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Research Student Progression

Annual Review

Annual review is an essential requirement for all postgraduate students on the research register (full and part-time) in Trinity College Dublin.

Annual review reports should be completed with your supervisor/ supervisory team and must be submitted locally to a designated administrator within the School. If you have questions about annual progress report requirements, please contact your supervisor, or the Director of Teaching and Learning (PG) in the School where you are registered.

Timing of the Review Meetings

The figure below presents the timing of the key review milestones.

  1. Postgraduate research students - September registrants
    2.
  2. Postgraduate research students - March registrants
    3.

Confirmation on Ph.D Register

A process of academic assessment for all Ph.D. students to confirm their continuation on the Ph.D. register is normally arranged approximately eighteen months from the start date of your registration. This timeline is extended by a further year for Ph.D. students on the part-time register from year 1. The process is an essential part in the student's learning experience.

As part of the process each Ph.D. student must prepare a Ph.D. Confirmation Report.  Guidelines to help you complete the report are issued by the appropriate Director of Teaching and Learning (Postgraduate). You must ensure that a draft of the confirmation report is given to your Supervisor in time for them to read it and provide feedback before submission.

Ph.D. students then attend a Ph.D. confirmation interview. The Ph.D. confirmation panel for each student is appointed by the Director of Teaching and Learning (Postgraduate) and consists of the Director of Teaching and Learning (Postgraduate) or his or her nominee, and a second member who should have acknowledged expertise in the subject area of the student’s research (or in a cognate field). Members of the Ph.D. confirmation panel may be drawn only from academic staff eligible to supervise (see Section 2, Paragraph 22 of the Calendar Part III). Although the Director of Teaching and Learning (Postgraduate) makes the final decision about membership of the Ph.D. confirmation panel, he or she will consult with the Supervisor before deciding, taking the student’s opinion into consideration. The Supervisor cannot be a member of the Ph.D. confirmation panel, but the Supervisor (and Co-Supervisors) are present at the interview. When necessary, an external discipline expert may be appointed. The Supervisor’s attendance at the interview ensures that he or she is aware of the panel’s critique of the student’s work.

Written feedback is given to the student as soon as possible after the Ph.D. confirmation interview. The recommendations of the panel are:

  1. (a) continuation on the Ph.D. register,
  2. (b) continuation on the Ph.D. register after some minor changes have been made to the Ph.D. confirmation report
  3. (c) continuation on the Ph.D. not recommended at this time: a new report to be written and confirmation interview to be held again as soon as possible thereafter,
  4. (d) a recommendation to change to the general Masters register to submit a Masters thesis, or
  5. (e) not to continue as a postgraduate research student.

A student may appeal the result of a Ph.D. confirmation interview see  Section I paragraph 67 in Calendar Part III for further details.

Transfer to Ph.D. Register

Students who started on the research Masters register but wish to convert to the PhD register can undertake a ‘transfer process’ identical in all respects to the confirmation process. This process is normally arranged within the first eighteen months of registration, extended by a further year for Ph.D. students on the part-time register from year one.

The transfer process requires the student to prepare a transfer report; the transfer report should be written according to the guidelines issued by the appropriate Director of Teaching & Learning (Postgraduate).

The student then attends a transfer interview. The transfer panel for each student is appointed by the Director of Teaching and Learning (Postgraduate) but they will consult with the Supervisor, also considering the student’s opinion. The Supervisor cannot be a member of the transfer panel, but the Supervisor (and Co-Supervisors) are present at the transfer interview. When necessary, an external discipline expert may be appointed.

The regulations for transferring can be found in Section II.42 of the College Calendar Part III.

Forms and Resources

If you have any questions please contact the Administrative Officer in Graduate Studies or check for answers on our FAQ page.