Milestones and personal development

Overview

This theme covers all training and resources to help you move from where you are now, to the next stage on your journey. Our expert contributors prepare you to navigate and get the most from these transitional phases.

 

As a DPhil student, the institutional milestones on your journey are the Transfer of Status (or ‘Qualifying Test’), Confirmation of Status, and Viva – see below for more details. As you approach the end of your DPhil, you may be considering staying in academia, in which case our regular panel discussion From DPhil to Post-Doc? explores some of the standard post-doc models, and existing postdocs discuss their experiences of this move.

 

 

 

 

 

At a Glance...

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The purpose of the transfer process is to ensure that you have a convincing research proposal, that you are making satisfactory progress in its development, and to satisfy the assessors that the work is potentially of DPhil quality. The General Regulations for admission to DPhil status are set out in the Examination Regulations, along with information on Special Regulations for particular subjects. Course handbooks also provide information on the process.

The purpose of confirmation is to confirm that you are continuing to work at the appropriate doctoral level and to provide assurance that if the work on the thesis continues to develop satisfactorily, then consideration of submission within the course of three further terms would appear to be reasonable. The General Regulations for confirmation of status are set out in the Examination Regulations, along with information on Special Regulations for particular subjects. Course handbooks also provide information on the process.