Heads of School

Heads of School are in charge of all matters pertaining to the running of their Schools, but they may delegate their powers in respect of PG students, as appropriate, and seek the advice of a School Postgraduate Committee (or equivalent). Heads of School or Heads of Discipline or their representatives are responsible for:

• responding to all enquiries relating to PG research in their School
• receiving applications for admission and recommending acceptance or rejection and any conditions of entry
• nominating supervisors in the light of students’ interests and the School expertise
• applying the Postgraduate Structured Management Frameworks to meet the needs of their School and ensuring that research students and their supervisors are issued with the relevant Framework (ie for full-time or part- time study)
• facilitating students obtaining research training, language tuition, and necessary skills
• approving facilities, support and materials as needed for PG research
• ensuring that supervisors and PGR students are acquainted with all relevant safety regulations and procedures, and that PGR students receive appropriate training and supervision when following any course of action or using any technique which might be deemed hazardous or dangerous
• ensuring that disabled students do not receive less favourable treatment and that relevant reasonable adjustments are made. These should be discussed with the University’s Senior Disability Adviser
• monitoring students’ progress through the six-monthly review forms and meet with PGR students deemed as “not satisfactory” with regard to progress
• monitoring supervision and ensuring that supervisors perform their duties appropriately
• attending to queries, problems and complaints either referred to them by supervisors, or raised directly by students
• recommending changes of degree registration and/or subject
• recommending changes of status (from full-time to part-time and vice-versa or suspension of study)
• recommending changes of supervisor and/or discipline
• nominating internal and external examiners and ensuring that the proposed examiners are aware that they are being nominated and their availability for examination of the thesis is checked
• recommending that a candidate’s registration be terminated, where appropriate