FAQ

Students are advised to contact their Programme / School Office for additional and programme - specific information.

What is the graduate research thesis submission deadline?

Information regarding the submission deadlines for graduate research degree theses (and the associated fees) is available on the Fees and Grants section of the Registry website – http://www.ucd.ie/registry/adminservices/fees/index.html

Students on graduate research programmes are normally expected to submit their thesis by the submission deadline for their programme and within the prescribed period of registration* as outlined in the regulations.

* Prescribed period of registration: this refers to the period of time during which a research degree student is normally expected to be registered to their programme of study as laid down in the relevant Academic Regulations.

Programme type	Minimum registration period		Maximum registration period
Programme type	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time	Part-time
Research Masters Degree(Regulation 8.6)	1 calendar year	2 calendar years	2 calendar years	4 calendar years
PhD Degree (post-2006)** (Regulation 16.6)	3 calendar years	5 calendar years	4 calendar years	6 calendar years
PhD Degree (pre-2006)			6 calendar years
MD Degree (Regulation 24.4)	2 years	4 years	2 years	4 years
DN/DM Degree (Regulation 32.3)	3 years	6 years	3 years	6 years

** Please note: in exceptional circumstances, a PhD student may be permitted to present for the degree of PhD following a shorter period of registration. Please see PhD Regulation 16.6.1 for full information (available at http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/pol_regs.htm).

What happens if a graduate research student is unable to meet their thesis deadline?

A graduate research student may apply for an extension (where there are extenuating circumstances) or for permission to continue in the programme.*Before making an application, a graduate research student should communicate with their Principal Supervisor and other members of their Doctoral Studies Panel, Research Masters Panel or MD Committee as soon as is reasonably possible. There are a variety of support systems within UCD where a student may seek further advice and assistance. An up-to-date list of these support systems can be accessed at http://www.ucd.ie/students/studentsupport.html

* Information on applying for an extension or permission to continue in the programme can be found in the Policy on Theses in Graduate Research Programmes (http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/pol.htm#g).

How many copies of the graduate research thesis must be submitted for examination?

Graduate research thesis

http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/pol.htm#g

What form(s) does a graduate research student need to complete in order to submit the thesis?

The graduate research degree student must complete the Research Degree Examination Form* and submit this completed form (including the signature of their Principal Supervisor) together with the appropriate number of copies of the thesis to the Student Desk, UCD Registry. * This form should be typed and is available to download from https://intranet.ucd.ie/registry/assessment/acce.html

Does a graduate research student have to be registered in order to submit a thesis?

Yes. A candidate for a graduate research degree award must be a fully registered student and fees compliant at the time when the thesis is submitted for examination. Students can check their fees status on their UCD Student Information System (SIS) account (to log in please go to https://sisweb.ucd.ie/usis/twbkwbis.P_WWWLogin).

What is the registration status of a graduate research degree student once they have submitted the thesis?

Once a student on a graduate research degree programme has submitted their thesis they will continue to be registered as a student until such time that the examination has been completed and the award is sanctioned by the Academic Council Committee on Examinations. Their registration status shall be 'For Assessment' (FA). Students shall not be liable for tuition fees, but their student card shall be extended and they will have access to University facilities in order to prepare for the viva voce examination (where relevant) and to complete papers for publication, normally until the end of term.

What is the viva voce examination?

It is the policy of the University that every PhD candidate must be examined through a viva voce examination. On the request of a Head of School, or at the behest of the examiners, a viva voce examination of a Research Masters Degree candidate may be arranged.

Where the examiners agree that a thesis is satisfactory for examination, the Examination Committee shall conduct a viva voce examination of the candidate, which will normally be held within two months of submission of the thesis.

• The objectives of the viva voce examination are to provide an opportunity for the examiners to clarify any issues of fact which may have arisen in the course of the preliminary reading of the thesis, to test the candidate's knowledge of the thesis topic and related areas of research and, as far as possible, to establish the originality of the candidate's work and ideas.

• The viva voce examination also provides an opportunity for the candidate to elaborate on aspects of the research which may not have been included in the thesis and to defend the arguments presented and the ideas developed in the thesis.

Further information on how the viva voce examination is conducted can be found in the Policy on Theses in Graduate Research Programmes (http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/pol.htm#g).

What is the composition of the Examination Committee?

The Examination Committee shall consist of both internal and extern examiner(s). The members of the Examination Committee should be appointed and approved at least three months prior to submission by the candidate of the graduate research degree thesis.

The table below outlines the specific requirements for the constitution of the examination committee for each degree programme.

TABLE A: Appointment of the Examination Committee

	Internal Examiners	Extern Examiners	Chair of Examination Committee	Principal Supervisor
Research Masters	1 or 2	1 minimum, second where candidate is FT academic staff(1) of UCD or other College of NUI	Normally internal examiner	Normally cannot be internal examiner, can attend viva voce (where applicable) in a silent capacity, with consent of candidate and Chair
Doctor of Medicine (MD)	1	1 minimum, second where candidate is FT academic staff(2) of UCD or other College of NUI	Head of the School of Medicine and Medical Science (or nominee) and is not an examiner, and is an additional member of Exam Committee	Cannot be internal examiner, can attend viva voce (where applicable) in a silent capacity, with consent of candidate and Chair
PhD (pre-2006)	2 minimum	1 minimum, second where candidate is FT academic staff(3) of UCD or other College of NUI (in which case, 2nd extern replaces 2nd intern)	Normally Head of School (or nominee), and can be an internal examiner, and is not an additional member of Exam Committee	Can be an internal examiner and can be Chair
PhD (post-2006)	1 or 2	1 minimum, second where candidate is FT academic staff(4) of UCD or other College of NUI (in which case, 2nd extern is additional and does not replace an internal examiner)	Normally Head of School (or nominee) and is not an examiner, and is an additional member of Exam Committee	Cannot be internal examiner, cannot be Chair, can attend viva voce in a silent capacity, with consent of candidate and Chair
Doctor of Nursing/ Midwifery (DN/DM)	1 or 2	1 minimum, second where candidate is FT academic staff(5) of UCD or other College of NUI (in which case, 2nd extern is additional and does not replace an internal examiner)	Head of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems (or nominee) and is not an examiner, and is an additional member of Exam Committee	Cannot be internal examiner, cannot be Chair, can attend viva voce in a silent capacity, with consent of candidate and Chair

(1) See Academic Regulation 14.1.4
(2) See Academic Regulation 30.1.4
(3) See Academic Council Regulation 4, 5.3
(4) See Academic Regulation 22.1.4. A second extern examiner should also be appointed for other PhD candidates where the Graduate School Board considers a potential conflict of interest may arise.
(5)See Academic Regulation 38.1.4. A second extern examiner should also be appointed for other DN/DM candidates where the Graduate School Board considers a potential conflict of interest may arise.

What are the possible outcomes of the graduate research thesis examination?

The possible recommendations that the Examination Committee can make to the Academic Council Committee on Examinations (ACCE) are listed below. For further information please refer to Section 6 of the Policy on Thesis in Graduate Research Programmes. .
• Examiners unanimously recommend awarding a graduate research degree: no corrections.
• Examiners unanimously recommend awarding a graduate research degree: corrections required.
• Examiners unanimously recommend that the graduate research degree not be awarded, which may also include a recommendation to the candidate to substantially revise and re-submit the thesis.
• No unanimous recommendation.

In all cases, the Chair of the Examination Committee shall inform the candidate and the Principal Supervisor of the recommendation made to ACCE. All candidates are entitled to a copy of the examiners' degree report(s) following the authorisation or otherwise of the award of the degree by the Academic Council Committee on Examinations.

In addition, a candidate may appeal a decision of the Academic Council Committee on Examinations on not to award of the degree to the Academic Council Committee on Assessment Appeals.

What is the process for submitting the final graduate research thesis?

A hard-bound copy of the thesis, incorporating any corrections required by the examiners – together with the Thesis Corrections Sign-Off Form (available at https://intranet.ucd.ie/registry/assessment/acce.html) – must be lodged by the candidate with the Student Desk, UCD Registry before the Academic Council Committee on Examinations will consider the award of the degree.

The candidate shall normally also present a hard-bound copy of the thesis to the Principal Supervisor and/or the Head of School.

UCD Registry Clárlann UCD

Academic Secretariat Rúnaíocht Acadúil