Research Degree Supervisors

Research Degree Supervision

All PGR's are allocated a supervisory team when they are offered a place to study for a research degree at BU. Externally, the intense interest from HEFCE and QAA into the performance of RDPs and the quality of support is underscored by similar developments across Europe with agencies such as EUA and strategies such as those underscored in the Bologna process that make it even more important for BU to ensure the quality of its Research Degrees.

Working closely with the Academic Schools, The Graduate School provides a validated PG Cert programme for those involved or soon to be involved in the supervision of PGRs as well as development opportunities for experienced supervisors. These programmes anticipate the needs of the Academic Schools in response to the increased level of research through new staff and the investment in research degrees whilst providing delivery in a format that meets the varied student, supervisor and staff population.

The Code of Practice for Research Degrees set out BUs regulations for the structure of the supervisory team (pdf 45kb) and highlights their responsiblities (pdf 46kb) and those of the postgraduate research student.

PGCert Research Degree Supervision

All new supervisors must attend the accredited PG Cert Research Degree Supervision development programme prior to embarking on supervision, which is designed to provide the necessary knowledge and skills to practice effectively in line with the QAA and University CoP.

Experienced Supervisory Development

Experienced supervisors will also be required to engage with development activities, such as Independent Chair and Examiner Training, which:

• provide information about any changes to policy (external or internal) or process that have occurred in relation to research degrees;
• encourage exchange of best supervisory practice between Academic Schools and disciplines;
• help facilitate the development of a strong research network across the University.

• PG Cert Research Degree Supervision
• Code of Practice for Research Degrees (PDF 415kb)