Special Regulations for the Award of MPhil and PhD by Published Work

(Approved: Academic Council, June 2000)

These special regulations for the Award of Research Degrees by Published Work should be read in conjunction with the University’s Regulations for the Award of the Degrees of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy (Research Degree Regulations)

Award of PhD by Published Work

1 Candidates may apply for the award of MPhil or PhD on the basis of published work subject to the conditions which follow.

2 All candidates under these regulations will be subject to the Research Degree Regulations except as otherwise stipulated in these regulations.

Eligibility

3 Candidates must meet the normal entry requirements for registration for MPhil/PhD, and will normally have at least 5 years’ relevant experience since graduation at first degree level.

4 A candidate must have prior or current significant connection/s with the University (for example, as a holder of a degree of the University or as a member of staff). The validity of the connection will be subject to the approval of the REKTC.

5 Candidates must be able to supply at their own expense evidence of published work.

6 Appropriate expertise in the field concerned must exist within the University.

Application and Registration

7 Applicants for registration for a Research Degree by Published Work shall be subject to the University’s selection and admission procedures for research degrees as laid down in the Regulations for the Award of the Degrees of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy. Where the applicant is not a member of the University staff, an appropriate administrative fee shall be payable in respect of the initial assessment of the application by the appropriate School.

8 Upon admission by the appropriate School, the candidate shall enrol as a research student of the University of Westminster, and shall pay the appropriate tuition fee (not applicable in the case of University of Westminster staff).

9 The REKTC shall endorse Applications to Register for a Research Degree by Published Work on the recommendation of the appropriate School. In making such recommendations, the School is confirming its satisfaction as to the suitability of the candidate and the availability of appropriate supervisory and other support.

10 The Application to Register shall be submitted not less than one year in advance of the submission of the work for assessment and shall set out the form of the candidate’s intended submission.

11 The appointment of supervisor/s shall be subject to the requirements of Section 6 of the Research Degree Regulations except insofar as, for a candidate registered on the published work route, only one supervisor need be appointed. The role of the supervisor shall include assisting the candidate in preparing the work for submission and proposing examination arrangements to the REKTC.

Submission of Work

12 The submitted work should normally consist of one or more of the following:

Books – the defining characteristic being that every book should have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

Refereed Conference Papers – must be refereed and published as part of the conference proceedings

Refereed Journal Papers – research papers aimed primarily at the academic and research community

Review Articles in Academic Publications

Other Publications – including journal letters as approved from time to time by the REKTC but excluding newspaper articles, reviews of articles or books and theses. Journal papers, un-refereed but accepted in the particular research field/profession as of equivalent standing to refereed papers.

Other Media/Other Public Output – which represent a contribution to research in the academic subject concerned. Examples might include designs (e.g. architectural or engineering designs), maps, patents granted, publicly available software, works created or performed if publicly recognised as original research contributions to the subjects.

13 The body of work may not include material produced over five years before the date of the submission.

14 The submission shall be a coherent body of work which, in the case of a PhD, constitutes an original contribution to knowledge. It shall be accompanied by an abstract and a commentary which describes the aims of the research, incorporates an analytical discussion of the main results and conclusions, and puts the total work submitted in context. The commentary should not normally exceed 5,000 words for science and technology subjects and 10,000 for arts, social sciences and humanities.

15 Candidates proposing to submit a single book (as opposed to a series of papers or other outputs) shall be required to submit a commentary as outlined in 17.14 above.

The submitted work must show evidence of appropriate research skills and training and constitute an independent and original contribution to knowledge.

Examination

17 Approximately three months before the proposed date of the oral examination, the supervisor shall propose the arrangements for the candidate’s examination for the approval of the REKTC.

18 The appointment of examiners shall be in accordance with the Research Degree Regulations, Section 11.

19 A candidate shall submit for examination one copy of the material for each examiner appointed and the Chair of Examiners.

20 The material, other than published books, must be bound in the manner prescribed by the Research Degree Regulations.

21 The REKTC may, as appropriate, accept for examination a wholly published version or require that the work be submitted in the form of a thesis as prescribed in the regulations.

22 A candidate shall be required to declare that:

The submission as a whole or in part is not substantially the same as any that he or she previously made or is currently making, whether in published or unpublished form, for a degree, diploma or similar qualification at any university or similar institution.   Until the outcome of the current application to the University is known, the work or works submitted will not be submitted for any such qualification at another university or similar institution.

23 When a candidate submits work published jointly with others, he or she shall submit such evidence as may be required by the REKTC as to the extent of his or her contribution to that work. The REKTC reserves the right to verify the claims made by a candidate in case of all multi-authored works with the other cited authors.

24 Following the oral examination, successful candidates shall be required to submit copies of the material as detailed in the Research Degree Regulations, paragraph 14.7.

25 The submitted work will be assessed by the examiners who may recommend:

• The candidate be awarded the degree
• The candidate be awarded the degree subject to minor amendments
• In the case of a PhD examination, the candidate be awarded the degree of MPhil
• The candidate be not awarded the degree

26 Where the examiners recommend that the degree be not awarded, the candidate may not submit for an MPhil/PhD by Published Work within a period of three years from the date of the original examination. Any further submission must include evidence of additional work.