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Joint Report of the Council and the General Board on the introduction of a part-time route to a doctoral degree: Notice

12 June 2000

In their Notice dated 1 March 2000 (p. 484) the Council stated that they had given preliminary consideration to the remarks made at the Discussion on 15 February 2000 on this Report (p. 470) and had agreed to refer them for comment to the General Board, to the Board of Graduate Studies, and to the Colleges' Standing Committee. The Council are pleased to note that all the speakers were in favour of the proposed introduction of a part-time route to a doctoral degree, and they have submitted a Grace (Grace 11, p. 837) to the Regent House for the approval of the recommendations in the Joint Report.

The Council have now received the following comments from the General Board and the Board of Graduate Studies.

In response to the first of Professor Dumville's comments, it should be pointed out that the consultation paper, prepared by the central bodies after taking advice from the Boards of Graduate Studies and of Continuing Education, was widely circulated, being sent to: Heads of Houses, all Faculty Boards and comparable bodies, all Degree Committees, all Heads of Departments and comparable institutions, various other Boards and Syndicates, the Senior Tutors' and Graduate Tutors' Committees, and to CUSU and the Graduate Union. All recipients were encouraged to make the consultation paper widely available.

As they attempted to make clear in section 3.2 of their Report, the Working Group were, in their deliberations, conclusions, and in the tone of their Report, significantly influenced by the responses received through the consultation process.

The Working Group did indeed consider 'the distinguishing characteristics of a Cambridge doctoral education' - they listed these characteristics in section 4.2.3 of the Report.

Professor Dumville asked how 'pilot' institutions will be identified. The Council and the General Board will, as soon as feasible, be making a further Report proposing the necessary amendments to Statutes and Ordinances. In the event that these are approved, it will be open to Faculty Boards and comparable bodies to bring forward proposals, within the agreed regulatory framework, for the operation of a part-time doctoral scheme within an institution or a group of institutions. It is not envisaged that, at the outset, all Faculty Boards, etc., will wish to commit resources towards such schemes. The extent to which particular subject areas will feel able to accommodate part-time doctoral provision is likely to vary. In any event, it seems prudent that this important strategic development be tested in a limited number of institutions at first, so that the additional resource implications and the necessary special arrangements can be properly considered. The Council and the General Board have no preconceived ideas as to which institutions may act as 'pilots', save that they hope that a range of subject areas may be represented. The criteria which will be borne in mind will be: the scale of the institution's commitment to meeting the distinctive needs of part-time doctoral students; the coherence, in both academic and resource terms, of the proposal; and the relationship of the proposed programme of study to the institution's other activities, including its provision for full-time research students. In response to one of Ms Marinaccio's points, there will be a number of factors, involving both academic and resource issues, which institutions will wish to consider in deciding whether to offer part-time doctoral provision, and there may be sound reasons why a particular Faculty or Department may not wish to participate, although it is the Council's and the General Board's hope that, in due course, such institutions will be limited in number. Similarly, whilst the Council and the General Board hope that as many Colleges as possible will be willing to accept part-time doctoral students into membership, Colleges cannot be obliged to do so.

So far as admissions requirements are concerned, it will be for the Board of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the relevant Degree Committees, to develop further the Working Group's proposals. Whilst they agree that an employer should not have a veto on an application, the Council and the General Board believe that if an employer's facilities are to be used in the course of research proposed, it is reasonable for the employer to be involved in the application process and to certify that the necessary facilities will be made available.

It is accepted that difficulty in securing funding for full-time study may, in some subject areas, constitute a reason for seeking part-time registration. But the central bodies remain of the view that it should not be the only determining criterion for admission.

The Council and the General Board acknowledge the strength of the point, made by various speakers, in respect of the possibility of transfer from full- to part-time registration. They also note that, since the Working Group's deliberations, there have been developments which suggest a changing pattern of studentship funding on the part of the Research Councils. Accordingly, further consideration will be given to the desirability of that particular recommendation by the Working Group.

Professor Dumville is correct in his deduction that the proposed part-time route would not involve a formal residential requirement of the type imposed on full-time students. It does not, however, seem unreasonable that there should be attendance requirements or that means be found to ensure that these requirements are satisfied, such means being comparable to those in place for the University's other part-time degrees.

Professor Dumville expressed concerns about section 9.3 of the Working Group's Report. That section was not intended to suggest that full-time students delay writing until their research has been concluded. The section was simply intended to reflect the Working Group's view that once the minimum number of terms of study have been completed, the same formal timetable for submission should apply to both full- and part-timers. Section 9.4 refers to the importance attached to full-timers submitting within their fourth year, that is, in the majority of cases, within the year following the completion of the three years of research. The Working Group simply intended that part-timers should also be expected to complete within the year following the completion of six, part-time, years.

In response to Professor Brown's point, the Working Group's point about not allowing transfers from full- to part-time registration was intended to apply once a student has commenced a course of research. The Working Group saw no reason why students who have previously completed the M.Phil. Degree (one-year course) should not be able to seek exemption from up to six terms of part-time Ph.D. candidature (see paragraph 2 of section 9.2 of the Working Group's Report).

Dr Evans asked about fee levels. She appears to accept the Working Group's view that the total University Composition Fee for which a part-time student will be liable should be no less in total than for a full-time student. The Council and the General Board believe it would be far simpler to have a fixed annual rate of fee, than to have any alternative arrangement.

In the Council's and the General Board's opinion, the other remarks made by Dr Evans and Ms Marinaccio were not relevant to the matters covered in the Joint Report.

The Council and the General Board will, as indicated above and in the recommendations in the Joint Report, make a further Report, as soon as feasible, proposing the necessary amendments to Statutes and Ordinances to enable schemes of part-time research leading to the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Letters, and Master of Science to be introduced with effect from the academical year 2001-02.


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Cambridge University Reporter, 14 June 2000
Copyright © 2000 The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge.