Degree of Doctor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

RESOLUTION

The Degree of Doctor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is governed by Resolution No. 664 of the University Court, which at the time of publication was in draft form. The provisions of the Resolution are as follows:

1.    The Degree of Doctor of Fine Arts (DFA) in Creative Writing may be awarded by the Senate of the University of Glasgow in the College of Arts;

2.    The Senate shall have power to make such regulations governing the award of the Degree as may be approved by the University Court, and these shall be as stated under ‘Regulations’;

3.    The early exit awards of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) are also included in the Regulations.

REGULATIONS

1.     Admission

Before being considered for admission to study for the Degree, a candidate must normally have obtained a Masters degree in Creative Writing with Merit or Distinction or have gained experience or have completed works deemed by the College of Arts Higher Degrees Committee to provide equivalent evidence of suitability for study.

2.     Duration of Study

2.1   The minimum period of study for the award of the Degree is three years of full-time study or five years of part-time study.

2.2   The requirements of the programme, including submission of the portfolio described in §3.1, must be completed within four years of first registration for a full-time candidate and within six years for a part-time candidate. Where the College has approved suspension of study for a period of time, the maximum period of study permitted shall be extended by the approved period of suspension.

2.3   A candidate who has not completed the requirements of the programme, and the duration of whose period of study has reached the limit prescribed in §2.2, may apply to the College Higher Degrees Committee (or equivalent) for permission to extend his or her period of study by a maximum of one year. Such application must be accompanied by evidence of the candidate’s progress and an explanation for the delay in completion, and must be supported by the candidate’s supervisor and the Programme Director. Where the candidate has fulfilled the minimum period of part-time study or full-time study required by the regulations, and has not submitted the portfolio for examination, the candidate shall be registered with a ‘thesis pending’ status for the final session. If further supervision is required, the College may require the candidate to register as a full-time or part-time student.

3.     Structure of Programme

3.1   The programme will consist of the completion of core seminars as specified in the programme handbook and submission of a portfolio of 70,000-100,000 words, to include a creative project and essay of written work which shall make a significant contribution to literature, normally containing material worthy of publication, as further specified in the programme handbook.

3.2   A candidate must be available for supervision in the University throughout the period of study except when given permission to pursue research elsewhere.

3.3   A candidate must satisfactorily complete such formal research training and any other attendance requirements as set down by the College.

3.4   Progress for a candidate to subsequent years of study is dependent on satisfactory performance at annual progress review. Failure to meet College requirements at annual progress review without good cause may result in exclusion from further study.

4.     Portfolio

4.1   Each candidate for the Degree shall present for the approval of the Senate the portfolio referred to at §3.1 accompanied by a declaration signed by the candidate that the portfolio has been produced by himself or herself.

4.2   The portfolio shall be a minimum of 70,000 and a maximum of 100,000 words including references, bibliography and appendices in each case. A candidate who wishes to submit a portfolio of greater or lesser length must seek prior permission of the College Higher Degrees Committee.

4.3   The portfolio shall be examined by one or more examiners appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies on behalf of Senate from among the experienced academic staff of the University, and by one or more External Examiners appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies on behalf of the University Court and Senate. No person who has been involved in the direct supervision of the candidate may be appointed as an examiner. The internal examiner shall not undertake any duties which have been allocated to the Convener (see §4.5) andshall act as an examiner in the normal way. In the case of a submission by a member of staff or a former member of staff two of the examiners must be external.[1] A portfolio may be examined by two external examiners without the appointment of an Internal Examiner, with the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies.

4.4   A candidate for the Degree must present himself or herself for oral or other examination by the Committee of Examiners on the subject matter of the portfolio and its context. The requirement for an oral examination shall be observed at the first submission of the portfolio. In undertaking an oral or other examination the candidate must follow any requirements for the assessment as stated by the Graduate School.

4.5   A Convener shall be appointed by the Convener of the Higher Degrees Committee or its equivalent committee to convene the oral examination and to report on the agreed recommendations of the Committee of Examiners to the appropriate College Committee.

The Convener will be responsible for the following:

a)   making the arrangements for an oral examination and ensuring that this is normally held no later than three months after the submission of the portfolio;

b)   attending the whole examination and ensuring that it is conducted in a fair manner and is of a reasonable duration;

c)   assisting the examiners to reach a consensus, noting that, subject to the authority of Senate, the view of the External Examiner shall normally prevail;

d)   arranging for the report stating the recommendation of the Committee of Examiners to be signed at the conclusion of the examination;

e)   after the oral, co-ordinating the completion of a joint report detailing the requirements for revision or resubmission and providing this to the candidate.

4.6   The supervisor shall not normally be present at the oral examination but shall be available to the Committee of Examiners for consultation. If the candidate makes a request in writing to the Convener for the supervisor to be present at the oral examination, this should normally be permitted. The request should be made no later than one week before the date of the oral.

4.7   Where a candidate has been permitted to resubmit a portfolio for examination, an oral shall also be held other than in exceptional circumstances, where the Convener, on the recommendation of the Committee of Examiners, may seek the agreement of the Dean of Graduate Studies to set aside the requirement for an oral examination after resubmission. In such circumstances the agreement of the candidate must be obtained, otherwise the candidate shall have the right to insist on an oral being held.

4.8   Where a candidate has been permitted to resubmit the portfolio, it shall normally be on one occasion only. The resubmitted portfolio shall be examined by the Committee of Examiners appointed for the first submission or by the Committee of Examiners appointed for the second submission.

4.9   The portfolio must normally be written and defended in English. Exceptionally, however, at the time of application the College Graduate School Board (or equivalent) may approve arrangements whereby the portfolio may be written and defended in a language other than English, such as Gaelic. Approval will normally be given only where the use of a language other than English is deemed appropriate by the relevant School and the Graduate School Board and where the School and the Graduate School Board are satisfied that appropriate arrangements can be made for supervision and examination.

5.     Submission of Portfolio

5.1   In submitting a portfolio a candidate must state any sources from which information is derived, the extent to which he or she has availed himself or herself of the work of others, and the portions of the portfolio which he or she claims as original.

5.2   Two copies of the portfolio must be submitted. The submission must include a summary of 250 - 1000 words. The summary must be an adequate and informative abstract of the work, suitable for publication by the Uni­versity. The submitted copies of the portfolio may be soft-bound but otherwise should generally conform to the British Standard Institution’s Recommendations for the presentation of theses (BS4821:1990) which is available for consultation in the University Library or from the College Graduate School.

5.3   In signing a submission form, the supervisor is confirming that the work was undertaken by the candidate. The wording of the form makes it clear that the supervisor's signature does not endorse that the work has been completed nor does it indicate that the portfolio has achieved the required standard for the award of the degree.