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Teaching
| One to one supervision | Students might reasonably expect to see their Supervisor fortnightly or at least three times a term. Supervisors normally take care to provide written comments on written work and to give constructive criticism, but students should not expect actual marks. There is no need for written work to be provided for every meeting; general discussion and planning are vital, too. The length of a supervision can vary, depending on the stage a student is at and on the nature of the written work, if any, to be discussed. As a rule, however, such meetings generally last between 30 and 60 minutes. Generally, full-time students could expect 10-12 hours of supervisions over the course of each academic year, while part-time students would expect 6-7 hours. The University of Cambridge publishes an annual Code of Practice which sets out the University’s expectations regarding supervision. |
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| Seminars & classes | Attendance at Sectional PhD training seminars is compulsory for those in years one through three. There are generally two per term in the first (Michaelmas) and second (Lent) terms, lasting approximately 90 minutes. Research students are expected to attend weekly research seminars and discussion groups in their research group. They may also attend other relevant research seminars offered by Linguistics or other language science departments in Cambridge. Research students must also attend training in research skills. These are offered by Sectional PhD training seminars and the University's Researcher Development Programme. |
| Lectures | Attending lectures is optional, but students are encouraged to take advantage of lectures offered across the University that are relevant to their research. |
| Posters and Presentations | Students are encouraged to participate actively in relevant seminars, research groups and conferences by presenting posters and oral presentations. These can be suggested by the Supervisor or selected from among the advertised events and discussed with the Supervisor. |
Feedback
Feedback on progress is provided through regular meetings with the Supervisor. Termly supervision reports are written and are made available to the student online. Students also obtain feedback through the first-year registration interview and from interviews in later terms.
Assessment
Thesis / Dissertation
There is a normal word limit for the thesis of 80,000 words (including footnotes, references and appendices but excluding bibliography). The thesis should represent a significant contribution to learning through the discovery of new knowledge or through the connection of previously unrelated facts, the development of new theory, the revision of older views or some combination of these. In writing the thesis, students are expected to take account of previously published work on the subject, and the thesis should be clearly and accurately written, paying due attention to English style and grammar. Candidates for the PhD in Cambridge are guided by a Supervisor, though they will normally also discuss their work with a number of other experts in their field.
Following the submission of the thesis, an oral (viva) examination is held.
Other
Regular interviews constitute a system for the formal monitoring of student progress towards the PhD.
Postgraduate students are admitted in the first instance for a probationary period during which they are not registered as a candidate for the PhD degree. At the registration interview in the third term (or fifth term for part-time candidates), formal registration as a candidate for the PhD is formally considered. Satisfactory progress is a condition for being registered as a doctoral student. In preparation for the review, students submit a plan of the thesis, an account of research undertaken over the past year and forward planning, and a piece of written work (e.g., a draft chapter or preparatory study of some aspect of the research topic) of 10,000 words.