Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

RESOLUTION

The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy is governed by Resolution No. 507 of the University Court. The provisions of the Resolution are as follows:

1.   The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) may be awarded by the Senate of the University of Glasgow in each of the Colleges thereof.

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 in Schedules A to D.

3.   A candidate for the Degree may either undertake study or research in accordance with the provisions of Schedule A or, in the case of The Glasgow School of Art, Schedule C, or shall present either a published thesis or a published memoir or work or other material in accordance with the provisions of Schedule B or, in the case of The Glasgow School of Art, Schedule D.

4.   The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy whether by research or by published work shall in no case be conferred on persons who have not satisfied the conditions set out below, and shall not be conferred honoris causa.

Schedule C[1]: Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Research at The Glasgow School of Art

1.   Eligibility

Research students who have pursued in The Glasgow School of Art, a course of special study or research may offer themselves for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, under the following conditions, namely:

a)   that normally they have obtained, as a minimum, an undergraduate Degree with First or Upper Second Class Honours in any Scottish University, or in another University or College specially recognised for the purpose of this Section by the University Court on the recommendation of the Senate (provided always that a diploma or certificate recognised in like manner as equivalent to a undergraduate or postgraduate Degree may be accepted in place of a Degree);

b)   that they have produced to the Senate evidence of satisfactory progress in the special study or research undertaken by them;

c)   that they have pursued such study on a full-time basis for a period of not less than three academic years, or for a period of part-time study of not less than six academic years; provided always that the Senate shall have power, in exceptional cases, to reduce the period by one academic year, and to permit a research student during part of the period to pursue elsewhere their special study or research;

d)   the period of study or research elsewhere, permitted by §1(d), shall not normally exceed 12 months.

2.   Supervision

The progress of each research student shall be overseen by a Supervisory Team appointed for that student, and by the Research Degrees Sub-Committee of the Research & Enterprise Committee of The Glasgow School of Art (hereinafter referred to as the RDSC). A student can enrol only with their Primary Supervisor. If it is not apparent at the commencement of studies the context of the particular nature of, or specialism, required for the supplementary supervision of a student’s study, the rest of the student’s Supervisory Team may be considered at a later stage. A second supervisor should be approved by the RDSC or its Convener no later than eight months from the commencement of studies.

The Supervisory Team must meet with the research student at regular intervals. A meeting of the research student and the full Supervisory Team will take place not less than every six months. A first meeting with the student should take place within the first few weeks of the student’s first term. Students should regularly check-in with the Primary Supervisor through a series of supervision meetings that should be arranged throughout the year. A minute of each meeting should be kept, initiated by the student and summarising what is discussed and agreed. The Supervisory Team shall be comprised of the following:

• A Primary Supervisor (main subject domain), who shall be the main supervisor and a member of the academic staff at The Glasgow School of Art, and shall be competent to supervise postgraduate research degrees.
• One or two co-supervisor(s) as may be appointed by the RDSC. The co-supervisor may normally be a member of the academic staff at The Glasgow School of Art, or may be external to the School if their particular expertise is relevant to the programme of research being proposed and/or undertaken. The co-supervisor shall be competent to supervise postgraduate research degrees.

In addition to the Supervisory Team, the PhD Coordinator will support the student and the Supervisory Team in relation to procedures. The Head of Doctoral Studies will provide key overview, in particular with regard to funding, training and regulations.

The Supervisory Team shall be responsible to the RDSC to which it shall report annually. The RDSC shall be responsible to the Academic Council of The Glasgow School of Art for the progress of all research students. The Academic Council shall be responsible to the University Senate through the Higher Degrees Committee of the College of Arts.

Candidates must be available for regular supervision by their supervisor(s) unless given permission otherwise by the RDSC.

Candidates on a part-time basis must be available for regular supervision throughout their period of study unless given permission otherwise by the RDSC.

3.   Submission Requirements (PhD by Thesis; PhD by Practice)

A research student may submit their work within one of the following modes of submission: PhD by Thesis or PhD by Practice. An initial proposal of a mode of submission should be made by the student within their application. A final proposal of mode of submission should be agreed by the student and the Supervisory Team and submitted to the RDSC for approval prior to the examination. If the mode of submission has been approved, the content of the portfolio (see 3.2) and the arrangements for its form or presentation shall be subject to the agreement of the Supervisory Team.

All candidates for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy shall present for the approval of the Senate either a full written thesis (if undertaking PhD by Thesis) or a portfolio of practice and a shorter written thesis (if undertaking PhD by Practice) which shall embody the results of the candidate’s special study or research. The submission must include a written abstract of 250–500 words. The abstract must be an adequate and informative summary of the work suitable for publication by The Glasgow School of Art. The submission shall be accompanied by a declaration signed by the candidate that the submitted work has been composed by themself. The thesis must be written in English.

3.1   PhD by Thesis

A candidate must submit a thesis which shall embody the results of the candidate’s special study or research.

The thesis 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 thesis of greater or lesser length must seek prior permission from the RDSC.

3.2   PhD by Practice

A candidate for the PhD by Practice must  submit for examination a portfolio together with a thesis which, together but not necessarily separately, represents or embodies new knowledge. The thesis shall normally consist of 25,000–40,000 words excluding references, bibliography and appendices. A candidate who wishes to submit a thesis of lesser or greater length must seek prior permission from the RDSC.

Within these regulations, the term portfolio shall be taken to mean a body of original work, comprising one or a number of items, in fine art, craft, design or architecture. The body of work may be presented in material or virtual reality. The work may take the form of objects, images, environments, architectural structures, performances, texts, virtual or conceptual works, software or designs for any of these, or any comparable form. The portfolio may include work of an interdisciplinary character when the predominant discipline is fine art, craft, design or architecture.

The body of original work shall be documented by photographic or other visual process together with any necessary textual material, including labels or notes of explanation written in English. The documentation must be in permanent form. The documentation shall be to a standard whereby a future researcher may recognise the new knowledge represented or embodied within the work, as determined by the Examiners. The documentation shall include references, a bibliography and notes in which the candidate must state the sources from which their information is derived, the extent to which they have availed themself of the work of others, and the portions of the portfolio and any accompanying written thesis which they claim as original.

The documen­tation of all elements of the submission shall become the property of The Glasgow School of Art and shall be lodged in the Library of The Glasgow School of Art.

4.   Examination

The submission shall be examined by a team of Examiners appointed by the RDSC and approved by the College of Arts Higher Degrees Committee and the Senate. The team of Examiners shall include at least one internal examiner appointed by the Senate and one external examiner appointed by the University Court on the recommendation of the Senate. In the case of a submission by a member of staff or a former member of staff two of the examiners must be external.[2]

A candidate for the Degree of PhD must normally expect to be asked to present themself for oral or other examination by the Examiners on the subject-matter of the research project or thesis.

A candidate must submit the work for examination at the conclusion of the minimum period of full-time or part-time study. This period shall commence from the date of initial registration as a postgraduate student in The Glasgow School of Art. In the case of candidates who do not submit at the conclusion of the minimum period of study, extension to the deadline may be granted in accordance with the following provisions:

i)    the RDSC may, on consideration of a stated case from the candidate’s Supervisory Team, approve an extension of one year full-time or two years part-time for full-time candidates, or two years part-time for part-time candidates;

ii)   the Senate, in exceptional circumstances, may approve a further final extension of up to one year full-time or part-time.

A candidate who fails to meet the standard required for the award of the Degree of PhD may be permitted by the Examiners to present themself for re-examination on one occasion only and normally not later than three years from the date of their first submission. In each case the examiners shall prescribe whether the candidate will be required to represent in the whole of the examination or in a specific component.

Alternatively, if the Examiners consider that the submission has not achieved the standard required for the award of the Degree of PhD, but is of sufficient merit, they may recommend the candidate revise and resubmit the work for consideration for either the Degree of MRes or MPhil as appropriate.

A candidate must submit one printed copy and one digital copy of the thesis accompanied by a declaration that the research has been carried out and the work completed by the candidate, and that the work has not been accepted in fulfilment of the requirements of any other degree or professional qualification. The layout and binding of the printed copy should generally conform to the British Standard Institution’s Recommendations for the presentation of theses (BS4821:1990), a copy of which is available in the Library. The digital copy should be formatted according to recommendations made available through the GSA Library. In addition a candidate for the PhD by Practice must submit one copy of the documentation of their portfolio in either print or digital form. A PhD by Thesis candidate who chooses to submit a portfolio alongside their thesis must also submit one copy of the documentation of their portfolio in either print or digital form. If the Degree is awarded, both print and digital copies of the thesis, and the copy of the documentation of portfolio shall become the property of The Glasgow School of Art and be deposited in the Library.

Schedule D: Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Published Work at The Glasgow School of Art

1.   A person may be admitted as a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by published work who:

a)   i)    is a graduate of The Glasgow School of Art and whose date of submission of their thesis is at least five years from the date of their first graduation in The Glasgow School of Art; or

ii)   is a member of staff who has normally been employed for the full-time equivalent of at least five years and is paid through The Glasgow School of Art Finance Office or directly by a grant aided body approved by the Research & Enterprise Committee; or

iii)  is a former member of staff who has completed the full-time equivalent of a minimum of five years employment and was paid through The Glasgow School of Art Finance Office or directly by a grant aided body approved by the Research & Enterprise Committee, and who presents themself as a candidate for the degree within one calendar year of leaving The Glasgow School of Art’s employment.

b)   has not been enrolled as a Research Student in The Glasgow School of Art during the five years preceding the date of submission although the Research Degrees Sub-Committee of the Research & Enterprise Committee of The Glasgow School of Art (hereinafter referred to as RDSC) shall have the discretion to entertain applications from candidates who wish to transfer from the conventional PhD; and

c)   does not hold any Doctoral Degree of The Glasgow School of Art or of any other University or College in the same subject area; and

d)   has been found by the RDSC to possess the standard requirements for the Degree.

The RDSC shall have the discretion to reduce the qualifying period to three years in the case of full-time members of academic staff in the employment of the University.

2.   Subject to the provisions of Schedule D of this Resolution, candidates for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Published Work shall present for the approval of RDSC: an application form; full PhD proposal including abstract and name of a proposed mentor; intended list of works to be examined; the names of two external referees. If RDSC review and approve the application, the full application will be recommended to Research & Enterprise Committee, and thereafter to Academic Council, for review and approval. When final approval has been granted by Academic Council, the applicant should then submit their application to Academic Registry and pay the associated fee. The formal offer of a place on the programme will then be issued. If approval is not granted by any committee, the applicant will receive feedback from the relevant committee and may be invited to revise and resubmit the application and proposal.

3.   If a full application is approved by the RDSC, Research & Enterprise Committee and Academic Council, an applicant has 12 months (from the date of letter of offer issued by Academic Registry) to submit two copies of the work to be examined to Academic Registry. Both copies, if approved for the Degree, shall become the property of The Glasgow School of Art. The submitted work must include: a curriculum vitae, and a critical overview of 2,000-5,000 words which justifies the intellectual significance of the submission. Should the work to be submitted comprise diverse publications, the critical overview should explain the relationship between the works, including any developments which have occurred between one piece and another.