Graduate Centre

Submission of Thesis

When your thesis is ready for submission you should have three (3 ) copies temporarily bound (two (2) for MPhil, DPsych, EdD, DBA and LLM) for the examiners. A loose leaf copy should also be submitted. Copies should be on good quality A4 paper and can be copied on one or both sides of the paper. If you elect to print on both sides of the paper, marginal specifications must be mirrored accordingly and thesis must be temporarily bound in spiral binding, rather than thermal binding, for the examination process.

The thesis should be submitted, preferably in person, to the Research Degrees Officer in the Graduate Centre, Division of Research and Development. A receipt will be issued for the thesis at the time of submission.

Before a thesis is submitted to the examiners, the Board requires that the regulations concerning submission of a thesis have been met, and will require your supervisor to comment in general terms on the thesis and on any special circumstances relevant to its preparation and examination.

The Board appoints two examiners for MPhil, LLM(Research) and Professional Doctorate theses and three for a PhD thesis. Normally all examiners will be external to the University, although there is provision to appoint one internal examiner if a special case is made. Normally at least one overseas examiner is appointed for both MPhil, LLM(Research) and PhD theses. None of your supervisors may be appointed as an examiner.

You will not be told the names of your examiners until they have accepted appointment. The Research Degrees and Scholarships Committee will then release the names to you on condition that you undertake in writing not to correspond in any way with the examiners before announcement of the outcome of the examination. Examiners will be informed of this procedure when they are invited to examine your thesis.

When your thesis has been submitted to the Research Degrees Officer for examination your enrolment will be terminated for statistical purposes but you will remain registered as a postgraduate student until a decision is reached regarding the award of the degree.

The process of examination takes at least three months. In those cases where it is necessary for the Board to appoint additional examiners, for example, when it is not satisfied that there is substantial agreement on the merits of the thesis, the period of examination will be correspondingly lengthened. Oral, written and practical examinations are required only in exceptional cases.

After it has considered the examiners' reports, the Board may recommend

that the degree be awarded;
that you be invited to revise the thesis and re-submit it for re-examination, or
that the degree not be awarded.

You will be advised of the Board's recommendation or decision immediately. Copies of the examiners' reports will be forwarded to you.