PhD programme
The Departments of Management and Finance are committed to providing the best possible learning environment and all staff will endeavour to give you the support you require to achieve academic success as a postgraduate research student.
It is recommended that you review the information below to understand the programme, your responsibilities and the facilities.
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In seeking to achieve the School's and students' joint objectives for the doctoral programme, there are levels of input from students which should be regarded as minimum requirements and responsibilities.
Students are expected to:
- pursue their research diligently and to the highest standards of their discipline taking into account the advice and criticism offered by their supervisor(s) and other scholars in their field
- discuss with their supervisor the type of guidance and comment that they find most helpful and agree a schedule of meetings. These meetings should occur at least 10 times annually, but probably more in the early stages of the project. You may wish to use the Doctoral student logbook (Word) to record minutes and actions arising from supervisory discussions.
- agree with the supervisor a mutually satisfactory means of communication and contact. If the student expects to be unavailable for more than a week, they must inform the supervisor and Director of Postgraduate Research as soon as possible.
- check their University email account daily. This is very important as email is the primary means of communication between the University, the School and students.
- participate in training courses and events regarded as compulsory components of the School's doctoral programme and any others as agreed with their supervisor. These will be identified through the annual Training needs analysis (Word).
- keep appointments punctually and be diligent in meeting deadlines for work to be submitted, including work to enable discussion in supervisory meetings
- take responsibility in raising problems, issues or difficulties with either their supervisor(s) or other staff members. If more appropriate, the Director of Postgraduate Research or the Pro Dean Research Postgraduate can be approached.
- respond in a positive and developmental manner to critique of their work and all advice concerning its progress made by their supervisor(s)
- discuss with their supervisor(s) the opportunities available for the presentation of their work within and out with the University in order both to enable feedback from other appropriate scholars, and to gain experience of different forms of research presentation
- have ultimate responsibility for the form and content of the thesis that they will submit. They also have ultimate responsibility for deciding the appropriate time for submission, taking into account the supervisor's opinion and bearing in mind the regulations for this – which specify 24 months full time or 36 months part time for MPhil, and 36 months full time or 72 months part time for PhD.
- provide written, and if possible, prior notification of unavoidable inability to attend meetings. If this is on health grounds, students should complete a self-certification of absence form, which can be obtained from the University website at Self-certification of absence.
- maintain strict compliance with University regulations relating to academic offences, for example academic fraud or misconduct, and accept the penalties for noncompliance. Please refer to the University Code which can be found at Good academic practice.
- adhere to health, safety and security guidelines operative within their place of study or research, both in and away from St Andrews. Please refer to the health and safety section at Policies, procedures and guidance.
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The Departments, School and University use email as the official means of communication. You should read your emails daily.
In addition, you will find information, advice and guidance concerning your time with us as a student on the following web pages:
- Current postgraduates – links to information across the University
- MySaint – portal to web based services within the University
- Student handbook – for all students at the University.
You should familiarise yourself with the contents of these websites and visit them on a regular basis to find relevant information.
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PGR students have a People page listing on the School website. These web pages help you to publicise your research, and you are encouraged to use them and update them regularly.
You can update the webpages via the PURE system and include a 150-250 summary, entered into the "Research overview" area, covering:- a brief biography
- summary of your research.
Advice on how to write for the web can be found at Plain English for the web. In addition to including the overview of you and your research, you can also use PURE to record conference presentations, publications and other activities.
See Guidance for PGR students – PURE and your School People page (Word) for further information on how to set up your profile, such as details for adding a photo that follows best practice.
The School also encourages you to set up profiles on:
- ORCID. An ORCID is a digital identifier that distinguishes you as a researcher. You can link the ORCID ID with your professional institution. The University of St Andrews is a member of the UK ORCID consortium, and recommends its use to all University research students and staff. It can be especially helpful for students interested in doing further research or other academic work. It can be synchronised with PURE and managed from there. It is recognised by many big funders and publishers, among other bodies.
See how to use ORCID. - LinkedIn. The Careers Centre page Make a connection has information about using LinkedIn. Many School of Management students and alumni use LinkedIn for professional networking.
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Ethical approval is required if you are conducting research which requires you to interact with humans and/or human tissue.
Learn more about ethical application processes.
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All postgraduate research students are expected to undergo a formal review of progress on an annual basis. First year students must complete an Upgrade Review before progressing to the next stage of their studies.
The annual progress review should:
- ascertain whether the research student has progressed satisfactorily in their programme of study
- be a useful feedback exercise
- give the student formal practice in talking about their work – the subject of the dissertation, its importance to the field and its methodological approach – to an interested audience that may include a non-specialist
- promote the timely and successful completion of postgraduate research degrees
- identify problems early and help resolve problems where possible
- ascertain whether any decision is required concerning the re-registration of a student for a higher or a lower degree than the one for which they are registered, or concerning leave of absence, extension, withdrawal or termination of studies
- serve as an opportunity for the student or supervisor to raise any concerns, and as a checkpoint to ensure Department and supervisory provisions are satisfactory.
The progress reviews are normally held in either April-June or September-October each year. The date of your progress review will be confirmed by the DoPGR and depends on when you started the programme and individual circumstances.
The progress review involves:
- 15minute presentation to thematic group
- written submission (7-8,000 words) and accompanying written feedback from two academic reviewers
- student self-assessment report
- supervisors' assessment report
- a Panel meeting with the DoPGR, reviewers and PGR Administrator.
Following completion of the Panel meeting, all materials will be reviewed by Panel members and an outcome will be agreed. Further information regarding categories can be found in the University's progress review guidance (pdf).
Classification of written work Colour Review outcome Green Satisfactory Yellow Satisfactory with minor concerns Amber Satisfactory with major concerns Red Unsatisfactory Further details about each of the components of the progress review are provided below.
Presentation
You will give a presentation on your research to your thematic group. All students from the thematic group will present on the same day. A schedule for presentations will be circulated by the PGR Administrator.
The presentation will be:
- in the style of a conference paper
- 15 minutes in length, with time for discussion
- with or without Powerpoint
- focusing on key 'findings' appropriate to stage of study, for example, a summary of literature and questions with proposed methodology in Y1, a report on preliminary data in Y2, and a detailed discussion of analysis and conclusions in Y3 and Y4
- not a progress report.
Each student presentation is reviewed by the appropriate thematic group coordinator(s) using the presentation review form, Reporting sheet for PhD presentations - template (Word).
Written submission
The written work submission should be 7000 to 8000 words in length and the format is Times New Roman, 12 pt, 1.5 spacing, with full Harvard style references.
The submission should:
- carefully outline the elements of the intended research project
- succinctly communicate to an informed non-specialist audience
- clarify and justify the research question
- provide a simple outline of the work undertaken so far
- also be presented as a one-page abstract.
Send your submission by email to the Postgraduate Research Administrator at phdres@st-andrews.ac.uk.
Panel
Academic progress is assessed by the panel committee, which is made up of the Director of Postgraduate Research (DoPGR), two reviewers of your written work, and the Postgraduate Research Administrator, in consultation with supervisors and thematic group colleagues.
The upgrade and review panels are designed to be a constructive experience for students, offering guidance from a wider audience and developing the candidate's presentation and discussion skills. The panels take place in a supportive environment within the Departments of Management and Finance. The reviewers' feedback, presentation feedback, the student self-assessment form and the supervisors' report will be discussed with the student during the panel.
In some cases, students, particularly those seeking an upgrade to PhD status, may be required to revise their material and present at a follow-up panel. These panels will be convened on an ad hoc basis and students will be given appropriate supervisory support to help them meet the objectives set for them.
Further details about the expectations for the upgrade review and progress reviews thereafter are outlined below.
Year 1 Upgrade review
Students are expected to submit:
- a detailed literature review that can be expected to form the basis of a PhD chapter
- well-specified research questions
- a plan of proposed empirical or theoretical work
- a data management plan (if data is used/produced).
Where appropriate, for example in the case of students writing PhD by papers, a first year student may submit a draft paper in place of the literature review.
Upgrade students should include answers to the following questions in their written work submission. This can be evidenced throughout the submission if possible, or by providing a short research proposal alongside their written work submission. The panel will review the written submission with these questions in mind:
- Is this a credible research idea?
- Has the candidate developed a practically feasible research project on the basis of academic literature in the chosen area?
- Does the candidate demonstrate they have the knowledge, skills and potential to conduct that project?
- Is the written work of a standard that it could be expected to form the basis of a PhD chapter?
- Does it specify the research area and research question or questions, the importance of the research area, and the literature which the research addresses?
- Does it address how the research project is motivated ("Why?") and how is it to be justified ("So what?")?
- Does it locate the questions or hypotheses and methodology in a scholarly context? Does it digest what is known and what is thought in the prior literature – the empirical work and theoretical development?
- Does the written work anticipate the project's contribution or explain why this new project is not a simple replication?
Upgrade students are expected to submit a data management plan. You can find out more information about data management, access a template and find contact details for workshops and support from the Research Data Management team web page Data management plans.
Students participating in the upgrade process will have their written work submission categorised by the reviewers in one of the 'Classification of written work' categories above.
Progress reviews in years 2, 3 or 4
Year 2
Students are expected to submit a draft chapter. The contents will depend on several factors, but for empirical projects should include a preliminary review of data. A draft data chapter, or journal article, would be a strong submission.
Year 3
Students are expected to submit a draft chapter. A strong submission would be a developed analysis chapter, or completed journal paper. An acceptable submission would be a developed review of data or journal paper in final stages. A preliminary data review would be a weak submission.
Year 4
Further progress in data, analysis, and conclusions should be shown, together with a realistic plan for completion.
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The final stage of a doctoral degree is writing and submitting your thesis and defending it in an oral examination (viva). You are strongly encouraged to discuss this process with your supervisors towards the end of your studies.
Information on submitting your thesis and preparing for the viva can be found on the St Leonard's Postgraduate College page on thesis support.
The Viva guide - questions and answers 2020 (PDF) provides information and insights from staff and students to help you to prepare.
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The School provides resources and facilities to support your research. These include computing facilities, databases and software; study spaces; and library facilities.
Computing facilities
You are able to use the computers provided in the study space on the top floor of the Gateway. The computers include:
- standard software that you may need for word processing and presentations, and
- specialist software for research and analysis in the field of management and finance. Specialist software may include Stata, EViews, SPSS and NVivo.
You can find Bloomberg Trading Suite on the first floor of the Gateway. This suite is open to all students and may be of particular interest if your research has a focus on finance and economics.
You can find additional computers for general use on the basement level and the first floor of the Gateway.
If you require any further additional and specific computing facilities or software, please contact your supervisor.
Printers
The School provides students with an annual printer credit allowance. You will receive this allowance upon induction to the PhD Programme and each year thereafter.
Networked printers are provided across campus. They can be found on the top floor of the Gateway and in the Library@Gateway in the lower ground floor. Printers can be accessed from the School and University computers or from a personal device. The printers can also be used for copying and scanning. To set up printing facilities, follow the IT Services instructions at Printing.
If you are having any difficulties with computing facilities, please contact the School IT Officer or IT Services.
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The School provides full-time research postgraduate students with a workspace which includes desks and computers. The School endeavours to provide quiet study space to facilitate study and writing. Although this will be communal space, the other occupants are similarly involved in the research process, and will be respectful of the need for quiet.
The doctoral programme space and facilities area is on the top floor of the Gateway, and has swipe card access. Never leave valuables in or on your desk.
The staff kitchen on the top floor of the Gateway and the staff common room on the first floor are available for the use of both doctoral students and staff. The facilities include sink, refrigerator, kettle and microwave. Please be considerate when using these rooms, ensuring that they are kept clean and tidy.
Your personal belongings are left in the School at your own risk and the School/University takes no responsibility for loss or damage of any items.
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Postgraduate students can access library facilities around the campus. Further details can be found on the Library website.
Inter-library loan (ILL)
You will be entitled to a limited number of ILLs each year of your registration so you are advised to use these carefully and seek out alternative ways of obtaining documents and texts wherever possible. Please visit the library or its website for further information on ILL.
Academic librarian for social sciences
The University has a librarian who deals specifically with social sciences scholars. Her role will be explained at induction and full details are available on the library website. Contact: Hilda McNae on hmm9@st-andrews.ac.uk.