as charges for registration, tuition, supervision, examinations and graduation.

Payment of fees will also entitle you to membership of the Library and Students' Union. For general fee information, including paying your fees if you are self-funded or externally sponsored, visit the University's  postgraduate research fees  pages.

Postgraduate researchers on funded programmes or studentships (i.e. DTPs) will have their tuition fees paid internally.

Fees for PhD, MPhil and MD programmes fall into one of our standard fee bands. Your primary supervisor will determine which is appropriate according to the nature and complexity of your research project and associated activities (such as conference attendance).

The fee band is displayed within the project description on self-funded project adverts, or will be confirmed during the interview/offer stage.

Tuition fees are generally not quoted in adverts where they are covered by a funded studentship.

Some of our programmes attract a non-standard fee and these are displayed on the specific programme pages, for example in dentistry/clinical dentistry. 

Fees for UK students

For the academic year  2023/24  (September 2023, January 2024 and April 2024 start dates), the UK fees are:

• Standard - to be confirmed (set by UKRI)
• Band 1 - £10,000 per year (low cost research project)
• Band 2 - £17,500 per year (medium cost research project)
• Band 3 - £22,500 per year (high cost research project)

For the academic year 2024/25 (September 2024, January 2025 and April 2025 start dates), the UK fees are:

• Standard – to be confirmed (set by UKRI)
• Band 1 - £11,000 per year (low cost research project)
• Band 3 - £23,000 per year (high cost research project)

Fees for international students

For the academic year  2023/24  (September 2023, January 2024 and April 2024 start dates), the international fees are:

• Standard - £26,500
• Band 1 - £27,500 per year (low cost research project)
• Band 2 - £34,500 per year (medium cost research project)
• Band 3 - £39,500 per year (high cost research project)

For the academic year 2024/25 (September 2024, January 2025 and April 2025 start dates), the international fees are:

• Standard - £27,000
• Band 1 - £28,500 per year (low cost research project)
• Band 3 - £40,500 per year (high cost research project)

Confirmation of costs

The annual cost of your programme will be confirmed in your offer letter.

For UK applicants the annual tuition fee will increase slightly each year. For international applicants, tuition fees remain fixed for the duration of your study.

Living costs

If you are a self-funded applicant, you will also need to cover your living expenses for the duration of your programme. You will be required to present evidence of available living cost support if you need to apply for a student visa.

We offer a wide range of fully-funded studentships each year through our prestigious and competitive funded programmes. Some of these are open to international applicants and can cover the full costs of tuition fees.

Should you be awarded a fully funded studentship that covers tuition fees and living costs (paid as a monthly stipend) you must be able to personally meet the costs required to relocate to Manchester as these are not provided by the studentship (i.e. visa costs, health surcharge, relocation, flights).

Funded programmes

Browse our fully funded PhD programmes, including prestigious doctoral training partnerships and industry funded schemes.

Funding opportunities

Find out about the other sources of financial support available including scholarships and awards for UK and international applicants.