Prospective postgraduate researchers

During the first few months of your PhD you will enrol and attend a series of induction events organised by your department and the wider University, including a welcome to your PhD workshop. In your first week you will also meet with supervisor/s and agree an initial work schedule. They will normally suggest a series of research articles for you to read, ideas to work on, and you will begin to think about research questions that you hope to answer during the PhD.

During your PhD you must undertake taught courses, including assessment and research seminars, to broaden your knowledge. The majority of these will be done in the first year with the remainder in year two.

Other year one activities include:

• Producing a review of the current literature
• Completing bi-annual reviews
• Attending the Surrey Postgraduate Conference
• Identifying and attending appropriate workshops or conferences
• Supporting undergraduate teaching to enhance your transferable skills. This is not compulsory, but many PhD students appreciate the opportunity to get involved in teaching.

In year two you should find that your research begins to advance more rapidly, and you begin to take ownership of your PhD. Training will still occur via regular supervisory meetings and regular attendance of research seminars, but you will begin to formulate your own ideas and begin to `train’ your supervisor/s on your research topic.

An important landmark in year two for all PhD students is that they have to complete a confirmation report, and pass an internal viva examination. The Postgraduate Skills Development Programme runs a confirmation workshop to help you prepare for both aspects of this process. Confirmation has to occur before 15 months and consists of a report of approximately 30-40 pages which demonstrates that you have reached an appropriate level and that you are expected to be able to produce a final PhD thesis. The confirmation report is often expanded into one or two draft thesis chapters. In the unlikely event of a failure at this stage students are encouraged to complete an MPhil qualification.

Other year two activities include:

• Present a talk or a poster at the Surrey Postgraduate Conference
• Present a talk or poster at a national conference or an international specialist conference and network with other PhD students and academics
• Aim to produce at least one research publication (note this is an aim and depends upon the progress of your research). Usually this is also associated with a further chapter in your thesis
• Complete bi-annual reviews
• Use this opportunity to get involved in public engagement or take some further courses from the Researcher Development Programme
• Discuss future career path with supervisor/s and/or Careers Centre
• Undertake a few hours of undergraduate teaching.

The final one or two years of your PhD is focused on advancing your research and completing your PhD thesis. This can be a challenging aspect of the PhD and as such regular meetings with your supervisor/s are paramount in helping you to stay on top of the writing. Your supervisor/s will give feedback on your draft thesis chapters to help you to critically reflect on the research you have undertaken.

Within one to three months of submitting your thesis you will undertake a viva examination in which you will be examined on your thesis.

Other year three and four activities include:

• Aim to produce at least one more research publication
• Complete the extended bi-annual review, which includes a timeline for the completion of your thesis
• Present a talk or poster at an international conference and network with other PhD students and academics
• Discuss your next careers steps with your supervisor, the Careers Office and other people
• Undertake a few hours of undergraduate teaching
• Attend the Viva Preparation Workshop
• Give a pre-viva presentation.

Most PhD funding is for three years (sometimes extensions for a few more months can be obtained). However, it is possible to go beyond this date on an unfunded basis, but all PhDs must be submitted before the end of four years. Extensions beyond four years will only be given by the University in exceptional circumstances.