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• Students start their intention to submit process on TAP.
• You, the supervisor, receives this notification.
• Approve / decline a student's intention to submit.
• This automatically informs the Graduate School.
• The Graduate School then sends the Nomination Form back to you via TAP.
• Please fill out the internal and external examiners.
• Click SAVE after you fill out each individual tab and then click submit after you've done them both.
• Do it quickly as there is a 20min time limit and TAP does not autosave.
• An automated email will go to the PG convenor and the PG Admin to add and approve the Exam Convenor.
• An email will then be sent to the Graduate School notifying them to progress the thesis to the next stage of formally inviting the external examiner, this email is copied to the Supervisor, the PG Convener and the PG Administrator.

For more information on the TAP Thesis Process please read the following document:

• TAP Thesis Process

Exam Convenor Recommended Steps:

• On TAP a supervisor nominates an internal and external examiner. An automated email then goes to the PGR Convenor.
• PGR Convenor nominates you to be an exam convenor. The Graduate School is also notified.
• No right to work check is required for external examiners.
• Receiving the student's thesis - it will be sent to you, and the two examiners, via file transfer at the same time.
• Organise the viva either on campus or Zoom - a remote viva agreement form is not required.
• Set the date after the thesis has been sent out, this will be after the external examiner has confirmed they will attend.
• MSc(R) / MVM oral examinations - the exam committee reads the thesis and discusses between themselves if an oral examination should take place.
• Notify the two examiners and the Graduate School of the viva date.
• After the examination inform the candidate verbally of the outcome of the examination.
  • Ensure that any required corrections or a request for resubmission are clearly communicated to the student along with the relevant timescales.
• Co-ordinate the completion of a joint report detailing the requirements for revision or resubmission which you will provide to the candidate.    
• Send back to the Graduate School these docs:
  • Convenor Report Form 
  • Internal Examiner Report 
  • External Examiner Report 
  • External Examiner Claim Form
• Outcome of the Viva - The Graduate School sends the student an 'Outcome of Viva Letter' with the date for them to send you, and the examiner(s), back their corrections.
• The final corrected thesis will be sent back to you from the student for you to ask the examiner(s) to confirm if the changes requested have been made.
• You sign off on the corrections and fill out the 'Approval of Corrections' section at the bottom of the Joint Report Form.
• Inform the student that they can submit their final corrected thesis or if they need to undergo a resubmission.
• All of the forms you need are found below in word or pdf format.
• For more in depth information about your role and the thesis submission / viva process, please refer to p27 onwards of the PGR Code of Practice below.

IMPORTANT FORMS & INFORMATION

• TAP Thesis Process
• Role of the Exam Convenor 
• Thesis by Alternative Format Guidance 
• PGR Code of Practice
• Thesis Resubmission Process 
• Theses Prizes
• MScR Thesis Notes / MVM Thesis Notes
  
  

Internal Examiner Recommended Steps:

• Invited by Exam Convenor to examine a final thesis.
• Contacted by Exam Convenor to arrange date for viva (you may be given a remote viva form to sign).
• Graduate School will send the viva via file transfer for review.
• Complete the Internal Examiner Report form (not copying in supervisor) and send back to the Exam Convenor 1 week before the viva. Choose the appropriate form below.
• Complete and sign the Joint Convenor Report which the Exam Convenor will give you and send back to the Exam Convenor.
• Review any thesis corrections if prompted to do so by the Exam Convenor and email back.
• For more detailed information read the Role of Examiners document below.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

• Role of Examiners
• PGR Code of Practice
• MScR Thesis Notes
• MVM Thesis Notes
• PhD / MD Thesis Notes
• Thesis Resubmission Process
• Theses Prizes
• Thesis by Alternative Format Guidance

External Examiner Recommended Steps:

• Expect an invite email from UofG and return response form to the Graduate School.
• You will be contacted by the Exam Convenor to arrange a date for the viva.
• Graduate School will send the thesis via file transfer for review.
• Complete the External Examiner Report form (not copying in supervisor) and send back to the Exam Convenor 1 week before the viva. Choose below which form you require: PhD, MD, MVM, MScR.
• Complete and sign the Joint Convenor Report which the Exam Convenor will give you and send back to the Exam Convenor.  
• Submit fee payment form chosen from below to mvls-gradschool@glasgow.ac.uk on the date of the viva with all receipts and proof of bank account. The claim form contains the guidelines for the repayment of expenses and what can be reclaimed.
• Review any thesis corrections if prompted to do so by the Exam Convenor and email back to the Exam Convenor.
• For more information it's important read the Role of Examiners below for more detailed instructions.

PAYMENT AND EXPENSES

• If you live/work in the UK:
  • Complete an External Examiner Claim Form below
  • send proof of your bank details - a redacted image of your online account is best.
  • send expense receipts to the MVLS Graduate School
    
    • flights within the UK are acceptable. Zoom vivas are highly recommended.
    • one night in a hotel is acceptable
    • subsistence (food/drinks) is a max of £60
    • A max of £1000 will be reimbursed including your external examiner fee.
     
  • You will be responsible for ensuring that you meet your personal obligations to HMRC.

• If you live/work outside of the UK:
  • All external examiners must complete an External Examiner Claim Form below, 
  • send proof of your bank details - a redacted image of your online account is best.
  • send any expense receipts to the MVLS Graduate School:
    • flights within the UK/EU are acceptable, long hall flights are not. Zoom vivas are highly recommended.
    • one night in a hotel is acceptable
    • subsistence (food/drinks) is a max of £60
    • A max of £1000 will be reimbursed including your external examiner fee.
  • Confirm your bank can accept GBP payments, or provide details of an intermediary bank that can accept GBP payment.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• Role of Examiners
• PGR Code of Practice
• MScR Thesis Notes
• MVM Thesis Notes
• PhD / MD Thesis Notes
• Thesis Resubmission Process
• External Examiner Claim Form
• Theses Prizes
• Thesis by Alternative Format Guidance

Please find forms, information and notes on the thesis process for PhD, MD, MVM and MScR. Specific forms for Exam convenors, Internal and External Examiners can be found in the relevant drop down boxes above.

Recommended steps:

1. Students start their intention to submit process on TAP.
2. The supervisor, receives this notification.
3. They approve / decline a student's intention to submit.
4. This automatically informs the Graduate School.
5. The Graduate School then sends the Nomination Form to the supervisor via TAP.
6. Supervisor fills out the internal and external examiners.
7. They need to click SAVE after they fill out each individual tab and then click submit after they've done them both.
8. It needs done quickly as there is a 20min time limit and TAP does not autosave.
9. An automated email will go to the PG convenor and the PG Admin to add and approve the Exam Convenor.
10. An email is then sent to the Graduate School notifying them to progress the thesis to the next stage.
11. The Graduate School invites the external examiner, this email is copied to the Supervisor, the PG Convener and the PG Administrator.
12. The external examiner normally accepts and responds.
13. If the Graduate School receives the thesis early they send it out via file transfer to the exam convenor, internal examiner and external examiner. Otherwise they wait for the thesis to arrive on the submission date.
14. The two examiners will also need to fill out an internal and external report form after they have read the thesis and they must be sent back to the Graduate School 1 week before the viva.
15. The exam convenor, or nominated person will not have to do a right to work check.
16. The exam convenor arranges the viva. The Graduate School does not.
17. It's recommended that the viva date should be set about 3 months after the thesis has been sent out to the exam committee.
18. After the viva the exam convenor sends back the Exam Convenor form, the Internal and External report forms if they have not been sent back before the viva.
19. The Graduate School sends out an Outcome of Viva letter to the student containing the submission date of their final corrected thesis.
20. The student completes their corrections and sends back to the internal examiner for review.
21. The internal examiner informs the exam convenor and they sign off on the corrections using the Approval of Corrections form.
22. The Graduate School takes receipt of the final corrected thesis and a thesis access form from the student and provides an award letter.
23. The external examiner should send their fee form back to the Graduate School for processing.

If anything is missing that you need, or forms/info you have and want to share, please get in touch with the Graduate School or see the Important Forms and Information Docs tab below.

Quick steps:

• Immediately after the viva, the Exam Convenor confers with the Internal and External Examiners regarding the decision to have the student re-submit their thesis.
• The Exam Convenor informs the Graduate School of the decision along with the Joint Convenor Report, Internal and External Exam Reports.
• The Graduate School updates TAP and sends the student an Outcome of Viva letter with regards to their resubmission dates.
• Shortly before the resubmitted thesis is due to come in, the Graduate School contacts the PG Convener and send them a list of the original examination committee members to ask if there are any changes to be made to it.
• If there are no changes and the thesis arrives by its due date (as shown on the outcome of viva letter), it will then be sent out for examination to the Exam Committee with corresponding paperwork, eg, Thesis Re-submission Form, Internal Examiner Report, External Examiner Report.
• On the resubmission report forms the choices for the examiners are reduced, eg, no option to resubmit again.
• The Exam Convenor will organise another viva unless the Exam Committee specifically says another viva is not required.
• However, if the student is in danger of being ‘failed’, then a viva must be held regardless of what the examiners say as a student has the right to defend their thesis.
• The final outcome and corresponding reports must be emailed back to the Graduate School.

• Thesis Resubmission Process

• Staff and students can do a Thesis by Alternative Format by combining research papers and journal submissions to make a thesis.
• Needs to be in discussion with their supervisor and PG Convenor.
• This is not to be confused with a PhD by Published Work.
• A Thesis by Alternative Format is examined in the same way as an ordinary PhD/MD but the examiners should be informed that it is an alternative format submission.
• The guidance for Alternative Format Theses is applicable to both PhD and MD.
  • Thesis by Alternative Format Guidance

Background Info in Short

Candidates submit a collection of papers to us which they have written over the course of their working life and are not a supervised student.

They need only have graduated from Glasgow University or be a staff (former staff) member etc.

They can submit from anywhere in the world and don’t need to be present in Glasgow to submit for examination.

Once their application has been accepted by the Higher Degrees Committee and they complete a formal application online, candidates then register in MyCampus and pay one single tuition fee, £1355 (2023-24), at the start of term.

If they start mid-year and their MyCampus record rolls on to the next academic year, and they are still considered under examination into the next academic year, they would then register as thesis pending and we would update their student milestone. This would happen if a student starts in, for example in May, and their end date would be 30^th April the following year. This is a crossover of academic years. 

There is no part time or full time as this doesn’t really apply to a PW candidate. 

The application to examination phase normally takes place within one year.

NB: Difficulties may arise when trying to force a July start onto a MyCampus system which is not built to accept Published Work candidates. For example, if a student applies in June/July, this is a completely different academic term compared to the student starting in August, which is a new term. MyCampus may automatically 'charge' the student the fee again. If this happens, contact the Graduate School for the fee to be waived.

Where possible, it's better for the student to start at the beginning of the academic year. 

Step by Step Procedure:

• Enquiries come to the MVLS Graduate School.
• The student is sent the current university regulations for the published work degree.
• The applicant will either take no further action if they think they don’t meet the requirements (from looking at the regulations)
• Or they will submit the papers listed on the guidelines under requirements for consideration for a prima facie.
• Their submission comes to the Graduate School and then goes to the Higher Degrees Committee clerk who records who the applicant is ready for discussion at the next HDC meeting.
• The HDC usually can’t make a decision to accept the application without an expert to first view the papers, so the PG Convener at the HDC meeting with the strongest connection to the research field in the proposed submission, will return the name of an appropriate expert academic to view the papers and make a recommendation to the HDC.
• The applicant’s papers are sent to the expert academic to consider and make a recommendation on whether a prima facie case has been made.
• The HDC views the recommendation, from the expert, and papers again and approves/declines the request to submit for a published work degree.
• The relevant PG Convener is asked to recommend a suitable ‘Advisor’ for the candidate and suggest examiners.
• The candidate is informed by the Graduate School sending two letters:
  • one is to confirm that the prima facie case has been made and they may submit
  • the other is to ask them to complete an online application so that they can be admitted and have a record created on MyCampus for registration and payment of the fee right away
• It’s preferable that they do not start during the summer due to the fact they will cross over two academic terms.
• Candidates often have difficulty with the online process in finding what to select. Sometimes the application goes into a holding pattern when Admissions ask for more documents to be submitted. This is not necessary for published works candidates who have already been confirmed as accepted and external relations are copied into the acceptance letter sent to the candidate. When admitted and a record appears – the student can register.
• Once the thesis is ready to be submitted, the student is notified by the Graduate School to complete an intention to submit form. (not on TAP, it's a separate word doc to be sent out by the Graduate School)
• Once received back, the internal and external examiners are invited to participate by the Graduate School.
• When we receive the examiner confirmations, the thesis can be sent out to them for review. Their reports can be found below.
• There is not usually a viva but one can be requested.
• The examiners send their reports back to the PG Convenor, who sends the student a list of any corrections.
• The PG Convenor sends the Graduate School the examiner reports plus the joint report.
• The Graduate School sends an outcome letter to the student regarding how long they have to complete them, or to inform them there are no corrections.
• The student then submits their corrected thesis to the Graduate School and to Enlighten.
• The Graduate School completes the student's MyCampus record and sends out an award letter.

• External Examiner Claim Form 
• TAP Thesis Process
• Role of the Exam Convenor
• Role of Examiners
• Thesis by Alternative Format Guidance
• PGR Code of Practice
• Thesis Re-submission Process
• MScR Thesis Notes
• MVM Thesis Notes
• Theses Prizes